Lake County Gazette

Former state school employee Donna Tripi, who retired in March 2017, saved $43,983 toward a pension over 10 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Tripi would collect as much as $1.22 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Lake County Gazette.

The projection assumes Tripi received $25,618 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Tripi will have already received $52,005 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.