I decided I might start posting some of my book reviews on my website. Just for fun.
Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life
My Review: Four Stars. I really wanted to give 5 stars, but there were too many things that I didn’t quite agree with.
Click here for a link to the book on Amazon.
Die With Zero interested me because the title seemed to go against almost everything I had been taught about money. I come from a very conservative upbringing where the message was simple: save, save, save. And in my own life, there have been times when those savings weren’t merely comforting—they were necessary. There have also been times when we saved so much that we didn’t really experience all that life had to offer.
So I tried to approach Bill Perkins’s argument with as little prejudice as possible. And while I didn’t agree with everything he had to say, I did find myself agreeing with some of his ideas.
But honestly, what is the point of having money if you never allow yourself to enjoy your life? And what is the point of life if you never really allow yourself to live it?
I agree that money is meant to be used for good. It should help our lives function, certainly, but it can also provide meaningful experiences and opportunities to connect with the people we love. Saving everything simply for the sake of saving can become its own kind of trap. There is a cost to being overly cautious. If we’re so worried about protecting ourselves from every possible future disaster that we never really live, we’ve lost something valuable too.
Where Perkins really began to lose me was when his philosophy seemed to assume a level of future financial security that not everyone will have. The idea that you shouldn’t worry too much about saving when you’re young and poor makes sense if your income eventually rises substantially. But sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the rainy day actually comes, and there is no safety net.
I’ve been through extremely difficult financial times, and I know the difference between wondering how you’re going to pay for what you need and having enough money to feel secure. I don’t take that security lightly.
Perkins also discusses extremely wealthy people who will never be able to spend their fortunes and questions whether they might have been better off working less and enjoying more of their lives. Perhaps. But I also think people get to decide for themselves what constitutes a meaningful life. Some people genuinely love building businesses, creating things, or working toward enormous goals. That creativity in business can be a beautiful thing too.
For me, ultimately, I do not actually want to die with zero. That’s cutting things a little too close. I don’t want to postpone every experience until some distant future either. But I also don’t want to spend my final years worrying that I might outlive my money.
Maybe that’s what I ultimately took from this book: neither extreme appeals to me.
Saving everything while continually postponing life isn’t much of a life. But spending as though the future will necessarily take care of itself doesn’t feel wise either. Somewhere between those two extremes is a balance—enough security that we aren’t living in fear of tomorrow, but enough willingness to spend our time and money that we aren’t afraid to live today.
Actually live. Go out and experience all that life has to offer. Interestingly, that’s also the big takeaway I got from another book, After by Dr. Bruce Greyson.
I didn’t agree with Bill Perkins on everything, but he certainly made me think. And perhaps that’s one of the best things a book like this can do.
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