Social Security's maximum benefit hit an all-time high this year at $4,873 per month. That's more than what many of today's workers take in. But it's not a realistic expectation for most people trying to estimate how much they'll get from the program in retirement.

Claiming the top benefit requires you to earn a consistently high income -- equal to at least $168,600 in 2024 dollars -- across 35 years. That's not doable for most people, but that's OK. You can still grow your checks quite a bit by taking the following three steps.

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Source Fool.com