Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life

I think this is a great little book. It was a short read, but was packed with a lot of great information. The overarching concept itself makes a LOT of sense, and really generated a lot of thoughts as to whether or not my priorities are in the right place. It also addresses some of the elephants in the room...what about an inheritance for the kids, what about your favorite charity, etc. All these topics and more were addressed in a very thoughtful and common sense way.I have already recommended this book to a few friends. I would recommend it to anyone thinking about making the most of their time remaining on this earth, even if you think you have a long way to go!

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The ideas shared in this book has turned the status quo upside down. Thank Bill for this insightful message of dying with zero.I will tell you though how I found this book. I have been wondering for years how does someone dies leaving hundreds and also millions in their bank account to the bank and the government. I saw this as a waste. No one, no charity they could have these monies to? Crazy!So I told myself will not die leaving millions behind to the ‘atmosphere’. And I asked myself how can I die with zero? With thank question I remembered Jim Rohn saying whatever you want to become study it and so I decided to find a book on the topic.Thanks again Bill for this treasure.

Great short read and different mindset on spending your money. This will work for many as long as you simplify your life and don’t go into debt, which is what a lot of people do. Highly recommend this book if need something to read on vacation.

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), and5) 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.

Excellent book! Everyone entering retirement or in the planning stage of retirement should read this book! Changed our lives! Just remember, if you don't sit in First Class, your kids will with your money. :-) Just saying, spend what you earned, it's your money!!!

In America, the thought is often that whoever ends up with the most assets wins. But this book turns that truism on its head—and for the better. Rather than keeping score with money, the author convincingly argues that the number of memories you create is a far better indicator of a life well-lived. So why not spend all of your hard-earned wealth to travel, explore hobbies, throw parties, or find other leisure activities that feed your soul? The author’s engineering background comes into play as he offers sound guidance on how and when to deploy your assets for maximum contentedness, as well as how to overcome reservations about "decumulating" your net worth. And while he admits that dying with zero is practically impossible, his case for attempting to do so makes it worth the try.

Ok, I'm dead, and left zero after the estate taxes, gift taxes, inheritance taxes, rental income taxes, 401k taxes, paying for long term care ins, paying for property ins at the beach in Florida, paying the HUGE $$$$ special assessments almost all coastal hi rise condos charge for 30 years of deferred maintainance, sales taxes, school taxes, property taxes, gas tax, highway taxes, telephone taxes, Sirius taxes, dog license fee(tax), annual car registration fee(tax), tax on the earnings i make from whats left after my income tax, State taxes, city taxes, airport taxes, car rental taxes, my grandfather's paternity suit defense, electricvtaxes, Netflix subscription increase, taxes on my taxes (i.e. paying an accountant to figure out my taxes),and..a dozen eggs.I guess that means I'm successful...🤗🤗🤗But then again, this took no effort besides being born (starting with the placenta recycling fee(tax), just like old car batteries, and i cudda saved money not buying the book (including the tax on it).