It takes an effort – of sorts – to forego consumption, sometimes it’s harder not to spend money than it is to earn it in the first place. The saver/investor is rewarded because he or she does the right thing, the honorable thing, the good thing: They give up the immediate pleasure of spending money so that others may have life and have it more abundantly. His or her savings enter into the pool of resources that others can draw upon to build a new factory…or a new house.

Forbearance is like labor itself – it requires self-discipline and consistency. Savers are not rewarded all at once, but over time; the longer they refrain from calling on their savings, the longer those resources are available to others, and the longer the saver’s “earnings” grow.

Imagine that a guy saves enough to buy a new car. He can use the car himself. Or he can rent it out to others, earning money on his savings by not using them himself. People who do this are “capitalists” or “rentiers” – they earn money by saving; they are paid NOT to consume.