New Social Security Rule Will Hurt Women by Eliminating Benefits Options

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James Lange, CPA/Attorney, Advises Married Couples Ages 62-70 to Apply and Suspend NOW. After April 29, 2016, it will be too late!

In early November, President Obama signed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 into law and the repercussions are devastating to the married women of our country.

Pittsburgh – December 16, 2015 – Lange Financial Group, James Lange, Pittsburgh, Social SecurityMarried women, statistically the widows of the future, will pay a high price due to the changes that the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 has made to Social Security. Pittsburgh attorney and CPA James Lange takes action by releasing audio and video presentations as well as transcripts and a report that will help couples ages 62-70 navigate this new rule and protect their benefits while they still can!

SOCIAL SECURITY SURVIVOR BENEFITS ARE CRITICAL TO WOMEN

The financial well-being of widows is often dependent upon the choices that are made while their spouses are still alive. Spousal and survivor Social Security benefit choices can mean the difference between living comfortably in retirement and falling under the poverty line for women whose spouses leave them behind. Widows are commonly younger than their deceased husbands and the Social Security benefits they have earned, especially in the Boomer generation, are commonly less than that of their deceased husbands. This means that a widow will depend on collecting survivor benefits, often for many years, based on the benefits to which their deceased spouses were entitled.

“One of the best things a husband can do to protect his wife in widowhood is to maximize his own Social Security benefits. One technique that we use with our clients is apply & suspend.” James Lange of Pittsburgh-based, Lange Financial Group, LLC comments. “The law prior to the Bipartisan Act allowed the husband to apply for, and then suspend collection of his benefits, while allowing his wife to collect a spousal benefit. It was a win-win for our clients!”

This technique was used strategically to maximize the husband’s and wife’s long-term benefits. That, unfortunately, is coming to an end, with the exception of certain couples who take the appropriate action between now and April 29, 2016. For many couples, the income stream from spousal benefits in the previously allowed apply and suspend technique made it possible (or at least more palatable) for the husband to wait until age 70 to collect Social Security, thus maximizing their benefits.

“This new law cuts off that income stream, making it if not impossible, at least more difficult, for husbands to choose to delay collection of their benefits.” Lange warns, “Unfortunately, it is the widows of these husbands who cannot maximize their Social Security benefits who will be left in reduced circumstances for the rest of their lives.”

JIM LANGE’S ADVICE

DO NOT WAIT. Congress has eliminated one of the best Social Security maximization strategies. Fortunately, some recipients may be grandfathered already and others could be grandfathered if they act between now and April 29, 2016. Others will have to make do with the new laws. In either case, now is the time to review your options. We have posted a one hour audio with a written transcript explaining the old law, the new law and the transition rules. Readers can go to www.paytaxeslater.com to access this audio and transcript.

ABOUT JAMES LANGE Jim Lange, Social Security, Pittsburgh

James Lange, CPA/Attorney is a nationally-known Roth IRA and retirement plan distribution expert. He’s also the best-selling author of three editions of Retire Secure! and The Roth Revolution: Pay Taxes Once and Never Again. He hosts a bi-weekly financial radio show, The Lange Money Hour, where he has welcomed numerous guests over the years including top experts in the fields of Social Security, IRAs, and investments.

With over 30 years of experience, Jim and his team have drafted over 2,000 wills and trusts with a focus on flexibility and meeting the unique needs of each client.

Jim’s recommendations have appeared 35 times in The Wall Street Journal, 23 times in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The New York Times, Newsweek, Money magazine, Smart Money and Reader’s Digest. His articles have appeared in The Journal of Retirement Planning, Financial Planning, The Tax Adviser (AICPA), and other top publications. Most recently he has had two peer-reviewed articles published on Social Security maximization in the prestigious Trusts & Estates magazine.

To learn more, or sign up for their newsletter, visit www.paytaxeslater.com.

John C. Bogle – A Financial Industry Giant Addresses Congress

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John Bogle, The Lange Money Hour, James Lange, Pittsburgh, PA Wednesday, October 1, 2014Join us this Wednesday, October 1 at 7:05 p.m. on KQV 1410 AM for The Lange Money Hour, Where Smart Money Talks.

