When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one – until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
Killers of the Flower Moon is a 2023 American epic Western crime drama film co-produced and directed by Martin Scorsese, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth. It is based on the 2017 book of the same name by David Grann. Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members and relations in the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on tribal land. The tribal members had retained mineral rights on their reservation, but a corrupt local political boss sought to steal the wealth.
Eight Estate Planning Lessons from Killers of the Flower Moon
As the Osage’s wealth grew, the federal government took steps to impose restrictions on the tribe’s financial autonomy. In 1921, Congress passed a measure requiring Osages to take a competency test to manage their own estates. Those deemed incompetent by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (aka all of them) were assigned a white guardian who oversaw their spending. That these guardians were impossibly corrupt goes without saying. It’s not often that Scorcese directs a blockbuster movie whose main conflict centers around an archaic estate planning issue… here are eight estate planning lessons from Killers of the Flower Moon:
David Lenok, Senior Editor, Wealthmanagement.com and Trusts & Estates
