Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Financial Consulting Courses ("we," "our," "us," or "FinConsult Academy") is 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 https://financialconsultingcourses.co.uk and use our services.

By accessing or using our website and services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use our website or services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information

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

• Register for our courses or educational programs
• Submit inquiries through our contact forms
• Subscribe to our newsletter or marketing communications
• Create an account on our website
• Participate in surveys, webinars, or events
• Communicate with us via email or phone

The personal information we collect may include:

• Full name
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Postal address
• Professional information (job title, company, industry)
• Educational background
• Payment and billing information
• Career objectives and interests

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

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

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on our website
• Referring website or source
• Clickstream data and navigation patterns
• Date and time of visits

1.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and analyze website usage. These technologies help us:

• Remember your preferences and settings
• Understand how you interact with our website
• Improve our website functionality and content
• Deliver targeted marketing communications
• Analyze website performance and user behavior

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect certain website functionalities.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

2.1 Service Delivery

• Process course enrollments and registrations
• Provide educational content and materials
• Communicate about your courses and learning progress
• Issue certificates and credentials upon course completion
• Facilitate payment processing and billing
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries

2.2 Communication

• Send important updates about our courses and services
• Respond to your questions, requests, and feedback
• Deliver newsletters and educational content you've subscribed to
• Provide information about upcoming courses and events
• Send marketing communications about relevant services (with your consent)

2.3 Website Improvement and Analytics

• Analyze website usage patterns and user behavior
• Improve website functionality, design, and user experience
• Develop new courses and educational offerings
• Conduct research and statistical analysis
• Monitor and maintain website security

2.4 Legal and Business Operations

• Comply with legal obligations and regulations
• Protect our rights, property, and safety
• Prevent fraud and unauthorized activities
• Enforce our Terms & Conditions
• Resolve disputes and address legal claims

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your information in the following circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers

We engage trusted third-party service providers to perform business functions on our behalf, including:

• Payment processors for secure transaction handling
• Email service providers for communications
• Learning management system platforms
• Website hosting and maintenance providers
• Analytics and marketing service providers
• Customer relationship management systems

These service providers have access to personal information only as necessary to perform their functions and are obligated to maintain confidentiality.

3.2 Educational Partners

We may share limited information with educational partners, guest instructors, or accreditation bodies when necessary to deliver our courses and issue recognized certifications.

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by law, legal process, or government request, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Respond to legal proceedings or court orders
• Protect our rights, property, or safety
• Protect the rights and safety of our users and the public
• Investigate and prevent fraud or security issues

3.4 Business Transfers

If Financial Consulting Courses is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or bankruptcy, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control.

4. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure socket layer (SSL) technology for data transmission
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability testing
• Access controls and authentication procedures
• Employee training on data protection and confidentiality
• Regular backups and disaster recovery procedures

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but continuously work to maintain reasonable safeguards.

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. Retention periods vary based on:

• The nature of the information collected
• Legal and regulatory requirements
• Business and operational needs
• Whether you have an active account with us

When personal information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with our data retention policies.

6. Your Rights and Choices

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

6.1 Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to request corrections if the information is inaccurate or incomplete.

6.2 Deletion

You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions and retention requirements.

6.3 Data Portability

You may request a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

6.4 Objection and Restriction

You may object to or request restriction of certain processing activities, particularly for marketing purposes.

6.5 Withdrawal of Consent

Where we process your information based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

6.6 Marketing Communications

You can opt out of receiving marketing emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in our emails or contacting us directly. Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still send you important transactional and service-related messages.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 10 below.

7. International Data Transfers

Financial Consulting Courses operates in the United Kingdom. If you are accessing our services from outside the UK, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the UK where our servers and service providers are located.

By using our services, you consent to the transfer of your information to the UK and other countries where we operate, which may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

8. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for adults and professionals seeking financial consulting education. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18 years of age. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately.

9. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or resources that are not operated or controlled by Financial Consulting Courses. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our website with a new effective date
• Sending you an email notification (for significant changes)
• Displaying a prominent notice on our website

Your continued use of our services after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Information

12. Supervisory Authority

If you are located in the European Economic Area or UK, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority if you believe we have not complied with applicable data protection laws.

For UK residents, the relevant authority is:
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: https://ico.org.uk

Last Updated: January 1, 2025