Chicago City Wire

Former state university employee Richard Zake, who retired in October 2016, saved $3,517 toward a pension over 14 years working for state universities, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Zake would collect as much as $82,569, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Zake received $1,735 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 2 years of retirement, Zake will have already received $3,522 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.