Privacy Policy

Last Updated: November 1, 2025

Our Privacy Promise

Your filled Crisis Guide data never leaves your device. We do NOT store the sensitive personal information you enter into your guide (bank accounts, SSN, passwords, etc.). This isn't just a promise—it's how our system is built. Your privacy is our foundation, not a feature.

1. Introduction

Welcome to ReadyGuide ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about the limited data we collect. This Privacy Policy explains what information we gather, how we use it, and—most importantly—what we deliberately DO NOT collect or store.

By using ReadyGuide (readyguide.org), you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the minimum information necessary to provide our services:

2.1 Information You Provide

  • Email Address: Collected when you download the free template, purchase a Custom Guide, or contact us. Used for order fulfillment, sending magic links, and customer support.
  • Quiz Answers: When purchasing a Custom Guide, we collect your answers to our customization quiz (e.g., faith preference, business ownership, children, estate complexity). This is used ONLY to generate your customized empty PDF template.
  • Contact Form Data: Name, email, subject, and message when you submit our contact form. Used solely for responding to your inquiry.

2.2 Payment Information

Payment processing is handled by Stripe. We never see or store your credit card details, billing address, or full payment information. Stripe provides us only with:

  • Confirmation that payment was successful
  • Your email address (to send your guide and magic links)
  • Purchase metadata (product purchased, date, transaction ID)

See Stripe's Privacy Policy for details on how they handle payment data.

2.3 Automatically Collected Information

  • Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device type, and referring URL. Collected automatically by our hosting provider (Vercel) for security and performance monitoring.
  • Cookies: We use minimal essential cookies for site functionality (e.g., session management, shopping cart). We do NOT use third-party advertising or tracking cookies.

3. What We DO NOT Collect or Store

This is the most important section of our Privacy Policy:

  • Filled Guide Contents: When you fill out your Crisis Guide (online or offline), we DO NOT see, store, or have access to the sensitive information you enter—including bank account numbers, Social Security Numbers, passwords, insurance details, medical information, or any other personal data.
  • PDF Files (After Delivery): Custom PDFs are stored temporarily (24 hours maximum) solely for delivery via email. After you download your guide or 24 hours pass (whichever comes first), the file is permanently deleted from our servers.
  • Online Wizard Data: When you use our online filler tool, your answers are stored ONLY in your browser's local storage (on your device). We never transmit this data to our servers except when you explicitly generate a filled PDF for download—and even then, it's immediately discarded after PDF generation.
  • User Accounts: We do not create user accounts or password databases. Authentication is done via time-limited magic links sent to your email.

💡 Technical Implementation:

Our online wizard uses browser-based local storage (not server databases). When you generate a filled PDF, the data is processed in-memory and the resulting PDF is sent directly to your device. No filled data is logged, cached, or retained after the response is sent.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the limited data we collect for these purposes only:

  • Order Fulfillment: Sending you the free template or custom guide you purchased
  • Access Management: Generating magic links for lifetime edit access (via time-limited JWT tokens)
  • Customer Support: Responding to contact form inquiries and support requests
  • Purchase Verification: Validating that you've purchased when you request edit access or re-download
  • Legal Compliance: Responding to valid legal requests (e.g., subpoenas, DMCA takedowns)

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We share your information only with these trusted service providers, and only to the extent necessary:

Service Providers We Use:

  • Stripe (Payment Processing) - Handles all payment transactions. Receives your payment information directly; we never see full card details. Privacy Policy
  • Resend (Email Delivery) - Sends confirmation emails, magic links, and PDF attachments. Receives your email address only. Privacy Policy
  • Vercel (Hosting & Infrastructure) - Hosts our website and handles technical operations. May log IP addresses and technical data for security. Privacy Policy

We DO NOT:

  • Sell your email or personal information to third parties
  • Share your data with advertisers or data brokers
  • Use third-party analytics that track you across websites (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel)
  • Send your information outside the United States

6. Data Retention

  • Email Addresses: Retained indefinitely for purchase verification and lifetime edit access. You may request deletion (see Section 8).
  • Quiz Answers: Stored as long as you have lifetime access to enable re-generation of your custom PDF template.
  • Custom PDFs (Empty Templates): Stored permanently to enable re-downloads as part of lifetime access.
  • Filled PDFs: Automatically deleted within 24 hours of generation or after first download (whichever comes first).
  • Contact Form Submissions: Retained for 2 years for customer service records.
  • Technical Logs: Retained for 30 days for security and troubleshooting.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

  • Encryption: All data transmitted to/from our site uses HTTPS/TLS encryption
  • Secure Storage: Email addresses and quiz answers stored in secure databases with access controls
  • Limited Access: Only authorized personnel can access user data, and only for legitimate support purposes
  • Magic Links: Authentication tokens expire after 2 hours and can only be used once
  • No Password Databases: By design, we don't have user passwords that could be breached

However, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your data using best practices.

8. Your Privacy Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Access: Request a copy of the data we have about you (email address, quiz answers, purchase history)
  • Correction: Update your email address or quiz answers by contacting us
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your email and purchase records (note: this will void lifetime edit access)
  • Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails (one-click unsubscribe link in every email)
  • Data Portability: Receive your quiz answers and purchase data in a machine-readable format

To exercise any of these rights, contact us. We'll respond within 30 days.

Note: Deleting your account will permanently remove your lifetime edit access. Download and save your guide before requesting deletion.

9. Children's Privacy

ReadyGuide is not intended for use by individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, please contact us immediately, and we will delete it.

10. International Users

ReadyGuide is operated from the United States. All data is stored on servers located in the United States. By using our service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the U.S., where privacy laws may differ from your country.

GDPR (European Users): If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

  • Right to know what personal information we collect and how it's used
  • Right to request deletion of your personal information
  • Right to opt-out of the "sale" of personal information (we do NOT sell your data)
  • Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To make a request, contact us with "CCPA Request" in the subject line.

12. Email Communications

We send the following types of emails:

  • Transactional: Order confirmations, download links, magic links (cannot be unsubscribed as they're required for service delivery)
  • Marketing: Occasional updates about new features or products (you can unsubscribe anytime via the link at the bottom of emails)
  • Support: Responses to your contact form submissions

All emails are sent from hello@readyguide.org. Replies go to support@atlasgoods.org.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will:

  • Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
  • Notify you via email if the changes materially affect your rights
  • Post a notice on our homepage for 30 days after major updates

Your continued use of ReadyGuide after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Contact Form: readyguide.org/contact

Response Time: We aim to respond within 2-3 business days

Thank you for trusting ReadyGuide.

Privacy isn't just a feature for us—it's the foundation of our entire product. We built ReadyGuide this way because we believe your family's sensitive information should stay exactly where it belongs: with you, under your control.

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