West Central Reporter

Former state school employee Michael Lopez, who retired in May 2016, saved $103,606 toward a pension over 37 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Lopez would collect as much as $2.16 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes West Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Lopez received $45,450 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Lopez will have already received $140,482 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.