Imagine being stuck on the ground for a thin cloud layer 800 feet above the departure airport, while your arrival airport is VFR. Punch through it to clear and a million on top, and you're on your way.

It's a tremendous accomplishment - combining stick and rudder (physical hand-eye coordination) with better situational awareness (mental).

Insurance will be cheaper and you will be a safer pilot.

It's for the little guys too. Hand flown 172s, a Cheetah and a Mooney just about everywhere East of the Mississippi. While you can have VFR fright following (workload permitting), there's also comfort in knowing that ATC is also keeping an eye on you.

For fun flying, I'd rather fly actual IFR (within my personal mins) rather than VFR. It's a running joke at home - the weather is too good to fly.