Galesburg Reporter

Former state school employee Stephanie Sims, who retired in December 2016, saved $78,790 toward a pension over 27 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Sims would collect as much as $1.52 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Galesburg Reporter.

The projection assumes Sims received $31,972 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Sims will have already received $98,822 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.