Optimize Your Life Experiences
Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life
by Bill Perkins
Personal Finance
TL;DR
This book isn't about getting rich, it's about getting rich in life experiences before you're too old to enjoy them. It pushes you to optimize your spending for peak life enjoyment, advocating for strategic "zeroing out" of your net worth by the time you die. Key methods include time-bucketing your life goals, investing in experiences over stuff, and understanding the diminishing returns of money past a certain point. It's all about living now and not being the richest person in the graveyard.
Action Items
Grab a napkin, draw three big circles for "Now (20s/30s)", "Mid-Life (40s/50s)", and "Old AF (60s+)". Jot down 3-5 wild experiences you want in each.
Look at your last three purchases. Which one gave you the most lasting joy or a good story? Next time, aim for that kind of purchase.
Think about one big "someday" expense you're putting off. Calculate roughly how much it would cost. Now, imagine if you could do it in the next 5-10 years. What small step could you take today to make that happen?
Go for a 30-minute walk or cook a healthy meal instead of ordering takeout. Your future self will thank you.
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Key Chapter
Chapter - The Experience Curve: Why Your Best Memories Have an Expiration Date
This chapter slaps you with the harsh truth: your ability to enjoy certain experiences isn't forever. Think about it – climbing Everest at 25 hits different than at 75. The book hammers home that money's value isn't static; it's tied to your health and energy levels. You gotta front-load those epic adventures and memory-making moments while your body can still handle it. Don't wait until you're too old to hike, travel, or party hard. Invest in experiences now because the "return on experience" diminishes with age. It's about seizing the moment and not letting your youth slip away while you're busy saving for a future you might not fully enjoy.
Key Methods and Approaches
Your Life's "Experience Buckets"
(AKA: Time-Bucketing)
Description:
Divide your life into chunks and plan what epic shit you wanna do in each.
Explanation:
Imagine your life as a series of empty beer mugs. You gotta fill 'em up with different kinds of good times before they go stale. Don't just save all your best brews for the last mug, 'cause you might not even be thirsty then. Each mug (life stage) has unique opportunities, so don't miss out!
Examples:
20s: Backpacking through Southeast Asia, starting a weird side hustle, going to every music festival.
30s: Buying a house (maybe), starting a family (if that's your vibe), taking a sabbatical to learn a new skill.
40s: Epic family vacations, investing in a passion project, finally getting that fancy car.
Today's Action:
Grab a napkin, draw three big circles for "Now (20s/30s)", "Mid-Life (40s/50s)", and "Old AF (60s+)". Jot down 3-5 wild experiences you want in each.
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