Your bank account is just a float in a database.

I hope it's not, too many rounding errors

You need to play more MMORPG's. It's amazing how much people care about integers in databases going up.

I don't even see the code anymore; just blonde, brunette, redhead...

(In all seriousness, the karma number quantifies the approbation of your peers; and a good reputation is highly valued by most people--and rationally so, I'd say).