Illinois Valley Times

Former state school employee Sharon Sweger, who retired in July 2016, saved $178,412 toward a pension over 35 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Sweger would collect as much as $4.81 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Illinois Valley Times.

The projection assumes Sweger received $100,998 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Sweger will have already received $205,026 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.