Chicago City Wire

Former substitute teacher Joe Denson, who retired in February 2018, saved $7,099 toward a pension over 5 years working for public schools, Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Denson would collect as much as $229,226, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Denson received $4,818 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Denson will have already received $9,781 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.