James Lange, CPA, investment advisor and Roth conversion expert, photographed for Forbes in January 2019 by Tim Pannell.
Lange Financial Group Featured in Forbes Magazine
Ashlea Ebeling, a Forbes magazine columnist, called me about writing an article featuring a firm that proactively recommends Roth IRA conversions. She knew that I wrote the first peer-reviewed Roth IRA conversion article back in 1997 and that I wrote a best-selling book on Roth IRA conversions. Having worked with Ashlea years ago, I knew that she had a strong background in finance and that she takes the time to get things right. Seemed like a good fit.
I was expecting a Joe Friday “Just the facts, ma’am” type of article and while Ashlea spent a lot of time on “just the facts,” she wanted to add some human interest to the article. She was intrigued that my wife, Cindy, and I made a $239,000 Roth IRA conversion in 1998 and impressed that we will be $721,339 better off in our lifetime because we made the conversion. She also was interested that I was spending time in Tucson working on my next book.
We went back and forth with the mathematical proof, fact-checking, and countless other bits of information. We spent hours on the phone and sending email. But I believe we ended up with a great article that will be very informative.
The article focuses on Roth conversions and why now might be a close to perfect time to make a Roth IRA conversion. The story also features my Roth IRA conversion story.
The article is featured in the February 28th issue of Forbes magazine, available on newsstands worldwide. You can access the digital version of the article at https://paytaxeslater.com/forbesarticle.
Even if you don’t read the article, please check out the photo. I have to share a funny backstory that will not be included in the article.
Ashlea mentioned Forbes planned to send a photographer to capture a photo that would accompany the article. This was a big deal as Tim Pannell is an award-winning photographer. I was in Tucson at the time, and I was happy I had packed a suit and my favorite tie since I anticipated Tim would want a formal headshot.
Tim called me the day before the shoot and indicated he wanted to start very early because he liked the morning light. I was confused. Why would it matter what time of day the shoot occurred since it would be with lights in either my apartment or a studio? Surprise! They wanted a picture of me on my bike!
I said okay. Then, I asked him how he wanted me to dress. I thought a picture of me in a suit and tie on a bicycle would be interesting. Bike clothes would be more mundane. He said let’s shoot it both ways.
I knew there was a chance we would not have enough time to shoot both ways, and I made the executive decision to show up in a suit and tie (but I brought my other gear).
The night before, I had everything ready. Tim was to arrive at my apartment at 8:30 a.m. I dressed in my conservative gray suit and blue shirt and tie and was ready to go with my electric bicycle (e-bike) on the car rack and everything else was in the car.
Tim wanted cactus and mountains in the shot, so I picked the best spot I knew. We headed out to East Saguaro National Park. We then shot photos for roughly three hours! I cycled my e-bike back and forth in a bunch of locations. Of course, all the people who saw us stared and wanted to know what was going on. What was this guy dressed in a suit and tie doing on a bicycle getting photographed?
Anyway, he probably took at least 200 shots…me in a helmet, me not in a helmet, me riding, me still…cactus, no cactus, but mountains always in the background. Tim picked his favorite but said the Forbes photography editors choose the photo to be included with the article. I would have guessed that the photographer would pick the shot, but Tim told me in no uncertain terms he doesn’t even make a recommendation. I think the editor made a great pick which also happened to be Tim’s favorite.
Again, the article appeared in the February 28, 2019 edition of Forbes magazine and is available digitally. When you read it, you can think about whether you should be considering a Roth IRA conversion for yourself and your family.