Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
It's the reason Warren Buffett (& other successful individuals) spends 80% of his time reading.

Learning Is An Investment

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

Knowledge is the new money. While goods and services are becoming demonetized and replaced by machines, knowledge is becoming increasingly valuable.

Intellectual Capital

People at the bottom of the economic ladder are being squeezed more aby automation, while those at the top have more opportunities and are paid more than ever before. 
The irony is that the problem isn’t a lack of jobs. Rather, it’s a lack of people with the right skills and knowledge to fill the jobs.

The Automatization Problem

But, unlike money, when you use knowledge or give it away, you don’t lose it.
In fact, it’s the opposite. The more you give away knowledge, the more you remember it, connect it with other ideas, etc.

Knowledge Has Compound Value

“In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time — none. Zero.”

The term coined by futurist Peter Diamandis is a process by which technology is rendering previously expensive products or services much cheaper — or even free. 
It's mainly happening because we are moving hardware products to software. For example, the phone today has about $1M of applications from a decade ago.

Demonetization (or Dematerialization)

<ol>
<li>Identify valuable knowledge at the right time. Things move fast. </li>
<li>Learn and master that knowledge quickly. Take advantage of existing opportunities. 3. Communicate the value of your skills to others. </li>
<li>Convert knowledge into money and results. Get a better job, demand better fees, etc. </li>
<li>Learn how to financially invest in learning to get the highest return. Find the right “portfolio” of books, online courses etc. </li>
<li>Master the skill of learning how to learn.</li>
</ol>

Mastering The Knowledge Economy

"In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn't read all the time - none. Zero."  - Charlie Munger, Self-made billionaire & Warren Buffett's longtime business partner Why did the busiest person in the world, former president Barack Obama, read an hour a day while in office?

CHARLIE MUNGER

Similar ideas

How well you’re spending your time

You Don’t Have A Lot Of Time

Reading For 15mins A Day