Wealth (Beginner question)

[Meriad51 (OP)]

Can somebody please explain me what`s the purpose of wealth and how i can use it?

Thx for the fast reply.

[Hawkeye]

Anything you do costs, usualy on a one to one basis

A factory, that costs 120 minerals to build, also costs 120 wealth
A research lab, that provides 300 research points per year, also costs you 300 wealth per year to operate
A ship that costs you 800 build points, it will cost you 800 wealth to build

and so on.

[Sloshmonger]

Also, when your wealth is above zero, everything operates normally.   When your wealth turns negative, EVERYTHING slows down based on the Economic Production Modifier, which drops slowly from 100% to 0 based on how deep in the hole you are.   

[Jacob/Lee]

You can subsidize shipping lines, which gives them some cash to get on their feet. AFAIK, they only use the cash to build ships. I usually give each line ~10k and they handle the rest.