Metro East Sun

Former state school employee Jody Lauf, who retired in December 2016, saved $22,472 toward a pension over 5 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Lauf would collect as much as $500,261, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Metro East Sun.

The projection assumes Lauf received $10,515 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Lauf will have already received $32,500 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.