Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Katherine Houston, who retired in May 2018, saved $173,429 toward a pension over 33 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Houston would collect as much as $3.73 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Houston received $78,319 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Houston will have already received $242,077 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.