I’m a priest who spent 35 years as a lawyer. Here’s how to die well

From banking passwords and lists of assets to wills and power of attorney applications, preparing for the worst is the best thing you can do for your family

Portrait of Matthew Hutton.
Rev Matthew Hutton: “It is not pleasant to think about death, but think of it as helping those you leave behind”
ALEXANDRA HUTTON
The Sunday Times

The Rev Matthew Hutton knows more about preparing for death than most. He spent 35 years practising as a solicitor and tax adviser before becoming a minister in the Church of England a decade ago.

During his decades of helping clients, parishioners and friends, Hutton found that too many were failing to put their affairs in order before death, inadvertently making life much harder for those who they left behind.

“I have spent a lot of time walking with people as they approach death and supporting their relatives. We need to give careful thought to what happens to our loved ones after we go. Our death affects the overall pattern of our lives,” said Hutton, 71, who lives on his family farm in Norfolk.

He

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