Chicago City Wire

Former state university employee Arnold Godwin, who retired in January 2016, saved $1,270 toward a pension over 5 years working for state universities, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Godwin would collect as much as $19,587, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Godwin received $411 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Godwin will have already received $1,719 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.