I suppose because they are as variable as any other group of people: you have those pensioner who are rather well-off, having paid off their mortgage some time before they retired, have a lifetime of savings and have an occupational pension from a good job as well as the state pension on top of which they have very little outgoings (no housing costs etc). On the other end of the scale you'll have those who have suffered some sort of calamaty in their lives and have very very little.


Regarding the article: most wealth is rather relative and, therefore, very hard to measure. Someone on £25k a year but paying 90% of it into childcare is poor - someone on £25k a year but lives rent-free with their parents is really rather wealthy.