Oregon's Public Employee Retirement System just released the list of the top 837 PERS reciepient's monthly/yearly retirement amounts here. This group collects at least $100,000 per year in retirement cash, with the larger group of PERS retirees collecting much less (those names will be released soon).


The largest recipient is former Ducks football coach Mike Bellotti at just over $41,000 per month, for a yearly total right about $500,000 per year. (None of these figures include social security or post employment benefits like health insurance) Not too bad if you consider that his monthly 6% retirement contribution was paid for by the taxpayers, meaning he never put a penny of his own money into his PERS retirement.


How ironic that higher paid public employees like Bellotti earn more in one month than the average Oregonian worker makes in an entire year ($25,000 per capita according to US Census Bureau here), In fact, nearly 40% of PERS retirees make more in a year in retirement than the average Oregon worker makes in a year being employed. Keep in mind, almost all of these retirees never paid a dime into their own retirement as most (not all) of the government entities employing them paid their 6% monthly PERS contribution for them.


If you add in social security and other post employment benefits that PERS recipients may be receiving, their retirement is far above what was originally intended when PERS was formed and much more than the average private sector worker's pension or 401k. 

Food for thought when your local or state government is cutting back services to you or raising your taxes to pay for additional PERS costs that will be incurred as stock market losses mount and the system remains underfunded.