Real Simple Finance, Inc. ("RSF," "we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, with whom we share it, and your rights regarding that information.
This policy applies to our website (realsimplefinance.com), our client portal, and any communications or services you engage with through RSF. RSF is based in Fresno, California and serves clients remotely across the United States.
As a CPA firm, RSF is also subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) with respect to nonpublic personal financial information collected in the course of providing professional accounting services. See Section 6 for details.
When you contact us, request a consultation, or engage our services, we may collect:
Under California law, the following categories of personal information may be collected depending on your relationship with RSF:
| Category | Examples | Collected? |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | Name, email, phone, IP address, business address | Yes |
| Financial Information | Bank account data, invoices, tax records, payroll data | Yes (clients) |
| Sensitive Personal Information | SSNs, EINs, financial account numbers, precise geolocation | Yes (clients) |
| Commercial Information | Services purchased, transaction history | Yes |
| Internet / Network Activity | IP address, pages visited, browser type, device info | Yes (website) |
| Professional / Business Info | Business entity type, officer information, industry | Yes (clients) |
| Communications | Emails, messages sent to or from RSF | Yes |
| Inferences | Derived from above to understand service needs | Limited |
When you visit our website, we may collect via cookies and analytics tools:
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect aggregated data. For more information on how Google uses this data, visit google.com/policies/privacy/partners. To opt out of Google Analytics, visit tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
If you contact us by email, phone, or through a contact form, we retain those communications and any information they contain. Contact form submissions are retained for as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry and for up to 24 months thereafter unless you become a client, in which case client retention periods apply.
We use the information we collect to:
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.
We share information only in the following circumstances:
We use trusted third-party platforms to deliver our services — including cloud accounting software (QuickBooks Online), secure file sharing, client portal providers, and communication tools. These providers are contractually required to handle your data securely and only as directed by us.
We may disclose information as required by law, court order, government authority, or applicable professional standards governing CPA practice (including the California Board of Accountancy and AICPA standards).
In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of RSF, client data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify affected clients of any such material change in advance where practicable.
We may share information for other purposes with your explicit written consent.
Our website uses the following types of cookies and tracking technologies:
You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the client portal. You may also use your browser's Do Not Track (DNT) signal; our website does not currently modify its data collection practices in response to DNT signals, but you may opt out of analytics tracking using the Google Analytics opt-out tool linked in Section 2c.
RSF is subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), which governs how financial institutions — including CPA firms — collect, use, and share nonpublic personal financial information ("NPI").
What NPI we collect: Financial account numbers, tax identification numbers, income and expense records, payroll data, bank statements, and similar financial information provided to RSF in the course of our professional services.
How we use NPI: Solely to provide the professional services you have engaged us to perform and to comply with applicable legal and professional obligations.
How we share NPI: We do not share NPI with nonaffiliated third parties for marketing purposes. We share NPI only with service providers acting on our behalf, or as required by law.
Your rights: You have the right to limit certain sharing of your NPI. To exercise this right, contact us at info@realsimplefinance.com.
As a CPA firm handling sensitive business and financial data, we maintain the following security controls:
No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach affecting your information, we will notify you as required by applicable law, including California's data breach notification law (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.82).
We retain client financial records for a minimum of seven (7) years following the conclusion of an engagement, consistent with standard accounting record-keeping practices, IRS guidelines, and California law.
Website contact information and inquiry records are retained for up to 24 months unless you become a client, in which case client retention periods apply. You may request deletion of non-client data at any time (see Section 11), subject to our legal and professional retention obligations.
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), grants you the following rights:
To submit a California privacy request, contact us at info@realsimplefinance.com or (559) 344-8376. We will respond within 45 days as required by law.
RSF serves clients across the United States. Several states have enacted comprehensive privacy laws that grant residents rights similar to California's CCPA/CPRA, including but not limited to:
If you are a resident of a state with an applicable privacy law, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or opt out of certain processing of your personal information. To exercise any such rights, contact us at info@realsimplefinance.com. We will respond within the timeframe required by your state's applicable law.
Note that, as with California's CCPA/CPRA, many state privacy laws include exemptions for business-to-business data and data processed in connection with professional services regulated by state professional licensing boards. These exemptions may limit the scope of rights available for RSF client data.
Regardless of your location, you may:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@realsimplefinance.com or (559) 344-8376. We will acknowledge your request promptly and respond within 30–45 days depending on applicable law.
Our website and services are intended for business use by adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18 years of age. If you believe a minor has provided us personal information, please contact us at info@realsimplefinance.com and we will take appropriate action.
Our site may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., QuickBooks, industry resources). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit before providing any personal information.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable law, or regulatory requirements. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date. For material changes, we will notify active clients by email. Continued use of our website or services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Questions about this Privacy Policy, your data, or to exercise your privacy rights:
Real Simple Finance, Inc.
8050 N Palm Ave, STE 300
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 344-8376
info@realsimplefinance.com