posted
Something occurred to me while I re-read the Ender Series -
Where did all the money go?
We know both Ender and Valentine are immensely rich, I think somewhere it is speculated they could buy a whole planet if they wanted to. But now, as of 'Children of the Mind', Ender's body no longer walks this earth. On Lusitania, he really didn't need 'cash', he simply did his share in the community and that bought him a share of the community in return.But now he is gone, but his money is not.
I'm sure Peter will need to draw on that money to finance his taking over of Star Congress. Yet, Ender has a surviving wife, who should be the primary beneficiary of Ender's estate. She in turn has kids, so eventually some part of that large fortune is going to be theirs.
Yet, who decides who gets what? They were already referring to Peter as Ender's son, and certainly he has DNA that connects him to Ender, as does Val-Jane.
Of course, the fortune is so vast that there is more than enough to go around. But I'm still curious what people think. An estate this massively large can't go unnoticed or undealt with.
Something will have to be done, what do you think that 'something' will be?
posted
Jane still has access to all computer systems, so she could probably allocate the money into anyone's accounts. I figure that Ender's fortune was probably split between his widow, adopted kids, and Peter (who is in effect his son). Valentine has her own children to inherit her money when she dies. She and her family might have also gotten a share of Ender's fortune. Like you said, there's plenty to go around. The bottom line is that I doubt anyone in Ender's family needs to worry about money.
Posts: 1569 | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
Well, Jane certainly has the ability to allocate the money, but does she have the authority? By that I mean, she can do it once it is decided, but who has the legal and moral authority to decide?
Novina could claim it all, though since it is doubtful that she wants the money, she could give it all to 'The Children of the Mind of Christ'. Ender probably wouldn't mind that, but money has the power to corrupt. When the 'Children of the Mind' suddenly became the wealthiest Religious Order in the Hundred Worlds, their attitudes might gradually start to change. Those who have money have power, and those who have power are rarely willing to give it up.
Perhaps Ender has discussed it with Jane, and that is sufficient to constitute a spoken Will, and the problem will be solved.
But, perhaps not, who rightfully has the power to decide who gets what?
And, will this issue ever be addressed?
It didn't really matter that much when people were tied to Lusitania for their entire lives, but now they can visit three planets in one day and "shop 'til they drop".
quote:Originally posted by BlueWizard: ...but now they can visit three planets in one day and "shop 'til they drop".
Or they could just buy all three planets and free up their entire day. That's one way to solve the problem of such an obscene amount of money. Posts: 973 | Registered: Apr 2005
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