The Three Assets You Can't Ignore
Time, money, and health. These are your most valuable assets, and they don't trend in the same direction as you age:
- Time decreases steadily – you have less of it every day
- Money typically increases during your working years
- Health peaks in your youth and declines with age
When you're young, you have time and health but no money. In mid-life, you have some money and health, but less time. By retirement, you might have money, but health limitations and less time ahead.
If you wait until you're 65 to start living, you've made a serious tactical error. You're leaving your best experiences on the table.
Experience Return on Investment
When Bill Perkins introduced his "Die With Zero" concept, he wasn't telling people to blow all their money. He was explaining a critical business concept: memory ROI.
Experiences at age 25 generate approximately 50 years of memory returns. The same experience at 75 might only give you 5-10 years of returns. This isn't about being reckless – it's about being strategic with your memory investments.
One contractor I know skipped a family trip to Hawaii to take an extra job that paid $8,000. Ten years later, he doesn't remember what he did with that money, but his family still talks about the trip he missed.
That's a negative ROI.
Stop Working to Have More, Start Working to Live Better
Most business owners face a critical mindset problem: they're working to have more rather than working to live better.
When your life becomes an endless pursuit of higher revenue numbers, bigger equipment, or more clients, you've lost the plot. Your business exists to fund your life, not the other way around.
Ask yourself:
- Why am I building this business?
- What experiences am I postponing that I could have now?
- If I died next year, what would I regret not doing?
These aren't philosophical questions – they're practical business planning considerations.
Memory Buckets: A Project Management Approach to Life
Professionals use time buckets for project planning. Apply the same concept to your life with memory buckets:
1. Early life (20s-30s): Physical adventures and skill building
2. Mid-life (40s-50s): Family experiences and career achievements
3. Later life (60s+): Comfort, relationships, and legacy building
Certain experiences belong in specific buckets. You can't postpone whitewater rafting until you're 80, but you can delay buying a luxury car.
Identify which experiences deliver the highest memory ROI for each life stage, then schedule and fund them just like you would any business project.
Build a Strategic Memory Reserve
I once spoke with a retired plumbing contractor who had over $2 million in the bank but couldn't walk more than 100 yards due to health issues. "I was so focused on building the business that I forgot to enjoy the results," he told me. "Now I have the money but can't do half of what I planned."
Don't make his mistake.
Start building your memory reserve now by:
1. Taking every day of vacation you're entitled to
2. Scheduling at least one significant experience quarterly
3. Never postponing physical adventures that require good health
4. Spending money on experiences with people you care about
Five Rules for Die With Zero Business Owners
1. Maintain separate business and life scorecards. Business success metrics (revenue, growth) are different from life success metrics (experiences, relationships). Track both.
2. Set experience minimums, not just financial minimums. You probably have minimum revenue targets. Set minimum experience targets too – like taking at least 15 vacation days annually, no matter what.
3. Invest early in physical experiences. You can buy that fancy truck anytime, but adventures requiring physical stamina have a limited window.
4. Front-load family experiences. Kids grow up fast. Don't postpone memories with them for business growth that could wait.
5. Give while you live. Don't wait until you're gone to benefit others. Experience the joy of giving – whether to family, employees, or causes you care about.
Action Steps: Your Experience Budget
Here's your assignment:
1. Calculate your annual business profit
2. Allocate at least 10% specifically for experiences (not material purchases)
3. Schedule three specific experiences for the next 12 months
4. Block those dates in your calendar NOW – make them as unmovable as your most important client meetings
So many business owners work their asses off for decades, then realize too late they've stockpiled more wealth than they can ever use while under-investing in life experiences.
Remember: money is infinitely renewable – time and health are not.
Real Money, Real Experiences
This isn't just philosophical advice. It's practical business strategy.
Just as you'd never advise leaving money on the table in business negotiations, don't leave life experiences on the table through endless postponement.
The most successful business owners I know aren't the ones with the most zeros in their bank accounts – they're the ones who've mastered using their businesses to fund meaningful experiences while they can still fully enjoy them.
That's the ultimate ROI.
Conclusion
Money without memories is just paper. Build your business, but build your memory reserve even more intentionally. Because unlike money, memories can't be earned retroactively.
Work smart. Live better. Die with zero regrets.