Wealth vs Riches

(Pro 13:11 KJV)  Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

As I read this today I began to think about the possible difference between wealth and riches.  In modern economics they are not the same.  Wealth can be used as a synonym but has more of an attitude of the total amount of value in society rather than just what you have in your bank account.  

What seemed to resonate with me is that the uncountable dollars accumulated by a few people who manipulate paper in places like the stock market are not real wealth for society.  It may line their pockets but the self-centeredness, or vanity, of such focus actually has the potential to suck the life out of a country.  Real wealth is the result of producing not manipulating.

So?  This does not mean we don’t invest but it does mean that we keep a perspective on what will actually make the physical world a better place for all men.  If hedge fund managers all disappeared tomorrow the world would go on.  If all the plumbers were raptured it would be almost instant chaos.