According to polling firm Gallup, the largest financial worry for American adults is running out of money in retirement.

But what if you learned you that you had a hidden nest egg worth $1.2 million?

Related: The Simple, One-step Secret to Maxing Out Your Retirement Benefits.

Even if you can’t claim that much, you might be leaving tens of thousands of dollars in benefits – money you’ve already earned – on the table.

According to Dr. Laurence Kotlikoff, Harvard PhD and a former economics adviser to President Reagan, you almost certainly are.

He recently revealed, in plain English, dozens of simple “tricks” buried within the Social Security code to help you maximize your lifetime benefits. (Read on here for full details.)

So just how much more retirement money are we talking about?

For example, a 60-year-old married couple who earned a certain amount starting at the age of 25 can claim a Social Security “asset” worth $1.2 million if they start collecting at 62.

Special: Get Dr. Laurence Kotlikoff's 50 Secrets to Higher Lifetime Benefits

That’s about four times the average American family’s nest egg.

And as Dr. Kotlikoff says:

“All you have to do is stay alive and those Social Security payments will keep coming each and every month – payments guaranteed by the United States government and protected against inflation.”

And by taking advantage of the loopholes he’s identified in the Social Security code, Dr. Kotlikoff says the couple from the example above can ALSO increase the value of their $1.2 million Social Security “asset” by $400,000 – or 33%.

That would leave the couple with a retirement asset worth $1.6 million.

All they have to do to get this second boost, says Dr. Kotlikoff, is use one simple tactic.

But here’s the thing: the Social Security system has 2,728 core rules and thousands upon thousands of additional codicils in its Program Manual.

In the case of married couples alone, the formula for each spouse’s benefit comprises 10 complex mathematical functions, one of which is in four dimensions.

Luckily for you, Dr. Kotlikoff’s mission makes it as simple as possible for you to maximize your Social Security payments.

For instance, if you’re married there’s a simple way you can pick up an extra $50,000… if you’re divorced you could collect $647 a month thanks to your ex-spouse (whether he or she likes it or not)… and even if you’re already collecting Social Security, there are still ways to boost your benefits by as much as 32%.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg…

The bottom-line is simple: if you’re already in retirement… or are retiring soon… and want to make sure you’re getting the most out of this hugely important retirement asset, you need to learn how to maximize your benefits right away.