Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 15, 2026

Introduction

Summit Financial Education, Inc. ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website summitfe.org and provides educational financial services. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our website or use our services.

By using our website or services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This policy applies to all users of our website and services.

Information We Collect

We collect several types of information from and about users of our website and services:

  • Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, postal address, year of birth, last 4 digits of SSN, and payment/financial information when you create an account or use our services.
  • Behavioral and Usage Data: Information about your browsing behavior, clicks, session data, pages visited, time spent on our site, and how you interact with our content.
  • Location Information: Approximate location data based on your IP address to better understand our user base and improve our services.
  • Technical Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device information, and other technical data collected automatically when you visit our website.
  • Communication Data: Records of correspondence when you contact us for customer support or other inquiries.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Provide Services: To deliver our financial education services, manage your account, and provide customer support.
  • Marketing Communications: To send newsletters, educational content, and other marketing materials that may interest you. You have the option to unsubscribe from such emails.
  • Product Improvement: To analyze usage patterns, improve our website functionality, and develop new features.
  • Payment Processing: To process payments for our services and maintain billing records.
  • Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and regulatory oversight requirements.
  • Analytics: To understand user behavior and preferences to enhance user experience.

Financial Data Handling

Important Notice: Summit Financial Education, Inc. is an educational organization and is not registered as a financial advisor or broker-dealer. Any financial information you provide is used solely for educational and counseling purposes and to deliver our services.

We implement enhanced security measures for any financial data, including payment information and personal financial details you may share. This information is encrypted during transmission, and access is strictly limited to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis.

We are subject to oversight by the Executive Office for United States Trustees (EOUST), U.S. Department of Justice and comply with applicable financial privacy regulations. Your financial data will never be sold to third parties.

Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and collect usage information. We use the following types of cookies:

  • Essential/Functional Cookies: Necessary for the website to function properly, including login functionality and security features.
  • Analytics Cookies: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve user experience.

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. However, you must have cookies enabled in your browser to use essential Site features, including account login and authentication. Disabling cookies will prevent you from logging into your account and accessing our Services. Disabling non-essential analytics cookies will not affect your ability to use the Site. We are implementing a cookie consent banner to provide you with more control over non-essential cookies.

Currently, we do not respond to Do Not Track signals, but we are evaluating this capability for future implementation.

Third-Party Services & Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. However, we do share information with trusted service providers who help us operate our business:

  • Google Analytics: For website analytics and user behavior insights.
  • Brevo: For email marketing and communication services.
  • PayPal and other third-party payment providers: For payment processing services.
  • Hosting Providers: For website hosting and technical infrastructure.
  • Customer Support Tools: To provide efficient customer service.

These service providers are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for the specific services they provide to us. We may also disclose information when required by law or to protect our rights and safety.

We may link to or recommend third-party financial products for educational purposes, but we do not have financial relationships with these companies and do not earn commissions from referrals.

Regulatory Oversight: As an organization subject to oversight by the Executive Office for United States Trustees (EOUST), U.S. Department of Justice, we are required to share certain user data with regulatory authorities during audits, complaint investigations, on-site visits, or quality-of-service reviews. We may also disclose information to respond to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes, or to establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. Generally, we retain data indefinitely to maintain continuity of service and comply with our legal obligations.

Specific retention periods include:

  • Account information: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after closure
  • Payment records: Retained for at least 7 years for tax and accounting purposes
  • Communication records: Retained for customer service and legal compliance purposes
  • Analytics data: Aggregated data may be retained indefinitely for business insights

You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to our legal and business requirements.

Your Rights & Choices

You have several rights regarding your personal information:

  • Access: You can request access to the personal data we hold about you.
  • Correction: You can request that we correct or update inaccurate personal information.
  • Export: You can request a copy of your personal data in a portable format.
  • Marketing Opt-out: You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time.
  • Data Sale Opt-out: You can opt out of any data sales (though we do not sell personal data).

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Rights:

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the CCPA:

  • Right to Know: You can request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months, including the sources of that information, our business purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we have shared it.
  • Right to Delete: You can request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to Opt-Out: You have the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information. We do not currently sell personal information.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at legal@summitfe.org. We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within the timeframes required by law.

Data Security

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

  • SSL/HTTPS Encryption: All data transmission between your browser and our servers is encrypted.
  • Password Hashing: User passwords are securely hashed and never stored in plain text.
  • Regular Security Audits: We conduct periodic security assessments to identify and address vulnerabilities.
  • Data Backups: Regular backups ensure data availability and recovery capabilities.
  • Access Controls: We implement least privilege access principles, ensuring personnel can only access data necessary for their roles.

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 are developing formal procedures for data breach notification and will notify affected users if a significant security incident occurs.

Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for users who are at least 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at legal@summitfe.org.

Business Transfers & Acquisitions

If Summit Financial Education, Inc. is acquired by, merges with, or transfers substantially all of its assets to another company, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. In the event of such a transfer, we will notify you before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy. You will have the opportunity to request deletion of your data prior to any such transfer, subject to our legal obligations.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will:

  • Update the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy
  • Notify users of material changes via email or prominent website notice
  • Provide a reasonable notice period before changes take effect

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we collect, use, and protect your information. Your continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Information

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

We will respond to your inquiries promptly and work to resolve any concerns you may have about your privacy and data protection.

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Arizona, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Questions? Contact us at legal@summitfe.org