Privacy Policy

Last revised: July 20, 2023

Our Commitment to Privacy

This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) was developed as part of Payne Nickles & Company’s (also referred to below as “Payne Nickles,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) commitment to combine the highest quality services with the highest level of integrity in dealing with our clients and visitors. The Policy is designed to assist you in understanding how we collect, use, and safeguard the personal information you provide and to assist you in making informed decisions when using our site and services.

What Information Do We Collect?

When you visit our website, you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and/or website usage information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our site.

1. Personal Information Provided Through Online Forms

If you choose to inquire about our services, you may need to provide personal information. Examples include:

Name
Mailing address
Email address
Home and/or business phone number

Email Information. If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses for a period of 24 months. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.

2. Website Use Information

Similar to other commercial websites, our website utilizes web server logs to collect information about how our website is used. For example, information gathered through web server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent on our website, and the websites visited just before and just after our website. This information is collected on an aggregate basis. None of this information is associated with you as an individual.

Children’s Information. We recognize a special obligation to protect personal information obtained from young children. Our website is designed and intended for adults and is not of likely interest to children. The forms on our website are capable, however, of collecting online information from children under the age of 13 who furnish it without prior parental consent. Upon discovering that any such information has been supplied by children under 13, we will disregard and delete that information. We urge parents to instruct their children to never give out their real names, addresses, or phone numbers without their permission when online.

Additionally, the California Consumer Privacy Act requires that an individual under the age of 16 must provide opt-in consent for their personal information to be sold. Children under the age of 13 must provide valid parental consent for their information to be sold.

Information Sent To Us By Your Browser. Like most commercial websites, we collect information that is sent to us automatically by your web browser when you access our website. This information typically includes the IP address of your internet service provider, the type of your operating system, and the type of your browser. The information we receive depends on the settings on your browser. Please check your browser if you want to learn what information your browser sends or how to change your settings. We use this information to create statistics that help us improve our website and make it more compatible with the technology used by our visitors. We review these server logs for security purposes, such as detecting attempted intrusions or compromises to our network. If we suspect criminal activity, we might share our server logs containing visitors’ IP addresses with the appropriate investigative authorities, who could use that information to trace and identify individuals. In addition, if you access our website through an email we have sent you, we may link the information provided by your browser to information in our records that identifies you personally.

Information Collected Using “Cookies.” Like many commercial websites, we use “cookies.” 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.” We may use “session cookies” to assign a randomly generated unique identification number to your computer. A session cookie expires after you close your browser. We use session cookies to collect information about the ways visitors use our website – which pages they visit, which links they use, and how long they stay on each page. We analyze this information, known as “click-through data,” to better understand our visitors’ interests and needs and improve our website’s content and functionality. We may also use “persistent cookies.” When you close your browser, these cookies do not expire but stay on your computer until they expire, or you delete them. Our web server will recognize your cookie each time you visit our website. By assigning your computer a persistent, unique identifier, we’re able to create a database of your previous choices and preferences. In situations where these choices or preferences need to be collected again, they can be provided by us automatically, saving you time and effort. Assigning your computer a persistent, unique identifier also helps us keep a more accurate account of how many people visit our website, how often they return, how their use of our website may vary over time, and the effectiveness of our promotional efforts. If you access our website through an email we have sent you or you’ve created a “user identity” during one of your visits, we may link the information provided by our cookies to information in our records that identifies you personally.

Log Files. We may also collect log files that record website activity, including how many “hits” a particular web page is getting. These entries are generated anonymously and enable us to assess overall site activity, track interest in advertised sales, and troubleshoot technical concerns. We also use the log file entries for our internal marketing and demographic studies so that we can constantly improve the services we provide you. Log files are only used internally and are not associated with any individual, computer system, or browser.

3. Right of Choice: How Do We Respect Your Privacy Choices?

If you no longer wish to receive our email communications, please follow the unsubscribe instructions on our newsletters. These emails are sent through our marketing systems, and the firm maintains an opt-out list to prevent us from sending emails to those addresses.

4. External Transfer: How Do We Share Your Information?

Depending on how you’ve interacted with us in the past and for what purpose, we may share your information in the ways described below:

Third-Party Service Providers. We may use other companies to provide services to our business and clients and fulfill your requests. For example, we may use subcontractors for consulting engagements and administrative tasks. It is our policy to use service providers that maintain appropriate levels of data protection, security, and confidentiality and that comply with applicable law.

Other Limited Circumstances. There are other limited circumstances in which we may share your personal information with third parties. For example, we may disclose your personal information when we, in good faith, believe disclosure is appropriate to comply with the law or a regulatory requirement or to comply with a subpoena or court order; to prevent or investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft; to enforce a contract; to protect the rights, property or safety of Payne Nickles, or a third party; or to protect your vital interests. In addition, your personal information may be transferred to another company that has acquired the stock or all or part of the assets of Payne Nickles, 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 Policy and the privacy preferences you have expressed to us.

