Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Acela Financial Services ("Acela," "we," "us," or "our") is a professional accounting and financial advisory firm operating nationwide. Our principal place of business is in the United States. This Privacy Policy applies to the website located at acelafinancialservices.com and all associated subdomains, digital portals, and communications.

For all privacy matters, our designated point of contact is:

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect information you voluntarily provide when you:

• Request a consultation or service — name, email address, phone number, business/organization name, services of interest, and any details you include in your message.
• Use our Client Portal — service ticket ID, email address, uploaded documents (financial records, tax forms, work papers), and communications.
• Contact us — name, email, phone, subject, and message content.
• Subscribe to our newsletter — email address and name.
• Submit feedback — your name, email, rating, and comments.

2.2 Financial and Business Information

In the course of providing accounting and advisory services, you may share sensitive financial data including bank statements, tax returns, payroll records, invoices, contracts, audit work papers, and similar documents. This information is treated with the highest level of confidentiality and is used exclusively to deliver the services you have engaged us for.

2.3 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically receive standard technical information including:

• IP address and approximate geographic location (country/state level)
• Browser type, version, and operating system
• Referring URL and pages visited on our site
• Date, time, and duration of your visit
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)

This data is collected through server logs and, with your consent, through cookies and similar technologies (see Section 8).

2.4 Communications Data

If you communicate with us by email or through our portal messaging system, we retain those communications to maintain continuity of service, resolve disputes, and fulfill our professional record-keeping obligations.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information under the following legal bases:

• Contract performance — Processing is necessary to provide the accounting and advisory services you have requested.
• Legitimate interests — We have a legitimate interest in operating our business, maintaining website security, preventing fraud, and improving our services, provided these interests do not override your rights.
• Consent — For newsletter subscriptions and non-essential cookies, we process your data only with your explicit, freely given consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
• Legal obligation — We may retain or disclose information where required by applicable law, professional accounting standards, or lawful government requests.

5. Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers — Trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating our website and delivering services (e.g., cloud hosting, file storage via Cloudinary CDN, email delivery). All vendors are bound by data processing agreements and may only use your data as directed by us.
• Professional obligations — Where required to fulfill our duties as a CPA firm (e.g., sharing work papers with external auditors at your direction).
• Legal requirements — When disclosure is required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Acela, our clients, or the public.
• Business transfers — In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of substantially all assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent website notice before any transfer occurs.
• With your explicit consent — For any other purpose where you have given us clear permission.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, including:

• Client service records — Retained for a minimum of 7 years following the conclusion of services, in accordance with professional accounting standards and IRS requirements.
• Financial documents — Retained per applicable statutory requirements (typically 7 years for tax-related records).
• Consultation and contact inquiries — Retained for 3 years unless a client relationship is established, in which case the longer retention period applies.
• Newsletter subscriptions — Retained until you unsubscribe, after which we delete your email within 30 days.
• Website usage data — Anonymized or deleted within 26 months.

7. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• TLS/HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website
• Encrypted storage for sensitive documents and financial data
• Access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel only
• Secure, permissioned client portal for document exchange
• Regular review of our security practices

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you believe your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at info@acelafinancialservices.com.

8. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. A cookie is a small text file placed on your device that helps us recognize you and remember your preferences.

8.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Strictly necessary cookies — Essential for the website to function (e.g., session cookies for our client portal login). These do not require consent.
• Functional cookies — Remember your preferences, such as your newsletter subscription status (acela_sub). These require consent.
• Analytics cookies — Help us understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it. We use privacy-respecting analytics only, with no cross-site tracking. These require consent.

8.2 Managing Cookies

You can accept or decline non-essential cookies via the cookie banner displayed on your first visit. You may also manage cookies through your browser settings at any time. Disabling cookies may affect certain features of the site.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to access — Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to correction — Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to deletion — Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Right to portability — Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to restrict processing — Ask us to limit how we use your information in certain circumstances.
• Right to object — Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to withdraw consent — Withdraw consent at any time for consent-based processing (e.g., newsletter), without affecting prior processing.
• California residents (CCPA) — You have the right to know, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@acelafinancialservices.com with the subject line "Privacy Rights Request." We will respond within 30 days.

10. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately and we will delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

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

We take all privacy concerns seriously and will respond promptly and thoughtfully.