But it's not "correct" and doesn't make sense for the vast majority of people. Can you at least agree that a car doesn't lose any value just by driving it off the forecourt? Can you agree that people can have value in their lives that can't be written on a balance sheet?

Most people would do well to stop thinking value exists on a single dimension. It's utterly absurd when you really think about it, but too many people are indoctrinated into this world of money and just can't think any differently.

Sadly, we do all have to play the game to some extent. But you only need to understand enough about it to get by, you don't need to play day trader or treat yourself like a business that might be liquidated at a moment's notice.

The point of a post like this is to strip back the bullshit and just say it like it is: finance is a bunch of children in adult bodies playing games, making bets and doing deals with each other. It's not complicated, they just have their own secret language, just like the kids in the other clique at school did.

I guess it's upsetting to people who are either in the clique or want to be in the clique, though.

One of you uses the word value to mean "how much money can I get in exchange for this thing?" and the other means "how much utility can I get out of this thing?".

As long as you use the same word, you will run into this problem.

Value is always highly context-dependent.

> But it's not "correct" and doesn't make sense for the vast majority of people.

It is absolutely the correct way to track the value of assets.

Whether it makes sense for a particular person is subjective. Some people care, some don't. Clearly you don't. Nothing wrong with not caring so I don't say that negativelty. You do you, as they say. But, the fact that you don't care does not alter reality nor invalidate the math.

> Can you at least agree that a car doesn't lose any value just by driving it off the forecourt?

Of course it does lose value when you sign the purchase papers, this is not debatable. Not a matter of opinion.

You can trivially prove this if you wanted to. Go buy a new car from the dealer, drive it a mile or less to the nearest parking lot and now try to sell that car for the same amount you paid. You will never be able to find a buyer. If you want to sell that car you will have to lower the price to get any takers. So there, you lost money.

> The point of a post like this is to strip back the bullshit and just say it like it is: finance is a bunch of children in adult bodies playing games

Probably not worth trying to continue to respond factually in that case.