Deke, I had my 457b with a company called 'Valic' last year. I got a 27% return on investment last year.
I am certainly not expecting that to hold year after year, but it was damn sure nice for one year.
I have since moved my 457b to our other carrier, Nationwide. I have it in a managed acct that costs me 1% per year.
Nationwide and Valic are the 2 carriers they offer at work and almost everyone I work with says Nationwide is the better choice, so I moved all my money.