Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 4, 2025
Last Updated: July 4, 2025

At FinanceGuards (“we,” “our,” or “us”), we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you access or interact with our website, https://financeguards.org (the “Website”).

By using our Website, submitting a form, or contacting us, you acknowledge and accept the practices described in this Policy.

1. Who We Are

FinanceGuards is an independent financial education and advisory platform offering guidance, tools, and insights to individuals and businesses. We are committed to respecting your privacy and handling personal data in compliance with all applicable privacy regulations, including:

  • The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) – Canada

  • The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – EU/EEA (if applicable)

2. What Personal Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following types of personal data:

a) Information You Voluntarily Provide:

  • Full name

  • Email address

  • Phone number (optional)

  • Company or organization name

  • Details included in your message, consultation request, or form submission

b) Automatically Collected Information:

  • IP address and approximate geolocation

  • Browser type and device information

  • Website usage patterns (e.g., pages viewed, time on site)

  • Referral sources and interactions with our content

  • Cookies and analytics data (see Section 6)

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data (e.g., health, religious beliefs, credit card numbers, or social insurance numbers).

3. Why We Collect Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To respond to inquiries and process service requests

  • To personalize your experience on our Website

  • To improve our content, services, and user experience

  • To send occasional updates (only if you opt in)

  • To comply with legal and regulatory obligations

  • To secure and monitor the integrity of our systems

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data for commercial gain.

4. Legal Grounds for Processing (GDPR Only)

For individuals in the European Economic Area (EEA), our legal basis for collecting and processing your information includes:

  • Consent – when you explicitly agree (e.g., email opt-ins)

  • Contractual necessity – to fulfill a service or request

  • Legal obligation – to comply with laws and regulations

  • Legitimate interest – such as analyzing website traffic or protecting system integrity

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information under specific, controlled circumstances:

  • With service providers (e.g., web hosting, analytics tools, contact form platforms) that help us operate the Website

  • With government authorities or legal entities if required by law

  • During a business restructuring, merger, or acquisition (you will be notified)

All third-party partners are required to comply with appropriate privacy and security standards.

6. Use of Cookies and Analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and measure the performance of our Website. These may include:

  • Essential cookies (site functionality)

  • Analytics cookies (via Google Analytics or similar)

  • Marketing cookies (only with your consent)

For full details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above or as required by law. After that, data is securely deleted or anonymized.

Typical retention periods:

  • Contact form submissions: up to 12 months

  • Analytics data: anonymized after 26 months

  • Email communications: until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location and jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

  • Access your personal data

  • Request correction of inaccurate or outdated information

  • Withdraw consent at any time

  • Request deletion (“right to be forgotten”)

  • Object to certain types of data processing

  • Lodge a complaint with a data protection authority

To exercise your rights, please email us at support@financeguards.org

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

  • Encrypted form submissions

  • HTTPS-secured site communication

  • Restricted internal access to personal data

  • Regular system and plugin updates to prevent vulnerabilities

However, no digital platform is completely immune to risk. If we detect a breach, we will act promptly and notify affected users where required.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our Website is intended for individuals aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If we learn that a child has submitted information, we will delete it immediately.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Website may link to external sites not governed by this Privacy Policy. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of those websites before submitting any personal information.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, technical, or operational changes. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date.

We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.