When Money Matters Most
It’s not just how long it lasts. It’s when you can actually use it.
I was talking with a friend who’s getting close to retirement.
He’s doing everything right. Saving. Planning. Trying to understand how long his money will last.
And like a lot of people, his instinct is:
“Play it safe now… so I have more later.”
That instinct makes sense.
But it also made me pause.
Because I’ve been reading Die With Zero by Bill Perkins, and one idea stuck with me:
The usefulness of money changes over time.
$100,000 doesn’t mean the same thing at 25 as it does at 80.
Not because of inflation.
Because of life.
At 25, it might mean energy, freedom, possibility.
At 80, it might mean comfort, care, and support.
Still important. Just different.
For me, I think about skateboarding.
I loved it when I was younger. And part of me still wants to get back on a board.
But I know the experience won’t be the same.
Not because the skateboard changed.
Because I did.
So when my friend says, “I just want to make sure I don’t run out of money…”
He’s not wrong.
That risk is real.
But there’s another risk we don’t talk about enough:
Saving so carefully for later…
that we miss what this season of life actually allows.
Because the next 10 years of his life
might be the most active years he has left.
And money is most powerful
when it lines up with what you’re able to do.
Save everything and wait.
Or spend freely and hope.
One of those came from a financial plan.
The other came from someone’s uncle at Thanksgiving.
The problem is, we’re not always sure which is which.
And real life doesn’t work well at either extreme.
As a teacher, I learned that helping someone isn’t about giving them the right answer. It’s about understanding where they are first.
Money works the same way.
In my last post, I talked about the 4% rule — a starting point for thinking about retirement withdrawals, not a destination. [that post here….]
It doesn’t know:
what you value
what you want your time to look like
what this season of your life actually allows
That part is on you.
And I think this is where people get stuck.
Because once you realize money should be used intentionally, the next question becomes:
“What’s actually worth spending on?”
[I think about this through four categories — Priorities, Passions, Play, and Problems. More on that here…]
Because this isn’t just about not running out of money.
It’s about not running out of life
while you still have the chance to use it well.
And maybe that’s the real question:
Not just whether your money will last…
But whether you’ll still be able to do the things you’re saving it for.
Because one day, the board is still there.
You just might not want to ride it anymore.
Money is a tool. Time is the goal.
The question isn’t just “Will it last?”
It’s “When does it matter most?”