Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Elizabeth Koepnick, who retired in May 2017, saved $176,847 toward a pension over 37 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Koepnick would collect as much as $4.6 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Koepnick received $96,773 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Koepnick will have already received $196,449 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.