Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

ClearBuild Financial, LLC ("ClearBuild Financial," "we," "our," or "us") is a bookkeeping and financial services company based in Mesa, Arizona. We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the information we receive from website visitors, prospective clients, and active clients.

This Privacy Policy describes what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and how we protect it. It applies to our website, our lead intake process, and our ongoing service delivery. By using our website or engaging our services, you acknowledge and accept this Privacy Policy.

For purposes of this policy, "personal information" means any information that identifies or could reasonably identify an individual or business, including name, contact details, business financial data, and operational records we maintain about you.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in three contexts:

2.1 Website & Lead Capture

When you submit an inquiry through our website contact or lead capture form, we collect:

1. Name
2. Email address
3. Phone number

We do not collect sensitive financial information through our website. Website traffic may also be monitored through analytics tools such as Google Analytics, which collects non-personally identifiable data including pages visited, time on site, browser type, and general geographic location. See Section 7 for more detail.

2.2 Client Estimates and Onboarding

During these processes, we may collect or access:

1. Business name, owner name, and contact information
2. Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Tax Identification Number (TIN)
3. Bank account and credit card account details (institution names, account counts, and account types — not full account numbers)
4. QuickBooks Online (QBO) access via the QBO Accountant interface
5. Cloud storage folders and documents you share with us via Google Drive, Dropbox, or similar platforms

We may access your QBO environment prior to the execution of a signed service agreement as part of our standard scoping and quoting process, which is common practice in the bookkeeping profession. By granting QBO accountant access, you authorize us to view your books for this purpose.

2.3 Active Client Service Delivery

While providing ongoing bookkeeping services, we access and work with:

1. Financial transactions, bank statements, and account data, in addition to data available within QuickBooks Online
2. Business financial records, expense documentation, and reports shared via email or cloud storage
3. Custom financial reports generated from data within QBO that may be transmitted to you via email

We maintain a client profile within our Zoho CRM platform containing operational and administrative information only, such as billing schedule, service tier, number of accounts, and communication preferences. This profile may include links to your external cloud storage folders but does not contain copies of your financial documents.

Our standard practice is to work within your systems and platforms rather than downloading or retaining copies of your source financial documents on our own systems. "Source documents" means original records you own — bank statements, invoices, receipts, and similar materials. To the extent any such documents are incidentally present on our systems, we treat them as subject to the same confidentiality obligations described in this policy and in your service agreement. Your financial data in QuickBooks Online remains in your account, which you own and control at all times.

Regarding System Access Level: You are responsible for the level of system access you grant to ClearBuild Financial. If you grant access permissions beyond the standard QBO Accountant level, you assume the risk for any additional data visibility, unintended exposure, or security incidents that may result from the broader permissions you have provided. We recommend granting Accountant-level access only.

2.4 Historical and Catch-Up Work

When clients engage us for historical cleanup, catch-up months, or corrections to prior periods, documents and records shared for that purpose are handled under the same confidentiality and data practices described in this policy. Our practice is not to retain temporary documents shared for historical work beyond what is reasonably necessary to complete the engagement.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

1. To respond to website inquiries and provide service quotes
2. To perform bookkeeping and financial recordkeeping services as described in your service agreement
3. To communicate with you regarding your account, service deliverables, and billing
4. To send marketing communications, service updates, and promotional content to past leads and current or former clients
5. To maintain our internal business records
6. To improve our website and service operations
7. To comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal or business information to third parties for their own marketing purposes. See Section 6 for marketing opt-out options.

4. How We Store and Protect Your Information

Our primary data environments are:

1. Zoho CRM — stores client profiles with operational and administrative data only
2. QuickBooks Online — your financial data resides in your own account; we access it via accountant credentials
3. Email — used for transmitting reports and communications via business-grade email services
4. Client-controlled cloud storage — Google Drive, Dropbox, or similar; documents remain under your control

Source Documents vs. Derived Work Product:
We distinguish between source documents, which are records you own and which our standard practice is not to retain on our systems, and derived work product, which includes custom reports, reconciliations, and deliverables we create in the course of performing services. Derived work product may be retained in our business systems for legal, billing, and recordkeeping purposes and is contractor-owned as described in your service agreement. After all fees are paid, you may use reports created for you for your internal business purposes.

Templates, Systems, and Frameworks:
ClearBuild Financial retains all rights, title, and interest in its templates, formats, systems, processes, and workflows used to deliver services, even when populated with or incorporating client data. These materials constitute proprietary intellectual property of ClearBuild Financial and are not transferred to the client. Clients are granted the right to use final deliverables for internal business purposes as described in the service agreement.

