New Social Security Calculator at www.ssa.gov

America's Social Securities Administration put new retirement estimator software online yesterday. It's called the Retirement Estimator, reasonably enough. It's on the "Benefit Calculators" page of the Social Securities Administration website (www.ssa.gov).

If you're around my age and an American, estimating your Social Security benefits may be quite interesting. If you're one of those youngsters under forty, not so much. I'm in my mid-fifties, so it's a somewhat big deal.

The online Retirement Estimator is a sort of supplement to the annual benefits estimate we get in the mail. Aside from giving Americans something online to play with, the Retirement Estimator lets people who haven't started receiving Social Security benefits figure out about what they'd get if they made more, or less, money. Also, what sort of difference it would make, retiring at different ages.

The Retirement Estimator isn't for anyone. The Benefits Calculators page warns: "Caution: You cannot use the Retirement Estimator if you currently receive benefits based on your earnings or you block access to your personal information."

Why the SSA put a cybernetic landmine like that in the Retirement Estimator, I have no idea.

This fall, they're promising us an online application for benefits that's supposed to eliminate the need to visit a field office, and cut the time needed from 45 to 15 minutes. Sounds convenient, a nice way to save on fuel: but I wonder what dire warnings will appear on that page.

New and improved Retirement Estimator, in the news:

• "New tool to calculate Social Security benefits"
  Lexington Herald-Leader (July 22 2008)
• "Loose Change: New Social Security calculator"
  Star-Telegram, Fort Worth (July 22, 2008)