This privacy statement explains how we use any personal information we collect about you.
1.1 What information do we collect about you?
We collect information about you when you engage us for financial planning services. This information will relate to your personal and financial circumstances. It may also include special categories of personal data such as data about your health, if this is necessary for the provision of our services i.e. private medical insurance. Information relating to usage of our website is collected using cookies. These are text files placed on your computer to collect standard internet log information and visitor behaviour information.
1.2 Information about connected individuals
We may need to gather personal information about your close family members and dependants in order to provide our service to you effectively. In such cases it will be your responsibility to ensure that you have the consent of the people concerned to pass their information on to us. We’ll provide a copy of this privacy notice for them or, where appropriate, ask you to pass the privacy information to them.
1.3 Why do we need to collect and use your personal data?
The primary legal basis that we intend to use for the processing of your data is for the performance of our contract with you. The information that we collect about you is essential for us to be able to carry out the services that you require from us effectively. Without collecting your personal data we’d also be unable to fulfil our legal and regulatory obligations. Where special category data is required we’ll obtain your explicit consent in order to collect and process this information.
1.4 How will we use the information about you?
We collect information about you in order to provide you with the services for which you engage us.
1.5 Who might we share your information with?
We won’t share your information for marketing purposes with companies outside our group of companies.
In order to deliver our services to you effectively we may send your details to third parties such as those that we engage for professional compliance, accountancy or legal services as well as product and platform providers that we use to arrange financial products for you.
Where third parties are involved in processing your data we’ll have a contract in place with them to ensure that the nature and purpose of the processing is clear, that they are subject to a duty of confidence in processing your data and that they’ll only act in accordance with our written instructions.
Where it’s necessary for your personal data to be forwarded to a third party we’ll use appropriate security measures to protect your personal data in transit.
To fulfil our obligations in respect of prevention of money-laundering and other financial crime we may send your details to third party agencies for identity verification purposes.
1.6 How long do we keep hold of your information?
During the course of our relationship with you we’ll retain personal data which is necessary to provide services to you. We’ll take all reasonable steps to keep your personal data up to date throughout our relationship.
We’re also subject to regulatory requirements to retain your data for specified minimum periods. These are, generally:
- Five years for investment business
- Indefinitely for pension transfers and opt-out business
- Three years for insurance business
These are minimum periods, during which we have a legal obligation to retain your records.
We reserve the right to retain data for longer where we believe it’s in our legitimate interests to do so. For legal and regulatory purposes we will keep your personal data for at least seven years after our relationship with you has ended.
You have the right to request deletion of your personal data. We’ll comply with this request, subject to the restrictions of our regulatory obligations, legitimate interests and Applicable Law, as noted.
1.7 How can I access the information you hold about me?
You have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you. If you’d like a copy of some or all of your personal information please email or write to us using the contact details noted.
We have an obligation to ensure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. Please ask us to correct or remove any information that you think is incorrect.
1.8 Marketing
We’d like to send you information or contact in the future about our products and services and those of other companies in our group which may be of interest or relevant to you. If you’ve agreed to receive marketing information, you may opt out at a later date and you have a right at any time to stop us from contacting you.
1.9 What can you do if you are unhappy with how your personal data is processed?
Please contact us in the first instance but you also have a right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority for data protection. In the UK this is:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
