In the same token that income is a number while SEC is a way of life, the same can be said for age as compared to one’s lifecycle stage. Age is just a number, whereas where consumers currently are in their lifecycles pretty much determine what products and services they will likely spend on.
The following are the generally accepted lifecycle stages:
| Bachelor Stage | young, single, and independent |
| Newly Married Couples | young, no children, also known as DINKs (double income, no kids) |
| Full Nest I | families with children, with youngest child below six years |
| Full Nest II | families with children, youngest child six years or older |
| Full Nest III | families with dependent children |
| Empty Nest I | older married couples, no children living with them |
| Empty Nest II | older married couples, retired, and no children living with them |
| Solitary Survivor I | older, no family, and supporting self |
| Solitary Survivor II | older, no family, and retired |
For instance, Bachelors will likely spend a lot on personal effects such as portable electronic devices and clothes. Newly Married Couples will tend to spend a lot on furnishing their homes, dining out, and for travel. But once they evolve into a Full Nest, they will tend to prioritize spending for the children, such as clothing, education, and cut spending on items that they used to buy. Meanwhile, the Empty Nest stage typically sees the couple suddenly flush with newly disposable income because they are no longer supporting their children and this leads to a resurgence in personal spending, including sports cars (for the men) and personal pampering (for the women).