Privacy Policy

Montclair Advisory ("we," "us," "our," or "Company") is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information belonging to individuals who interact with our firm, visit our website, or engage our services. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in connection with our business advisory services and website operations.

This Policy applies to all individuals who visit the Montclair Advisory website, submit inquiries through our contact forms, enter into advisory engagements with us, or otherwise provide personal information to Montclair Advisory through any channel. This Policy does not apply to third-party websites or services that may be linked from our website; we encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

By accessing our website or engaging our services, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this Policy, please refrain from providing personal information to us and discontinue use of our website.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Significant changes will be communicated to active clients directly.

We collect personal information through various channels and in several categories. The specific information we collect depends on the nature of your interaction with Montclair Advisory.

Information You Provide Directly:

• Contact information, including your full name, business email address, company name, job title, and phone number, submitted through our inquiry form or other communication channels.
• Business information provided for the purpose of receiving advisory services, including organizational structure, financial summaries, operational data, strategic plans, and other business-relevant details.
• Communication content, including messages, emails, notes, and records generated during advisory engagements or preliminary discussions.
• Payment and billing information as required to process service fees, though we do not store full payment card details on our servers.

Information Collected Automatically:

• Technical information including your IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, and geographic location at a regional level.
• Website usage data including pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, click patterns, and navigation paths through our website.
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies as described in our Cookies section below.

Information from Third Parties: We may receive information about prospective clients from referral partners, professional networks, or public business directories, solely for the purpose of initiating professional contact.

Montclair Advisory uses personal information for specific, defined purposes directly related to our professional advisory operations. We do not use personal information for purposes incompatible with those stated here without obtaining prior consent.

• Service Delivery: To provide, manage, and improve our advisory services; to communicate with clients about their engagements; and to deliver the specific outputs and recommendations agreed upon in service agreements.
• Business Communication: To respond to inquiries, schedule consultations, send engagement materials, and maintain ongoing advisory relationships with clients and prospective clients.
• Billing and Administration: To process payments, issue invoices, maintain accounting records, and manage the administrative aspects of client relationships in compliance with legal obligations.
• Quality and Performance: To evaluate the quality of our services, gather feedback, and improve the effectiveness of our advisory offerings and client experience.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, or legal processes; to establish or exercise legal rights; and to defend against legal claims.
• Website Operation: To maintain and improve the performance, security, and functionality of our website, and to understand how visitors interact with our digital presence.

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information to third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes. Any sharing of information is strictly limited to the purposes outlined in this Policy.

Where applicable under data protection laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and general U.S. privacy principles, Montclair Advisory processes personal information on the following legal bases:

• Contractual Necessity: Processing required to fulfill our obligations under a service agreement or to take steps requested by you prior to entering into an agreement.
• Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, including managing client relationships, improving services, maintaining website security, and protecting our legal rights, provided such interests are not overridden by your privacy rights.
• Legal Obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable federal, state, or local laws and regulatory requirements.
• Consent: Processing based on your clear, informed, and freely given consent, particularly for optional communications or uses of information not required for service delivery.

You may withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal. Withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide certain services.

Montclair Advisory maintains strict limits on the disclosure of personal information. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We may engage trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating our business, such as secure document management platforms, accounting software providers, or professional communication tools. Such providers are bound by confidentiality obligations and are prohibited from using your information for any purpose other than providing services to us.
• Professional Advisors: We may share information with our own legal counsel, auditors, or professional advisors where necessary to obtain professional advice or in the context of legal proceedings, subject to strict confidentiality requirements.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information when required to do so by law, court order, subpoena, or regulatory authority, or when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to prevent illegal activity, protect the rights of Montclair Advisory, or ensure the safety of any person.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or other business reorganization involving Montclair Advisory, personal information may be transferred to the successor entity subject to equivalent privacy protections.

We will never disclose client business information, strategic plans, or engagement-specific data to any third party for commercial purposes, without your explicit written consent.

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance the user experience, maintain website functionality, and analyze website performance. Cookies are small data files placed on your device when you visit a website.

We use the following categories of cookies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for basic website functionality and security. These cannot be disabled as they are necessary for the website to operate correctly.
• Performance Cookies: Collect anonymized data about how visitors use the website, such as pages visited and time spent. This data helps us improve website design and content.
• Preference Cookies: Remember settings and preferences to improve your experience when you return to the website.

You may control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or delete existing cookies. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. We do not use cookies to track individual users across third-party websites for advertising purposes.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Our retention practices are as follows:

• Client engagement information, including communications and deliverables, is retained for a period of seven (7) years following the conclusion of the engagement, consistent with standard business record-keeping and potential legal requirements.
• Billing and financial records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years in compliance with tax and accounting regulations.
• Contact form submissions from prospective clients who do not become clients are retained for twelve (12) months, after which they are securely deleted.
• Website usage data collected through analytics tools is retained in anonymized form and subject to the retention policies of the applicable platform.

When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely delete, anonymize, or destroy it in accordance with our data disposal protocols.

Subject to applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding personal information that we hold about you. These rights may include:

• Right to Access: The right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and information about how we use it.
• Right to Correction: The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to Deletion: The right to request deletion of personal information, subject to our legal obligations to retain certain records.
• Right to Opt-Out: California residents may have additional rights under the CCPA, including the right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information).
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any privacy rights available to you under applicable law.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the bottom of this Policy. We will respond to verifiable requests within the timeframe required by applicable law, typically within forty-five (45) calendar days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Montclair Advisory implements appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or destruction. Our security measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using industry-standard protocols (TLS/HTTPS) for all website communications.
• Access controls limiting the handling of sensitive client information to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis.
• Secure document management practices for all client deliverables and engagement records.
• Regular review of our data security practices and vendor security standards.

While we take data security seriously and employ reasonable safeguards, no method of electronic transmission or storage is one hundred percent secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security and encourage clients to take appropriate precautions when transmitting sensitive information electronically. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify affected individuals as required by applicable law.

The Montclair Advisory website and services are directed exclusively to business professionals and organizations. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of eighteen (18). Our services are not intended for and are not marketed to children or minors.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a minor, we will take prompt steps to delete such information from our records. If you believe we may have collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately at the contact information provided below.

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time in response to changes in applicable law, our business practices, or the nature of our services. All changes will be posted to this page with a revised effective date. Material changes to how we handle personal information of existing clients will be communicated directly through appropriate channels.

Your continued use of our website or engagement with our services following any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not agree with any updates to this Policy, please discontinue use of our website and contact us to discuss your existing engagement.