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.

Live Gay, Retire Rich Celebration!

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To celebrate the release of Live Gay, Retire Rich on November 1st, we’ve created a giveaway on GoodReads!

You must have a GoodReads account to enter (which is pretty easy to create if you don’t already have one). The giveaway is only open to residents in the United States.

From November 2 to November 15th, you can enter the giveaway on GoodReads here (https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/160571-live-gay-retire-rich-retire-secure-for-same-sex-couples). If you add the book to your “to-read” shelf, you will be notified when the giveaway opens!

LGRR Giveaway November

Or you can enter here once the giveaway opens:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Live Gay, Retire Rich by James Lange

Live Gay, Retire Rich

by James Lange

Giveaway ends November 15, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Celebrate New Legal Rulings with a Free Same-Sex eBook!

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LGBT Ally James Lange, an author and CPA/Attorney, Celebrates New Legal Rulings by Offering a Free E-Book for Same-Sex Couples Across the Nation.  

Retire Secure! for Same-Sex Couples: Live Gay, Retire Rich is endorsed by the top IRA, Social Security, and legal experts in the country and available as a FREE download for a limited time at www.samesex-equalrights.com

PITTSBURGH, October 13, 2014 – Last week was a historic week of victories for same-sex couples across the nation as 8 more states, West Virginia, Alaska, Utah, Virginia, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Indiana won the right to marry. The courts struck down the bans to marry in these states, expanding the rights for same-sex couples to marry in over half of the country. Within hours, county clerks in those states were issuing marriage licenses to couples who had been waiting for a decision to come down. Additionally, 4 more states in the 10th circuit and 4th circuit are on the verge of marriage equality as well. Colorado, Kansas, South Carolina, and Wyoming have cases pending verdicts and are expected to overturn their marriage bans in the near future. To celebrate these rulings attorney and CPA, James Lange is offering Retire Secure! for Same-Sex Couples: Live Gay, Retire Rich for free for a limited time on his web site, www.samesex-equalrights.com.

Pittsburgh LGBT Ally James Lange of Lange Financial Group, LLC has been working to help same-sex couples understand and take advantage of the tax and Social Security laws since 2002, but his campaign was re-energized when the Windsor case was decided in 2013. The laws and regulations for estate planning, tax planning, and Social Security planning have changed so significantly for same-sex couples over the last year that Jim has dedicated a large portion of his firm’s time and funds toward writing a book on gay retirement planning. Retire Secure! for Same Sex Couples: Live Gay, Retire Rich can be downloaded for FREE by going to www.samesex-equalrights.com before October 31st.

Along with the ability to get married, Lange suggests that there are many other points couples in states with marriage rights or on the verge of those rights should consider. “Married same-sex couples who live in states that recognize same-marriages will now be able to enjoy significant Social Security marital benefits and estate planning benefits, particularly if one member of the couples has a significant IRA or retirement plan,” says Lange, author of the book, Retire Secure! for Same-Sex Couples: Live Gay, Retire Rich. Mr. Lange offers four tips for same-sex couples:

  1. Go Into Marriage with Your Financial Eyes Wide Open. The couples who will benefit the most financially will likely be same-sex couples in their 60s or older where at least one person of the couple has a significant IRA or retirement plan. Some other couples will actually do worse financially. Finances are an important, though not exclusive, reason to get married or stay unmarried. If you are already married, speak to a tax advisor to take advantage of all the marital benefits.
  2. Consider How Marriage Affects Social Security Benefits. For many couples, one result of marriage is the opportunity to collect a much higher Social Security benefit. If you qualify and it is appropriate in your situation, apply for Social Security spousal benefits. There is a fantastic technique called “apply and suspend,” which is newly available to many same-sex couples in states that have recently changed their laws and to many residents of states that already afforded marriage rights. Most Social Security recipients, however, do not understand all of the possible spousal benefits of Social Security. There are significant advantages while both spouses are alive and after the first spouse dies.       Find out the enormous financial benefits for free by going to www.samesex-equalrights.com before October 31st.
  3. Marriage and IRA and Retirement Planning. Regardless of your state of residence, as long as you were married in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages, you and your spouse will enjoy significant tax benefits on inheriting an IRA or a retirement plan.
  4. Seek Professional Advice. As with all important financial decisions, Lange suggests that couples speak with a qualified retirement and estate advisor, preferably a CPA, as well as an attorney who works with same-sex couples. “Couples need to be sure they have all the knowledge they can to prepare for their financial lives as a married couple,” says Lange. For more information about how to get a FREE copy of Retire Secure! for Same-Sex Couples: Live Gay, Retire Rich or for information on how to schedule a meeting or media interview with James Lange visit www.samesex-equalrights.comor call 412-521-2732.