Program also streams live at www.kqv.com

Encore presentations air on KQV EVERY SUNDAY at 9:00 a.m.

The three legs of America’s retirement system are shaky, neither structurally efficient nor fiscally stable. That’s what the U.S. Senate Finance Committee heard on September 16, during testimony by a man Fortune Magazine labeled one of four giants of American Finance: John C. Bogle, founder and now retired CEO of the Vanguard Group, the world’s largest mutual fund company, with more than 3 trillion dollars under management.

To hear why Mr. Bogle believes the situation is so precarious, tune in tomorrow evening at 7:05, as The Lange Money Hour welcomes him back to the show.

Over the course of his 63-year career, Mr. Bogle has changed the face of investing. A pioneer in the concept of index mutual funds, collective portfolios of stocks that mimic the movement of a defined market sector rather than a selection of individual companies, he is credited with creating the first index fund available to individual investors, the Vanguard 500.

Mr. Bogle has written a dozen books, including his 1994 bestseller Bogle on Mutual Funds to most recently The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation. At 85, he remains an active industry observer, appearing regularly on national financial media outlets. He recently described the personal mission he has set for himself in his retirement – “to speak out for truth and integrity and character in the world of finance, striving to build a better world for investors—honest-to-God, down-to-earth human beings who deserve a fair shake.”

 

You can watch his 6-minute Congressional testimony here:

http://johncbogle.com/wordpress/2014/09/17/testimony-before-the-senate-finance-committee-september-16-2014/

 

We’re honored to have Mr. Bogle back as a guest on The Lange Money Hour. Please plan to join us Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014 at 7:05 on KQV 1410 for an interesting and informative hour. The program will also stream live at www.kqv.com.

If you can’t tune in October 1, 2104, KQV will rebroadcast the show at 9:00 a.m. this Sunday. You can also access the audio archive of past programs including written transcripts on the Lange Financial Group website, www.paytaxeslater.com. Click on RADIO.

Finally, mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 15th at 7:05 p.m., when Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb will join us for the next new edition of The Lange Money Hour.

(7/16/2014) Tonight’s Radio Show:
The View of Pittsburgh from the Mayor’s Office

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LangeMoneyHourThe View of Pittsburgh from the Mayor’s Office

Join us tonight at 7:05 pm on KQV 1410 AM. Program also streams live at www.kqv.com. Encore presentations air EVERY SUNDAY at 9:05 am.

Tune in KQV 1410 AM tonight at 7:05 p.m. as The Lange Money Hour welcomes a very special guest, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.


After serving three terms on City Council representing the East End, he was elected Pittsburgh’s 60th mayor last November capturing 84 percent of the vote. Inaugurated on January 6th, he has just completed his first six months in office.

A self-described progressive Democrat, Mayor Peduto has been a consistent voice for fiscal discipline in Pittsburgh. As a councilman, he was the only city politician to call for Act 47 state protection; a controversial step in addressing decades of financial mismanagement that left Pittsburgh with the highest debt ratio and the lowest pension funding in the nation. Despite some improvement in the fiscal situation, he feels the city needs to remain under financial oversight to take care of its long-term problems such as pensions, debt, and need for capital improvements. After only six months in office, Mayor Peduto has already taken active positions on a broad range of issues from same-sex marriage, achieving sustainable revenue by establishing relationships with major non-profits, and technology and efficiency, to dedicated bike lanes and supporting ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber.

These are just a few of the subjects on tonight’s agenda, and listeners, since our show will be live, you can join the conversation by calling KQV at 412-333-9385 after 7:05 p.m. You can also email questions in advance of the show by clicking here.

If you can’t tune in tonight, KQV will rebroadcast the show this Sunday, July 20th at 9:05 a.m. The audio will also be archived on our web site at www.paytaxeslater.com/radioshow.php, along with a written transcript.

Finally, please join us on Wednesday, August 6th at 7:05 p.m., when we’ll welcome another financial industry giant, Dr. Roger Ibbotson, to the next edition of The Lange Money Hour.