Thanks in part to its highest inflation adjustment in decades, the largest possible monthly Social Security benefit for someone retiring in 2023 is a whopping $4,555 per month. While that's an amazing headline number, it's also something of a fantasy. Very few people will qualify to get that maximum check. After all, to get it, you need to earn at least the Social Security maximum (currently $160,200)  each year for at least 35 years, and then wait until at least age 70  to start collecting.

The odds that anyone is going to hit "all of the above" to qualify for that maximum amount are remarkably low. Yet it still makes sense to understand what it would take to reach that target. Doing so will allow you to make the most of the trajectory you're on and make the best decisions to maximize the value to you of the benefit you've earned throughout your working career.

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Source Fool.com