Illinois Valley Times

Former state school employee Connie Dickison, who retired in November 2018, saved $114,194 toward a pension over 26 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Dickison would collect as much as $1.63 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Illinois Valley Times.

The projection assumes Dickison received $34,158 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Dickison will have already received $142,904 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.