# Society - Consuming vs Investing

**URL:** https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/society-consuming-vs-investing/1680
**Category:** Coffee
**Created:** [January 6, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/society-consuming-vs-investing/1680 "2019-01-06T15:16:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 5

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### Author: ![Bojack](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/user_avatar/forum.mustachianpost.com/bojack/32/281_2.png) [@Bojack](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/u/Bojack)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2019, 10:22am UTC](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/society-consuming-vs-investing/1680/5 "2019-01-07T10:22:38Z")

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Thank you for your comment! Made me think.

> [@Starting portfolio for someone with 0 experience](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/starting-portfolio-for-someone-with-0-experience/1619/26):
>
> the underlying company wont get a cent of your investment

Based on your example, it really feels like the passive investor does not make a direct impact. But you will agree, that an active investor surely makes a difference, right?

For example, instead of buying a cheap gas car, you postpone your consumption and invest in a company developing a modern electric car. After some years, the technology is there, and you can purchase a shiny new electric car with your returns.

So, when a passive investor makes a purchase, he will buy from an active investor (at least partially). Then the active investor can use this money to invest into businesses which have the biggest potential. So, indirectly, a passive investor also makes a difference.

> [@Starting portfolio for someone with 0 experience](https://forum.mustachianpost.com/t/starting-portfolio-for-someone-with-0-experience/1619/26):
>
> the company is only worth investing when people will buy their products

True, but consumers aren’t the only customers. If the whole economy shifts from consumer mode into R&D mode, then all this R&D also needs resources. So, many “useless” businesses, which only produce non-essential consumer products, go bankrupt, but the ones that provide tools to further develop technology really start to flourish (like maybe schools & teachers).

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