Online Privacy Policy

Scope of This Online Privacy Policy

This Online Privacy Policy describes how Carol Ross and Associates, LLC ("CRA," "we," "us," and "our") protects your privacy when you use any website that displays this privacy policy.

This Online Privacy Policy applies only to personal information collected through our Websites. "Personal information" means information that identifies you personally, either alone or in combination with other information available to us. This Online Privacy Policy is part of and incorporated into the Terms of Use for our Websites. To review the full Terms of Use for these Websites, please see our Terms of Use.

Your Consent to This Online Privacy Policy

By using our Websites, you are agreeing to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Online Privacy Policy. If you do not consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Online Privacy Policy, you may not use our Websites. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Online Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please email us at info@carolrossandassociates.com.

Click-Through Agreements

This Online Privacy Policy may be supplemented or amended by the terms of a "click-through" agreement between you and CRA. For example, when you download certain content from our Websites, you may be asked to agree to special terms governing your use of that content. In such cases, you will be asked to expressly consent to the special terms, for example, by checking a box or clicking a button marked "I agree." If the terms relating to the subject matter of this Online Privacy Policy are different than those special terms, the special terms will supplement or amend this Online Privacy Policy.

This Online Privacy Policy May Change

We reserve the right to update or modify this Online Privacy Policy, at any time and without prior notice, by posting the revised version of this Online Privacy Policy on the Websites governed by this Online Privacy Policy. Your use of one of our Websites following any such change constitutes your agreement that all personal information collected from or about you through these Websites after the revised Online Privacy Policy is posted will be subject to the terms of the revised Online Privacy Policy.

You may access the current version of this Online Privacy Policy at any time by clicking on the link marked "Privacy Policy" at the bottom of each page of our Websites.

What Personal Information Do We Collect on Our Websites?

Information You Volunteer. We collect the personal information you knowingly and voluntarily provide when you use our Websites, for example, the information you provide when you sign up to receive our articles or podcasts.

Information Sent to Us by Your Web Browser. We may collect information that is sent to us automatically by your web browser, such as your IP address, the address of the web page you were visiting when you accessed our Websites, information on your operating system and browser, and the date and time of your visit. The information we receive depends on the settings on your web browser.

The information provided by your browser does not identify you personally. We use this non-personal information primarily to create statistics that help us improve our Websites and make them more compatible with the technology used by our visitors. We may review our server logs for security purposes, such as detecting intrusions into our network. If we suspect criminal activity, we might share our server logs — which contain visitors' IP addresses — with the appropriate investigative authorities who could use that information to trace and identify individuals.

Information Collected Using "Cookies" and Other Web Technologies. Like many commercial sites, we use "cookies," and similar technologies to collect information and manage our Websites. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web server. Cookies cannot be used to install computer programs or deliver viruses to your computer. We may use two types of cookies — "session cookies" and "persistent cookies."

A "session cookie" assigns a randomly-generated, unique identification number to your computer when you access one of our Websites. A session cookie expires after you close your browser. Generally, we use session cookies to collect information about the ways visitors use our Websites. This information is known as "click-stream information." Session cookies may also be used to facilitate your interactions with our Websites.

We may also use "persistent cookies." These cookies do not expire when you close your browser, but stay on your computer until they expire or you delete them. Each time you visit our Websites, our Web server will recognize you by "searching" the information contained in these cookies. By assigning your computer a persistent, unique identifier, we are able to create a database of your previous choices and preferences. This permits us to offer you a personalized experience when you use our Websites. For example, we may place a cookie on your hard drive that will cause our server to display our Websites in the language you selected the last time you visited one of our Websites. Assigning your computer a persistent, unique identifier also helps us keep a more accurate account of how many people visit our Websites, how often they return, how their use of our Websites may vary over time, and the effectiveness of our promotional efforts.

Neither session cookies nor persistent cookies identify you personally. If, however, you have created a user identity on one of your visits to our Websites or if you access our Websites by clicking on a link in an email we have sent you, we may link the information collected by our cookies to information that identifies you personally.

If you do not wish to receive cookies, you may set your browser to reject cookies or to alert you when a cookie is placed on your computer. You may also delete our cookies as soon as you leave our Websites. Although you are not required to accept our cookies when you visit our Websites, if you set your browser to reject cookies, you will not be able to use all of the features and functionality of our Websites.

How Do We Use Your Personal Information?

We use the personal information collected through our Websites to provide you information you may request from our Websites; to improve our Websites; and for our other business purposes.

With Whom Do We Share Your Personal Information?

We will not share your personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We may disclose the personal information we collect through our Websites when we, in good faith, believe disclosure is appropriate to comply with the law (or a court order or subpoena); to prevent or investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft; to enforce the terms of use or other agreements that govern your use of our Websites; to protect the rights, property or safety of CRA, our users or others; or to protect your vital interests. Information submitted to our Websites is an asset of CRA and will become part of our normal business records. Your personal information may be transferred to another company that has acquired the stock or assets of CRA, for example, as the result of a sale, merger, reorganization, dissolution or liquidation. If such a transfer occurs, the acquiring company's use of your personal information will still be subject to this Online Privacy Policy, and the privacy preferences you have expressed to us.

Modifying Your Information

We respect your right to make choices about the ways we collect, use and disclose your personal information. You may update or modify your information or change your preferences at any time by sending an email to support@carolrossandassociates.com.

Links to Third-Party Websites

Our Websites may contain links to Websites that are not operated by CRA. These links are provided for your reference and convenience only and do not imply any endorsement of the activities of these third-party Websites nor any association with their operators. CRA does not control these Websites and is not responsible for their data practices. We urge you to review the privacy policy posted on any Websites you visit before using the Websites or providing any personal information about yourself.

Effective Date of This Online Privacy Policy

This Online Privacy Policy is effective as of January 1, 2007.