To The Moon

One book that truly shifted my perspective on money and life is Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins. As part of my reflection, one sentence that captures the impact of the book on me is: "The book helped me see that managing money wisely also means knowing when and how to spend it to truly enjoy life." It challenged many of the conventional ideas I had absorbed about financial planning, especially the popular mantra of "save, save, invest, invest," and the pursuit of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early).

What stood out to me is how the book emphasizes the idea that life is not just about accumulating wealth—it's about using that wealth to create meaningful experiences while we’re still healthy enough to enjoy them. The book makes a compelling argument that many people overestimate how much they’ll need in retirement and, as a result, miss out on some of life’s best moments in the present.

One of the most eye-opening ideas is what is called "net fulfillment"—not just financial net worth, but the richness of experiences over a lifetime. The book encourages readers to shift from a scarcity mindset to one that views money as a tool for living fully, rather than a goal in itself. This made me reflect on how we often delay gratification in hopes of enjoying life "someday," not realizing that health, time, and opportunity don’t last forever.

Another key point I appreciated was the emphasis on the time-value of life. Just as we understand the time value of money—how money now is worth more than the same amount in the future—the same principle applies to experiences. A hiking trip in your 30s offers a vastly different experience than the same trip in your 70s. The book nudges readers to match their spending with the phases of life when those experiences matter most.

Although the book suggests that we should aim to use up all our money by the end of our lives, I personally wouldn’t go that far—I still think it’s important to have some financial security and possibly leave something behind. However, the book sparked a deeper reflection on intentional living. It made me think not just about how to grow money, but how to use it wisely—on relationships, travel, new experiences, and gifts or support for loved ones while I’m around to see the joy it brings.

In the end, Die With Zero isn’t about reckless spending—it’s about thoughtful living. It’s a reminder that money is only as valuable as what we do with it, and that sometimes the best investment isn’t in the stock market, but in memories that last a lifetime.