Chicago City Wire

Former state university employee Marlene Van Matre, who retired in October 2018, saved $53,909 toward a pension over 19 years working for state universities, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Van Matre would collect as much as $755,878, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Van Matre received $15,888 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Van Matre will have already received $66,471 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.