West Central Reporter

Former state university employee Cathy Onion, who retired in June 2018, saved $105,211 toward a pension over 33 years working for state universities, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Onion would collect as much as $2.35 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes West Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Onion received $49,310 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Onion will have already received $152,412 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.