What Die With Zero taught me about living boldly (and spending smartly)

Die with Zero by Bill Perkins isn’t a traditional finance book. It’s more of a wake-up call: a reminder that life isn’t about dying with a full bank account, but about making the most of your time, health, and capacity for experience. It echoes a phrase I’ve come to appreciate: it’s not just about your return on investment—it’s about your return on life.

Here are some of the ideas that really stuck with me:

1. Experiences are the real wealth

Perkins talks about ‘memory dividends’— the idea that meaningful experiences continue to pay you back emotionally long after they’ve happened. A great trip, a spontaneous adventure, time with people you love; these aren’t fleeting, you reflect on them. And ultimately, without being too morbid, those memories are some of the only things we really carry with us to the end.

2. Money is just a tool—for experiences

Most of us are taught to protect and preserve money. But Perkins reframes it: money is for exchanging, and its most valuable use is in creating experiences that matter. If you never use your money to do the things you dreamed of—what was it all for? The goal isn’t to die with the most. It’s to live with the most: joy, meaning, presence.

3. Use time buckets, not a bucket list

A bucket list is a good idea—but vague and often back-loaded. Perkins suggests a better approach: time buckets. Think about which experiences belong in your 30s, 40s, 50s, and so on—based on your health, energy, and stage of life. There aren’t many 90-year-olds snowboarding in the Alps. But there are plenty of 90-year-olds who wish they’d gone when they had the chance. Personally, I’m starting to think more seriously about when to do certain things—not just if.

4. Spend while you’re young (yes, really)

This was one of the book’s most challenging points. When you’re young, says Perkins, you shouldn’t be saving everything. You should be investing—in experiences. Why? Because you’ve got time to recover financially, and those memories will stay with you for decades. He calls it “consumption smoothing”—spending more earlier in life, rather than hoarding now and hoping to enjoy it later.

If you’re hard-working and ambitious, odds are your income will rise. So ask yourself: are you robbing your younger self of joy in the hope your older self will appreciate it more? Will they?

5. Working longer than needed has a hidden cost

I think this may be a key one for a lot of people. The longer you work when you don’t need to, the more you’re effectively giving up your life energy for money you won’t use meaningfully. Even if you love your job, you can’t count on always having the health or ability to enjoy the fruits of your labour. So take the holidays, say yes to the family trips - don’t wait.

6. Give to your kids (and others) sooner

This made a lot of sense to me—though I’ve perhaps not advocated for it as strongly as I should have. Why leave your kids an inheritance at 85, when they’re 60 and financially settled? Give them money earlier, when they’re building lives, buying homes, raising families. You get to see the impact, and they get it when it actually counts.

And the same goes for charity. Causes don’t need your money in 20 years—they need it now. And it’s far more rewarding to witness the good you can do in real time.

7. Be present, not on autopilot

This book reminded me how easy it is to coast—working out of habit, saving by default, putting things off because ‘there’s time’. But what if there’s not? Perkins urges us to stop reacting and start designing. Look at your cashflow. Know your numbers. Actually model the life you want—and then go live it with intention.

8. Don’t undersell your time

Perkins also asks if there are tasks you’re doing that you should be outsourcing? If you can afford to pay someone to clean, fix, manage, or deliver something—and it frees you up for time with your family, or for rest, or joy—is that a trade worth making? What’s your time worth? Don’t ‘lowball’ yourself - the real resource you’re managing isn’t money, it’s time.

9. Be bold—but not foolish

None of this means throwing caution to the wind. Perkins isn’t suggesting we ignore risk or forget our responsibilities. Instead, he invites us to understand our risk tolerance—and then live as fully as we can within it. Know your numbers. Know your runway. Then get on with living.

Final thought: life’s not a rehearsal

Perhaps we all need to think differently: about money; time; and about what we want from this one life.

Questions we might want to ask:

• What am I putting off that would bring me joy now?
• Who do I want to spend more time with, and when will I make that happen?
• Am I saving too much out of fear, and not enough for living?

This book isn’t of course about dying with zero, it’s about living with intention. Is that the real goal?

Richard Wadsworth is a financial planner with over 30 years’ experience who has a particular niche working with busy individuals and families where the clients are in their 50s and looking ahead to retirement. Typically, clients are looking for clarity about where they are financially and the practical steps needed to be taken around savings, investments and pensions. Rather than receive stock answers, clients value a reflective process designed to help them uncover and meet their personal goals.

The value of investments and the income derived from them can fall as well as rise. You may not get back what you invest.

This communication is for general information only and is not intended to be individual advice. It represents our understanding of law and HM Revenue & Customs practice. You are recommended to seek competent professional advice before taking any action.

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