Privacy Policy

At BudgetWise, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our educational resources.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By accessing or using our website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our website.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Complete forms on our website
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Request information or educational resources
• Contact us via email or our contact form

This personal information may include:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Message content

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing actions, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on those pages
• Referral sources
• Device information (e.g., device type, screen resolution)

1.3 Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and personalize content. For more detailed information about our use of cookies, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

2. How We Use Your Information

We may use the information we collect for various purposes, including to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our website and educational resources
• Respond to your inquiries, comments, or questions
• Send you information about our educational resources that may be of interest to you
• Monitor and analyze usage patterns and trends to enhance user experience
• Protect against, identify, and prevent fraud and other unlawful activity
• Comply with our legal obligations

3. Legal Basis for Processing (for EEA Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), we collect and process your personal information based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

• Consent: You have given us explicit consent to process your personal information for specific purposes.
• Legitimate Interests: We process your information to pursue our legitimate interests, such as improving our educational resources and communicating with users, in a way that does not override your rights and freedoms.
• Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations to you.
• Legal Obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with our legal obligations.

4. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your personal information in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as hosting, data analysis, email delivery, and customer service.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).
• Protection of Rights: We may disclose your information to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, and that of our users or others.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. When determining the retention period, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure, and the purposes for which we process the data.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These may include:

• Access: You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you.
• Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Restriction: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Objection: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Withdraw Consent: If we process your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section below.

8. International Data Transfers

Your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than the one in which you reside. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country. By using our website or providing us with your personal information, you consent to such transfers.

When transferring personal information from the EEA to countries that do not have adequate data protection laws, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will take steps to remove that information from our systems.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not owned or controlled by BudgetWise. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites or services that you visit.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by a revised "Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

12. Contact Us

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

Email: [email protected]

Address: Geelhoutboom, George, 6530, Western Cape, South Africa

Phone: +27 44 881 0110

This Privacy Policy was created to comply with South African data protection laws, including the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).