Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life
Written by Bill Perkins
Narrated by Bill Perkins
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
A Common-Sense Guide to Living Rich….Instead of Dying Rich
Imagine if by the time you died, you did everything you were told to. You worked hard, saved your money, and looked forward to financial freedom when you retired.
The only thing you wasted along the way was…your life.
Die with Zero presents a startling new and provocative philosophy as well as practical guide on how to get the most out of your money—and out of your life. It’s intended for those who place lifelong memorable experiences far ahead of simply making and accumulating money for one’s so-called Golden Years.
In short, Bill Perkins wants to rescue you from over-saving and under-living. Regardless of your age, Die with Zero will teach you Perkins’ plan for optimizing your life, stage by stage, so you’re fully engaged and enjoying what you’ve worked and saved for.
You’ll discover how to maximize your lifetime memorable moments with “experience bucketing,” how to convert your earnings into priceless memories by following your “net worth curve,” and find out how to navigate whether to invest in, or delay, a meaningful adventure based on your “spend curve” and “personal interest rate.”
Using his own life experiences as well as the inspiring stories and cautionary tales of others—and drawing on eye-opening insights about time, money, and happiness from psychological science and behavioral finance —Perkins makes a timely, convincing, and contrarian case for living large.
Bill Perkins
Called the “Last Cowboy” of hedge funds by the Wall Street Journal, Bill Perkins is considered one of the most successful energy traders in history. He’s reported to have generated more than $1 billion for his previous firm during a five-year period. After studying electrical engineering at the University of Iowa, Perkins trained on Wall Street and later moved to Houston, Texas, where he made a fortune as an energy trader. At the age of 51, Perkins’s professional life includes work as a hedge fund manager with more than $120 million in assets, Hollywood film producer, high-stakes tournament poker player, and the resident “Indiana Jones” for several charities. Perkins manages this via smartphone on his yacht in the U.S. Virgin Islands, while traveling the world with close friends and family.
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Reviews for Die With Zero
512 ratings40 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be eye-opening and inspiring, offering life-changing financial insights and actionable strategies. It provides a fantastic new perspective on life and encourages readers to make the most of it. While some reviewers found it to be common sense and lacking scientific backing, others connected with the author's examples and appreciated the challenging of their thinking. Overall, this well-written book is recommended for those looking to evolve their perspective and make positive changes in their lives.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Jun 24, 2025
Very informative and concise work to manage money for living not living for money!
Ajay Kaurav - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Jun 5, 2025
Loved it I have listened to it three times and I recommended it to everybody I know. I really enjoyed it. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Dec 6, 2024
Wonderful and positive book by an inspiring writer. Makes lots of sense. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Nov 1, 2024
Giving it 3 starts only because some few ideas, but the main idea of the book is irrelevant for most people.
It’s based on statistics, but ignores the individual cases of people. This might work for the rich or the financially comfortable, but extremely insulting for bellow average people. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Oct 23, 2024
Good book. Need to reflect how to balance between earning money and gaining life experience - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Oct 23, 2024
The book was quite informative and gave great theories of the benefits of aiming to die with zero whether through the purchase of life experience, benevolence and giving to your beneficiaries now if you can. There was one or two real life stories of people that truly drove the message home. I would have enjoyed a case study to each corresponding lesson in each chapter. Overall, a good listen. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Oct 12, 2024
I liked this book because it challenges my frugal nature. Not sure it will change my spending behavior, and I am one of those "what about the kids" guys, but even there, the idea of helping them sooner than later makes a lot of sense. I'm also get a lot of value out of getting as much bang for the buck as possible. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Sep 24, 2024
Memory dividend over capital dividend! Great new concept to hear - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
Jul 23, 2024
Unfortunately not family friendly ! Sometimes crass and unnecessary examples - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Jul 18, 2024
"Die with Zero" by Bill Perkins is an inspiring read that challenges conventional wisdom about wealth and living. Perkins articulates the concept of prioritizing life experiences over the mere accumulation of money.
What stands out is Perkins' emphasis on living fully and intentionally, ensuring that we don't miss out on life's precious moments while pursuing financial security. The book encourages readers to rethink their approach to work, retirement, and spending, urging us to invest in experiences that bring joy, fulfillment, and lasting memories.
