Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 15 January 2025
At Berkelex, we're committed to protecting your personal information while helping you build long-term investment strategies. This policy explains how we handle your data in accordance with Australian privacy laws.
We believe transparency matters. You should know exactly what happens to your information when you work with us.
Questions about your privacy? Reach us at Shop 32/33, The Hills Centre Corner of Seven Hills & Federal Rd, Seven Hills NSW 2147, Australia | +61490550774 | [email protected]
Information We Collect
Running a financial education service means we need certain information to provide you with relevant guidance. Here's what we collect and why it matters for your experience.
Personal Identification Details
When you reach out or sign up for our programs, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and postal address. This helps us communicate effectively and send you materials related to your investment education journey.
Financial Background Information
To tailor our educational content to your situation, we may ask about your investment experience level, financial goals, and areas of interest. This isn't about accessing your accounts – it's about understanding where you're starting from so we can provide relevant learning materials.
Technical and Usage Data
Like most websites, we collect information about how you interact with our platform. This includes your IP address, browser type, device information, pages you visit, and time spent on different sections. We use this to improve our educational resources and understand what content resonates most.
| Data Category | Examples | Primary Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Information | Name, email, phone, address | Communication and service delivery |
| Financial Context | Investment experience, goals, interests | Content personalization |
| Technical Data | IP address, browser, device info | Platform improvement and security |
| Usage Patterns | Pages visited, time on site, interactions | Content optimization |
How We Use Your Information
Every piece of information we collect serves a specific purpose in delivering quality financial education. We don't use your data for unrelated marketing or sell it to third parties.
- Delivering Educational Services: Your contact details let us send program materials, updates about upcoming sessions, and answers to your questions about investment strategies.
- Personalizing Your Experience: Understanding your background helps us recommend relevant content and suggest learning paths that match your investment goals.
- Improving Our Platform: Usage data shows us which educational resources work best, where people get stuck, and what topics need better explanation.
- Security and Fraud Prevention: Technical information helps us identify unusual activity and protect both your account and our systems from unauthorized access.
- Legal Compliance: We maintain records as required by Australian financial education regulations and respond to legitimate legal requests when necessary.
- Communication: We'll send you important updates about your programs, changes to our services, and occasionally share new educational resources that align with your interests.
We will never sell your personal information to third parties or use it for purposes unrelated to your financial education without your explicit consent.
Information Sharing and Disclosure
We keep your information within our organization except in specific circumstances where sharing is necessary for service delivery or legally required.
Service Providers
Some functions require trusted third-party services. We work with email platforms for communications, payment processors for program fees, and cloud storage providers for secure data management. These partners are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the services they provide to us.
Legal Requirements
Australian law sometimes requires us to disclose information. This includes responding to valid court orders, assisting with fraud investigations, or complying with regulatory requests from bodies like ASIC when they relate to financial education practices.
Business Transfers
If Berkelex merges with another organization or transfers ownership, your information would be part of that transition. We'd notify you beforehand and ensure the new entity maintains similar privacy protections.
With Your Consent
There might be opportunities to participate in case studies, testimonials, or collaborative educational projects. We'll always ask your permission first and let you review exactly what information would be shared and how it would be used.
Your Privacy Rights Under Australian Law
The Australian Privacy Principles give you significant control over your personal information. Here's what you can do and how to exercise these rights with us.
Access Your Information
You can request a copy of all personal data we hold about you. We'll provide this within 30 days in a readable format, free of charge for your first request each year.
Correct Inaccuracies
Found something outdated or wrong? Let us know and we'll update your records promptly. This ensures our communications and content recommendations stay relevant to your situation.
Request Deletion
You can ask us to delete your personal information. We'll comply unless we have a legitimate reason to retain it, such as completing a program you're enrolled in or meeting legal record-keeping requirements.
Restrict Processing
If you're concerned about how we're using your data, you can request we limit processing to specific purposes while we address your concerns.
Data Portability
Want to move your information elsewhere? We'll provide your data in a structured, commonly used format that works with other services.
Withdraw Consent
For activities based on your consent rather than legal obligation, you can withdraw permission at any time. This won't affect the lawfulness of processing before your withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected] with your request. We'll verify your identity and respond within 30 days. If we can't fulfill your request, we'll explain why and discuss alternatives.
How We Protect Your Information
Security isn't just about technology – it's about creating multiple layers of protection and maintaining constant vigilance.
