East Central Reporter

Former state university employee Tamara Sharp, who retired in January 2016, saved $33,023 toward a pension over 21 years working for state universities, State Universities Retirement System of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Sharp would collect as much as $612,575, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes East Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Sharp received $12,875 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Sharp will have already received $39,795 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.