Chicago City Wire

Former bilingual teacher Mario Martinez, who retired in July 2018, saved $156,229 toward a pension over 34 years working for public schools, Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Martinez would collect as much as $3.21 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Martinez received $67,456 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Martinez will have already received $208,500 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.