I have a proposal request from a gov. entity

[SteveH]

I have to admit I don't have any experience with governmental 457 plans at all, zero, zilch. The client is looking for something with a little more public funding and more "guaranteed" than their current 457 plan. I believe a goverment entity may adopt a profit sharing and/or a defined benefit plan, but I also understnad that are a lot of differences. I think I even read that thy aren't subject to Title I of ERISA. That seems like a big deal to me.

We are talking about a small, rural goverment entity. As strange as this sounds I am almost thinking that a Money Purchase plan might be a good fit. I figured MP plans were "so 1990s", but maybe this could work. This will lock in a fixed amount of contribuiton that is required to be paid each year, but will not have exposure to unfunded liabilities.

Anyone have some tips for me while I continue my research?

[Ron Snyder]

To avoid problems, since you are weak in this area, make sure that the client has ERISA counsel familiar with governmental plans. You will need governmental plan documents, and your services don't provide them. You need to be familiar with all types of governmental plans to be able to guide the client appropriately. And, yes, sometimes a money purchase plan is appropriate, but it is more likely that a profit sharing plan (called a "401(a)" plan in governmental circles) is appropriate unless benefits are collectively bargained to a certain contribution level.

I did a search of BenefitsLink for governmental plans and obtained the following. It is a good place for you to start:

http://benefitslink.com/search/results.php...=&stopDate=

There is also very good information located on Carol Calhoun's website:

BenefitsAttorney