BudgetForge

This Privacy Policy explains how BudgetForge (“we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, and protects information about you when you visit this website. BudgetForge is an independent publication and is the data controller responsible for your personal data under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK GDPR. By using the site, you agree to the practices described here.

Who we are

BudgetForge operates this website, which provides free embeddable calculators and pragmatic-money editorial. We are the controller of the personal data processed through this site. If you have any question about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us using the details in the “Contact us” section below.

Information we collect

Information you provide directly. When you use our contact form or subscribe to our newsletter, we collect the data you submit, such as your name, email address, and the content of your message.
Usage data collected automatically. When you accept analytics, we collect information such as the pages you view, referring URLs, approximate (city-level) location derived from your IP address, device and browser type, and the dates and times of your visits.
Cookies and similar technologies. We use a small number of cookies and local storage entries as described in our Cookie Policy.

How we use information

To respond to enquiries you send through the contact form.
To send you the newsletter you have requested, and to let you unsubscribe at any time.
To measure and improve how the site and its calculators are used.
To keep the site secure and to detect, prevent, and address technical issues or abuse.
To comply with our legal obligations.

Legal bases for processing

Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:

Consent for analytics cookies and for sending you marketing emails such as our newsletter. You can withdraw consent at any time.
Legitimate interests for responding to your enquiries, keeping the site secure, and understanding aggregate usage, balanced against your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation where we must retain or disclose data to comply with applicable law.

Sharing and disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with service providers who process data on our behalf under appropriate agreements, including our analytics provider (Google Analytics) and our email and hosting providers. We may also disclose data where required by law or to protect our legal rights.

International transfers

Some of our service providers are located outside the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom. Where data is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision to protect your information.

Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out above. Contact-form messages are retained for up to 24 months, newsletter data until you unsubscribe, and analytics data in line with our provider’s standard retention settings. We then delete or anonymise the data.

Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to access, correct, delete, or port your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, and to withdraw consent at any time. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. To exercise any of these rights, please use our contact form.

Children’s privacy

This site is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by the “Updated” date above.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? Please use our contact form and we’ll get back to you.