Die with Zero

I'm torn on the rating for this one, and went with 3.5 rounded to 3 stars. Overall I mostly enjoyed this one as on one hand I agree with some of what this book encourages. On the other hand it's not meant for people with incomes like me...or most people for that matter...and I felt this should have been marketed better towards the target audience (which the author does state in the beginning is for people with larger incomes).

The writing style was pretty much what I expected for books in this genre. Clinical and textbook style. That doesn't bother me so I don't have any qualms with the writing. I enjoyed the stats and charts provided as sometimes a visual with this type of subject is immensely helpful.

I am not rich, in the monetary sense, so I don't have tons of money sitting in an account to spend down to zero before I die. To some degree, there are ideas in this book that I already follow. I don't save and horde in fear of no future income or in case of a medical emergency. I save as a practical approach for my future retirement and enjoyment.

My husband and I spend what we earn while keeping enough to sustain us if we need it. We go on vacations a couple times of year to spend time with loved ones. We upgrade our home to increase our comfort levels. We help our kids with money when they need it. We enjoy Alaska to the fullest in the summer and in the winter we stay in and plan our next trips.

I believe that's the overall goal of this book. To equip those who don't have this type of thinking with ways they can accomplish having stability and the experiences of living. People who work incessantly, miss out on their children's lives, miss out on enjoying their spouses, family and friends...on experiences their time could be better spent on...this book is for them.

A review copy was provided by the publisher. While a written review after reading was not required, I have provided one. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

Perhaps I should tone down my rating a little, but this book was the first one to offer the premise that saving more than you needed to live a fulfilled life is wasteful. I found the concept to this profound and have tried to understand how I can transform stored savings for retirement (someday fun) into some happy event or memory for me when I'm old.

I felt that there wasn't a ton of practical advice on how you can shift your mindset, the author just advocated to do the action no matter how mentally challenging that could be. But overall the concept I found so interesting and well articulated that I had to give it 5 stars.