It can feel like the government has all the power when it comes to setting your Social Security checks, but it's actually a team effort. You can influence your benefit by the number of years you work and how much you earn doing those years.

You also have to make the all-important decision of when to sign up for benefits. Your choice will have long-lasting consequences for your financial security in retirement, so it's crucial to understand what's at stake.

Here, we'll take a look at how your claiming age affects your benefit so you can decide when you'd like to apply for Social Security.

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Source Fool.com