Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 24th, 2026

Welcome to [ChooseFI Local] ("we", "our", or "us"). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your information when you use our services, including our website, mobile applications, and any related services (collectively, the "Platform").

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

Account Information: such as your username, email address, and password.
User Content: including financial projections, living expense estimates, and any other data you upload or share on our platform.
Usage Data: such as IP address, device information, browser type, and pages visited.
Biometric Authentication (Face ID / Touch ID): If you enable biometrics for login, this information is stored securely on your device only. We do not collect, receive, or store your biometric data.

We do not collect or store sensitive financial account information like bank account numbers, payment card details, or government IDs.

2. Community & Profile Data Visibility

ChooseFI is a community platform. When you participate, certain information becomes visible to other members — and in some cases, to the public. This section explains what is visible, to whom, and what control you have.

Your Profile

Profile Privacy: Your member profile is private by default and cannot be viewed by anyone who does not have a registered account.
Display Name: You choose a display name when you create your account. This can be your real name, a pseudonym, or any name you prefer. Your display name is visible to all registered members and may appear alongside your posts, comments, and reactions. You can change your display name at any time in your account settings.
Email Address: Your email address is never displayed publicly or shared with other members. It is used only for account authentication, notifications you have opted into, and support communications.
Profile Information: Any information you add to your profile — such as your avatar, bio, location, FI stage, or links — is visible to registered members who view your profile. All profile fields are optional; you control what to share.
Group Membership: Your membership in local groups and communities is visible to other registered members of those same groups. Non-members cannot see who belongs to a group.
Activity Indicators: Registered members may see indicators of your participation, such as your kudos score, posts count, and "Member since" date.

Anonymous Posting

When creating a discussion, you have the option to post anonymously. Anonymous discussions are not linked to your display name or profile — other members (including group admins and moderators) cannot see who authored the post.
As the original poster (OP) of an anonymous discussion, you may also leave anonymous comments and replies within your own discussion, maintaining your anonymity throughout the conversation.
Anonymous commenting is available only on your own anonymous discussions. You cannot post anonymous comments on discussions created by other members.

Your Community Content

Posts, Discussions & Comments: Content you post in forums, groups, or the community feed is visible to all registered members of the Platform. This includes the text, images, and any attachments you include.
Reactions & Votes: When you react to or vote on content, your action may be visible to other members (for example, in a list of members who liked a post).
Direct Messages: Private messages are visible only to you and the recipient(s). We do not read, scan, or share the content of private messages except as required by law or to investigate reported abuse.

Public Visibility (Visible Without an Account)

The following information may be visible to non-registered visitors and search engines:

Forums: Some forums are designated as public. Discussions and comments within public forums can be read by anyone, including non-registered visitors, and may be indexed by search engines. Your display name will appear alongside your posts in public forums. However, a registered account is required to create discussions, post comments, or interact with content (vote, react, etc.).
Groups: A directory of available groups is visible without an account, including basic group information (name, description, member count). However, the group feed content, discussions, and member list are not visible to non-members — a registered account and group membership are required to view these.
Events: When a group event is created, the organizer chooses whether it is a public or private event.
- Public events have a publicly accessible page that shows event details and attendance count. However, individual member information is not displayed, and you must have a registered account to RSVP or see who is attending.
- Private events are visible only to registered members of the group.
Member Profiles: Not visible without a registered account.
Direct Messages: Always private — visible only to participants.

As the Platform evolves, the visibility of certain content categories may change. If we make previously private content publicly accessible, we will update this policy and notify affected users in advance.

Content After Account Deletion

When you delete your account, your personal profile data is permanently removed. However, posts and comments you made in community discussions will be anonymized (attributed to "Deleted Member") rather than deleted, to preserve the continuity and context of community conversations. This is consistent with standard practices on community platforms.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Show you your requested financial projections based on selected inputs.
Provide you with personalized features and a better user experience.
Operate, maintain, and improve our Platform.
Communicate with you regarding updates, changes, and user support.
Ensure the security and integrity of our systems.
Suggest various milestone actions to consider on your path to financial independence (FI).

We may also use aggregated and de-identified information to:

Create community-wide reports (e.g., average living expenses by area).
Track trends like inflation in specific categories over time.
Provide general insights that help our users understand financial patterns.

Aggregated data will never identify individual users.

Our legal bases for processing your personal data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) include:

Your consent (for example, when you provide information by creating an account).
The performance of a contract (for example, to provide the services you request).
Compliance with our legal obligations.
Our legitimate interests (for example, to maintain and improve the security and functionality of our Platform).

4. How We Store and Protect Information

We store user information securely on cloud servers provided by trusted service providers. These providers supply the infrastructure that allows us to operate and maintain our Platform, but they do not access, use, or sell your personal data for their own purposes.

Authentication tokens are securely stored using the Apple Keychain (iOS) or Android Keystore. Biometric data never leaves your device.

We do not share, sell, rent, or disclose your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes or independent commercial use.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate and secure our Platform. Cookies are small files that are stored on your device to help manage your login sessions, enhance security, and ensure smooth functionality. These cookies are essential for using the Platform and cannot be disabled.

We do not use cookies for advertising purposes or third-party tracking.

You can configure your browser settings to block cookies, but some features of the Platform may not function properly without them.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect your information. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your information only for as long as necessary to provide you with services and for legitimate business purposes, such as complying with legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements.

You have full control over your data. You can delete your personal data at any time by using the tools available in your account settings — no special request or approval is required.

Deleting your account will permanently erase your personal information, including all financial data, from our systems.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to manage, access, correct, and delete your personal information at any time.

You can delete your account directly through your account settings whenever you choose. When you delete your account:

All of your private personal data — including financial projections, and profile information — will be permanently removed from our systems.
Your public posts and comments will remain to preserve the continuity of community discussions but will be anonymized and no longer associated with your username or identity.

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you also have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including:

The right to object to the processing of your personal data.
The right to request restriction of processing.
The right to request a copy of your data in a portable format.

However, please note that the basic purpose of our Platform is to process the data you provide in order to deliver services such as financial projections and community discussions. If you object to this processing, we recommend simply not using the Platform.

If you have concerns about your data or believe we have not complied with applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

9. International Data Transfers

If you are located outside of the United States, please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers and central databases are located.

We take appropriate safeguards to protect your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy, including reliance on standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission where applicable.

By using our Platform, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Platform is not intended for individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Users may register using an email and password or optionally via Apple or Google accounts, which have their own age restrictions. Regardless of the method of sign-in, we do not knowingly allow under-13 users to create accounts.

If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child without parental consent, we will take steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the effective date at the top of this page and providing notice within the Platform or via email.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: [email protected]