Privacy Policy

Maintaining your trust and confidence is among our highest priorities.  We recognize that protecting the privacy and security of our clients is an important responsibility.  That’s why we at Pettinga Financial Advisors, LLC (Pettinga) want you to understand how we protect your privacy when we collect and use information about you, and the steps that we take to safeguard that information.

Pettinga has adopted this policy with recognition that protecting the privacy and security of the personal information we obtain about our clients is an important responsibility.  We also know that you expect us to service you in an accurate and efficient manner.  To do so, we must collect and maintain certain personal information about you.  We want you to know what information we collect and how we use and safeguard that information.

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect certain nonpublic personal identifying information about you (such as your name, address, social security number, etc.) from information that you provide on applications or other forms as well as communications (electronic, telephone, written or in person) with you or your authorized representatives (such as your attorney, accountant, etc.).  We also collect information about your brokerage accounts and transactions (such as purchases, sales, account balances, inquiries, etc.).

WHAT INFORMATION WE DISCLOSE

We do not disclose the nonpublic personal information we collect about our clients to anyone except:

• in furtherance of our business relationship with them and then only to those persons necessary to effect the transactions and provide the services that they authorize (such as broker-dealers, custodians, independent managers etc.);
• to persons assessing our compliance with industry standards (e.g., professional licensing authorities, etc.);
• our attorneys, accountants, and auditors; or
• as otherwise provided by law.

We are permitted by law to disclose the nonpublic personal information about you to governmental agencies and other third parties in certain circumstances (such as third parties that perform administrative or marketing services on our behalf). These third parties are prohibited to use or share the information for any other purpose.  We are also permitted by law to disclose the nonpublic personal information to affiliates of ours, such as other Focus Financial Partners, LLC, affiliates; however, if the intent of sharing such information is for the purpose of enabling the affiliate to direct marketing of specific services based on your information, you may instruct us not to share any such information with our affiliates.  We do not currently share nonpublic personal information about you with any of our affiliates for the purposes of enabling the affiliate to direct marketing of specific services based on your information.  In addition, under no circumstances will Pettinga sell client information to anyone.

INFORMATION SAFEGUARDING

To fulfill our privacy commitment to clients, Pettinga has taken certain steps to ensure that all nonpublic personal information is protected:

• Access to client information is restricted to employee, subcontractors and other parties requiring the information to provide our clients with the best services or advice.
• Our employees are required annually to read our Confidentiality Policy and Code of Ethics and to sign the documents as proof that they understand and appreciate their significance.  A breach of our Confidentiality Policy constitutes grounds for immediate dismissal.
• Confidentiality clauses are resident in the contracts governing our business relationship with outside service providers requiring client information.
• We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that meet federal and/or state standards to guard our clients’ nonpublic personal information.