Lake County Gazette

Former state school employee Romie Bloom, who retired in May 2018, saved $130,309 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, Bloom would collect as much as $2.73 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Lake County Gazette.

The projection assumes Bloom received $57,483 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Bloom will have already received $177,673 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.