Privacy Policy

Who we are

This website is operated by Investing With Purpose (“IWP”, “we”, “us”), and we are the party responsible for the personal data described here. If you have any privacy question or want to exercise your rights, contact us at hello@iwpfinance.com.

Our approach

You can read almost the entire site without giving us anything. The personal data we process is: the usage information our analytics collects (only if you consent); the email address you give us to receive research updates (if you opt in); the details needed to run your account, if you create one; and, if you buy a paid membership, the billing information handled by our payment provider. If you email us, we use your message only to reply.

Accounts (optional)

Creating an account is optional. You only need one to download gated research reports and to sync your saved articles and knowledge-path progress across devices. When you sign up we collect your email address (and a name, if you choose to give one) and the authentication data needed to sign you in. We use Clerk as our authentication provider: Clerk stores your credentials and manages sign-in and sessions on our behalf under a data-processing agreement, and does not use your details for its own purposes. Legal basis: performance of the contract to provide the account you asked for. When you are signed in, your saved articles and progress are stored on your account (through Clerk) so they follow you across devices; signed out, they stay only in your browser. You can delete your account at any time, which removes this data.

Payments & billing (paid memberships)

If you buy a paid membership, payment is handled by Stripe through its Managed Payments service. For these transactions Stripe (acting through Link) is the merchant of record: it collects your payment and billing details — such as your name, email, billing address, the payment-method details you enter, tax location, and transaction history — directly, and it calculates and remits applicable taxes. We never receive or store your full card number.

Because Stripe is the merchant of record, it acts as an independent controller of the payment transaction data (for payment processing, fraud prevention, tax compliance, receipts, and dispute handling) under Stripe's Privacy Policy and the Link Privacy Policy. From Stripe we receive only the limited information we need to give you access and manage your membership — for example your subscription status, plan, renewal date, and a Stripe customer/subscription identifier — which we store on your account (through Clerk). Legal bases: performance of the contract to provide your membership, and compliance with our legal obligations (such as keeping tax and accounting records).

Analytics — the data we collect

Google Analytics (only with your consent). If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics collects standard usage information to help us understand how the site is used, including: pages viewed, approximate location (derived from a shortened IP address), device and browser type, referring source, and a randomly generated identifier stored in cookies. It does not load until you opt in, and you can withdraw consent at any time. Legal basis: your consent. See our Cookie Policy.

We may also use a privacy-friendly analytics measurement that sets no cookies, counts only aggregate visits, and does not identify you or track you across other sites; because it processes no personal data, it needs no consent.

Email updates

If you opt in to receive research updates, we collect the email address you provide (and any name you choose to give) so we can send you research, analysis, and occasional free resources. We use a double opt-in — you confirm by email before we add you — and every message includes a one-click unsubscribe. Legal basis: your consent, which you can withdraw at any time. We process these sign-ups through Kit (ConvertKit), an email provider that acts on our behalf under appropriate data-processing terms and does not use your details for its own purposes. If you create an account, we add your account email to these research updates (you are told this at sign-up), and every message carries a one-click unsubscribe.

One-time and service messages, such as the welcome email when you create an account, are sent through Resend, a transactional email provider acting on our behalf under a data-processing agreement. Legal basis for these service messages: performance of the contract to provide your account.

Stored in your browser (not sent to us)

Some features save small amounts of data in your browser's local storage so the site remembers your preferences — your cookie choice, your saved/bookmarked articles, and your knowledge-path progress. This stays on your device, is never transmitted to us, and you can clear it anytime from your browser. If you are signed in, your saved articles and progress are also synced to your account (see Accounts) so they persist across devices.

We never

• show advertising or work with advertising or ad-tech partners;
• sell, rent, share, or trade your personal data;
• use your data for profiling or automated decisions that produce legal effects.

Sharing & service providers

We share data only with the trusted service providers needed to operate the site. Each acts as our processor under a data-processing agreement and may not use your data for its own purposes:

• Google — Google Analytics, only if you consent to analytics cookies.
• Kit (ConvertKit) — sends the research-updates email you opt in to.
• Resend — sends transactional messages such as the account welcome email.
• Clerk — authentication and account management, if you create an account.
• Vercel — hosting and delivery of the website.
• Stripe (and Link)— payment processing for paid memberships. For payments Stripe is the merchant of record and acts as an independent controller, not merely our processor (see “Payments & billing” above).

We may also disclose information if required by law.

Following an external link — such as our Substack, our social profiles, or a cited source — takes you to a third-party site governed by that party's own privacy policy.

International transfers

Our providers (including Google, Kit, Resend, Clerk, Stripe, and Vercel) are based in the United States and may process data there or in other countries. Where personal data is transferred across borders, it is protected by appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses and, where applicable, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

How long we keep it

• Analytics data collected via Google Analytics: retained for 14 months, then deleted.
• Email-list data (Kit): kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
• Account data (Clerk): kept while your account is active; deleted when you delete your account.
• Membership & billing records: the subscription status we store is kept while your membership is active and cleared when you delete your account; the underlying transaction and invoice records held by Stripe as merchant of record are retained by Stripe as required by tax and accounting law (typically several years), which deleting your account does not override.
• Transactional email logs (Resend): kept only briefly for deliverability and then expire.
• Data saved in your browser (local storage): kept until you clear it.
• Email correspondence: kept only as long as needed to handle your request.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, data-protection laws — including the EU/UK GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended (CCPA/CPRA), and similar laws in other regions — give you rights over your personal data. We honor the following for everyone, wherever you are:

• to access the personal data we hold about you;
• to correct inaccurate data, or complete incomplete data;
• to have your data deleted;
• to restrict or object to processing;
• to data portability;
• to withdraw consent at any time — change your analytics choice via “Cookie settings” in the footer (this does not affect processing done before withdrawal).

For California residents: we do not sell or share your personal information (we run no advertising or cross-context behavioral tracking), and we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

To exercise any right, email hello@iwpfinance.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

Everyone is welcome

This is general-audience educational content suitable for readers of any age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children, and analytics runs only after consent is given.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS with a strict Content-Security-Policy and standard security headers. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect data.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site or the law changes. Material changes are reflected in the “Last updated” date above.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data: hello@iwpfinance.com. See also our Cookie Policy and Terms of Service.