Retirement plans for small business owners include Koegh, SEP-IRA, and a Simple IRA. These plans are offshoots of their typical 401(k) brethren. But have you heard of a cash-balance retirement plan? BankRate peeked inside these not so new retirement vehicles.

A cash-balance plan is a hybrid of a traditional pension plan and a defined contribution plan like a 401(k). The account grows annually in two ways: first, a contribution, and second, an interest credit, which is guaranteed rather than being dependent on the plan’s investment performance.

Unlike traditional retirement plans, the cash-balance plans are more complicated to setup and maintain. And, as a result, they cost more to jumpstart.… Read the rest