About Jim Lange

James Lange, CPA/Attorney has been helping same-sex couples since 2002. He is a nationally recognized Roth IRA and retirement plan distribution expert and understands the best techniques for married couples to get the most out of Social Security. The combination of his financial expertise as well as an understanding of the changing legal status of same-sex marriage makes Jim the logical person to write and now offer for free Retire Secure! for Same-Sex Couples: Live Gay, Retire Rich which can be downloaded at www.samesex-equalrights.com before October 31st.

He’s also the best-selling author of the first and second edition of Retire Secure! with dozens of testimonials from the nation’s top IRA, investment, and estate planning experts and The Roth Revolution: Pay Taxes Once and Never Again.

Jim’s recommendations have appeared 32 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. His article, Optimizing Social Security Benefits for Unmarried Couples, was just published in Trusts & Estates magazine this August.

Media Contact: Amanda Cassady-Schweinsberg, 412-521-2732

SOURCE: James Lange, CPA/Attorney

 

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.

The Impact of Same-Sex Marriage on the Accumulation Years

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While you are still working, you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to contribute the maximum allowable to your retirement plans. Same-sex marriage may afford you additional possibilities to contribute that may not be available to you as an unmarried individual; on the other hand, marriage might also eliminate possibilities to contribute.

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One advantage of marriage comes into play if one member of the couple is not working. This is relevant because you must have earned income to contribute to any IRA, including a Roth IRA. If a couple is not married, and one partner is not working, that non-working partner will not be allowed to contribute to an IRA or a Roth IRA. However, if the couple marries, the nonworking spouse would be able to contribute to an IRA or Roth IRA based upon their working spouse’s income. Marriage makes it possible for the couple to put more money in the tax-deferred or tax-free environment. For example, consider the couple Anne and Susan. In 2014, Anne earns $150,000 per year and is not covered by a retirement plan at work. Susan is not working outside the home. If they are unmarried, Anne can contribute to an IRA, but Susan has no earned income and cannot. If they marry, then both Anne and Susan can each contribute $5,500 ($6,500 if they are age 50 or older) to their respective IRAs.

 

When it comes to Roth IRAs, there is a potential benefit if your income is too high for you to be eligible to make a full Roth IRA contribution. These income limits are different for married and unmarried individuals (refer to table below). You may find that your income is too high for you to make a Roth IRA contribution as an unmarried taxpayer, but you are able to make a contribution as a married taxpayer. For example, consider Anne and Susan again. In 2014, if they are unmarried, neither Anne nor Susan can contribute to their Roth IRAs. Anne earns above the maximum of $129,000 for a single taxpayer and Susan has no earned income. If Anne and Susan marry, then their combined income of $150,000 is under the $181,000 limit for married couples, so they are both permitted to make the maximum allowable contributions to their Roth IRAs.

 

In other cases, marriage may suddenly make you ineligible to contribute to a Roth IRA. You may find that both you and your partner, as an unmarried couple, are both near the upper income limit for single taxpayers and are able to contribute to Roth IRAs; however, if you were to marry and combine your salaries, you may find yourselves above the Roth IRA limits. Consider a different situation for Anne and Susan. In this case, Anne and Susan each earn $100,000 in 2014. As an unmarried couple, they are each eligible to contribute fully to a Roth IRA, because they are each below the $114,000 limit. If they marry, their combined income would be $200,000, putting them above the $191,000 phase-out limit and preventing both of them from making any Roth IRA contributions at all.

 

Gay Marriage, James Lange, Retire Secure For Same-Sex CouplesGay Marriage, James Lange, Retire Secure For Same-Sex Couples, Pittsburgh, PAGay Marriage, James Lange, Retire Secure For Same-Sex Couples, Western Pennsylvania

Finally, if your income exceeds the limitations for a Roth IRA, consider contributing to a nondeductible IRA. You can convert the nondeductible IRA to a Roth IRA the minute after you make the nondeductible IRA contribution. That is exactly what I do personally, in addition to my 401(k) contribution. So, in January, 2014 I made my 2013 and 2014 nondeductible IRA contributions for me and my wife Cindy (even though she doesn’t work outside the home). We immediately made Roth IRA conversions of the nondeductible IRAs. So, we put away a quick $26,000 tax-free into Roth IRAs ($6,500 each for 2013 and 2014), not including what I contributed to my 401(k). Please note this conversion of nondeductible IRA to a Roth without incurring taxable income only works if you don’t have any traditional IRAs. In effect, after the monkey business, it is just like making a Roth IRA contribution, but you have to do the monkey business first to get around the limitation.

 

Because retirement plans allow your money to grow tax-deferred or tax-free, and we have already seen the enormous power of retirement plans, you may want to consider the impact that marriage will have on your ability to contribute to an IRA or a Roth IRA.

 
Retire Secure! For Same-Sex Couples – James Lange, (pages 61-65) www.outestateplanning.com/contact-us 412-521-2732
 

(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.