Peach State Reserves news, 4th quarter, Oct.-Dec. 2005

Peach State Reserves News
4th QUARTER, OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2005

Quarterly Account Statement
Enclosed is your Quarterly Account Statement covering investment activity in Peach State Reserves The Georgia Retirement Investment Plan. This statement is for the period of October 1, 2005 through December 31, 2005. If you have any questions, contact Great-West between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 1-800-701-8255.
Also enclosed is the Investment Options at a Glance, showing comparative performances of the investment options.
Fixed Income Option
Quarterly Range of Return
For the current quarter ending March 31, 2006, the projected range of return for the Fixed Income Option is expected to be between 4.5% and 5% annualized until the end of the quarter. The return may be higher or lower. There is no guarantee that the fund will earn a yield within this range.

Self-Directed Brokerage Option Change
As many of you know, Peach State Reserves offers a Self-Directed Brokerage (SDB) option. An SDB account gives you an opportunity within your tax-deferred Section 457 or Section 401(k) Plan to invest in a much wider range of mutual funds and individual securities, in addition to the existing "core" investment options currently available through Peach State Reserves. The SDB is for knowledgeable investors who wish to invest in securities that are not part of the "core" investment choices offered by Peach State Reserves. Peach State Reserves currently offers the SDB through Great-West and their partnership with Harrisdirect. Harrisdirect was recently purchased by E*Trade, and E*Trade has made the decision not to continue the SDB. All retirement plans must transition out of the Harrisdirect SDB window by the end of March 2006. In response to this, Great-West is now partnering with Ameritrade to provide the SDB. Ameritrade has been providing brokerage services for 30 years and recently received a four-star rating in the 2005 Barron's Review of Online Brokers. Current SDB participants will receive direct notification with more specific information by mail within the next few weeks. Please check our website at www.ersga.org for the most current information.

Receive Statements Electronically with Online File Cabinet If you're tired of keeping track of all of the Peach State Reserves quarterly statements you receive in the mail and would like a convenient and secure way to access your statements online, Online File Cabinet may be just the thing for you! You can read more information and sign up by accessing your account at www.ersga.org. Click on "Accessing Your Account" and log into your Peach State Reserves account. If you sign up, you will no longer receive paper quarterly statements by mail. You will be notified by email when your quarterly statement is available for viewing and printing. You can opt out of the Online File Cabinet and resume receiving paper statements at any time. Your email address will not be provided to anyone outside of Great-West and its partners or affiliates that help provide services related to your Peach State Reserves account. If you have any questions about Online File Cabinet, you can also contact Great-West directly at 1-800-701-8255.

W R A P
ERS Offers a Workshop for Retirement Application Processing (WRAP)
To assist employees with the retirement process, ERS offers workshops at our Atlanta office for state employees who are getting ready to file their retirement application. Representatives from your ERS Pension Plan, Peach State Reserves 457 and 401(k), Community Health (state health insurance), and Merit System (flexible benefits) give an overview of retirement benefits in this three-hour workshop. Our staff will then guide you through the retirement application process and verify that all forms have been completed. The dates for the WRAP during the first six (6) months of 2006 are as follows:
January 9, 18, 30; February 7, 15, 27; March 9, 20, 30; April 4, 18, 27; May 9, 16, 25; June 6, 15, 28. The doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshop starts promptly at 9:00 a.m. in our first floor seminar room and ends at approximately 12:00. Reservations are not required to attend and there are no fees. All ERS retirement forms will be provided.
NOTE: Due to the large number of employees that attend these seminars, we are unable to calculate individual retirement benefits on the day of the workshop. Retirement estimates MUST be requested at least 45 calendar days prior to attending a WRAP session. Just call one of our Retirement Specialists in our Member Services Division (local: 404-350-6300 or toll-free: 800-805-4609) and ask for a retirement estimate with a projected retirement date or logon to www.ersga.org to use the calculator or download an estimate request form.
TIPS for attending WRAP: Bring a retirement estimate if you have one (estimates cannot be calculated on the day of the workshop).
Remember you can obtain an estimate also on the ERS website www.ersga.org. If you are using forfeited leave towards your creditable service, please have some verification (i.e. check
advice or stub). ERS does not maintain those records. Have legal name, address and birthdates of your beneficiaries. Pension benefits are taxable. Check with your tax advisor prior to coming to WRAP. ERS counselors
cannot advise on tax issues. You will need a voided check for direct deposit of your pension benefits. While a representative from the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) should be available at the WRAP session,
all forms regarding health insurance must be obtained from and submitted directly to SHBP. Should you have any questions related to health insurance that are not addressed at WRAP, please contact the SHBP directly at 404-656-6322 or 800-610-1863 or www.dch.georgia.gov.
Peach State Reserves Two Northside 75
Atlanta, GA 30318-7778 www.ersga.org