Privacy Policy

We collect information that you provide directly to us, and we automatically collect certain information (including via cookies—see below) when you use Budget Sidekick:

• Forms: When you submit a mortgage, refinance, or home equity quote request form, we collect contact information and property location to connect you with lenders and partners. When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email to send you education articles, rate trends, and homeownership tips.
• Budget App Data: Our budgeting and planning features (including any account or profile you create) store data locally on your device. We do not collect or hold this information on our servers.
• Usage Information: We collect information about how you interact with our application, including features you use, pages you visit, and actions you take.
• Device Information: We collect information about the device you use to access our service, including device type, operating system, and browser type.

We use cookies and similar technologies (such as pixels and local storage) to collect information about how you use our site. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

• Essential cookies: Required for the site to function (e.g., session management).
• Analytics cookies: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site (e.g., pages visited, traffic sources). Google Analytics may set cookies and collect data as described in Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.

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

• Forms: To connect you with mortgage lenders, brokers, or partners who can fulfill your request; to share or sell your information to qualifying third parties; to follow up on incomplete submissions; and to send our newsletter, education articles, rate trends, and homeownership tips. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.
• Providing Services: To provide our budgeting and financial planning features. Budget app data is stored locally on your device and is not processed or stored on our servers.
• Improving Our Services: To understand how users interact with our application, identify areas for improvement, and develop new features.
• Communications: To send you important updates about new features or relevant financial insights. You can opt out of non-essential communications at any time.
• Security: To ensure the security of our platform.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.

We understand the sensitive nature of financial information and are committed to protecting it. We may share or sell your personal information in the following circumstances:

• Forms: When you submit a mortgage, refinance, or home equity quote request form, you consent to our sharing or selling your information with our lending partners, brokers, or third-party lead buyers who may contact you regarding your request. We partner with Mortgage Research Center, LLC (MRC); information shared with MRC is subject to their Privacy Policy.
• Service Providers: We work with trusted third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as hosting, data analytics, and customer support. These providers have access to your information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated to protect your information.
• 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).
• Business Transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any change in ownership or uses of your information.
• With Your Consent: We may share or sell your information with third parties when you have given us your consent to do so.

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

• Encryption: We use industry-standard encryption to protect your data in transit and at rest.
• Access Controls: We restrict access to your information to authorized personnel only, based on the principle of least privilege.
• Regular Audits: We conduct regular security assessments and audits to ensure our security measures remain effective.
• Secure Infrastructure: Our application is hosted in secure, monitored environments with advanced security protections.
• Employee Training: Our team members receive regular privacy and security training.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

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

• Do Not Sell or Share (CCPA and similar state laws): If you are a California or other qualifying state resident, you have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. Please email us at support@budgetsidekick.com with the subject line "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" and include the email address you used on our site. We will not sell or share your information after we process your opt-out. See our Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information page for details.
• Access and Update: You can access and update your budget data directly on your device. For form submissions, you may contact us to request updates to information we hold.
• Data Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Deletion: You can request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions provided by law.
• Opt-Out: You can opt out of marketing communications and certain data collection or sharing by following the instructions in our communications.
• Consent Withdrawal: If we process your data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at support@budgetsidekick.com.

Our site is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such information, please contact us and we will delete it.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our website with a new "Last Updated" date
• Sending an email to the address you provided in a form submission or newsletter signup
• Displaying a prominent notice within the application

Your continued use of Budget Sidekick after the effective date of the revised Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

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