We will not otherwise share your personal information with affiliates, service providers, or other third parties for unknown or unrelated purposes.

How Do We Use the Information That You Provide to Us?

Broadly speaking, we use personal information for purposes of administering our business activities, providing customer service, and making available other products and services to our customers and prospective customers.

Sharing Information

We may share personal information about you with firms that assist us in servicing your account or accounts and processing transactions you request. We may share personal information about you among our affiliates to offer or provide further products and services to you.

We do not disclose personal information about you with non-affiliated third parties except as permitted or required by law (e.g., disclosures to service client accounts or to respond to subpoenas). We may share personal information about you with non-affiliated individuals or entities that you have previously authorized, including but not limited to, your other professional advisors and/or service providers (e.g., attorney, accountant, insurance agent, broker-dealer, investment adviser, account custodian).

In addition to that which is described in this notice, we restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to employees of our firm and, in limited situations, to other non-affiliated third parties who assist us in providing services to you. Their right to further disclose and use the information is limited by the policies of our firm, applicable law, our Code of Ethics, and nondisclosure agreements where appropriate. We also maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards in compliance with applicable laws and regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information. We reserve the right to amend our policies at any time and will notify you should this occur.

Sale of personal data

We do not sell your personal data for monetary consideration. We may allow certain third parties (such as online advertising services) to collect your browsing activity and certain other personal data via automated technologies on Pncpa.biz in exchange for non-monetary consideration.  We may share the categories of personal data listed below to improve the performance of Pncpa.biz, enhance your browsing experience, provide you with a more personalized browsing experience, and improve our advertising efforts.

Please note that to the extent you are accessing Pncpa.biz across multiple devices or platforms or if you clear your browser settings, you may have to opt-out again.

In the preceding 12 months, we may have sold the following categories of personal data in connection with such third-party cookies:

Pncpa.biz visitors’ external internet protocol (“IP”) addresses.
Internet or network activity, which includes information about visitors’ interaction with Pncpa.biz, including information about the visitor’s web browser, page location, referrer, and person using the website; cookie-specific data such as cookie ID and the cookie; and button and field data, such as any buttons clicked by site visitors, the labels of those buttons, any pages visited as a result of the button clicks, and the names of any website fields filled in by visitors.

Notice of New Services and Changes

Occasionally, we may use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services, and special offers we think you will find valuable. You will be given the opportunity to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers by clicking on a response box when you receive such an offer.

How Do We Protect Your Information?

Information Security. We utilize encryption/security software to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information we collect from unauthorized access or disclosure and accidental loss, alteration, or destruction.

Evaluation of Information Protection Practices. Periodically, our operations and business practices are reviewed for compliance with corporate policies and procedures governing the security, confidentiality, and quality of our information.

Employee Access, Training, and Expectations. Our corporate values, ethical standards, policies, and practices are committed to the protection of customer information. Our business practices limit employee access to confidential information and limit the use and disclosure of such information to authorized persons, processes, and transactions.

What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information?

We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights.

What About Other Websites Linked to Our Website?

We are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our website nor the information or content contained therein. Often links to other websites are provided solely as pointers to information on topics that may be useful to the users of our website.

Please remember that when you use a link to go from our website to another website, our Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites that have a link on our website, is subject to that website’s own rules and policies.

Your Consent

By using our website, you consent to our collection and use of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. If we change our privacy policies and procedures, we will post those changes on our website to keep you aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we may disclose it.

Your Privacy Rights

Payne Nickles generally collects only the personal information necessary to fulfill your request. Where additional, optional information is sought, you will be notified of this at the point of collection.

Depending on the jurisdiction in which you are located, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access and data portability. You may have the right to request that we disclose to you information about our collection and use of your personal data in the preceding 12 months, including: (a)  the categories and specific pieces of personal data we collect; (b) the categories of sources from which we collect or sell personal data; (c) the business or commercial purpose for which we collect personal data; (d) the categories of third parties with whom we share personal data; and (e) the categories of personal data disclosed for a business purpose or sold to third parties and the categories of third parties to whom such personal data was sold or disclosed.
Right to deletion. You may request that we delete certain personal data that we have collected about you.  The foregoing is subject to our right to maintain your personal data for specific purposes as permitted by law.  If we are unable to comply with any such request, we will notify you.
Right to opt out. You may have the right to request that your personal data not be used for any other reason than business purposes. Right to non-discrimination. You have the right to exercise any of the rights listed above without discrimination by us or any additional charges or costs. Right to correct. For example, if the personal data is incomplete or incorrect.

Privacy Statement

Payne Nickles may modify this privacy statement from time to time to reflect our current privacy practices. When we make changes to this statement, we will revise the date at the top of this page.

Exercising your rights in relation to personal data

You may make privacy requests via email at cpas@pncpa.biz

Contact

If you would like any additional information or have questions surrounding the content or resources within this Policy, please contact us by:

419-668-2552
422 West Market Street
Sandusky, OH 44870