Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

The Website is located at www.thefinancialfriend.com (the “Website”). This privacy policy describes The Financial Friend’s current policies and practices with regard to personal data collected by The Financial Friend through the Website. This privacy policy is independent of The Financial Friend’s offline personal data collection practices. This privacy policy forms part of The Financial Friend Terms and Conditions and is incorporated therein by reference. The legal basis for processing your personal data includes your consent, contractual necessity for providing our services, and our legitimate interests in improving and maintaining our services.

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

The Financial Friend is continually improving and adding new functionality and features to its Website and improving and adding to our existing services and programs. Because of these ongoing changes, changes in the law, and the changing nature of technology, The Financial Friend’s data practices will change from time to time. If and when our data practices change, The Financial Friend will post the changes on the Website and, for material changes, will provide notice via email to registered users at least 30 days before such changes take effect. We encourage you to check this page frequently. This policy was last updated on May 19, 2025.

Your continued use of our Website and services after the posting of changes to this privacy policy will be considered your acceptance of those changes. If you do not agree with the updated privacy policy, you should discontinue using our services.

PERSONAL DATA COLLECTED

The Financial Friend collects information and data when you use the Website. Such information includes Personal Information, Contact Data, Message Data, and Traffic Data (collectively “Customer Information”). “Personal Information” includes your name, address, email address, passwords, home and business address, phone number(s), and other information that may not be publicly available. “Contact Data” includes information you supplied that may be provided to The Financial Friend to enhance your use of The Financial Friend services. “Message Data” includes any messages sent or received through the Website, information and data about those messages, your account activity, and your log-in, and log-out times. “Traffic Data” includes data about the nature of your usage of the Website and services and programs and can include: IP addresses, domain servers, referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, clickstream data, type of computer or mobile phone, type of web browser, one or more cookies that identify your browser, and telecommunications carrier information.

In connection with your use of the Website, The Financial Friend may collect the following mandatory information: the domain name and/or email address of Website visitors; the email addresses of users who communicate with The Financial Friend via the Website or via email; and information as to what pages within the Website users access, and for how long the users access or visit such page. Additionally, The Financial Friend may collect the following optional information: information volunteered by the user, such as through registration on the Website, purchases made through the Website, email update requests, and general requests for information; and information about transactions with The Financial Friend, and third-parties with whom The Financial Friend affiliates for other commercial purposes.

The Financial Friend makes reasonable efforts to honor Do Not Track (“DNT”) signals, though technical limitations may affect our ability to fully implement DNT preferences in all circumstances. The Financial Friend implements appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect personal data. However, The Financial Friend cannot guarantee the security of personal information accessible on or transmitted via the Internet, despite implementing industry-standard security measures but will consistently make every effort to maintain personal privacy.

USE OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION

When you register on the Website or make a purchase transaction on the Website or through a The Financial Friend site, your personal information will not be sold, shared, rented or distributed to others, including sponsors, affiliates, and partners (the “Affiliated Parties”), except as described in this Privacy Policy. However, there may be some other limited circumstances in which The Financial Friend may be required to share or transfer Personal Information in our databases, for example, to comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal process or enforceable governmental request; for the administration of justice; to protect your vital interests; to prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing; or in the event of a corporate sale, merger, reorganization, dissolution, or similar event. The Financial Friend restricts access to nonpublic Personal Information to those employees and agents who need such information. The Financial Friend maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards in accordance with 201 CMR 17.00 and other applicable Massachusetts data security regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information, including written information security programs (WISP) and encryption of personal information.

The Financial Friend uses Customer Information to enhance your use of The Financial Friend services by processing information collected for purposes including but not limited to: providing information to users about The Financial Friend products and services; formatting and displaying elements of Contact Data and Message Data to you and those with whom you exchange messages; delivering advertisements and related links; and storing messages.

The Financial Friend may engage third parties to perform functions on its behalf, including sending newsletters, postal mail, and email; analyzing and processing data; payment processing; and providing customer service. The Financial Friend requires that these parties agree to use Personal Information in compliance with this privacy policy, and in accordance with any other appropriate confidentiality and security procedures. These parties may have access to Customer Information needed to perform their functions, but The Financial Friend will not authorize them to use it for purposes that do not conform to this privacy policy. For more information on third-parties, see section below entitled Third-Parties.

If The Financial Friend intends to use Personal Information for purposes other than those described in this privacy policy, The Financial Friend will offer you the opportunity to opt-out of such use of your Personal Information for those other purposes. For more information on how to opt-out, see section below entitled Opt-In/Opt-Out. 

