Privacy Policy

01 Introduction

Profit Adviser ("Profit Adviser," "we," "us," or "our") is a strategic business consulting and fractional CFO practice operated by Chris Peden, CPA, CMA, CFM, based in Manassas, Virginia. We respect your privacy and are committed to handling your information responsibly.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information when you visit cfoprofitadviser.com (the "Site"), contact us, subscribe to our communications, or engage us for services.

02 Scope

This policy applies to information collected through:

• Our website at cfoprofitadviser.com and any related landing pages or microsites we operate;
• Email, phone, text, video calls, and other direct communications with us;
• Forms you submit, including contact forms, consultation requests, newsletter sign-ups, and lead-magnet downloads;
• Engagements you enter into with Profit Adviser for consulting, fractional CFO, or related services.

This policy does not apply to information collected by third parties we do not own or control, even if you reach those third parties through a link on our Site.

03 Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you contact us, fill out a form, schedule a call, sign up for the newsletter, download a resource, or engage us for services, you may provide:

• Identifiers such as name, business name, email address, phone number, and mailing address;
• Professional information such as job title, role, industry, company size, and revenue range;
• Communication content such as the message you send through a contact form, the topic of a consultation request, and notes from calls or meetings;
• Engagement and financial information shared during a paid engagement, which may include accounting data, tax records, financial statements, banking information, KPI data, and other business records you choose to share;
• Payment information such as billing address and the last four digits and expiration of a payment method (full payment-card numbers are handled by our payment processor and are not stored by us).

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect:

• Device and browser information (device type, operating system, browser type and version, screen size);
• Network information (IP address, approximate geographic location derived from IP, internet service provider);
• Usage information (pages visited, time spent, clicks, referring URL, search terms used to find the Site);
• Cookie identifiers and similar technologies (see Section 7).

3.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from:

• Referrals and introductions from existing clients, partners, or professional advisors;
• Public sources such as company websites, LinkedIn, and business directories used in routine business research;
• Service providers who help us deliver, support, or measure our services (for example, analytics providers, our CRM, our scheduling tool, and our email service);
• Co-marketing or co-hosted events where attendee information is shared with hosts.

04 How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to inquiries, schedule consultations, and follow up with prospective clients;
• Provide, maintain, and improve our consulting and fractional CFO services under a signed engagement;
• Send transactional and service-related communications (appointment confirmations, deliverables, invoices, account updates);
• Send marketing emails, newsletters, and educational content to people who have opted in, with an unsubscribe link in every message;
• Operate, secure, and improve the Site, including diagnosing technical issues and preventing fraud or abuse;
• Measure marketing effectiveness, understand which content is useful, and refine our messaging;
• Comply with legal, tax, accounting, professional, and regulatory obligations;
• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We do not use information you share with us during a paid engagement for marketing purposes without your consent.

05 Legal Bases for Processing

Where applicable law (such as in the EU/UK) requires a legal basis for processing personal information, we rely on the following:

• Contract. To deliver services you have engaged us to provide and to take steps before entering an engagement at your request.
• Legitimate interests. To run, secure, and improve our practice, including responding to inquiries, marketing to business contacts, and protecting our rights, where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent. Where you have opted in (for example, to receive marketing emails or to allow non-essential cookies). You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligations. To comply with tax, accounting, professional, and regulatory requirements that apply to our practice.

06 How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as described below:

6.1 Service Providers

We share information with vendors that help us operate the Site and deliver services. Each provider is bound by contract or its own published terms to use information only as needed to provide its service.

6.2 Business Transfers

If Profit Adviser is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or transfer of practice, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to standard confidentiality protections.

6.3 Legal and Safety

We may disclose information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is required or permitted by law, including to comply with a subpoena, court order, regulatory request, or other legal process; to enforce our Terms of Service; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Profit Adviser, our clients, or others.

6.4 With Your Direction

We share information with third parties (for example, your bookkeeper, banker, attorney, board members, or investors) when you direct us to do so as part of an engagement.

07 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies (such as pixels, web beacons, and local storage) to operate the Site, remember preferences, and measure usage.

• Strictly necessary. Required for core Site functionality, such as page navigation and form submission.
• Performance and analytics. Help us understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve content and user experience.
• Functional. Remember preferences, such as a previously dismissed banner.
• Marketing. Where used, allow us to measure the performance of marketing campaigns and, in some cases, deliver more relevant content. We will obtain consent where required by law.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you refuse, accept, or delete cookies. Disabling certain cookies may affect Site functionality.

08 Analytics and Advertising

We use analytics services to understand aggregate Site usage. These services may collect information such as IP address, device identifiers, pages visited, and referring URL. The information is used to produce reports about Site activity.

If we run digital advertising or retargeting campaigns, third-party advertising partners may set cookies or pixels on the Site to measure ad performance and, in some cases, show relevant content to you on other sites. You can opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance at aboutads.info/choices and the Network Advertising Initiative at optout.networkadvertising.org.

09 Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy, including to:

• Provide and support the services you have engaged us for;
• Maintain accurate business and accounting records;
• Comply with our tax, professional, and other legal obligations (CPA practice records are typically retained for at least seven years);
• Resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and protect our legal rights.

When information is no longer needed, we will delete it, anonymize it, or restrict access to it in a manner consistent with applicable law and professional standards.

10 Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include access controls, encrypted transmission of information submitted through the Site, vendor due diligence for tools that handle client data, and limiting access to engagement information to people who need it.

11 Your Privacy Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Access. Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct. Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Delete. Ask us to delete personal information, subject to limitations such as records we are required to keep for legal or professional reasons.
• Object or restrict. Object to or restrict certain processing, including direct marketing.
• Portability. Receive certain information in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent. Withdraw consent for any processing that relies on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
• Unsubscribe. Opt out of marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any message or by contacting us directly.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 18. We will respond within the time required by applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

12 U.S. State Privacy Rights

Residents of certain U.S. states (including California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and others) may have additional rights under state privacy laws, including the right to know, correct, delete, and limit certain uses of personal information, and the right to opt out of "sales" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

We do not sell personal information for money. If our use of advertising or analytics cookies qualifies as a "sale" or "share" under your state's law, you may opt out by contacting us using the details in Section 18 or by adjusting cookie settings on the Site where available.

You may also designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf. If you submit a request through an agent, we may require proof of authorization and verification of your identity.

You will not be discriminated against for exercising any of your privacy rights.

13 International Visitors

Profit Adviser is based in the United States and our service providers are primarily located in the United States. If you access the Site or contact us from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. By using the Site or providing us with your information, you consent to this transfer.

14 Children's Privacy

The Site and our services are intended for business owners, executives, and other adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in jurisdictions that apply that threshold). If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

15 Third-Party Sites and Services

The Site may contain links to third-party websites, tools, or services that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties, and we are not responsible for their content, privacy practices, or how they handle your information. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site or service you visit.

16 Do Not Track

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" ("DNT") signal. Because there is not yet a common industry standard for how to interpret DNT signals, our Site does not currently respond to them. We will continue to monitor developments in this area.

17 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent version. Material changes will be communicated by updating the date and, where appropriate, by additional notice on the Site or by email. Your continued use of the Site or our services after an update constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

18 Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy, or want to exercise a privacy right? Reach out: