Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Joan Costenero, who retired in May 2018, saved $218,652 toward a pension over 36 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Costenero would collect as much as $4.38 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Costenero received $92,110 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Costenero will have already received $284,702 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.