Spending: How Much Is Too Much?

Abstract

Let’s not beat around the bush: the ultimate objective for every dollar a person has ever earned, invested, or saved is to get rid of it during their lifetime or by passing it on to heirs after their death. This is as certain as death and taxes. Whether you spend it, give it to charity, or leave it to heirs, it is a fact that it will leave your hands one way or another.

That said, spending money wisely in the here and now may be even more important than the charitable gifts you leave after you are gone. Dollars spent immediately compost (or redistribute, if you prefer that word) into the soil of the free market economy and into the hands of another consumer.