Author, attorney and CPA.
When someone you love dies, you get two jobs at once. You grieve, and you settle their affairs. I write for people doing both.
I’m Ed Barton. I practice estate, trust and tax law in Anacortes, Washington. I’m also a Washington CPA, an Army veteran and a seminarian in the Episcopal Church. My books and videos explain the paperwork, the taxes and the faith questions in plain English.
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Newest book
Washington Estate Tax for Families: What Changed in 2026 and What to Do About It
Washington changed its estate tax twice in twelve months. For deaths from July 1 through December 31, 2026, the exclusion is $3,000,000 and the rates run from 10% to 20%. This book walks you through what that means for your family, with worked examples and a checklist for the year after a death.
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Newest video
Sibling Is Trustee and Won’t Share? Your Beneficiary Rights. When your right to information starts under Washington law, what the trustee has to send you, and how to ask without starting a war. All videos
Recent writing
- Why the Prayer Book Tells You to Make a WillMost people are surprised to learn that the Book of Common Prayer has an opinion about wills. It does. Tucked into the instructions after the Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child, the Prayer Book tells the minister to teach people to make wills “while they are in health” (BCP p. 445). It also asks them to think about leaving something to the…
- Before You Pay the Beneficiaries, Hold Back a ReserveThe beneficiaries want their money. You want to be done. So you write the checks. Then the final income tax bill arrives, or a hospital bill nobody knew about, and the trust account is empty. Now you have to ask your siblings to give money back. Some will. Some won’t. As trustee, you may be personally on the hook for the difference. A reserve prevents…
- Washington Estate Tax in 2026: The Date of Death DecidesAsk three people what Washington’s estate tax exclusion is and you may get three answers. They could all be right. The answer depends on one fact: the date of death. The Legislature changed the rules in 2025 and again in March 2026. That leaves four sets of numbers, according to the Department of Revenue’s estate tax tables: Date of death Exclusion Rates Before July 1,…
Faith
This fall I taught a four-week series at Christ Episcopal Church called Last Things: Preparing for a Christian Death. The notes, readings and questions from it live here. Read Last Things
Looking for legal or tax help?
I don’t take legal, tax or consulting work through this site. Washington residents can contact Centerbridge Law Group, PLLC about estate planning, trusts, probate and tax matters.
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Legal and tax services are offered only through Centerbridge Law Group, PLLC, 1610 Commercial Avenue, Suite 203, Anacortes, Washington 98221. See Disclosures.