South Central Reporter

Former state school employee Susan Bennett, who retired in May 2018, saved $34,956 toward a pension over 12 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Bennett would collect as much as $676,944, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes South Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Bennett received $14,228 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Bennett will have already received $43,978 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.