Life takes work.
Work allows us to create value and trade that value for money. We then trade that money for things or experiences. Both of these are important.
What we buy has value both now and in the future.
If we buy a car, it is likely to be worth less in the future than it is now.
If we buy a house, it is likely to be worth more in the future than it is now.
If we buy stocks, they are likely to be worth more in the future than they are now.
Since, in the end, everything is a trade for value, Buying those assets that will be worth the most in the future is best. This needs to be balanced out by the value we get out of those assets today and in the future.
A stock is a life asset that we get very little out of until we sell it at a future date.
A house is a life asset that we get a lot of value out of, both in terms of shelter and in terms of how we experience home ownership.
A car we get a lot of value from both in terms of transportation as well as the enjoyment of the vehicle itself.
We can work for life assets such as stock that bring us very little happiness today but will be worth a lot more in the future.
We can work for life assets that bring us happiness but become worth less over time.
If we only buy life assets that bring us enjoyment, our life assets will not compound. If we only buy life assets that increase in value we lose out on day-to-day happiness. It is a balance of these two that optimizes our lives.