Rockford Sun

Former state school employee Lamthong Phonthipsvath, who retired in June 2016, saved $125,403 toward a pension over 28 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

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

The projection assumes Phonthipsvath received $45,314 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Phonthipsvath will have already received $140,060 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.