Lake County Gazette

Former state school employee Frank Bessette, who retired in June 2017, saved $165,260 toward a pension over 35 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Bessette would collect as much as $4.08 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Lake County Gazette.

The projection assumes Bessette received $85,680 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Bessette will have already received $173,930 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.