46-Year-Olds 'Own The Highest-Value Possessions'

Britain's 46-year-olds own the most valuable possessions, new research from home insurance firm More Than has found.

According to the study, people of this age hold an average £40,919 worth of personal possessions in their homes - a higher total than that of any other. The research also showed that many people own more valuable goods than they think they do: when 46-year-olds were asked how much their possessions were worth, the consensus stood at just £28,917.

Among the under-40s, the most valuable age was found to be 28, where people owned an average of £33,166 in possessions; elsewhere in the study, More Than found that 56 per cent of Britons across all age groups had "no idea" about how much the goods in their home were worth; around one fifth also said that they had "never thought" about the value of their home.

"It's interesting that the magic…age falls within the fifth decade - it adds weight to the old adage that ‘life begins at 40'," More Than product director Dowshan Humzah said.

"What's concerning however is how little thought people seem to be giving to the total value of their possessions," he added. "Brits work hard enough to buy things but by not keeping track of what they own, they run the risk of being under-insured. The report shows that on average, people spend £13,000 every five years on things they keep in their home so home contents policies need to be checked and updated regularly as a result."