“They come to me looking for permission to enjoy the wealth they spent a lifetime building,” he said. “You don’t know whether you’ll live to 72 or 102, so trying to die with exactly zero requires making a bet you can’t win.” Book ValueThe “Die with Zero” book has become a staple financial planning tool for David Foster, founder and chief executive of Gateway Wealth Management. Despite his best efforts, Foster said he has had little success convincing clients to spend more money on themselves. “Most people spent decades getting a paycheck and it’s a lot easier to spend money that shows up the way it always did.”