Privacy Policy - Financial Guide Canada

Financial Guide Canada (“Financial Guide Canada”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors and users in Canada. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, use our tools and calculators, subscribe to our communications, or otherwise interact with us (together, the “Services”).

By using our Services, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use the Services.

1. Scope and Applicable Law

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information that we collect about individuals in connection with our Services in Canada. It is intended to comply with applicable Canadian privacy laws, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) and, where applicable, substantially similar provincial legislation.

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information is information about an identifiable individual. Depending on how you use our Services, we may collect the following types of personal information:

Contact details, such as your name, email address, postal code, and province or territory of residence.
Account or subscription information, such as your newsletter preferences and communication settings.
Information you provide when you contact us, submit a form, ask a question, or participate in surveys.
Information related to your financial situation that you choose to enter into our tools and calculators (for example, income, savings, debts, or goals).

Website and Usage Information is information that is automatically collected when you visit our website, such as:

IP address and general location information (e.g., city or region).
Device and browser type, operating system, and language settings.
Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, and referring/exit pages.
Information collected through cookies, web beacons, pixels, and similar technologies (see Section 5 below).

We may also collect aggregated or de-identified information that does not identify you directly. We may use and share such information without further notice to you, as long as it cannot be used to identify you.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for purposes including:

Providing, operating, and improving our website, tools, and Services.
Responding to your questions, comments, or requests and providing customer support.
Sending you newsletters, updates, and marketing communications if you have subscribed or otherwise consented.
Customizing content and recommendations that may be relevant to your interests.
Conducting analytics and research to understand how our Services are used and to develop new features.
Maintaining the security and integrity of our website and systems, and preventing fraud or misuse.
Complying with legal and regulatory requirements and enforcing our terms of use.

4. Legal Basis and Consent

In Canada, we generally rely on your consent to collect, use, and disclose your personal information, except where otherwise permitted or required by law. Your consent may be express (for example, when you tick a box to subscribe to a newsletter) or implied (for example, when you provide information to us to receive a specific service).

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. If you withdraw consent, we may not be able to provide certain Services to you. To withdraw consent, please follow the unsubscribe instructions in our communications or contact us using the details in Section 13.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience and better understand how our website is used. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website.

We may use:

Essential cookies to enable core site functionality.
Performance and analytics cookies to measure and improve website performance.
Preference cookies to remember your settings and preferences.
Advertising and marketing cookies (including third-party cookies) to deliver and measure relevant ads.

You can adjust your browser settings to refuse or disable cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable cookies, some features of the website may not function properly.

6. Analytics

We may use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics) to collect and analyze information about the use of our website, including pages visited, time spent, and interactions with content. These services use cookies and other technologies to help us understand user behaviour and improve the user experience.

For more information about how Google collects and processes data, and how you can opt out, please visit Google’s privacy resources or use the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

7. Advertising and Third-Party Links

We may display third-party advertisements or provide links to third-party websites, products, or services. These third parties may use cookies, pixels, or similar technologies to collect non-identifying information about your visits to our website and other sites, in order to show ads that may be of interest to you.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites or services, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

8. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share personal information in the following situations:

Service providers: We may share information with trusted service providers who help us operate our website and Services (for example, hosting, analytics, email delivery, or customer support). These providers are only authorized to use your information as necessary to perform services on our behalf and must safeguard your information appropriately.
Business partners: In limited cases, we may share information in aggregate or de-identified form with partners for research, reporting, or product development purposes.
Legal and compliance: We may disclose information where required or permitted by law, including to comply with a subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or to protect our rights, property, users, or the public.
Business transactions: In the event of a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of all or part of our business, personal information may be transferred as part of the transaction, subject to applicable legal requirements.

Some of our service providers may be located outside your province or outside Canada (for example, in the United States). As a result, personal information may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions and accessible to courts, law enforcement, and national security authorities in those regions.

9. Security

We use reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect personal information in our custody and control against loss, theft, and unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

You can also help protect your information by using strong passwords, limiting access to your devices, and not sharing sensitive details in unencrypted emails or forms where not necessary.

10. Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to meet legal or regulatory requirements, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. When personal information is no longer required, we will securely destroy, delete, or anonymize it in accordance with our policies and applicable laws.

11. Your Rights and Choices

Subject to applicable law, you have rights in relation to your personal information, including:

The right to access the personal information we hold about you, subject to limited exceptions.
The right to request corrections or updates to your personal information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to withdraw your consent to certain uses of your personal information, as described in this Policy.
The right to unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by using the “unsubscribe” link in our emails or contacting us.

We will respond to access and correction requests within a reasonable time and in accordance with applicable law. In some cases, we may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

12. Children’s Privacy

Our website and Services are intended for a general audience and are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take appropriate steps to delete that information.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, provide additional notice (such as by posting a notice on our homepage).

Your continued use of the Services after any changes to this Privacy Policy signifies your acceptance of the updated Policy.

14. How to Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, you may contact us at:

Financial Guide Canada – Privacy Officer
Email: privacy@financialguidecanada.ca
Please include your name, contact information, and a brief description of your request or concern so that we can respond effectively.