Social (In)Security Calculator

The Social (In)Security Calculator, developed by the Democratic Party, makes it easy for those of us with math anxiety to figure out exactly how President George W. Bush’s proposed Social Security reforms will affect us. Simply plug in your current annual income and year of birth (provided you’re younger than 55), and the calculator will compare your estimated annual benefits under the current program with your estimated benefits under the proposed “private savings account” program. It takes into account all the nooks and crannies of the Bush plan, including the nifty trick they’ve got of holding on to some of the earnings from those private accounts. Once you remember that Bush himself acknowledges that this plan will drive the deficit even higher, it’s a downright scary proposition.