Your last point is one I've often wondered myself. Quite frankly, money, as helpful as it is when we're active and busy, has very few uses when we've got a lot at the end of our lives outside of subsistence. Those are good economic points you paraphrased from Elstein and that book that I've never read. I strongly advise looking at stocks every day (I do)--but don't make impulse buys! When you're thinking over what's available and what you have, actually try to think. Buy low, sell high, and (the oft forgetten third rule) buy and sell smart.

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