Investec Solutions allows investors to access the value of their RRSPs

After a 25-year entrepreneurial career, an out-of-the-box thinker named Gord Bylo decided it was high time that somebody started helping Canadians to get the most from their RRSPs.

Nobody else in the field seemed ready to tackle the problem. So Bylo and his team stepped up to the plate. And the President of Investec Solutions Inc. knocked the ball right out of the park.

Bylo's brainstorming led him to the answer: It's known as i-Finance, an innovative program that enables investors to borrow the full value of their RRSP, or locked-in pension or locked-in retirement account (LIRA) while simultaneously preserving their capital and actually helping it grow.

Hundreds of i-Finance clients have already concluded that Bylo's unique and user-friendly strategy is ideal for their specific needs and purposes.

Here's how i-Finance can work for you.

Suppose you have a tidy nest egg tucked away in a basket of investments, sheltered within an RRSP or LIRA.

Then you stumble on an opportunity to buy into a revenue generating recreational property or an attractive franchise deal.

But you're short of ready cash. You hesitate to withdraw funds from your RRSP for tax reasons. Meanwhile, your banker says he's not in a position to help.

To take charge of the situation, you follow two simple steps.

First, you enter the i-Finance program by purchasing eligible income-bearing bonds, using cash from within your RRSP. These bonds (100 per cent RRSP eligible) mature in 10 years and generate four per cent in compounded annual interest.

"At this stage, an intriguing second option is available to you," Bylo picks up the narrative.

"You are now welcome to borrow back up to the same amount which you've invested with us, as long as your credit is good," he adds.

Think about it. Cash from your RRSP is carefully invested in an interest-bearing bond. At the same time, you now have access to new funds that are needed to proceed with your deal. Or to pursue other business-related projects.

Better still, i-Finance loans are issued at a fixed rate of interest for as long as 10 years, which insulates you from unpredictable increases in interest rates. Find a bank to match that offer.

"It doesn't matter what happens in the marketplace. You're safely locked in for up to 10 years," says Bylo.

Fact is, the i-Finance program isn't really about a financial service vendor and its client.

It's about equal partners, working together for mutual benefit.

"We're really a boutique operation," Bylo explains.

"We are not a bank, not a credit union and we're not a major financial planning outfit. What we are is entrepreneurial.

Investec Solutions is also extremely responsive to the hopes and dreams of our clients."

Bylo and his team designed the i-Finance program to help valued customers to achieve their goals. For example, if you're in the manufacturing business, you're familiar with the following scenario: An important customer places an expensive order. But because you're awaiting payment on outstanding receivables, you lack the ready cash to swing straight into production.

You speak to your banker to ask for help and quickly sense that you're getting the runaround. Maybe your debt-to-equity ratio doesn't please him. Or perhaps he's not happy about your receivables. He shakes his head and ends the discussion.

That's precisely the treatment you WON'T receive when you talk business with Bylo and the exceptional i-Finance team at Investec Solutions.

"Our program invites entrepreneurs to invest with us and borrow back from us, on a tax-effective basis. It's a completely different way of financing," says Bylo. "We are easy to deal with because we look at investment and lending in a different way than the banks do."

Happy customers are telling their friends. About 80 per cent of Bylo's clients utilize i-Finance because of a referral.

By the way, eligibility is rarely a problem for clients interested in exploring the world of i-Finance because Investec Solutions relies on an average Canadian credit score. However, Investec does ask i-Finance borrowers to provide a personal guarantee as loan security because the company will not use a client's RRSP or bonds in a registered account as collateral. Loans are issued on an approved credit rating formula.

Investec relies on the expert securities and legal advice put forward by the respected firms of Thorsteinssons LLP and Fasken Martineau LLP. Annual audits of Investec Solutions are conducted by Amisano Hanson, Vancouver-based chartered accountants.

For more information, please consult the i-Finance website (www.i-finance.ca). Or contact Investec directly via phone (604.538.5875) or email (info@investec.ca).