People don’t talk about money with me for the same reason physicists don’t ask five-year-olds their latest thoughts on string theory. But once I was moving and couldn’t afford to buy a place to live, and a real-estate titan I met at a social event told me I must not buy now but rent. He told me I must wait until prices fall. I had no choice, but his advice bestowed an air of strategy on what had only been a plight, and I’ll always be glad I talked to him.