Wat heeft een zestigplusser anno 2026 gemiddeld te besteden – en is dat veel of weinig vergeleken met de rest van Nederland? Terwijl de politiek ruziet over koopkrachtplaatjes en pensioenstelsel, schuift een groeiende groep ouderen stilletjes richting een netto-inkomen waar menig jongere alleen maar van kan dromen.

Volgens recente ramingen ligt het gemiddelde bruto inkomen in Nederland in 2026 rond de 4.400 euro per maand, inclusief vakantiegeld. Het modale jaarinkomen – het inkomen dat het vaakst voorkomt – wordt voor 2026 geraamd op ongeveer 48.000 euro bruto, goed voor circa 4.000 euro per maand. Zestigplussers vallen daar vaak net onder, maar beschikken wel vaker over meerdere inkomensbronnen: AOW, aanvullend pensioen en soms nog loon of inkomsten uit vermogen.

Reken je alles bij elkaar op, dan komt een echtpaar met twee AOW-uitkeringen en een gemiddeld aanvullend pensioen in 2026 uit op zo’n 3.300 tot 3.700 euro netto per maand. Alleenstaanden moeten het doorgaans doen met ongeveer 2.070 tot 2.250 euro, afhankelijk van belastingdruk en aanvullende pensioenrechten. Daar staat tegenover dat de woonlasten bij zestigplussers vaak lager zijn, omdat de hypotheek (bijna) is afgelost, terwijl jongere generaties in een oververhitte woningmarkt veel meer kwijt zijn aan huur of rente.

Tegelijk groeit de groep ouderen snel: inmiddels is ruim één op de vijf Nederlanders 65-plus, en die vergrijzing zet de komende jaren door. Economen waarschuwen dat een relatief welvarende grijze generatie de inkomens- en vermogensverschillen tussen jong en oud verder kan uitdiepen, zeker zolang lonen achterblijven en starters moeilijk aan een koopwoning komen. De vraag is dus minder hoeveel een zestigplusser gemiddeld verdient, dan wie zich straks de oude dag nog kan veroorloven.

Klamme nachten, tropenroosters en de zoektocht naar verkoeling: het is bloedheet in onze regio. Vanaf woensdag 12:00 is het code oranje vanwege de aanhoudende hitte. Volg via dit liveblog de laatste ontwikkelingen over de hitte.

Klamme nachten, tropenroosters en de zoektocht naar verkoeling: het is bloedheet in onze regio. Vanaf woensdag 12:00 is het code oranje vanwege de aanhoudende hitte. Volg via dit liveblog de laatste ontwikkelingen over de hitte.

Klamme nachten, tropenroosters en de zoektocht naar verkoeling: het is bloedheet in onze regio. Vanaf woensdag 12:00 is het code oranje vanwege de aanhoudende hitte. Volg via dit liveblog de laatste ontwikkelingen over de hitte.

As a podcast host, I speak daily to people on both sides of the breakup. A decade after the referendum, it’s clear who’s moved on

Let’s imagine you’ve been dumped by someone you were expecting to stay with for the rest of your life. The breakup is bitter. The logistics, exhausting. The two of you spend an eternity negotiating who gets to keep the dog, the flat, the friends; it’s hard to imagine that things will ever feel normal again. But the years have a way of softening these things. Some years later, a photo of your ex flashes up on your social media feed. And suddenly, you realise you feel no grudge. In fact, you barely feel anything at all.

This is how it feels to be an EU citizen a decade after Brexit. As the host of a podcast called The Europeans, I talk to people across Europe on a daily basis. Nobody I speak to bears the United Kingdom – the country I called home until my late 20s – any ill will. They enjoy our films and our pop music (even though it’s harder to actually see British artists live); sometimes they go on weekend trips to London and come back complaining about how expensive it was.

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The man tipped for No 10 could also come under immediate pressure if his chancellor is deemed by bond markets to be too left-wing

Andy Burnham would enter Downing Street already “boxed in” by financial markets if he signals a rise in borrowing to pay for a more expansive policy agenda, bond investors have warned.

The newly elected MP for Makerfield, who is widely expected to be the next prime minister, could also quickly come under pressure if he chooses a chancellor who is seen to be too leftwing by bond markets.

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Report by Commons committee says government has failed to make concrete changes after recent security failures

Britain’s museums and galleries are being left vulnerable to thefts and cyber-attacks that could put priceless collections at risk, MPs have warned.

A report by the public accounts committee (PAC) said big security failures in recent years, including the theft of thousands of artefacts from the British Museum and a devastating cyber-attack on the British Library, had exposed serious weaknesses across the sector, but that the government had failed to take a strategic approach to preventing similar incidents.

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Church marks 300 years with exhibition and online archive telling of UK’s first Black voters, and history of compassion and protest

From a family of chimney sweeps including one of Britain’s two earliest documented Black voters, to the mystery of a 19-year-old youth believed enslaved, St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square still has secrets to share as it marks its 300th anniversary.

Standing at the heart of London’s political and cultural life for three centuries, its ranks of engraved memorial stones set into the floor and walls of the crypt and cafe are yielding glimpses into long-forgotten lives of ordinary Londoners.

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Matriarchal groups in east and west exhibit distinct click patterns, used to form social structures

From “Howdy” to “G’day”, English – like other languages – is rich in dialects. Now researchers have found sperm whales on different sides of the Mediterranean show similar variations in their vocalisations.

Sperm whales communicate vocally using sequences of short clicks called codas. However, the rhythmic pattern of these clicks, known as the dialect, can differ between different matriarchal groups.

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Glamorous, fashion-forward, fun – wigs are everywhere you look, with celebrities leading the way. But should you go for something flamboyant, or a more natural style? Time to test-drive a few

‘I think it’s the word – ‘wig’!” says Melanie Burrell, scrunching up her nose. “I prefer ‘hairpiece’.” It’s part of the reason why, when she opened her wig business in Glasgow in 2010, she called it Parrucche – the Italian word for “wigs” being a little more discreet, especially when it came to signage.

But the stigma once associated with wig wearing is quickly diminishing. Outside of Black and queer communities, where using hairpieces has long been commonplace, wigs were once associated with attempts to conceal hair-loss, or for fancy dress. But in recent years, their appeal has broadened. According to data insights company Statista, the global wigs and hair extensions market is predicted to reach $13.28bn this year. For men, toupees, now more commonly known as “hair systems”, are part of this resurgence.

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