Logically enough, Canadians in this age group are twice as likely as the average Canuck to be retired. But there’s a whopping 3.6 million of them with money to spend.

• Soon-to-be-senior Canadians – who number 3.6 million (13%) – are 90% more likely than average Canadians to have savings or investments worth more than $500,000.

• These consumers are 70% more likely than average Canadians to be planning to spend $40,000 or more on their next new car.

• Canadians in this age group are 40% more likely to drive a Buick than average Canucks.

• They are twice as likely as average Canadians to be separated or divorced.

• They are twice as likely as average Canadians to be frequent readers of travel magazines.

• As a group, these ‘near seniors’ are 60% more likely to have personally spent between $3,000 and $4,000 on their last vacation than average Canadians.

• They are 2.2 times more likely than average Canadians to have played a slot machine in the past year.

• Canadians 55-64 are 70% more likely to have spent $500 or more on garden supplies in the past year than average Canadians.

• TV (90%), Radio (85%), and Daily Newspapers (67%) are the top 3 media by yesterday exposure for Canadians in the 55-64 age group.

• The top 3 formats by weekly radio reach for this group are: News/Talk (44%), Adult Contemporary (37%), and Country (20%).

• News/Current affairs (67%), Movies (58%) and Suspense/Dramas (43%) are the top 3 television program types watched in an average week by Canadians in this age group.

Source: BBM RTS Canada, Spring 2007, Individuals 12+. The preceding information is from BBM RTS, a syndicated consumer-media survey of over 65,000 Canadians, conducted twice a year by BBM Analytics. For more information, contact Andrew Currie of BBM Analytics: acurrie@bbmanalytics.ca.