Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 18, 2026

Recess Financial, LLC ("Recess," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers and website visitors. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and share your personal information when you use our website (recessfinancial.com) and our pension recovery services. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and governed by our Terms of Service.

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly:

• Contact information: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address
• Employment information: Former school district(s), years of service, position held, dates of employment
• Financial information: Estimated salary, pension balance estimates, IRA account information (for rollover coordination)
• Sensitive personal information: We collect the last four digits of your Social Security number through our encrypted intake form (hosted by Jotform) for identification purposes. Full Social Security numbers are required by pension systems to process refund applications; when needed, you will provide your full SSN directly on pension forms rather than transmitting it to Recess electronically. We never collect, request, or accept Social Security numbers via email.
• Communications: Emails, phone call notes, and any other information you share with us during the service process

Information collected automatically:

• Browser type, device type, and operating system
• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies for website functionality

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Research your pension balance and refund eligibility
• Prepare, pre-fill, and submit pension refund and rollover forms on your behalf
• Communicate with you about the status of your pension recovery
• Coordinate with pension systems, financial institutions, and financial advisors at your request
• Process payments for our services
• Send you service-related communications (e.g., status updates, next steps)
• Improve our website and services
• Comply with legal obligations

3. How We Protect Your Information

We take the security of your personal information seriously, particularly sensitive data like Social Security numbers. Our safeguards include:

• Collecting partial SSN data (last four digits) only through Jotform's encrypted form submission, which uses 256-bit SSL encryption in transit and encrypts submission data at rest so that it cannot be accessed without the form owner's private key
• Never transmitting, requesting, or accepting full Social Security numbers via email
• Limiting access to personal information to only those who need it to perform your service
• Using secure, reputable payment processors (Stripe) for financial transactions — we never store your credit card information directly
• Regular review of our data handling practices

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Pension systems: We submit your information to state and district pension systems as necessary to process your refund or rollover application. This is the core purpose of our service.
• Financial institutions: If you are rolling over funds into an IRA, we coordinate with your chosen provider (e.g., Vanguard, Fidelity) to facilitate the transfer, with your consent.
• Financial advisors: Only if you opt in to be connected with a financial advisor. We share only your name and contact information so the advisor can reach out. We never share your Social Security number, pension balance, employment history, or other personal details with advisors.
• Service providers: We use third-party service providers that process data on our behalf to deliver our services. These providers are contractually required to protect your information and may only use it for the purposes we specify. Our current service providers include:
  • Jotform — encrypted form intake and data collection
  • PandaDoc — document preparation and electronic signatures
  • Stripe — payment processing
  • Google Workspace — email and business communications
  • Netlify — website hosting
  • Calendly — appointment scheduling
  • Notarize.com — remote notarization services
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, regulation, or legal process.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Specifically:

• Active service records: Retained for the duration of your pension recovery process plus 3 years for recordkeeping purposes
• Social Security numbers (partial or full): Securely deleted within 30 days of the completion of your pension refund or rollover
• Documents containing sensitive information (held in PandaDoc or similar systems): Securely deleted within 30 days of service completion
• Financial records: Retained for 7 years as required by tax and business regulations
• Website analytics data: Retained for up to 26 months

You may request deletion of your personal information at any time by contacting us at hello@recessfinancial.com. We will honor your request unless we are legally required to retain the information. Upon termination of services, we will retain or delete your information in accordance with the retention periods described above and as referenced in our Terms of Service.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your state of residence, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Data portability: Request a copy of your personal information in a commonly used, machine-readable format (such as CSV or JSON)
• Opt out: Unsubscribe from non-essential communications at any time
• Withdraw consent: If you opted in to be connected with a financial advisor, you may withdraw that consent at any time

We honor these rights for all customers regardless of state of residence. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@recessfinancial.com. We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 days.

7. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a security incident that results in unauthorized access to your personal information, we will notify affected individuals in accordance with applicable state and federal law. Notification will include the nature of the breach, the types of information affected, and the steps we are taking in response. We will provide notification as promptly as practicable and without unreasonable delay.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly. These are placed automatically.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it. Analytics cookies are only placed with your consent. We currently do not use third-party analytics services, but if we add them in the future, we will update this policy and provide a consent mechanism before placing non-essential cookies.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

9. Email and Sensitive Data

We use Google Workspace for email communications. We do not transmit Social Security numbers, partial or full, via email under any circumstances. If we need to collect sensitive identification information, we do so exclusively through Jotform's encrypted form submission. Pension forms that require your full SSN are completed by you directly on the physical or digital form — your SSN is never sent to us via email, text, or unencrypted channel.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., Vanguard, pension system websites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes — particularly changes affecting how we collect, use, or share sensitive personal information — we will notify you by email at the address associated with your service engagement at least thirty (30) days before the changes take effect. We will also update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If you do not agree with the updated Privacy Policy, you may discontinue use of our services before the changes take effect. Your continued use of our services after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

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

Recess Financial, LLC
Email: hello@recessfinancial.com
Website: recessfinancial.com