Chicago City Wire

Former state university employee Elizabeth Powers, who retired in February 2019, saved $43,103 toward a pension over 10 years working for state universities, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Powers would collect as much as $515,527, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Chicago City Wire.

The projection assumes Powers received $10,836 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 4 years of retirement, Powers will have already received $45,334 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.