I may be in Switzerland, at the World Ageing and Generations Conference, but I’m not skiing. In marketing circles, SKING refers to Spending the Kids Inheritance, used bluntly in a advert (spotted above the urinal in Dublin airport) targeting unsuspecting ‘yoof’ who thought that their parents might be handing on some of that wealth they’re accumulating through their steadily increasing house prices.
However, as a rather smart demographer (David King) from the UK outlined earlier in a presentation on housing policy and ageing, most over 65s in the UK and most of the EU25 (minus some Baltic States) live in houses far bigger than they require (they are ‘Under-Occupied’) and display very low housing mobility.
Looks like Mum and Dad won’t be selling up and putting that money your way after all.