Privacy Statement

In engaging us as your CPA firm, you provide us with information that you entrust to us. Your privacy and maintaining confidentiality of your personal information are the highest priorities and responsibilities at every staff level of our firm. Not only is it good business – you expect it and it is required in this day and age of technology.

Why You Are Receiving This Notice

You are receiving this notice because you are a client of Cole & Associates CPA, LLC also doing business as Cole & Associates or you are considering becoming our client. This notice describes our privacy policy as it pertains to information that you provide to us.

Types of Information We Collect

We collect certain personal information about you – but only when that information is provided by you or is obtained by us with your authorization. We use the information that you provide to conduct audits, prepare income tax returns, provide financial planning services to you (at your request), and/or perform other procedures that you engage us to perform.

Examples of sources from which we collect information include—

• interviews and phone calls with you,
• letters and emails from you,
• tax return or financial planning organizers,
• financial history questionnaires, and
• other documents provided by you on behalf of yourself, your family, or your company/organization.

Confidentiality and Security of Nonpublic Personal Information

Except as otherwise described later in this notice, we restrict access to nonpublic personal information about you to employees of our firm and other parties who must use that information to provide services to you. Their right to further disclosure and use the information is limited by the policies of our firm, applicable law, the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, and nondisclosure agreements where appropriate. We also maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to guard your personal information from unauthorized access or alteration.

Parties to Whom We Disclose Information

As a general rule, we do not disclose personal information about our clients or former clients to anyone without your permission. However, to the extent required by law and applicable regulatory requirements, certain nonpublic information about you may be disclosed in the following situations:

• To comply with a validly issued and enforceable subpoena or summons.
• As necessary during the course of our firm’s confidential peer review (review of our system of internal control and practices) required in order to maintain membership and good standing with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
• To provide workpapers or specific information to assist you in complying with industry-specific federal and state regulations and requirements.
• In conjunction with a prospective purchase, sale, or merger of all or part of our practice, provided that we take appropriate precautions (for example, through a written confidentiality agreement) so that the prospective purchaser or merger partner does not disclose information obtained in the course of the review.
• To provide information to affiliates of the firm and nonaffiliated third parties who perform services or functions for us in conjunction with our services to you, but only if we have a contractual agreement with the other party which prohibits them from disclosing or using the information other than for the purposes for which it was disclosed. Example of such disclosures include engaging secure, online portal services to exchange confidential information with you and document shredding services.

In Closing

Thank you for allowing us to serve your accounting, tax and advisory needs. We value your business and are committed to protecting your privacy. We hope you view our firm as your most trusted advisor, and we will work to continue earning your trust.

Please call our firm at (813)820-5850 if you have any questions regarding this Privacy Statement or if we can be of further assistance.