ANONYMOUS DATA COLLECTED

In addition to the information you provide when you use www.thefinancialfriend.com, The Financial Friend uses technology to collect anonymous information about the use of our Website. For example, we use analytics technology to collect aggregated data about Website usage, including how many visitors access our Website, the date and time of their visits, the length of their stay, and which pages they view. This data is collected and processed in a manner that does not personally identify individual users. We also use technology to determine which web browsers our visitors use, and the addresses from which they accessed our sites (for example, if they connected to the Website by clicking on a banner ad). This technology does not identify you personally. It simply enables us to compile statistics about our visitors and their use of the Website. The Financial Friend and our Affiliates use this anonymous data and share it with third parties to improve the content and functionality of our Website, to better understand our customers and markets, and to improve our products and services.

COOKIES

A cookie is a small piece of information that is sent to your browser and stored on your computer’s hard drive. While cookies do not damage your computer or directly reveal your identity, they may be used to store or track certain preferences and browsing patterns that could be linked to you. You have the right to control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Under Massachusetts law, you have the right to know about and consent to any tracking mechanisms used on our website. The Financial Friend uses different types of cookies for various purposes: 

  1. Essential cookies: These are necessary for the website to function properly and cannot be switched off.
  2. Analytics cookies: These help us understand how visitors use our website, allowing us to improve our services.
  3. Functionality cookies: These remember your preferences to enhance your experience on our site.
  4. Advertising cookies: These are used to deliver advertisements more relevant to you and your interests.

You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie. This enables you to decide if you want to accept it or not and whether you are required to accept the cookie to view certain content. The Financial Friend may use cookies to “persist” a user session — that is, to maintain a connection with a user as he or she moves through an application or series of web pages. The purpose of cookies in this context is to remember user inputs. Personalization features also use cookies to identify groups of users and deliver appropriate content and services. If you do not agree with the use of cookies on our website, you should change your browser settings or discontinue using our services.

OPT-IN/OPT-OUT

As noted in the Use of Customer Information above, The Financial Friend will not provide your nonpublic Personal Information to Affiliated Parties unless you have opted in to receive emails from the us or Affiliated Parties. If at any time you desire that The Financial Friend cease providing your nonpublic Personal Information to Affiliated Parties, you may opt-out of those disclosures by directing us not to make those disclosures (other than disclosures permitted by law). If you receive communications from us that you do not want to receive, you may opt-out of receiving these communications by clicking the unsubscribe link in the email or emailing us at wendy@thefinancialfriend.com. We will process your opt-out request promptly, and in no case later than 5 business days after receipt of the request, in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A and other applicable laws. Occasionally, it is necessary to send out a service-related announcement. Generally, users may not opt out of these communications. These communications are not promotional in nature.

THIRD-PARTIES

The Financial Friend may share data with the following categories of third parties, subject to appropriate contractual safeguards and data protection agreements that comply with Massachusetts data security regulations (201 CMR 17.00): (a) Service Providers: entities performing technical, administrative, or operational functions; (b) Business Partners: organizations with whom we collaborate for service improvement; (c) Advertisers: entities that help us optimize our marketing strategies; (d) Payment Processors: financial institutions handling transaction-related services; and (e) Customer Support Vendors: organizations assisting with customer service and engagement and in accordance with any other appropriate confidentiality and security procedures. These parties may have access to Customer Information needed to perform their functions, but The Financial Friend will not authorize them to use it for purposes that do not conform to this privacy policy. The Financial Friend will apply the Opt-In/Opt-Out policies discussed above in the event we propose to disclose your information to a third-party.

The Financial Friend does not disclose personal information to third parties, except when one or more of the following conditions is true:

  1. The Financial Friend has the individual’s permission to make the disclosure;
  2. The disclosure is permitted by law or mandatory professional standards;
  3. The disclosure is reasonably related to the sale or other disposition of all or part of The Financial Friend’s business or assets or in connection with a corporate merger, consolidation, or other corporate reorganization;
  4. The personal information to be disclosed is publicly available;
  5. The party to whom the disclosure is made controls is controlled by, or is under common control with The Financial Friend;
  6. The disclosure is reasonably necessary for the establishment or maintenance of legal claims;
  7. The disclosure is to persons or entities for whom The Financial Friend is providing or receiving services, provided the disclosure is consistent with the purpose for which the personal information was obtained;
  8. The Financial Friend may share with third parties certain aggregated, non-personal information and Traffic Data, but such information will not identify you individually;
  9. The Financial Friend may share Customer Information when legally required to do so or at the request of governmental authorities conducting an investigation; or
  10. The Financial Friend may share your Customer Information with a third-party if you have consented to receive information from that third-party through registration from a co-branded version of The Financial Friend service operated with a third-party or through a communication or promotional program of a third-party that is enabled by The Financial Friend Service. Such third-parties will handle, store, retain, and access such user information in accordance with the terms and conditions of their agreements with you, if any, as well as their own privacy policies. It is your responsibility to carefully review such agreements and privacy policies. You acknowledge that The Financial Friend shall have no liability to you for sharing of such information to such third-parties and The Financial Friend disclaims any and all liability relating thereto.

