"Die With Zero (Or... What Are We Saving For?)"Season 2-Episode 28
- Functional Lifestyles
- Jan 30
- 3 min read
Hey FunLifers,
Quick question:
What are we saving for?
Like… really.
Because if the plan is to grind for 40 years, stockpile everything for “later,” and then finally start living when our energy, health, and physical capacity are declining… we might be playing the game backwards.
This week on Episode 28 of Pursuit of Balance, I talked about a book that hit me right between the eyes:
Die With Zero by Bill Perkins — and the philosophy behind it.
Not “be reckless.”
Not “don’t plan for tomorrow.”
But a reminder that money isn’t the goal.
Money is a tool — and the purpose of the tool is to maximize life.
A moment that sparked this episode
Last week we had our annual kickoff meeting with the team.
We did our usual reflection drill:
what you were most proud of
biggest lesson learned
what fills your cup right now
where you want to grow professionally and personally
And then we ranked benefits and priorities:
income
bonuses
education stipends
PTO
medical insurance
401k matching
profit sharing
What was interesting is how different the priorities were by location and life stage.
And it reminded me of something important:
Different seasons of life create different needs.
So if we’re in a season where we can travel, move, explore, build relationships, and create stories… why would we postpone living until a season where we may not even want the same things anymore?
10 ideas I pulled from
Die With Zero
Here are the biggest “nuggets” I wrote down:
The purpose of money is to maximize life experiences — not die with a huge net worth.
If money never gets used, it fails its purpose.
Experiences have expiration dates.
What you can do at 30, you probably can’t (or won’t want to) do at 60.
Health and energy decline faster than income needs.
A lot of people need less money as they age — not more.
Memories compound.
The best ROI isn’t just the trip… it’s the anticipation, the experience, the stories, and the reflection later. (That “social dividend.”)
Delayed gratification can become delayed living.
Saving everything for “someday” often means missing the moment entirely.
The goal isn’t to save the maximum — it’s to spend optimally across your lifespan.
Most people plan weekly or yearly… very few plan by decades.
Your peak earning years aren’t your peak living years.
If you wait until your “best earning years” to start living, you may miss the best years to actually do the living.
“Die with zero” means extracting full value from your money and your life.
Not literally zero… but not hoarding it either.
Invest in experiences that shape who you become.
Trips. People. Learning. Trying things. Saying yes. These shape identity.
A life well-lived is the ultimate ROI.
That’s the real scoreboard.
Here’s the balance
I’m not saying: “Don’t save.”
I’m saying: Stop saving at the expense of living.
And also — this part matters — the best retirement plan is still you.
Skills pay the bills.
You have to learn to earn.
And the more you invest into yourself, the more you can increase your income… which gives you freedom to both save AND live.
Because lifestyle maxing doesn’t require being rich.
It requires being intentional.
So here’s my challenge for you:
Where are you over-saving and under-living?
And what experience, trip, relationship, or personal investment have you been postponing that you should move closer to now?
If you listen to the episode, I think you’ll pull at least one idea that makes you rethink how you’re allocating your time, money, and energy.
Talk soon,
Corey
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