Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Laurie Pettit, who retired in May 2017, saved $177,248 toward a pension over 39 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Pettit would collect as much as $3.89 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Pettit received $81,765 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Pettit will have already received $252,728 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.