I remember sitting in a field service group on a Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in 1997 when the new yearbook just came out. I think it was the first time the yearbook was published in paperback instead of hardcover. In those days they had the practice of "considering part of the yearbook" as part of the preparation for field service. I don't know if they still do that. Anyway we got to talking about why the yearbook was now paperback. One brother chipped in and said he heard the society was short of money and needed to cut back production costs. In fact he heard this from Jack Barr no less while on a trip to Brooklyn just a few months before. I was in awe at the amazing contacts this brother had in God's organisation and was sure this was a sign the end must be near. Because everything was a sign the end must be near, even if there was no logic to it.
Anyway I think the organisation has been struggling for money for a long time. Ever since they stopped charging for literature in fact. The paperback books were an early sign, but the cutbacks have escalated since then at an increasing rate. Their main source of revenue pretty much dried up. Their financial investments may have taken an added hit in the 2008 crash. On top of that you've got aging bethelites to care for, abuse settlements, building the new headquarters, development of online presence. Billions of pounds from property sales might sound a lot, but it might just be plugging a hole. In the worst case scenario, who knows they may have borrowed against the property already before they even sold it.
All I know is Lett looked pretty convincing when he said they were running out of money, and Herd looked scared when he announced necessary cutbacks. There are many good circumstantial reasons to think they are short of revenue and have increasing costs. Plus they themselves say and act as if they are short of money. I think they may be in real trouble.