Chicago City Wire

Former state university employee Kathryn Pierce, who retired in February 2016, saved $45,684 toward a pension over 16 years working for state universities, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Pierce would collect as much as $807,151, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Pierce received $16,965 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Pierce will have already received $52,437 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.