McLean County Times

Former state school employee Marilyn Lowe, who retired in May 2016, saved $16,446 toward a pension over 15 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Lowe would collect as much as $289,505, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes McLean County Times.

The projection assumes Lowe received $6,085 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Lowe will have already received $18,809 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.