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I don't think I have ever met an income tax accountant that did not take the approach that: "my job is to help a client (legally) minimize taxes and/or tax exposure". Taking tax deferred money out of a retirement vehicle as a first choice of action without evaluating other possibilities would seem to violate that thought pattern.
In regard to my (small) 401(k) I have had some investment advisors suggest they would like to have that money under their control. However, none of them has suggested that I take an action like converting to a Roth IRA that would require payment of income taxes. bboman is also suggesting that the 457 plan has different types of allowable non-taxable to non-taxable transfers. you are going to have to investigate those types of options.
If the only reason to withdraw the money from the plan is to buy a cemetery lot: $57,000 added to taxable income at a 30% tax rate is going to add $17,000 in cost to the decision to buy the lot and fund it in that manner.
A marginal tax rate may just be the first of your concerns. I am not a tax person-I am just suggesting that you need to be cautious of advising someone to do something that has tax consequenses(sp) without knowing their whole financial picture.
Two additional things that come to mind are: 1) Something called an alternative minimum tax-I've not had to pay this so I don't know it's rules but somewhere in increased income, it starts coming into play. 2) There are things that are based on taxable income. I have no clue what they might all be, but one I just became aware of is Medicare Part B and Part D premiums. Your client will not be happy with you a couple of years from now if you advise her into an action that puts her over some Medicare premium threshold she does not currently have to deal with.
Were this my personal situation and I was speaking to an advisor such as yourself, I would first find out if I could buy that lot on a contract with payments related to my RMD's, with an option to pay it off completely at any time without penalty and somehow pledge the retirement plan against that balance, so the cemetery company could get the balance due them when/if I die before the lot is paid for. I would then ask you to present me with the insurance/annuity option which you consider appropriate for my situation and help me evaluate the 2 choices.
If you decide to get your license your clients will be in good hands. Your thinking beyond the commission to the consequences of your recommendations.