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The Dresden Files => DF Spoilers => Topic started by: EBRIEN on January 15, 2026, 03:35:05 PM

Title: Estate Planning for Wizards
Post by: EBRIEN on January 15, 2026, 03:35:05 PM
What happens when a wizard dies--other than the obvious. I was thinking about this on the way home from work. Mostly with regards to Eb and Harry. Will Harry inherit Eb's estate? Will he have Hog Hollow as his home away from home? What magical goodies will Eb leave Harry?

A reread of Death Masks got me thinking. Eb offers to let Harry hang out at the farm until the Paolo Ortega stuff blew over, but Harry declines and accepts the duel. He tells Eb that there's some stuff in his basement and he'd know how to find it. (Presumably Bob)

Just made me think about estate planning for wizards and whatnot like that.

Thoughts and musings?
Title: Re: Estate Planning for Wizards
Post by: Bad Alias on January 16, 2026, 01:44:51 AM
In Chapter 14, Peabody has Eb sign paperwork regarding LaFortier's estate, quoted below. Holdings could include real estate, but I'm thinking it's his financial investments in the White Council. I believe it's in Changes that Harry mentions the financial power that the White Council has.

Quote
And the last one is approval for ensuring Wizard LaFortier’s holdings are transferred to his heirs.
Title: Re: Estate Planning for Wizards
Post by: Lord Kinbote on January 16, 2026, 02:23:13 PM
I would think it would be almost impossible for any member of the White Council to NOT be worth many millions, if not billions, give their ages and the power of investing/compounding over hundreds of years.

It would be interesting to see Butcher address that.
Title: Re: Estate Planning for Wizards
Post by: Mira on January 16, 2026, 02:49:14 PM
Quote from: Lord Kinbote on January 16, 2026, 02:23:13 PM
I would think it would be almost impossible for any member of the White Council to NOT be worth many millions, if not billions, give their ages and the power of investing/compounding over hundreds of years.

It would be interesting to see Butcher address that.

  Oh I don't know, it's always possible, not every wizard is financially smart.  Harry isn't and up until the end of Battle Ground he was a member of the White Council.  Now he might inherit from Eb, but at least on the surface he doesn't appear to be financially rich either. 
Title: Re: Estate Planning for Wizards
Post by: Bad Alias on January 18, 2026, 04:00:07 AM
Quote from: Lord Kinbote on January 16, 2026, 02:23:13 PM
I would think it would be almost impossible for any member of the White Council to NOT be worth many millions, if not billions, give their ages and the power of investing/compounding over hundreds of years.

It would be interesting to see Butcher address that.

I think our view on investing is skewed by the last hundred years or so. Compound interest used to be a lot harder to come by. Banks used to fold leaving customers holding the bag.
Title: Re: Estate Planning for Wizards
Post by: EBRIEN on January 18, 2026, 05:26:12 PM
I guess I'm less thinking about financial leavings and more artifacts and interesting books. Certainly, Eb has his journals going back to the original Merlin (per whatever book that was). We have The Blackstaff, Mother Winter's walking stick. I think many here believe Dresden will return it to her. I just wonder what ends up in the junk pile and what Dresden keeps as an heirloom and whatnot like that. I know, hard to guess without knowing more about other wizards and their collections of goodies, but I thought it might be curious to think about.

Maybe Jim will do a short story of how Eb came to be in possession of the Blackstaff or something else that hasn't revealed itself. Maybe something necessary for the BAT.
Title: Re: Estate Planning for Wizards
Post by: g33k on January 20, 2026, 11:33:21 PM
Quote from: Mira on January 16, 2026, 02:49:14 PM
  Oh I don't know, it's always possible, not every wizard is financially smart.  Harry isn't and up until the end of Battle Ground he was a member of the White Council.  Now he might inherit from Eb, but at least on the surface he doesn't appear to be financially rich either.
Yeah, Harry isn't very smart that way... but Jim has said more than once that the WC "financial wizards" are producing a LOT of wealth, and that individual wizards of the Council often invest a bunch of money with the WC investment arm.

It's just that Harry's actively stupid about money... "sockfull of diamonds" should have gone 90% to WC investments; hell, to *any* investments!

He could literally have lived off the interest for the rest of his life... tho expensive projects (like Svartalven items) might need him to dip into principal.

And of course, the whole "Castle Upkeep, taxes, etc" issue is just fantastically expensive, not even "sockfull of diamonds" carries that very far!  TBH, I'm not sure Jim thought through those "castle consequences" properly...
Title: Re: Estate Planning for Wizards
Post by: Bad Alias on January 22, 2026, 11:27:43 PM
There's a very obvious route for Harry's money and mortal bureaucratic problems to disappear based on Twelve Months.

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