East Central Reporter

Former state school employee Thomas Hamilton, who retired in June 2016, saved $19,173 toward a pension over 6 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Over 30 years of retirement, Hamilton would collect as much as $351,414, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes East Central Reporter.

The projection assumes Hamilton received $7,386 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.

After 3 years of retirement, Hamilton will have already received $22,830 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the teachers' pension fund.