Die With Zero, by Bill Perkins: My Book Review & Summary

Die With Zero, by Bill Perkins

My Book Review & Summary

Die With Zero is about not dying with money that you worked hard for. This book is based on a philosophy on how to maximize your finances to get the most out of life and not just to save for old age and beyond. As in, it gets you thinking about making some changes in your life. I would put this into a psychology, philosophy, or lifestyle category more than a personal finance type of book, which some people may assume it is when they pick it up.

Die With Zero does talk about personal finances. But it does so by answering questions like “should I save now or should I spend now?” or “does it make sense to go on a vacation now in my 20’s or save it to go on two vacations in my 40’s?”. 

Think about the experiences that you want to have in your life, and then plan on doing them sooner rather than later. Most likely, you’ll be able to have a better experience the sooner you do them. When you picture yourself doing something fun in the future, you typically don’t picture yourself in an older version of yourself, and that older body won’t be able to handle as much as it can now.

"Rather than just focusing on saving up for a big pot full of money that you will most likely not be able to spend in your lifetime, live your life to the fullest now: Chase memorable life experiences, give money to your kids when they can best use it, donate money to charity while you're still alive. That's the way to live life.

Remember: In the end, the business of life is the acquisition of memories~ Bill Perkins, Die With Zero"

Throughout Die With Zero, Perkins explains his 9 rules to this philosophy:

Maximize The Enjoyment of Your Money & Your Life

This is the theme of the book:

What’s the best way to spend our money for maximum enjoyment and in order to generate maximum memories?

“If your capacity to enjoy life experiences is higher at some ages than others, then it makes sense to spend more of your money at certain ages than others! For example, because $100,000 has more value in your fifties than it does in your eighties, and your goal is to maximize your enjoyment of your money and your life, it’s in your best interest to shift at least some of that money from your eighties into your fifties.”~ Bill Perkins, Die With Zero

Inheritances and Philanthropy

This is another main theme in Die With Zero. Why wait until you die to donate? If you plan on leaving money to your kids when you die or to a philanthropic project, just do that while you’re still alive. Don’t wait until you die to do something that you want to do.

My Review of Die With Zero

Die With Zero is a great concept, and it’s all packed into a short, quick read book. It has a ‘live in the moment’ vibe, but Perkins also preaches not to completely sacrifice delayed gratification. I personally over-do the delayed gratification concept. I think long-term too much. So this book gives me some things to think about. But I do know if there’s anything new or memorable from Die With Zero that will really stay with me beyond writing this review and moving on. I would recommend this book mainly because it’s not filled with much fluff like most of the self-help books are, and it’s a really quick read. 

Make your future better without sacrificing life experiences, because life is the sum of your experiences. 

Here’s a summary of Bill Perkins philosophy in his own words:

“Invest in experiences that yield long-lasting memories, always bear in mind that everyone’s health declines with age, give your money to your children before you die instead of saving for your inheritance, and learn to balance current enjoyment with later gratification.”~ Bill Perkins, Die With Zero

If you’ve made it this far, I’d really recommend checking out my review and summary of Rich Dad Poor Dad. Although it’s more geared towards investing than just a philosophy or self-help book, it’s a great follow up to read after Die With Zero.