Perkins' insights are not only practical but also deeply resonant, offering a fresh perspective on how to truly maximize one's life. "Die with Zero" is a must-read for anyone looking to live a richer, more meaningful life. It's a well-written guide that inspires us to seize the day and create a life filled with unforgettable experiences. Highly recommended! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Jul 12, 2024
"Truly, my financial paradigm and life-quest imperative now as always!"-WSDB - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Nov 26, 2023
Changed a lot of my thinking, since I read/listened to this I have already bought our daughter a franchise from the company shed worked the longest since graduating - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Sep 25, 2023
"Die With Zero" offers life-changing financial insights and actionable strategies. check this https://airblueflight.pk/ - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Sep 22, 2023
Great concept! Thanks for making us aware of it! And antertaining. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Sep 22, 2023
A fantastic new perspective on life and how to make the most of it while we still have it.
I loved this book very much and will recommend to everyone I know. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Sep 22, 2023
This is just wanted i wanted to read, great insights which will surely go a long way - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Sep 22, 2023
Definitely challenged my way of thinking which I appreciated!! I enjoyed the authors view on things and it has helped evolve my perspective!! If you’re a big saver, I recommend you read this!! It’ll make you think a little differently. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Sep 22, 2023
I enjoyed this book and learned a lot it’s still not too late to make a move. I agree with all the suggestions and will apply to my life - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Sep 22, 2023
One of the best books about living your best life. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Mar 25, 2025
I never thought this was going to be as easy as this, last year I discovered my credit report was really bad and I really needed a car and medical loan for my daughter, I tried all I could to get it fixed by hiring some hackers but got ripped off, I then came across MR JERRY which was highly rated, so I decided to give them a try, I was dubious of the outcome after I messaged them but surprisingly got 805 excellent score across the 3 credit bureaus in just 8 days, my med loan has been approved, now a proud owner of a new Ford MPG city/hwy car, write jerrylinkcreditgroup At G mail dot com. excellent score assured. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
Apr 30, 2025
This book comes from the perspective of a very wealthy person. I found his take about spending as much as you can on experience pretty basic. He seemed to dismiss people that live normal lives raising families etc. I happy for him that he can spend outrageous amounts of money on this 45th birthday and fly around playing poker but he seems clueless to the reality. of life on earth. I would argue that his use of his wealth makes no allowance for helping the world but is instead very self-centered. If everyone followed his advice then life on Earth would face a bleak future. He contributed nothing new but stating obvious things about life. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
May 20, 2025
Watching my extended family taught me most of these lessons. Goal is to grow memories / experiences / meaning. Money is just a tool. The best time to give move to your kids is when it makes a difference, typically long before you are likely to die. Our life has seasons which is governed by our commitments and our health. The older you are, the less lightly you are to be growing your experiences engaged in physically demanding activities. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
May 8, 2024
Great book, learned how you can have the best experiences sooner rather than later.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
May 5, 2024
Great Lessons. Insightful, I should have come across this book a decade ago, I would take much bolder actions.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Apr 10, 2024
A fantastic explanation of why we should not squander the best years of our lives and how fear is usually what’s holding us back from working less and enjoying more.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Apr 8, 2024
It’s so fun to read a book that changes your whole paradigm. I can’t wait to go back & do many of the suggested calculations & decide how I want to change my life.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Apr 26, 2024
Some Notes:
• Convert to Life Hours:
o Worth of each purchase vs. Hourly salary
o Calorie Count of Food vs Exercise Equivalent
• The Memory Dividend
o Investment: the payoff does not need to be financial
o Experiences yield dividend because we have memory
o Compound as you retell them over and over
• Dying with zero = your money (does not include the money for kids)
o Give to your children whatever you have allocated for them, before you die.
o Trust funds
• 50-30-20
o 50: Needs
o 30: Wants
o 20: Building your savings or paying down your debt
o Should change based on income and age; not optimal allocation based on your life energy
o The utility or usefulness of money declines with age. (does not start with birth – same with end of life)
o Think in terms of: Would I rather1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Dec 16, 2024
Interesting idea to make one think a little different about later life money - even if you are not the millionaire/billionaire that it's mostly aimed at. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Mar 10, 2024
Good audiobook, the time, money, health trade off is explained in detail and supports you to make the right life decisions.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Feb 5, 2024
Good for folks who can't spend what they saved! Stop saving your money for your kids. You worked hard enjoy your money with the kids. Make memories stop giving stuff that ends up in the trash or goodwill.1 person found this helpful
