Now that the Social Security Administration has decided to begin mailing out paper benefit statements to workers again, we might start looking forward to getting snail mail for once. Or at least we should.

Beginning in September, workers older than 25 will begin receiving their benefits statements once every five years. Benefit statements provide a detailed snapshot of how much you can expect to earn in monthly Social Security benefits when you hit retirement age, plus your estimated disability and Medicare benefits.

We know. It all sounds a little backward. When 80% of Americans have access to the Internet at home, why waste government resources to send us information we could easily find online? After all, the Social Security Administration (SSA) went digital in 2012 to save money.

The reality is that only a fraction (6%) of workers are currently signed up to get their statement online, according to the SSA. If you’re young, healthy and working today, chances are you aren’t too concerned about what life will be like 30, 40, or 50 years down the road.

Paper statements can give workers just the wake-up call they need to kickstart their retirement savings plan, says Patrick Doland, a fee-only certified financial planner with Reason Financial Advisors, Inc. in Northbrook, Ill.

“Without [that statement], there’s often no triggering event that causes people to think about Social Security income,” Doland says. “Life goes on and there’s nothing that makes people ask whether they’re on track and if they’ll be able to enjoy the kind of retirement they want.

So, if you find a letter from the SSA in your mailbox come September, don’t just toss it. Check out this sample benefit form from the SSA first, which looks at a 40-year-old woman named “Wanda Worker” who earns $47,000 a year.

Here’s what you should look for:

Compared to the tangled mess that 401(k) statements can become, deciphering your Social Security benefits statement is child’s play. The document is less than five pages long and all the good stuff is on pages 2 and 3.

Source: SSA

On Page 2, look for the section labeled Your Estimated Monthly Benefits. This is where you’ll see a comparison of what your monthly benefits will be depending on when you start withdrawing: ages 62, 67 (full retirement age for people born after 1960), and 70.

Given that more than half of workers start tapping their benefits at 62, this is a section you do not want to gloss over. The later you wait to draw your benefits, the larger they’ll be. The table above makes it crystal clear that if “Wanda” waits to start withdrawing benefits until 67 — instead of starting at 62 — she’d see 40% higher monthly benefits.

Of course, you could pay a financial planner to tell you that, but seeing your own estimates in black and white really helps to drive the point home.

“Most people just automatically think, I’m entitled to [my benefits] so I’m going to take my money,” Doland says. “They don’t stop and think through all the other important questions that really impact whether that’s right for them or not.”

Of course, there are some situations in which retirees can’t afford to wait for their benefits. The majority of Americans wind up retiring earlier than they expect to and more than half of retirees, Social Security is their primary source of income in retirement.

But the sooner you know how much you can expect to earn from Social Security, the better you can estimate how much to put toward your own retirement fund. While they can be a helpful boost, it can be difficult to liveon Social Security benefits alone.

“If you read [your statement] and see you’re only getting $2,000 a month, ask yourself if you can live on that knowing what it costs for you to live now?” Doland says. “For the average person, that’s when they’ll start saying ‘I’ve got to get serious about this. I’m not contributing enough to my 401(k).’”

On page 3, pay close attention to the section labeled Your Earnings Record.

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Source: SSA

Here’s where the SSA will list your earnings for every tax year you were in the workforce, however, their data isn’t always perfect. Since your benefits are based on your 35 highest-earning years, if their numbers are off, you could wind up getting less what you’re supposed to. To be sure everything is correct, dig up your tax records and compare your annual income to the amount listed on the statement. If there are any discrepancies, contact the SSA (1-800-772-1213) to sort it out.

Again, you don’t have to wait five years to get your benefits statement. You can check it out whenever you want by signing up for an account with the SSA here.

Otherwise, keep an eye out for your statement to show up in the mail. And trust us — this is one piece of mail that doesn’t belong in the shredder.

