Privacy Policy

At EnvelopeBudget.com ("we," "us," or "our"), 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 protect your information when you visit our website (https://envelopebudget.com), sign up for our services, or use our budgeting application. By using our website or services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

1.1 Information You Provide

• Sign-Up Information: When you create an account at https://envelopebudget.com/signup/, we collect your email address. No credit card or additional personal information is required for the 34-day free trial.
• Account Information: If you subscribe to our paid plans (e.g., $4/month, $40/year, or Founders Special), we may collect billing information (e.g., payment method details) through our third-party payment processor.
• Financial Information: When you use our budgeting tools, you may provide financial data, such as bank account or credit card transactions, to categorize spending and manage virtual envelopes. This data is stored securely and used solely for budgeting purposes.
• User-Provided Content: Optional information, such as feedback, support requests, or blog comments (if enabled), may include personal details you choose to share.

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Usage Data: We collect information about how you interact with our website and services, such as pages visited, clicks, and feature usage, through analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics or Plausible).
• Device and Log Data: We collect technical information, including IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, and access times, to improve performance and security.
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies to store preferences (e.g., light/dark mode settings) and track usage for analytics. You can manage cookie preferences via your browser settings.
• Advertising Measurement (Meta Pixel): Our public website pages and our sign-up page use the Meta Pixel so we can tell whether our Facebook and Instagram ads lead to sign-ups. It records page views and a single "completed registration" event when a new account is created. We do not send Meta your email address, name, account details, or any financial or budgeting data, and the pixel never runs inside the logged-in EnvelopeBudget app. Meta may use its cookies and your device information under the Meta Privacy Policy. We skip the pixel entirely when your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, and you can also block it with your browser or adjust Meta ad preferences.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Bank and Card Data: If you connect bank accounts or credit cards to our service, we receive account and transaction data from your financial institutions through a data aggregator (Plaid or SimpleFIN) to facilitate budgeting. We never see or store your bank login credentials.
• Plaid: We use Plaid Inc. ("Plaid") to gather your data from financial institutions. By connecting an account through Plaid, you acknowledge and agree that information concerning you and your accounts will be collected, used, and shared by Plaid in accordance with the Plaid End User Privacy Policy. Depending on your institution, we may receive account names, types, and masked numbers, balances, and transactions (date, amount, merchant or payee, and category). We use this data only to provide the budgeting features you request, and we never sell it. You can disconnect an account at any time by deleting it in EnvelopeBudget, which removes our access through Plaid.
• Payment Processors: Our third-party payment processor collects and processes billing information for paid subscriptions but does not share this data with us beyond confirmation of payment.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and improve our budgeting services, including transaction categorization, envelope allocation, and markdown report generation.
• Process account creation and manage subscriptions (e.g., free trial, Founders Special).
• Send transactional emails, such as account activation links or payment confirmations.
• Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience and optimize our website.
• Ensure security, prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations.
• Respond to support requests or feedback you submit.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information in the following cases:

• Service Providers: We share data with trusted third-party providers (e.g., email services like SendGrid, payment processors, bank data aggregators like Plaid and SimpleFIN, cloud hosting providers, or advertising measurement from Meta as described in section 1.2) to deliver our services. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
• Legal Compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, court order, or regulatory requirement.
• Business Transfers: If EnvelopeBudget.com is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your information may be transferred as part of the transaction, with notice provided as required by law.

4. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including:

• Encryption of sensitive data (e.g., financial information) in transit (HTTPS) and at rest.
• Secure storage of email addresses and financial data in compliance with GDPR and CCPA.
• Regular security audits and updates to our infrastructure.
• Sanitization of form inputs (e.g., sign-up form) to prevent injection attacks.

Despite our efforts, no system is completely secure. If you suspect unauthorized access to your account, contact us immediately at support@envelopebudget.com.

5. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights under data protection laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA):

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Delete your account and all associated data at any time from your account settings in the web or mobile app, or request deletion by contacting us. Deleting your account also removes any bank connections made through Plaid.
• Opt-Out: Opt out of non-essential data processing, such as analytics cookies or the Meta Pixel (enable Global Privacy Control in your browser to turn off the Meta Pixel automatically).
• Data Portability: Request your data (e.g., markdown reports) in a structured, machine-readable format.

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@envelopebudget.com. We will respond within the timeframes required by law (e.g., 30 days for GDPR, 45 days for CCPA).

You can also:

• Manage cookie preferences via your browser settings.
• Unsubscribe from marketing emails (if any) using the link in the email footer.

6. Data Retention

• Account Data: We retain your email address and financial data as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services (e.g., during the 34-day free trial or paid subscription).
• Inactive Accounts: If your account is inactive for 12 months, we may delete your data unless required to retain it for legal purposes.
• Bank Connections: When you delete a connected account or your EnvelopeBudget account, we remove the connection through Plaid so no further data is retrieved.
• Backups: Deleted data is removed from our rolling backups within 35 days.
• Analytics Data: Usage data is retained in anonymized form for up to 24 months for performance analysis.

7. Third-Party Services

Our website and services may include links to third-party sites (e.g., https://v2.envelopebudget.com for legacy login or payment processors). These third parties have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices. Review their policies before providing personal information.

8. International Data Transfers

EnvelopeBudget.com operates globally, and your data may be processed in countries outside your region (e.g., the United States). We ensure that any international data transfers comply with applicable laws, such as GDPR's Standard Contractual Clauses, to protect your privacy.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected data from a minor, contact us at support@envelopebudget.com, and we will take steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of significant changes via email or a notice on our website at least 30 days before they take effect. The "Last Updated" date at the top indicates the latest version.

11. Contact Us

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

For GDPR or CCPA inquiries, include "Privacy Request" in the subject line. We aim to respond within 7 business days.

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This Privacy Policy is provided in compliance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).