Lake County Gazette

Former state school employee Janet Kovarik, who retired in June 2016, saved $180,273 toward a pension over 33 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Kovarik would collect as much as $4.7 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Lake County Gazette.

The projection assumes Kovarik received $98,831 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Kovarik will have already received $200,627 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.