Technical Safeguards
We use industry-standard encryption for data transmission and storage. Our systems undergo regular security audits, and we patch vulnerabilities promptly. Access to personal information is restricted to staff members who need it for their specific roles, and all access is logged and monitored.
Physical Security
Our Seven Hills office has controlled access, and any physical documents containing personal information are stored in locked cabinets with limited access.
Organizational Measures
Staff receive regular privacy and security training. We maintain strict policies about handling personal information, and employees sign confidentiality agreements. Our data breach response plan ensures quick action if something goes wrong.
Third-Party Standards
Any service provider we work with must demonstrate comparable security measures. We review their practices annually and require immediate notification of any security incidents.
No security system is completely impenetrable. While we work hard to protect your information, you play a role too. Use strong passwords, don't share login credentials, and contact us immediately if you notice anything suspicious.
Data Retention and Deletion
We don't keep your information indefinitely. Here's how we decide what to keep and for how long.
Active Program Participation
While you're enrolled in our educational programs, we maintain complete records to support your learning journey and provide ongoing assistance.
Post-Program Period (7 Years)
After program completion, we retain core information for seven years as required by Australian financial record-keeping regulations. This includes enrollment details, materials provided, and payment records.
Marketing Communications
If you've only subscribed to our newsletter without enrolling in programs, we keep your contact information until you unsubscribe. After that, we remove it within 30 days.
Deletion Process
When retention periods expire, we securely delete information through multi-pass overwriting for digital data and cross-cut shredding for physical documents.
If you request deletion before standard retention periods end, we'll remove what we legally can while explaining what must remain and why. You'll receive confirmation once deletion is complete.
International Data Transfers
While Berkelex operates in Australia and primarily serves Australian clients, some of our service providers have international operations. This means your information might be processed or stored overseas.
Our email platform has servers in the United States, and our cloud backup system replicates data to Singapore for redundancy. We only work with providers in countries that Australia recognizes as having adequate privacy protections, or we implement additional safeguards through contractual agreements.
Before using any service that involves international data transfer, we assess their privacy practices and ensure they meet standards equivalent to Australian Privacy Principles. You can request details about where specific types of your information are stored or processed.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to function properly and improve your experience. Here's what's happening behind the scenes.
Essential Cookies
These are necessary for basic website operations like remembering your login status and maintaining security. You can't fully opt out of these while using our services, but they don't track you across other websites.
Analytics Cookies
We use these to understand how visitors interact with our content. They tell us which educational resources get the most attention, where people spend time, and what content might need improvement. This data is aggregated and anonymized – we see patterns, not individuals.
Preference Cookies
These remember your choices, like language preferences or content display options, so you don't need to set them every visit.
You can control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling some may affect website functionality. Most browsers let you view and delete existing cookies and prevent future placement. Our website includes a preference center where you can adjust non-essential cookie settings at any time.
Children's Privacy
Our services focus on adults seeking investment education. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18 years old without parental consent.
If you're a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately. We'll delete it promptly. Our enrollment processes include age verification to prevent accidental collection of children's data.
While young people can certainly benefit from financial literacy, we believe those discussions should happen with parental involvement and through age-appropriate channels.
Changes to This Policy
Privacy practices evolve as technology changes and regulations develop. We review this policy annually and update it when necessary to reflect new practices or legal requirements.
When we make significant changes, we'll notify you by email and display a prominent notice on our website for at least 30 days. The "Effective Date" at the top of this policy shows when the current version took effect. Previous versions are archived and available upon request.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically, especially before providing new categories of information or engaging with new services we offer. Your continued use of our services after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.
Making Complaints
If you're concerned about how we've handled your personal information, we want to hear about it and make things right.
Internal Resolution Process
Start by contacting our privacy officer at [email protected]. Explain your concern in detail, including dates and any relevant documentation. We'll acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and provide a full response within 30 days.
Our investigation involves reviewing relevant records, interviewing staff if necessary, and consulting with legal advisors when appropriate. If we've made a mistake, we'll apologize, explain what went wrong, outline corrective actions, and discuss what you'd like to happen next.
External Options
If you're not satisfied with our response, you can escalate to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. They provide a free, independent complaint resolution service for privacy matters. Contact them at:
- Website: www.oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992
- Mail: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
The OAIC will assess your complaint and may investigate our practices. They have authority to make binding determinations and can order specific actions if they find we've breached the Privacy Act.