If author Tony Howlett is correct, debating the virtues of one of the three -- paper money -- will be a purely academic exercise. "Cash will die a natural death; we will willingly abandon it for more convenient financial tools," Howlett theorizes [source: Howlett]. For most consumers, this isn't such a bad thing. Plastic forms of payment offer convenience. However, a loss of cash also equals a loss of anonymity, Howlett points out. Purchases made using computerized methods of payment like credit and debit cards are easily tracked. This is good for law enforcement, but bad for criminals, for example.