Are You A Guppie? An Older, Wiser, Greener Yuppie

As the 1980s hit movie Wall Street sees its sequel hit cinemas shortly, Gordon Gekko’s famous mantra is back but as an older, wiser, richer and greener Yuppie, a Guppie.

RIAS, provider of personal insurance solutions, surveyed over 1,000 people over 50 who would have been in their 20s and 30s in the heyday of the ‘yuppie’ to see how priorities have changed with regards to their careers, money, material possessions and living arrangements.

Their resulting ‘Yuppies: Older, Wiser, Greener’ report reveals that green issues are now more important to them, giving rise to a new tribe of ‘Guppies’, or Green Yuppies who are taking the green agenda by storm.

The majority of these ‘Guppies’ use energy saving light bulbs and many have installed a water meter and have installed a low-flow showerhead to reduce their water waste.

On the green theme, a number have added solar panels or wind turbines to their properties to make their homes more efficient.

They are also looking to reduce their carbon footprint by turning off lights when they leave a room, wash their clothes at 30 degrees and use public transport more than they did.

Many Guppies are also growing their own produce in vegetable patches at home or on their own plots in local allotments, and some 11% have installed grey water recycling systems, where water waste from showers, baths and washing is stored and re-used to flush the toilet.

The Sony Walkman may have gone to be replaced by an iPhone but out is the Gourmet Shopping Bag and in is the reusable Jute Bag. The high pressure career is out in favour of worl/life balance and critically the ‘greed is good’ mantra has been replaced with ‘green is good’.

Janet Connor, MD at RIAS comments, “This generation actively campaign and make a difference to issues they care about and believe in, and it’s these actions and behaviours that will rub off on younger generations and hopefully set them on their way to a greener lifestyle.

And with RIAS Buildings Insurance covering solar panels and wind turbines as standard, today’s green over 50s can not only invest in the latest environmentally friendly technologies, but also enjoy the peace of mind that their ecological purchases are fully protected.”

If you have a number of high value items you may better off considering a High Net Worth insurance policy.

It’s a good idea to get your valuables professionally valued and remember to repeat the valuation periodically in case they have changed significantly in value.

And don’t forget you may unwittingly be sitting on a fortune through your collection of modern antiques, signed books or early games consoles – ask the question, is your collection junk or worth a fortune?

MoneyHighStreet has partnered with leading insurance broker, W B Baxter Insurance Brokers Ltd, to offer High Net Worth home insurance advice and products via a top quality service.

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Contact Baxters for Free advice on your high net worth home insurance, understand what your requirements and best options are and as appropriate buy your insurance cover.

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