LINK TO OTHER SITES

This privacy policy applies only to The Financial Friend’s Website at www.thefinancialfriend.com and all other The Financial Friend sites. If you visit The Financial Friend Website, including www.thefinancialfriend.com, please take a moment to review the privacy policy posted on that site to learn what personal data may be collected through that website and how it is processed. The Financial Friend Website may also contain hyperlinks to websites that are not operated by The Financial Friend or our Affiliates. These hyperlinks are provided for your reference and convenience only and do not imply any endorsement of the activities of these third-party websites or any association with their operators. The Financial Friend does not control these websites and is not responsible for their data practices. We urge you to review the privacy policy and any terms and conditions posted on any website you visit before using the website or providing any personal data about yourself. The Financial Friend explicitly disclaims any and all damages or issues that may arise from proceeding to any third-party website referenced on The Financial Friend website or information you input into a third-party website that was referenced on The Financial Friend website. 

CONSENT TO BE CONTACTED

By submitting the contact form, I knowingly and voluntarily acknowledge and agree by electronic signature to: (1) be contacted about The Financial Friend by email (consent to be contacted is not a condition to purchase services); (2) the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use; and (3) that this electronic signature constitutes a valid and binding signature under the Massachusetts Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (M.G.L. c. 110G). 

SMS/MMS Marketing

You must be 13 years or older to receive/send text messages, and if under 18 years old, you must have verifiable parental consent as required by Massachusetts law (M.G.L. c. 93H) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in affiliation with The Financial Friend. If you choose to opt-in to “SMS/Text Marketing” you certify that you are at least 13 years of age. We respect your privacy and will only use the information to send you marketing messages as permitted by applicable law and in accordance with your consent preferences. This includes but is not limited to sharing information with platform providers, phone companies, and other vendors who assist us in the delivery of mobile messages. We do not sell, rent, loan, trade, lease, or otherwise transfer for profit any phone numbers or customer information collected through the website to any third party, except as may be required by law or with your express consent. Nonetheless, We reserve the right at all times to disclose any information as necessary to satisfy any law, regulation or governmental request, to avoid liability, or to protect our rights or property. When you complete forms online or otherwise provide us information in connection with the Services, you agree to provide accurate, complete, and true information. You agree not to use a false or misleading name or a name that you are not authorized to use. If, in our sole discretion, we believe that any such information is untrue, inaccurate, or incomplete, or you have opted into the Services for an ulterior purpose, we may refuse you access to the website, the services, communications, and pursue any appropriate legal remedies.

GOVERNING LAW

This privacy policy forms part of our Website Terms and Conditions and shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. Any dispute arising under this privacy policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, as set forth in the Dispute Resolution Agreement section below.

QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR PRIVACY POLICY

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or concerns about the way The Financial Friend processes your personal data, please contact us at wendy@thefinancialfriend.com or by mail at PO Box 1307, Concord, MA 01742.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION AGREEMENT

You and The Financial Friend agree that any disputes between us as a result of the use of this website, these terms and conditions or privacy policy, or the use of our services will be resolved through the appropriate Massachusetts state or federal court of competent jurisdiction. All controversies, claims, counterclaims, or other disputes arising between you and The Financial Friend relating to the website, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions of the website, or use of our services (each a “Claim”) shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The Financial Friend and you agree that in any dispute, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the damages recoverable against The Financial Friend are limited to the amount paid for services, except where such limitation would be prohibited by Massachusetts law, or in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct. This means that no special, general, punitive, or consequential damages may be awarded, and the full extent of your recovery, if any, shall in no event be greater than the amount paid to The Financial Friend for its services. This agreement does not preclude you from seeking action by federal, state, or local government agencies, nor does it limit your rights under applicable consumer protection laws, including Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A.

Each party shall be responsible for bearing their own fees and costs associated with any court proceedings, including attorneys’ fees to the fullest extent allowable by law, unless otherwise provided by applicable law or court order.

Neither you nor The Financial Friend may act as a class representative or private attorney general, nor participate as a member of a class of claimants, with respect to any Claim. Claims may not be pursued on a class or representative basis. The courts can decide only your and/or The Financial Friend’s individual Claims. The courts may not consolidate or join the claims of other persons or parties who may be similarly situated. This Section will survive the termination of your relationship with The Financial Friend. THIS SECTION LIMITS CERTAIN RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY FORM OF CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE CLAIM, AND THE RIGHT TO CERTAIN REMEDIES AND FORMS OF RELIEF. BY USING THIS WEBSITE, YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE TO THESE LIMITATIONS. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE WAIVING YOUR RIGHT TO BRING OR PARTICIPATE IN ANY CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT REGARDING ANY DISPUTES WITH THE FINANCIAL FRIEND AND THAT YOUR POTENTIAL RECOVERY MAY BE LIMITED TO ONLY WHAT YOU PAID TO THE FINANCIAL FRIEND, IF ANYTHING.