Dupage Policy Journal

Former state school employee Rita Shafer, who retired in June 2017, saved $163,573 toward a pension over 28 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Shafer would collect as much as $3.75 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes DuPage Policy Journal.

The projection assumes Shafer received $78,740 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Shafer will have already received $243,377 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.