Before John Dutton’s death, Beth warns her father about the ranch’s financial well-being. In Yellowstone season 5, episode 6, “The Dream Is Not Me,” John’s daughter makes a grave prophecy. Beth tells her father, “Your business model is gonna be the end of us.” John brushes off his daughter’s concerns, saying, “Business model’s worked for a hundred years,” but the patriarch’s death proved that Beth Dutton was right. John’s death left Beth and Kayce with no money to pay their dues, which ultimately led to the loss of the ranch.
Beth Dutton has perhaps the most iconic repertoire of quotes in the entire Yellowstone franchise, as John Dutton’s daughter isn’t one to hold back.
With John’s death came a massive inheritance tax. While Beth took out a mortgage to help pay it, the family’s attempts to gain enough wealth to keep the ranch permanently weren’t viable. Beth’s sale of almost all the ranch’s assets in Yellowstone season 5, episode 13, “Give the World Away,” only paid their mortgage for the year, not even denting their massive inheritance tax bill. In hindsight, if John had listened to Beth, the ranch could have turned a profit, leaving John’s kin with enough wealth to stay there comfortably.
