By Allan Norman, MSc, CFP, CIM on March 26, 2026 Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

How can I plan to die with nothing?

By Allan Norman, MSc, CFP, CIM on March 26, 2026 Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

It’s almost impossible to do, but the mindset around spending all your savings can help you make the best of the rest of your days.

Hello Allan. I’ve been reading your advice in Moneysense, the Financial Post, and many other media outlets for a while now. My accountant is unable to help me with my query, which is: Is there anyone or any software out there that can help me calculate how to “die with nothing?” I’m looking to start spending after decades of saving and it is actually quite hard to do! 

Hi Jane, you are up for one of the greatest retirement challenges, are you? Spending all of your money and dying penniless. It is a fantastic goal for those with just enough or more than enough money. It is a goal everyone should contemplate and one most people should pursue. After all, what is the value of money if you don’t use it?

Your comment “it is actually quite hard to do” is 100% correct for a number of reasons, and few people hit the bullseye.  

This is what I often see as a financial planner: at age 55–60, you don’t know if you can afford to retire, so you work a little longer. At age 65–70, you are retired and holding back because you want your money to last and you don’t want to see your capital decrease. Somewhere between age 75 and 80, you realize you have all the money you need, but time is running out. Sometime after age 80, you are too old to enjoy yourself and you’re thinking,........

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