Chicago City Wire

Former state university employee John Dagger, who retired in May 2016, saved $23,926 toward a pension over 9 years working for state universities, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Dagger would collect as much as $1.21 million, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Dagger received $25,352 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 1 years of retirement, Dagger will have already received $25,352 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.