Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Karen Carlson, who retired in July 2017, saved $338,703 toward a pension over 35 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Carlson would collect as much as $5.89 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Carlson received $123,843 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Carlson will have already received $382,786 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.