What constitutes a good salary depends a lot on where you live – along with your industry and work experience.

You'll also need patience, persistence, and some good timing if ... So you'll need a salary nearly three times higher than average if you want to max out your monthly Social Security benefits.

If you know your salary, exemptions, filing status, and other withholdings, you can figure out how much you'll bring home per month. Image source: Getty Images. Income taxes are much easier to ...