Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money by Bill Perkins
Key points in this book
Optimise your life experience and live your life to the fullest.
Stop working long hours to make more money that you are likely not be able to use it up at the end of your life.
Be aware of your golden ages (usually 20 – 45 years old) with peak energy and spend more money on wanted experiences during that time period.
No money to go skiing or skydiving when your young? Would you be fit enough to do so in your 50’s or 60’s when you have more savings?
Saving money is not important? It’s more important to save and spend your money more reasonably.
Keep a simple life so that you need reasonably minimum amount of money to cover cost of living. Don’t fall into the trap of upgrading your lifestyle as many people do.
Maintaining your fitness level helps you enjoy every experience more, especially physically demanding experiences, at every age.
5 Most Impressive Ideas in this book
1. ‘Living a life or just being kept alive?’
My reflection:
What’s the difference between these two ways of living: living a life or just being kept alive? Which one would impress you more and be more meaningful? For me, I choose living a life rather than just being kept alive. Think about this. What’s it like when you’re just being kept alive? Maybe… you live paycheck to paycheck, you work longer hours to afford those paychecks, you sacrifice family time for promotions to earn more money to afford a better lifestyle. Or maybe you do the same thing day after day just to be loyal to your company and not dare to take leaves to look good. Sounds normal, huh? Because everyone, especially your colleagues, repeats these patterns as well? Yes, you can live a ‘normal’ life like that from graduation until retirement for 43 years, from 22 years old to 65 years old. You probably can enjoy job security and a stable income to support your family, buy a house, and pay off loans over several decades. You probably can have enough money to afford the cost of living from retirement until death because you’ve been saving some money. But will this kind of 43-year life bring any joy to yourself or your family without many scheduled events like family holidays, which can create lots of memorable experiences? To me, no, definitely not. So why not stop just being kept alive and living your life on autopilot, but instead, spend some time exploring how you really want to spend your limited time and energy? You know you are the person who can do this for yourself. Stop making hundreds of excuses and start creating your own bucket lists to live a fulfilling life.
2. ‘The person on their deathbed can’t do much of anything except think back to what they’ve already done in the life.’
My reflection:
This is like a wake-up call for me, so true. What can I do if I am on my deathbed or somewhere close to that, like staying at a nursing home? Does it matter if I have a fortune at that stage of my life? My life would probably look the same in a nursing home or on palliative care, whether I have a thousand dollars or a billion left. Isn’t that shocking? The point I’m trying to make here is that I can’t enjoy all the value of my money if I practise delayed gratification very hard and leave lots of money until very close to the end of my life. When I’m already in my 70s or 80s, can I still enjoy exciting activities like traveling around the world, something I am craving for when I’m young? Yeah, probably, but maybe not as much. Imagine taking long flights in your 70s. Can you tolerate it with chronic lower back pain or joint problems? Can you deal with jet lag easily? It’s easier to take long flights and travel around the world when you’re younger, especially from your 20s to your 40s, the fittest age throughout the lifespan in general. If you travel around the world when you’re young and fit, you will have plenty of precious experiences that accumulate as memory dividends. This is more likely to make you happier when you’re on your deathbed because you have fewer regrets in your life when thinking of those beautiful memories.
3. ‘Many patients’ number one regret was wishing they’d had the courage to live a life true to themselves — as opposed to the life that others expected of them.’
A nurse who worked at a nursing home for a long while
My reflection:
Ah! OMG! To be honest, I didn’t even entertain the idea of living a life true to myself until I was 28 years old when I left my hometown and started a new life in another country. Yes, I was lucky to have the chance to study abroad in 2019 after working for 5 years following graduation and having a short break. This step gave me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and adopt a new lifestyle. I also met many new people whom I wouldn’t have encountered if I had continued living my original lifestyle in my hometown. I couldn’t imagine how narrow my perspective was and how limited my knowledge of the world was before making the decision to study abroad that year. In 2019, I didn’t even realise that I was doing myself a favour by living a life true to myself; I simply thought I was trying something new. Anyway, I’m so glad that I took that step and am still striving to live a life true to myself instead of just going with the flow. So far, I’m enjoying the life I’ve chosen and will continue to do so. Hopefully, I won’t have the number one regret mentioned in this book when I’m on my deathbed, lol.
4. ‘If you work your way back one day or year at a time, from your deathbed to the wheelchair to retirement, and then further back to your thirties, twenties, and so on, you should see at least subtle changes in how you should be spending your life.’ v. s. ‘Don’t fall into the trap of living our lives on autopilot.’
by Bill Perkins
My reflection:
I tried to think through my life in this way and I found… I was so surprised at how short my golden age with peak energy levels is! I just turned 33 this year and I’m probably already in the middle of my golden age if it’s considered to be from 25 to 45 years old. Wow… did I miss any chances to live the life I wanted when I was younger, during my golden age? Yes, of course! But it wasn’t a waste. Instead, I’m very glad I read ‘Die with Zero’, as it provided me with useful mindsets to live a better life, and I started applying some of them to my current lifestyle from then on. Seeing 33 as the start of my real life, I still have 12 years until the age of 45. Short?! Yeah, maybe, but not necessarily. To spend my time more wisely during my peak energy years, I need a plan. I’m starting with something small, like improving my sleep, maintaining a balanced diet, and getting enough exercise, and I’ll add on step by step so as not to overwhelm myself from the start. I’m also keeping up the habit of reading to explore more and better understand how I can live my life in my own way.
5. ‘We die many deaths in the course of our lives. The teenager in you dies, the college student in you dies, the single unattached you dies, … the version of you in different phases of life dies and so on. We all keep moving forward, progressing from one stage or phase of our lives to the next.’
by Bill Perkins
My reflection:
Did this statement scare you? Well, it reminded me of something… that I can only keep moving forward. At every phase of my life, I tried my best to be the best version of myself with the abilities I had at that time. I couldn’t press a replay button and relive any phase like a movie does. I can only be a teenager once, can only be a fresh employee after graduation once, and can only work with certain colleagues when I am employed by certain companies. And yes, I can only live my 33rd year once. This realization prompted me to start something I usually had hundreds of excuses for, including reading a book and starting a blog. Interestingly, I was somewhat brainwashed by social media, which encouraged me to read and be brave enough to do something while still young. Yes, I’m already 33. I started reading a book in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reading used to be the last thing on my mind during my school years. I would often sit at the table with my classmates, pretending to study, but actually pondering why I was studying and what benefits it could bring me. Then, I only made commitments to the subjects I liked. Isn’t that rebellious? Haha, maybe. Whatever it was, no one ever knew, as I didn’t dare talk about it. So, it was a miracle that I regained the habit of reading four years ago, and I still appreciate it now. Imagine if I hadn’t embraced the habit of reading four years ago and kept complaining about my life in whatever way, like many people do. I would definitely hate myself more and wouldn’t have tried something new, like starting a blog. I’d say that starting to read really created a positive cycle in my life. So, what are you waiting for to do something at your certain age because of this or that excuse you make every day? Stop procrastinating and stop wasting your life!