People are living longer than ever before, a phenomenon undoubtedly made necessary by the 30-year mortgage.
A man's soul may be buried and perish under a dungheap or in a furrow of the field, just as well as under a pile of money.
Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the "gotta have it" scale.
When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.