Metro East Sun

Former state school employee Deborah Wafer, who retired in June 2017, saved $157,966 toward a pension over 41 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Wafer would collect as much as $3.22 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Metro East Sun.

The projection assumes Wafer received $67,642 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Wafer will have already received $209,074 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.