Lake County Gazette

Former state school employee Susan Bowling, who retired in June 2016, saved $180,042 toward a pension over 30 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Bowling would collect as much as $3.42 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Lake County Gazette.

The projection assumes Bowling received $71,822 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Bowling will have already received $221,995 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.