The father of lateral thinking pulls posthumous tricks out of his hat

Edward De Bono, who was assumed to have been wealthy due to the success of his self-help empire and international network of courses, appears to have died in his native Malta at age 88 with much less money than expected. Photograph: David Crump/ANL/Shutterstock

Edward de Bono, the late philosopher, author and bestselling mental strategist, was famous for solving problems in an unconventional manner. Indeed, he actually invented the term lateral thinking in 1967.

But the publication of De Bono’s final work, his last will and testament, has posed several unexpected questions that might test even the most creative mind.