Die With Zero
by Bill Perkins
Mentioned 7 times across 5 shows · first heard Jul 2025 on On Purpose with Jay Shetty.
The general take
Shaan Puri sees Die With Zero as essentially YOLO rebranded, appreciated for how it uses mortality as a wake-up call to make people reconsider their choices. He notes the book's core insight—that proximity to death sharpens your sense of what actually matters—struck him as particularly valuable, though he admits he'd initially forgotten about this aspect after reading it.
About
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 a practical personal finance 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.
Who said what
- GK
George Kamel👍 Recommends
…book recommendation about enjoying money during retirement
“There's a great book, too, called Die With Zero. I don't agree with everything in the book, but the general premise is pretty good of enjoy your money while you're alive and spoil your kids while you're alive and not hoard it until they're in their 60s and you give them a million bucks that they don't need anymore.”
The Ramsey Show — Financial Peace Requires More Than Good Intentionsat 44:53 
Allison Ellsworth👍 Recommends
…allison gives her frugal husband a book about spending money during lifetime
“I also feel like I don't I don't know if you've read the book like Die With Zero. No, I gave it to him. So it's basically like spend your money in your lifetime. Is that what you're planning to do? No. And it was funny. I just gave him the book because I was like, I think you need to read just how other people think about money.”
Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin — Allison Ellsworth Sold Poppi for $2 Billion. Here's What Happened Next.at 30:00- RC
Rachel Cruze👍 Recommends
…referencing book about spending wealth and living life
“That's why I liked the book Die With Zero. Not that I agreed with everything in it, but you're like, okay, what are we doing? You get to a point financially, which again, all of you listening, everyone is at a different place financially. But, you know, if or when you get to that place of like, okay, you know, we've done it all. What am I doing?”
The Ramsey Show — A Life Built on Debt Is a Life Built on Riskat 22:57 - RH
Ryan Hanley👍 Recommends
…discussing philosophy on spending time and money while young and healthy
“And also, and I'll be quiet after this, but there's a book that I think it's overstated, but the broad idea I think is very good, which is Die With Zero. I think I sometimes get a little like annoyed when like these, you know, people who are worth, you know, a hundred million dollars are like, oh, die with zero. It's not about the money. Well, yeah. Yeah. I get that. But like, that's annoying. But I think in real life, the, what, what the real key from that book is, cause I've, I've read it is that you're 48. You're never going to be 48 again.”
Finding Peak w/ Ryan Hanley — The "Buyback Time" Formula (How to Work 30 Hours & Double Revenue)at 29:18 
Shaan Puri👍 Recommends
…exploring philosophy of when to spend money and enjoy life experiences
“There's this book that I think a lot of people have heard about, probably even read. I read it, but I had sort of forgotten about this part of it. Die with zero. And die with zero is really like, it's just YOLO rebranded... the death wakes people up and the closer it gets, the more awake we become. Because when the end is near, that's when we suddenly start thinking, what the hell am I doing? Why did I wait this long?”
My First Million — The best stuff we’ve read in the last 12 monthsat 11:22
Daniel Negreanu👍 Recommends
…discussing billionaire perspectives on money and using wealth for happiness through experiences
“I have friends that are billionaires and stuff like that. And, um, one of them actually wrote a book, Bill Perkins, cause he does it right. You know, he, uh, he wrote a book called die with zero, right? Which essentially he talks about how money is just a tool for, you know, to give you opportunities to have happiness. And what is happiness? It's not a bigger yacht. It's not a watch. It's not a car. It's experiences.”
My First Million — $50M Poker Pro Shares His Best Advice For Foundersat 34:12- SM
Suneera Madhani👍 Recommends
…discussing risk-taking ability and how to allocate resources across lifespan
“One of my favorite, most favorite books that I've recently read is Die With Zero. It is such an incredible book. It's this crazy concept of just taking risks and you have your golden years of your life. Like, we should be spending our money, doing our things in our prime.”
On Purpose with Jay Shetty — Jay’s Must-Listens: Want to Quit Your 9-5? 5 CEO’s Share the Exact Steps to Start Your Own Successful Business (No Business School Needed!)at 51:08
Listener reviews
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