Financial Sense® Website Privacy Statement
This document was last updated on 26 Jun 2023.
1. Acknowledgment and acceptance of terms
Financial Sense® and its parent company, Financial Sense® Advisors, Inc. (See Privacy Policy), are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Statement sets forth our current privacy practices with regard to the information we collect when you or your computer interact with our website. By accessing www.financialsense.com ("Website"), you acknowledge and fully understand FS's Privacy Statement and freely consent to the information collection and use practices described in this Website Privacy Statement.
2. Participating Merchant Policies/Outside or Third-Party Links
Related services and offerings linked to from this website, including vendor sites, have their own privacy statements that can be viewed by clicking on the corresponding links within each respective website. Online merchants and others who participate in FS's services are encouraged to participate in industry privacy initiatives and to take a responsible attitude toward consumer privacy. However, since we do not have direct control over the policies or practices of participating merchants and other third parties, we have no responsibility or liability for the content, privacy practices, or activities of these linked sites and/or vendors. We recommend and encourage that you always review the privacy policies of merchants and other third parties before you provide any personal information or complete any transaction with such parties.
3. Information We Collect and How We Use It
FS collects certain information from and about its users four ways: directly from our Web Server logs, the user, with Cookies, and from third-party payment or download processing services. We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to keep track of advertisements and compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future.
a. Web Server Logs
When you visit our website, we may track information to administer the site and analyze its usage. FS may contract with third-party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors. These service providers are not permitted to use the information collected on our behalf except to help us conduct and improve our business.
Examples of non-personally identifiable information we may track include, but are not limited to:
- Your Internet protocol address.
- Your Internet connection type or speed.
- The kind of browser or computer you use.
- The size of monitor you use.
- The number of links you click within the site.
- State or country from which you accessed the site.
- Date and time of your visit.
- Name of your Internet service provider.
- The web page you linked to our site from.
- The web page you went to upon leaving our site.
- Pages you viewed on the site.
- Time spent on the site.
- Language in which you viewed the site.
- The number of times you have visited the site.
b. Use of Cookies
FS may use cookies to personalize or enhance your user experience.
A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a Web Server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.
One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. For example, if you personalize a web page, or navigate within a site, a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. Hence, this simplifies the process of delivering relevant content and eases site navigation by providing and saving your preferences and login information as well as providing personalized functionality.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies. If you reject cookies by changing your browser settings then be aware that this may disable some of the functionality on our website.
FS reserves the right to share aggregated site statistics with partner companies, but, with the below exceptions, does not allow other companies to place cookies on our website unless there is a temporary, overriding customer value (such as merging into the website a site that relies on third-party cookies).
b.1. GoogleAd Cookies
Google™, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on the website. Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to FS users based on their visits to the FS site and other sites on the Internet. Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Privacy Policy for Google Ads and the Google content network.
b.2. Other Advertiser/Aggregator Cookies
FS's advertiser, aggregator, or affiliate relationships may involve the use of cookies to track relationships that originate with FS.
c. Personal Information Users
You may be asked to disclose personal information to us so that we can provide services, assistance, and information to you. For example, such data may be warranted in order to provide online technical support and troubleshooting or to respond to comments on the website' content or features.
Visitors to our website can also register to contribute Content ("Contributors"). When you register, we will request some personal information such as name, address, email, telephone number or facsimile number, credentials, and other relevant information. At the time of registration, Contributors will determine how much of their contact information they would like to be visible to the website' visitors. FS assumes no liability for any Contributor's decision to make the certain personal information public. Although we encourage Contributors to use their real names, this public information may include an "alias" rather than a contributor's real name. Regardless of what contact or personal information a Contributor chooses to make public, or whether or not a Contributor chooses to use an alias, FS must be provided with accurate and up-to-date contact information, which may include, but is not limited to, the Contributor's real name, legal address, phone number, and email address.
Visitors and Contributors should be aware that communications received by FS that are directed to a specific Contributor will be forwarded to that contributor by FS.
After your initial contact with us, your personal information (name, address, phone number, email address, etc.) will be kept on file indefinitely in order to maintain records of our relationship with our contributors and visitors.
c.1. Protection of Personal Information Collected
We will not disclose personally identifiable information we collect from you to third parties without your permission except to the extent necessary including:
- To fulfill your service requests for services,
- To protect ourselves from liability,
- To respond to legal process or comply with the law,
- To enforce and investigate possible violations of our website' policies
- To investigate, protect against, and prevent technical issues, security issues, and/or fraud, or
- In connection with a merger, acquisition, or liquidation of the company.
However, trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, may, in the course of their relationship with FS, have some degree of access to this information; all such parties agree to keep this information confidential, and to not use it for their own business purposes.
We also implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you access your personal information.
Non-public and public information collected on Contributors is inputted into our Database, and is only accessed by those authorized to view this information; we are required to keep the information confidential. Non-public information collected on Contributors is only shared with FS staff as needed and is not released to the public.
d. Third-Party Payment or Download Processing Services
FS Content may be offered for purchase. We do not have direct control over the policies or practices of third party payment or download processing services, and we have no responsibility or liability for the content, privacy practices, or activities of these linked sites and/or vendors. We recommend and encourage that you always review the privacy policies of third parties before you provide any personal information or complete any transaction with such parties.
Third-Party Payment or Download Processing Services may provide personal information about purchasers to FS. Use of and handling of this information is outlined in Section 3.c.
4. Use of Web Beacons or GIF Files
FS Web pages may contain electronic images known as Web beacons—sometimes also called single-pixel gifs—that allow FS to count users who have visited those pages and to deliver co-branded services.
Some of these Web beacons may be placed by third-party service providers to help determine the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns or email communications. These Web beacons may be used by these service providers to place a persistent cookie on your computer. This allows the service provider to recognize your computer each time you visit certain pages or emails and compile anonymous information in relation to those page views, which in turn enables us and our service providers to learn which advertisements and emails bring you to our website and how you use the site. FS prohibits Web beacons from being used to collect or access your personal information.
5. Accessing/Updating Web Account Information (for Contributors)
Contributors who wish to update their contact information with FS may do so by contacting the website' fswebmaster[at]financialsense[dot]com (webmaster) directly. FS reserves the right to review and approve any updates to Contributor information before posting it to the website, and to refuse and/or deny to update information that does not comply with the terms of its Privacy Statement or Terms of Use Statement.
6.California Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance
Because we value your privacy we have taken the necessary precautions to be in compliance with the California Online Privacy Protection Act. We therefore will not distribute your personal information to outside parties without your consent or unless required by law.
7. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance
We are in compliance with the requirements of COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act); we do not collect any personally identifiable information from anyone under 13 years of age. Our website, products and services are all directed toward people who are at least 18 years old or older.
8. Terms of Use
Please also visit our Terms of Use section establishing the use, disclaimers, and limitations of liability governing the use of our website at https://www.financialsense.com/legal.
9. Changes to this Statement
FS has the discretion to occasionally update this privacy statement at any time and without prior notification. When we do, we will also revise the "updated" date at the top of this Privacy page. We encourage you to periodically review this privacy statement to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. Your continued use of our website constitutes your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates.
10. Contacting Us
If you have questions regarding our Privacy Statement, its implementation, failure to adhere to this Privacy Statement and/or our general practices, please contact us or send your comments to:
Financial Sense
Attention: Privacy Statement Personnel
10809 Thornmint Rd, 2nd Floor
San Diego, CA 92127
FS will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly respond and resolve any problem or question.