Will County Gazette

Former state school employee Ellin Lotspeich, who retired in July 2016, saved $182,705 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, Lotspeich would collect as much as $4.37 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Will County Gazette.

The projection assumes Lotspeich received $91,910 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Lotspeich will have already received $186,577 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.