Lake County Gazette

Former state school employee Stephen Forgette, who retired in June 2016, saved $145,695 toward a pension over 21 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Forgette would collect as much as $2.89 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Lake County Gazette.

The projection assumes Forgette received $60,722 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Forgette will have already received $187,686 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.