This is not a book for someone struggling financially. The author states this right up front. This is for people who are comfortable, having room in the budget to move things around and put their money where they get the most from it. Also? This could have been a blog post/youtube video/article rather than an entire book, even a short book.

The author does make some good points about spending more when you can really enjoy it and not putting off "life" until you retire. I know I've seen far too many people I care about not make it to retirement. Also, for those with excess reserves and a desire to pass money along to others (offspring, charities, etc), I do agree with not waiting until you pass. Be generous now if you can. It's not really generous when you pass since we all know, there's no option to take it with you. Why wait until the recipient is past the point in their own lives when it could provide the most change in circumstance?

WIth all that said, I don't agree with everything said here. He doesn't mention having emergency savings until over halfway through the book and even then, it's just in passing. I don't care how much you make or how old you are, you NEED an emergency fund! Things come up and life is far less stressful being able to cover an unexpected bill without going into debt. Speaking of debt, he also seems just fine with that. Again, not owing anyone money is so much less stressful and opens up many more possibilities. He does discuss the book Your Money or Your Life, which I really do like and would recommend, but has a pretty divergent take on their plan.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mariner Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There may be some gems in this book, putting our lives and our families before overworking for money and making the most of the time we have, for instance. I don't know that this is the only book one should be reading, especially when it comes to money management. I like how the author shared his own stories, and each chapter offered a rule followed by his lessons. For those interested in the book, I think you can glean some info that might work for you. But, as he says, "be bold, not foolish."

I am well into retirement and read this expecting it to offer practical financial advice on how we should handle our finances for the rest of our lives but it's geared more for younger people who are still working. I did cull a few bits of advice that gave me more ideas on how we should be handling our finances but I mostly skimmed it as much didn't pertain to the way we are living, especially if this virus is around for a few more years.

I just reviewed Die with Zero by Bill Perkins. #DiewithZero #NetGalley. I found the book a quick one to read. I took a few lessons that I will apply. The chapters all have summaries which I found to be useful. I do like some concepts, others did not apply to me.

In another time the messaging of this book might resound but it strikes me as a bit tone deaf in these days of economic uncertainty.

I know of Bill Perkins through his poker playing and outlandish prop bets, so I was excited to learn more about his background in this book. However, I don't know if this "die with zero" concept really needs a whole book as it's pretty self explanatory: there's no point to making money if you're not going to spend it while you're alive. As he says in the introduction, this book is for people who have money, and that's not me. But I can still appreciate his example of how torturing and depriving yourself to save a laughably small amount of money now is pointless if you plan to do better in the future. Sadly, part of enjoying my life in the now is working at a nonprofit rather than the soulless world of finance, so I can't really relate.

This book offers a unique perspective on what you should do with your money and when. There are definitely some lessons to be learned from it. The one draw back is that the author’s financial position is not relatable for most people. I do love the idea that you should enjoy the money you have earned

WOW! Ok, as part of the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) Movement, I was eagerly awaiting to read this book.
I grew up in extreme poverty. I am a saver due to the circumstances in which I was raised. I have a VERY HARD time spending money. Its gotten a bit better and the author argues that I should spend money on experiences and end my life with ZERO money in the bank.
Its a great idea and made me think alot about aging, gift giving, and money in a new way.
I really liked that he had referenced Vicki Robin's book, Your Money or Your Life, which this book feels like a continuation of. With Ms. Robin's book, I felt that it was overly preachy, while this authors book was about the experiences, the memories that harvest interest, and doing what you love.
I thought the graphs were spot on, especially the health and diminishing returns.
I have to say that for the most part I agreed with everything that the author wrote.
Couple of things I did not agree with is not to save money in your early working life and to take on a "moderate' amount of debt early in life.
While I understand where the author was coming from, saying you will get more from the experiences then saving the money....I CRINGED INSIDE. People need to save money, especially Americans.
Further, don't get into debt. Save money for things you need, make debt the last thing you resort to and you will have a better, more optional life.

Overall a great financial book that doesn't necessarily tell you the numbers of retirement, but more the emotional response to get out and make memories.