Email Transmission:
Reports and deliverables are commonly transmitted via email. Email is not an inherently secure transmission method. If you require encrypted or alternative secure delivery, please contact us to discuss available options.

Data Location:
Our business platforms, including Zoho and QuickBooks Online, are operated by technology companies whose servers may be located in the United States or other countries. We do not control the physical location of data processed by these third-party platforms and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

We implement reasonable administrative and technical safeguards including:

1. Role-based access — only personnel who need access to perform services are granted access
2. Confidentiality agreements — all subcontractors and employees working under the ClearBuild Financial umbrella are required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to accessing any client data

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your own QBO account credentials and internal systems, as described in your service agreement.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your information. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We use third-party software platforms to operate our business, including Zoho, QuickBooks Online, and standard cloud storage services. These platforms may process data on our behalf in accordance with their own privacy policies. ClearBuild Financial is not responsible for the privacy practices, data handling, or security incidents originating within third-party applications or integrations that you connect to QuickBooks Online or any other platform. You are responsible for the third-party systems, applications, and integrations you connect to your accounts, including their access, security, and any issues that arise from them. Data residing in those client-connected applications is subject to those platforms' own privacy and retention policies, not ours. We encourage you to review those policies independently.

5.2 Personnel

As ClearBuild Financial scales, subcontractors or employees may assist in delivering services. All such individuals are required to sign a confidentiality agreement before accessing any client information and are granted only the access necessary to perform their assigned work.

5.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required to do so by law, legal process, or governmental authority, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights or the safety of others.

5.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of our business assets, client information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice if your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6. Communications and Marketing

By submitting an inquiry through our website or engaging our services, you agree that ClearBuild Financial may contact you via email, phone, and SMS for purposes including service updates, billing, and marketing communications.

For SMS communications: message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply. To opt out of any marketing communications:

1. SMS — reply STOP to any SMS message
2. Email — click the unsubscribe link in any marketing email
3. Direct request — contact us at info@clearbuildfinancial.com

Opting out of marketing communications will not affect transactional communications related to active services.

7. Website Analytics and Cookies

Our website may use Google Analytics or similar analytics tools to collect non-personally identifiable information about how visitors use our site. This may include pages visited, time spent on the site, referring URLs, browser type, and general geographic location at the city or region level.

Analytics tools typically use cookies — small text files stored on your device — to collect this data. You may disable cookies through your browser settings, though doing so may affect certain website functionality.

Our website does not currently respond to Do Not Track signals sent by browsers. We do not use advertising tracking pixels, retargeting tools, or sell website visitor data to advertising platforms.

8. Data Retention

We retain information as follows:

1. Client CRM profiles and administrative records — retained as ongoing business records
2. Email communications — retained per our standard business schedule
3. QBO accountant access — removed upon termination of the service relationship; your QBO data remains under your ownership and control
4. Working files and derived work product — may be retained, archived, or deleted on our normal schedule, with copies kept as needed for legal, tax, backup, or billing purposes

If you request deletion of your information, we will delete or anonymize personally identifiable data where technically feasible and where we are not legally required to retain it. CRM records and business communications are retained as standard business records.

For complete detail on record retention, backup responsibilities, and post-termination obligations, refer to your ClearBuild Financial Service Agreement.

9. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a confirmed security incident that results in unauthorized access to your personal or business information held by ClearBuild Financial, we will notify affected clients promptly using the contact information on file. Our notification will describe the nature of the incident, the information involved, the steps we have taken to address it, and any recommended actions for you to take to protect yourself.

Because the majority of your financial data resides in your own QuickBooks Online account, which is controlled and secured by you and Intuit, our notification obligations under this policy are limited to information within our own business systems, including your CRM profile and any transmitted reports or communications.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

1. The right to access a summary of the personal information we hold about you
2. The right to request correction of inaccurate information
3. The right to request deletion of personal information where we are not legally required to retain it
4. The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
5. The right to receive a portable copy of your personal information where technically feasible

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@clearbuildfinancial.com.

Note Regarding California Residents: ClearBuild Financial does not primarily target California residents. If you are a California resident and believe you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), please contact us and we will work to comply with applicable requirements.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our website and services are directed at business owners and are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or resources. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those external sites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of any third-party site and encourage you to review their privacy policies independently.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The updated policy will be posted on our website with a revised effective date. Your continued use of our website or services after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Arizona. Any disputes arising under this policy shall be subject to the jurisdiction of Maricopa County, Arizona.