Yes, it is.
I think the "money = perception of power" is closest to the mark.
Allow me to sum up the attraction of an older man to a younger woman for y'all:
1. Assertiveness.
2.Confidence in who they are and where they are going (financial stability naturally accompanies this - if you're dirt poor and fifty-five, you're in trouble)
3. He's learned his lessons learned from past mistakes - mistakes that we know we won't have to be subjected to!
4. Proper manners and comportment in public. (seriously - one of my younger friends once "tasted" a $15 carafe of house red and said to the waiter, "That's fine, thank you. Go ahead." and made up for it later by opening the door for me but letting it slam on the woman behind him. Oh, my heart! )
5. They know how to seduce us, compliment us with sincerity and once they've got us in bed, they understand the value in paying attention to more than just our main bits. (The first time someone nibbled his way from the back of my knee to the nape of my neck, I couldn't tear his clothes off fast enough.)
The benefit of an older woman, I imagine, would be quite similar. (Wait - accessing past experiences....)
Yes, same again for the older woman, with the added benefit being that she has learned to love her body and be confident in it. (Mind you, if the older person in question doesn't learn from their experiences, and has the brain of a Bush - the question is moot.)
Confidence, tact, class, and knowledge equals power, boys. Go get 'em.
Madeleine.