5 unique finance tips from nostalgic Roald Dahl stories

16 September 2025

As a child, Roald Dahl may have sparked your imagination and delighted you with magical stories. As an adult, those stories might be able to teach you valuable lessons about financial planning.

Established to commemorate the author’s birthday, 13 September is Roald Dahl Story Day. In support of Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, the day is all about celebrating Dahl’s work and raising money to help fund resources for seriously ill children.

From Willy Wonka to The BFG, read on to discover what five of Dahl’s most well-loved stories can teach you about managing your finances.

1. Prepare for the unexpected with the right financial protection

One of Dahl’s most popular books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964),tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he tours Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory with four other children. Ignoring Wonka’s warnings, each of the four children suffer unfortunate accidents – leaving Charlie to win the final prize of inheriting the chocolate factory.

While you’re unlikely to turn into a giant blueberry like Violet Beauregarde, we all face daily risks. Whether it’s workplace hazards or the prospect of long-term sickness, it’s vital to protect your finances against the unexpected.

Here are four ways you may be able to protect yourself and your family against the financial impact of illnesses and injuries:

• Income protection could provide regular, long-term payments to help replace lost income.
• Critical illness cover offers a potential lump sum payment, providing a financial buffer and helping with immediate costs.
• Life cover may pay out a one-off, tax-efficient lump sum to loved ones, should you pass away within the term of your agreement.
• An emergency fund consists of cash savings you can access immediately, typically worth around 6 – 12 months’ expenses.

While you can’t always protect yourself against life’s twists and turns – or chocolate rivers – a financial planner can help you get the right cover in place to help minimise the risk to your finances.

2. Ensure your will is clear, detailed, and stored securely

In Matilda (1988), one of Dahl’s most well-loved stories, a young girl discovers that her tyrannical headteacher, Miss Trunchbull, is the aunt of her much-loved teacher, Miss Honey. After learning that Miss Trunchbull had stolen her niece’s inheritance, Matilda uses her magical powers to drive the headteacher away.

In the end, a solicitor contacts Miss Honey with the details of her late father’s will, enabling her to reclaim the house and money he’d left to her. Not only does this story highlight the importance of having a will – even if you believe your estate is simple enough to do without – it also shows why it’s necessary for your will to be kept securely.

While your will can still be valid even if not registered, it’s usually recommended that you register it with the National Will Register. This ensures it can easily be located if you pass away and minimises the risk of ambiguity or debate between loved ones after you’re gone.

It’s also important to ensure your will is clear and detailed, so there’s no dispute over your intentions once you’re not there to speak up. If you are unsure of how to divide up your assets, a financial planner can advise you, as well as support your beneficiaries when the time comes.

3. Know the tell-tale signs of a scam to protect your finances

In Dahl’s 1983 novel, The Witches, a seven-year-old boy finds himself in a hotel full of witches. With his grandmother teaching him how to tell them apart from regular women, the boy manages to spot the subtle clues and foils their plan to turn children into mice with a magic potion.

Just as knowing the tell-tale signs of a witch helped protect the boy from becoming a mouse, knowing how to spot a scam is vital to protecting your finances. With fraudsters’ tactics constantly becoming more sophisticated, it’s important to stay up to date on how to identify a scam.

Even advice that appears to come from a trusted source could, in fact, be fraudulent. In 2024, BBCNews reported that a man had been conned out of £76,000 by an advert that used AI technology to impersonate journalist Martin Lewis, promoting a fake investment scheme.

To protect your finances against scammers, it’s crucial to always stop and question whether something is genuine before clicking links, providing personal details, or making payments. If an opportunity sounds too good to be true, it probably is – but if you’re unsure, always check the scheme with a financial planner before committing.

Read more: Top tips to help you avoid financial scams after the M&S data breach

4. Diversifying your investment portfolio and persisting through downswings could bring greater long-term rewards

Published in 1970, Fantastic Mr Fox tells the story of a fox who routinely takes food from three farmers. Planning to end his theft by shooting him, the farmers trap Mr Fox and his family in their burrow, where they begin to starve. While the farmers wait outside with shotguns, Mr Fox manages to dig tunnels to all three farms, and helps himself to more food than ever before.

By spreading his food sources across three farms, the fox is able to evade detection for a long time, while ensuring a single food source wasn’t quickly depleted. Similarly, by diversifying your investments across a wide range of assets, you could minimise the impact of individual share price fluctuations and potentially maintain more stable returns.

Additionally, just as Mr Fox persisted in digging his way out of starvation, by staying the course through market downswings and turbulent share prices, you might be able to reap greater rewards in the long term.

Of course, while Dahl’s story is an apt allegory for investing, it’s important to consult with a financial planner when managing your portfolio. A qualified planner should be able to provide comprehensive advice tailored to your circumstances and finances.

5. Ensure you have a trusted ally to help protect and grow your wealth

Dahl’s 1982 novel, The BFG, tells the story of a young orphan named Sophie. After taking her from the orphanage, the Big Friendly Giant (BFG) protects Sophie against nine child-eating giants. Together, they convince the Queen to have the giants captured so they can never eat another child, and the Queen rewards them with their own residence in Windsor Great Park.

Just as not all giants in the story were friendly, not everyone claiming to be a financial expert can be trusted. So-called “finfluencers” offering financial advice online are often unqualified – meaning they’re not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and can offer inaccurate, misinformed, or even fraudulent advice.

But by ensuring you have a qualified financial planner – rather than a “giant” – as a trusted ally, you can protect your finances against poor advice and get the right support to grow your wealth.

Get in touch

Whether you’re looking for support in managing your investments or creating a holistic financial plan tailored to your individual needs, get in touch with our team by emailing info@depledgeswm.com or calling 0161 8080200.

Please note

This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.

The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax planning, estate planning, or will writing.

The value of your investments (and any income from them) can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Investments should be considered over the longer term and should fit in with your overall attitude to risk and financial circumstances.

Note that life insurance and financial protection plans typically have no cash in value at any time and cover will cease at the end of the term. If premiums stop, then cover will lapse.

Cover is subject to terms and conditions and may have exclusions. Definitions of illnesses vary from product provider and will be explained within the policy documentation.

Levels, bases of and reliefs from taxation may be subject to change and their value depends on the individual circumstances of the investor.