good ideas for those with the resources to act on them! The author is very up front about his target audience, and if that’s you, this is a good book to read.

Die With Zero contains a controversial and thought-provoking concept, which is to plan your life so that you purposely spend all of your wealth by the time you die. To maximize a person’s life, the author (Bill Perkins - NOT a financial advisor) recommends that most people should begin spending down on their retirement savings between 45 and 60 years of age (depending on one’s estimated life expectancy) so that they will reach zero net worth by the time they pass away. In theory, this plan is a great idea. In reality, this idea is impractical and down-right dangerous given that it’s impossible to predict the timing of one’s demise. I strongly disagree with many of the points in this book, starting with the notion that any money earned during a person’s career is “wasted” to the extent that the person dies before spending it. In other words, the author is saying that money has no value unless it is spent during one’s lifetime. In my opinion, this is wrong for several reasons. As just one example, having savings in the bank gives many folks the feeling of financial peace and security. If you don’t believe such a feeling is valuable, just ask anyone who has ever lost sleep worrying over unpaid bills or a lack of retirement savings. With that said, I found other points in the book that are worthwhile, including: 1) everyone should be mindful of how they spend their time and money (i.e., consider whether the daily Starbucks routine is a better choice than saving for front row concert tickets or a summer vacation and regardless how you answer that question, it’s empowering to know you have a choice), 2) a fulfilling life has more to do with amassing memorable experiences than increasing the size of one’s bank account, 3) plan to spend some money on experiences while you can still physically participate (don’t wait til retirement to buy a ski boat b/c most 70 year olds can't water ski), 4) retirement planning should include the concept that spending varies during your golden years (most retirees are more active/spend more $$$ in early retirement and less as their health declines), and 5) deferred gratification (i.e., saving for an emergency or retirement) is wise, but denied gratification is not smart (i.e., work until you die without stopping to smell the flowers along the way). Overall, I completely disagree agree with the main message in this book. Personally, I’d rather die with a pile of unspent money than take a chance of outliving my savings and end up eating dog food for my remaining days on earth. For financial planning advice, I definitely don’t recommend this book. However, it is valuable in the sense that it provides a different perspective on retirement savings and made me think more about my future.

I loved the book and the reframe on using money to buy experiences and the memory divedend conceit is awesome. I needed this book for me and my family and to live my most fulfilled life! Listened to it twice and I am now reading it as well!

A friend suggested this book to me and after reading it, know exactly why. This is for people like me who have the funds to live more comfortably with their retirement savings but are not psychologically/emotionally prepared to do so. The author provides some helpful advise towards a paradigm shift with following my financial advisor's encouragement to spend well earned retirement savings.

Interesting concept

I have enjoyed reading Die with Zero but I don't think it's for everyone. I totally agree with Perkins approach for those who are educated and have saved well. This is not a strategy for those living paycheck to paycheck. The thoughts on considering the value of your time are spot on. I also got a lot out of his perspective that you have the health to enjoy your money when you are younger. I have tried to put a few principles in practice and create memories with my family now.

First things first; this book isn't for everyone. If you don't have disposable income, don't anticipate retiring with a sizeable nest egg, or don't plan to leave an inheritance to anyone when you die, you probably don't need to read this. For anyone that does expect to pass on assets on when the time comes, this is definitely worth the read. This book challenges the conventional wisdom when it comes to financial advice that says to work for as long as you can and save as much as you can for later in life. Rather than stock piling away money, this book will challenge you to think differently; to be bold but at the same time not be foolish with your money. Why spend your life working and stashing away money, if you're never going to enjoy it? Why work for as long as possible just to pass on your wealth when you die, when you could spend in now to enjoy life and all of the experiences it has to offer with your loved ones? The idea of leaving an inheritance to loved ones is a noble idea, but by the time that comes, the people you're leaving it to will likely be older and financially stable. If you want to help them, why not help them when they need it most - earlier in life when life's biggest expenses occur (college/mortgage/kids,etc). It is definitely a scary thought to start giving away/spending your money now when the future is unknown. It requires a lot more planning and thinking about what you will truly need in retirement, but I really enjoyed the ideas in the book and it definitely made me start to think differently about my finances.