On Groundhog Day, the world's most famous forecaster, Punxsutawney Phil, briefly emerges from his burrow to forecast an early spring or six more weeks of winter.

Whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow, you may want to consider staying inside where it's warm and cozy. Winter weather or not, it's easy to conduct your Social Security business online by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov.

There are so many things you can do online, even Bill Murray's character from the movie Groundhog Day could find new things to do. For example, you can:

• Get an instant, personalized estimate of future benefits with the Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator;
• Apply for Social Security retirement, spouse's, survivors, or disability benefits at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline;
• Learn about extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs at www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp, where you can find a link to apply; and
• Request a replacement Medicare card at www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/links_medicare.htm.

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, has been putting on the largest celebration of Groundhog Day since around 1886, with crowds reaching 40,000 people. Of the 112 recorded predictions, Punxsutawney Phil has called for six more weeks of winter 87 percent of the time. We suspect he just likes to stay in.

Whatever the weather, learn all about the things you can do online at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices.

Ginny Jordan is a Public Affairs Specialist for the Social Security Administration. Her weekly column on all things Social Security appears in the Sunday Edition of the Sun-Sentinel.

Ginny has agreed to let us reprint her articles here for your convenience.

Thank you Ginny!