Privacy Policy
Fouts Financial Group  .  FoutsFinancialGroup.com  .  Blog:  Thoughts from Mary Rae Fouts
Subject to Change Without Notice
  
(4)  Before providing non-public Client information to third parties in matters not required by law, Mary reviews the written Privacy Policy of the third party to ascertain that, among other things:  (a) the provided Client information will be kept secure; (b) not shared with other parties who have no need to know or are otherwise not entitled to receive the information; (c) not sold or rented to other parties; and (d) used only for the sole purpose(s) the Client information was provided.
To safeguard Client privacy and Client non-public information, Mary does not provide Client non-public information to third parties if, among other things:  (a) the third party has no written Privacy Policy; (b) the third party's written Privacy Policy allows for potential abusive use, marketing, sales, or sharing of non-public Client information received by the third party; (c) the third party is not entitled to, nor has any regulatory, contractual, or legal reason to receive the information; (d) any adverse history of litigation and complaints against the third party.  If a Client directs Mary to provide Client non-public information in any of these circumstances, the Client will be required to first sign a letter acknowledging Mary's concerns in providing the information, and releasing Mary from all liability in providing the non-public Client information.
 
  
Identify theft and abusive misuse of persons' non-public personal, financial, and business information is, unfortunately, rampant in today's society.  To address these unfortunate issues, laws in the United States require that most companies, businesses, and websites maintain and enforce a Privacy Policy compliant with privacy laws of the jurisdiction(s) in which the websites' expected visitors reside.  In the United States, privacy policy requirements are governed by a myriad of federal and state laws and regulations.  Nearly all United States companies, businesses, and websites are required to have a Privacy Policy describing, among other things, how they handle and share client/customer/website visitor information.

Mary Rae Fouts, EA (hereafter "Mary") recognizes the critical importance of safeguarding the privacy of Client non-public information, and maintains the following Privacy Policy.  This Privacy Policy pertains to both current and former Clients, as well as visitors to this website (https://FoutsFinancialGroup.com), MaryRaeFouts.com and MaryFouts.com which redirect to this website, and visitors to Mary's blog "Thoughts from Mary Rae Fouts" (https://MaryRaeFouts.blogspot.com).
 
  

(1)  Mary obtains Client non-public information in the normal course of providing Tax Services, Insurance Consulting Services, Annuity Consulting Services, and Expert Witness Services through Fouts Financial Group.  An example of this type of information is client information obtained in order to prepare a tax return.

 
  
(2)  When providing Tax Services, Insurance Consulting Services, Annuity Consulting Services, and Expert Witness Services as a Consulting Expert Witness, Mary shares Client non-public information with third parties only when such third parties need to know the information so that Mary can carry out the professional services for which she has been retained.  Mary uses client non-public information only for the sole purpose(s) the Client information was obtained.  However, Client non-public information will also be shared with third parties if required by law pursuant to a matter in which the Client is a party, or when specifically requested in writing by the Client. 
 
  

(3)  When providing Expert Witness Services as a publicly disclosed Designated (testifying) Expert Witness, the identify of prior Expert Witness Services Clients and the corresponding Litigation, Divorce, or Arbitration Proceeding in which Mary provided Designated Expert Witness Services may be disclosed, if required during the current Litigation, Divorce, or Arbitration proceeding.

 
  

(5)  Client Information Subject to Disclosure to Taxing Authorities:  Tax Return and Tax Form Preparation is not protected by Advisor-Client privilege.  Information and documents obtained and prepared by Mary in the course of providing Tax Preparation Services, including prepared tax returns and tax forms, are not protected from disclosure to the Internal Revenue Service and State and Local Taxing Authorities.  Advisor-Client privileged communication  protected from disclosure to Taxing Authorities is limited to tax advice provided by Mary to Clients in non-criminal tax matters taking place before a Taxing Authority or Court, including non-criminal IRS Audits and Tax Collection Proceedings.

 
  

(6)  Mary does not rent or sell Client non-public information.

(7)  Mary does not disclose the names of Clients for marketing or promotional purposes.

(8)  Website Visitors:  The Fouts Financial Group website (https://FoutsFinancialGroup.com), MaryRaeFouts.com and MaryFouts.com which redirect to this website, and Mary's blog "Thoughts from Mary Rae Fouts" (https://MaryRaeFouts.blogspot.com) use cookies to track information about visits to the sites.  Mary does not use site visitor information for marketing or promotional purposes, nor does she share site visitor information with any outside party.

(9)  The Fouts Financial Group website and Mary's blog "Thoughts from Mary Rae Fouts" may contain links to external third-party sites.  Mary has no control over and takes no responsibility for information contained in or views expressed on these external sites.  When visiting such links, Mary encourages website users to review the external third-party Privacy Policies to learn how such sites handle, retain, and share visitor information. 


(10)  As required by regulations issued by the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"), Fouts Financial Group maintains regulatory-compliant physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect the privacy of such information.  This information includes information related to Client privacy, Client financial privacy, Client documents and records, and Client electronic data and communications.  Examples of safeguards taken include but are not limited to the procedures outlined in item (2) above, password protection of electronic client files, cybersecurity measures, shredding of all client paper documents, and use of encrypted electronic transmission when necessary.


(11)  Record Retention:  Client records for Tax, Insurance Consulting, and Annuity Consulting Clients are generally retained by Mary for 3 years, after which time the records are destroyed.  Unless a longer retention period is specifically requested by the Client, records obtained when Mary serves as an Expert Witness in a Litigation, Arbitration, or Divorce Proceeding are retained for a period of 90 days following completion of Mary's work in the Proceeding, after which time the records are destroyed.  Records received during an initial consultation are destroyed after 90 days, in the event the proposed client decides not to retain Fouts Financial Group's professional services during that 90 day time frame. 

(12)  Mary reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time.  Any Privacy Policy updates take place immediately, and apply to not only current and former Clients, but also to website and blog visitors. 

 
  

Please contact the office if you have questions about this Privacy Policy.  Thanks for stopping by!