Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life

If you don’t want to squander your life energy, you should aim to spend all your money before you die.

The 26-to-35 age range combines the best of all these considerations—old enough to be trusted with money, yet young enough to fully enjoy its benefits.

In the wise words of Carson, the butler of Downton Abbey, “The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that’s all there is.”

But remember that your goal isn’t to maximize wealth but rather to maximize your life experiences. That’s a big turnabout for most people.

But there are ways to be bold as an older person, too. And those have to do with being brave enough to spend your hard-earned money.

Then, one day, I was talking to my boss, Joe Farrell, a partner at the company I was working for, and somehow we got to talking about my savings. I told him how much I had saved up—I think it was about $1,000 by then—thinking he would admire my money management skills. Boy, was I wrong! This was his infamous response: “Are you a f***ing idiot? To s

Research in psychology backs me up: People who spend money on time-saving purchases experience greater life satisfaction, regardless of their income.

Think about how you can actively enhance your memory dividends. Would it help you to take more photos of your experiences? To plan reunions with people you’ve shared good times with in the past? Compile a video or a photo album?

“The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that’s all there is.”