Privacy policy

This privacy policy applies only to the actions of Equilibrium Financial Planning and users with respect to www.equilibrium.co.uk. It does not extend to any websites that can be accessed from this website including, but not limited to, any links we may provide to social media websites. We will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a way that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of this Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of our site. If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Policy, you must stop using the site immediately.

Information about us

This site is owned and operated by Equilibrium Financial Planning LLP, a Limited Liability Partnership registered in England under company number OC316532. Our registered address: Ascot House, Epsom Avenue, Handforth Dean, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 3DF, and our VAT number: 283 4266 88.

We are authorised and regulated by Financial Conduct Authority under number 452261.

What does this policy cover?

This Privacy Policy applies only to your use of our site. Our site may contain links to other websites such as Facebook and Twitter, however we have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites, and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.

What is personal data?

Personal data is defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679) (the ‘GDPR’) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.

Personal data is, in simpler terms, any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.

What are my rights?

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights, which we will always work to uphold:

• The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This Privacy Policy should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions using the contact details above.
• The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
• The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete.
• The right to be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data.
• The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data.
• The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.
• The right to data portability. This means that, if you have provided personal data to us directly or we are using it with your consent or for the performance of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means, you can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business in many cases.
• For more information about our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us using the details provided.

Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

What data do we collect?

Depending upon your use of our site, we may collect some or all of the following personal and non-personal data (please also see our cookie policy on our use of cookies and similar technologies):

Name;

Email address;

Telephone number;

IP address;

Web browser type and version;

Operating system.

How do you use my personal data?

Under the GDPR, we must always have a lawful basis for using personal data. This may be because the data is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data, or because it is in our legitimate business interests to use it. Your personal data will be used for one of the following purposes:

Personalising and tailoring your experience on our site;

• Supplying our services to you. Your personal details are required in order for us to enter into a contract with you;
  Communicating with you. This may include responding to emails or calls from you;
• Supplying you with information by email or post that you have opted-in to (you may unsubscribe or opt-out at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on our emails or contacting us to update your preferences);
• Analysing your use of our site and gathering feedback to enable us to continually improve our site and your user experience;
  With your permission, we may also use your personal data for marketing purposes, which may include contacting you by email, telephone, text message or post with information, news, and offers on our services. You will not be sent any unlawful marketing or spam. We will always work to fully protect your rights and comply with our obligations under the GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, and you will always have the opportunity to opt-out.

How long will you keep my personal data?

We will not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected

Your personal data shall be kept indefinitely, or until such time as you withdraw your consent.

How and where do you store or transfer my personal data?

We will only store or transfer your personal data within the European Economic Area (the “EEA”). The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. This means that your personal data will be fully protected under the GDPR or to equivalent standards by law.

Do you share my personal data?

We will not share any of your personal data with any third parties for any purposes, subject to one important exception.

We may share your personal data with our sister firm Equilibrium Investment Management LLP if we believe that their services would be of relevance to you.

If any of your personal data is required by a third party, as described above, we will take steps to ensure that your personal data is handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, our obligations, and the third party’s obligations under the law, as described above.

In some limited circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain personal data, which might include yours, if we are involved in legal proceedings or complying with legal obligations, a court order, or the instructions of a government authority.

How can I control my personal data?

In addition to your rights under the GDPR, set out in Part 5, when you submit personal data via our site, you may be given options to restrict our use of your personal data. In particular, we aim to give you strong controls on our use of your data for direct marketing purposes (including the ability to opt-out of receiving emails from us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in our emails and at the point of providing your details).

You may also wish to sign up to one or more of the preference services operating in the UK: The Telephone Preference Service (‘the TPS’), the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (‘the CTPS’), and the Mailing Preference Service (‘the MPS’). These may help to prevent you receiving unsolicited marketing. Please note, however, that these services will not prevent you from receiving marketing communications that you have consented to receiving.

Can I withhold information?

You may access our site without providing any personal data at all. However, to use all features and functions available on our site you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.

You may restrict our use of cookies. For more information, see details below and our Cookie Policy.

How can I access my personal data?

If you want to know what personal data we have about you, you can ask us for details of that personal data and for a copy of it (where any such personal data is held). This is known as a ‘subject access request’.

All subject access requests should be made in writing and sent to the email or postal addresses shown earlier in this document. There is not normally any charge for a subject access request. If your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (for example, if you make repetitive requests) a fee may be charged to cover our administrative costs in responding.

We will respond to your subject access request within 30 days of receiving it. Normally, we aim to provide a complete response, including a copy of your personal data within that time. In some cases, however, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of our progress.

How do you use cookies?

Our site may place and access certain first-party cookies on your computer or device. First-party cookies are those placed directly by us and are used only by us. We use cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of our site and to provide and improve our services. We have carefully chosen these cookies and have taken steps to ensure that your privacy and personal data is protected and respected at all times.

All cookies used by and on our site are used in accordance with current cookie law.

Before cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a pop-up box requesting your consent to set those cookies. By giving your consent to the placing of cookies you are enabling us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of cookies; however certain features of our site may not function fully or as intended. You will be given the opportunity to allow only first-party cookies and block third-party cookies.

Certain features of our site depend on cookies to function. Cookie Law deems these cookies to be ‘strictly necessary’. These cookies are shown in the table below. Your consent will not be sought to place these cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings as detailed below, but please be aware that our site may not work properly or as intended if you do so. We have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them.

Our site may place and access certain first-party cookies on your computer or device. First-party cookies are those placed directly by us and are used only by us. We use cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of our site and to provide and improve our services. In addition, our site uses analytics services provided by Google Analytics, which also use cookies. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse usage statistics, enabling us to better understand how people use our site. For more details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

How do I contact you?

To contact us about anything to do with your personal data and data protection, including to make a subject access request, please use the following details (for the attention of Debbie Jukes):

Email address: debbie.jukes@equilibrium.co.uk.

Telephone number: 0808 156 1176.

Postal Address: Ascot House, Epsom Avenue, Handforth, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 3DF.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes, or if we change our business in a way that affects personal data protection.

Any changes will be immediately posted on our site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.