這就是你不想折騰了的社會安全文件

現在，社會安全局已經決定開始郵寄出紙權益報表工人再次，我們可能會開始期待越來越蝸牛郵件一次。或者至少是應該的。

從今年九月起， 25歲以上的工人將開始接受他們的好處報表每五年一次。權益報表提供了多少你可以期望獲得在每月的社會保障福利，當你打退休年齡詳細的快照，再加上你的估計殘疾和醫療福利。

我們知道。這一切聽起來有點落後。當80 ％的美國人有上網的家，為什麼要浪費政府資源發送給我們的信息，我們可以很容易地在網上找到？畢竟，社會安全局（SSA ）去數字在2012年節省資金。

現實情況是，工人只有一小部分（ 6 ％ ）目前簽署了得到他們的說法在網上，根據公共福利金。如果你還年輕，身體健康，工作的今天，機會是你不是太在意什麼樣的生活會像30 ， 40或50年的道路。

文中陳述可以給工人只是他們需要的kickstart他們的退休儲蓄計劃敲響了警鐘，說帕特里克都倫，費用只認證理財規劃師與理性的財務顧問，公司在伊利諾伊州諾斯布魯克

“沒有[這句話] ，也往往沒有觸發事件，使人們思考社會保障的收入， ”都倫說。 “生活在繼續，並沒有什麼，使人們問他們是否是上了軌道，如果他們將能夠享受到他們想要的那種退休。

所以，如果你發現從SSA在你的郵箱中的信件來月，不只是折騰它。看看這個範例的好處的形式從SSA第一，它著眼於一個40歲的女子名叫“萬達工作者”誰賺了一年47000美元。

下面是你應該尋找的東西：

相比糾結混亂， 401 （K ）報表可以成為，破譯你的社會安全福利說法是兒戲。該文件是不到五頁長，所有的好東西是2,3頁。

第2頁，尋找你的標記估計每月福利部分。在這裡，你會看到你的每月的收益將取決於一個比較，當你開始退出：年齡62 ， 67 （滿退休年齡為1960年以後出生的人） ，和70 。

鑑於以上工人的一半開始在62竊聽他們的利益，這就是你不想粉飾一節。以後你就等著繪製您的利益，更大的效果就越好。以上表格使得它晶瑩剔透，如果“萬達”等待開始撤出好處，直到67 - 而不是起始於62 - 她會看到更高的40 ％，每月補助金。

當然，你可以支付一個理財師告訴你，但看到在黑色和白色確實有助於驅動點回家你自己的估計。

“大多數人只是不由自主地想到，我有權[我的好處]所以我打算把我的錢，”都倫說。 “他們沒有停下來思考所有的真正影響是否最適合與否的其他重要問題。 ”

當然，也有一些情況，其中退休人員不能等待他們的利益。大多數美國人清盤早於他們期望和超過退休人員的一半，社會保障是退休收入的主要來源退休。

但你越早知道多少，你可以期望從社會保障掙，就越能更好地估計多少把對自己的退休基金。雖然他們可以是一個有益的推動作用，它可能很難住上單獨的社會保障福利。

“如果你讀[您的發言全文]看看你只得到每月2,000元，問自己，如果你能活下去，知道它的成本為你現在住在哪裡？ ”都倫說。 “對於一般人來說，這時候他們就會開始說，'我得認真對待這一點。我沒有足夠的貢獻，以我的401（k ） '。“

第3頁，狠抓標記你的盈利記錄的部分。

這裡的地方公共福利金將列出您的收入因為你們在勞動力每一納稅年度內，但是，他們的數據並不總是完美的。由於你的好處是根據您35收入最高的年，如果它們的數量都關閉，你可以拉閘越來越少了什麼你應該。為了確保一切是正確的，挖了你的稅務記錄和你的年收入比較上表中列出的金額。如果有任何不符，請與SSA （ 1-800-772-1213 ）整理出來。

同樣，你不必等五年來獲得您的利益發言。你可以檢查出來，只要你想通過註冊一個帳戶與SSA這裡。

否則，隨時留意你的語句出現在郵件中。並相信我們 - 這是一個不屬於碎紙機一件郵件。