Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Catherine Castellanos, who retired in April 2018, saved $18,754 toward a pension over 5 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Castellanos would collect as much as $490,886, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Castellanos received $10,318 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Castellanos will have already received $20,946 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.