For more than two decades, national pollster Gallup has been surveying retirees to gauge their reliance on America's top retirement program, Social Security. Over that span, between 80% and 90% of polled seniors have noted that they lean on their monthly Social Security benefit, in some capacity, to make ends meet.

Gallup's surveys intimate that a majority of future retirees are likely to be in the same boat. In other words, getting as much out of Social Security as possible is going to be a necessity to ensure the financial well-being of future retirees -- and this includes baby boomers!

But in order to maximize what you'll receive from Social Security, you'll first need to understand the factors that can influence your monthly benefit -- including those that may not be readily apparent.

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Source Fool.com