Last updated: March 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how PlanSmartFi, a brand operated by Alella Concepts Inc. (“we,” “us,” or “our”), collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you visit plansmartfi.ca, subscribe to our email list, or use any of our free resources and tools.
We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where applicable, Quebec’s Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector (Law 25). Please read this policy carefully. By using our website, you consent to the practices described here.
1. Who we are
PlanSmartFi is a Canadian personal finance education platform operated by Alella Concepts Inc., a federally incorporated Canadian corporation with its principal place of business in Ontario. Our website is located at plansmartfi.ca.
Privacy Officer and contact:
For any questions, requests, or concerns about this policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us at:
Email: privacy@plansmartfi.ca
Website: plansmartfi.ca/contact
2. What personal information we collect
We collect only the personal information necessary to provide our services and educational resources. The types of information we may collect include:
Information you provide directly
- Email address — when you subscribe to our email list or download a free resource
- Name — if you choose to provide it when contacting us
- Message content — when you contact us through our contact form or by email
Information collected automatically
- IP address and approximate location — collected automatically when you visit our website
- Browser type and operating system — collected for analytics purposes
- Pages visited, time spent, and referring URLs — used to understand how visitors use our site
- Device type — whether you are using a desktop, tablet, or mobile device
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies — see Section 7 for full details
Information we do not collect
We do not collect payment information, government identification numbers, health information, financial account details, or any sensitive personal information as defined under PIPEDA.
3. Why we collect your information and how we use it
We collect personal information only for specific, identified purposes. We will not use your information for any purpose other than those listed below without obtaining your consent first.
| Purpose | Information used | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Delivering free resources (guides, templates) you have requested | Email address | Consent |
| Sending our newsletter and new article notifications | Email address | Consent |
| Responding to your enquiries and messages | Name, email address, message content | Consent / Legitimate interest |
| Analysing website usage to improve our content and user experience | IP address, pages visited, device data | Legitimate interest / Consent |
| Complying with legal obligations | As required by applicable law | Legal obligation |
| Affiliate link tracking (when you click partner links) | Click data via third-party affiliate platforms | Consent / Legitimate interest |
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for their own marketing purposes.
4. How we obtain your consent
Under PIPEDA, we are required to obtain your meaningful consent before or at the time we collect your personal information. The form of consent we use depends on the sensitivity of the information and the circumstances of collection.
Express consent is obtained when you actively sign up for our email list, tick a checkbox, or submit a contact form. By completing these actions, you are expressly consenting to the specific use described at the point of collection.
Implied consent may apply for certain non-sensitive uses, such as analysing how you navigate our website using anonymised analytics data.
You may withdraw your consent at any time. To unsubscribe from our emails, click the unsubscribe link in any email we send you. To request deletion of your personal information from our records, contact us at privacy@plansmartfi.ca. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before withdrawal.
5. How long we retain your information
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law.
- Email subscribers — your email address is retained for as long as you remain subscribed. Upon unsubscribing, your data is deleted or anonymised within 30 days in accordance with our email platform’s data practices.
- Contact form submissions — retained for up to 12 months, after which they are deleted unless an ongoing correspondence requires retention.
- Website analytics data — aggregated and anonymised data may be retained indefinitely. IP-level data is typically anonymised within 26 months.
- Legal and financial records — retained for the minimum period required by Canadian law, typically 7 years.
6. Who we share your information with
We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website and delivering our services. All third parties are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
Our current third-party service providers include:
| Provider | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Beehiiv | Email list management and newsletter delivery | United States |
| Namecheap / WordPress | Website hosting and content management | United States |
| Google Analytics | Website analytics and traffic measurement | United States |
| Wealthsimple / Questrade (affiliate platforms) | Affiliate link tracking when you click partner links | Canada / United States |
| Amazon Canada | Book sales referral tracking — Amazon processes all purchase transactions independently | Canada / United States |
We may also disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of PlanSmartFi, our users, or the public.
International transfers
Some of our service providers are located outside Canada, primarily in the United States. When your personal information is transferred outside Canada, it becomes subject to the laws of the country where it is processed. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any third party receiving your data provides a comparable level of protection to that required under PIPEDA. By using our website and services, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer of your information to these providers.
7. Cookies and tracking technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, analyse site usage, and support affiliate tracking. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device when you visit a website.
Types of cookies we use
Strictly necessary cookies — these are essential for the website to function correctly. They cannot be disabled. They include cookies that remember your cookie preferences and maintain your session.
Analytics cookies — we use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors interact with our site. This data is aggregated and used only to improve our content and user experience. Google Analytics may use cookies to collect information such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited. Data retention in GA4 is set to 14 months by default. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Affiliate and performance cookies — when you click affiliate links on our site (for example, to Wealthsimple or Questrade), those third-party platforms may set cookies to track referrals and attribute any resulting sign-ups or purchases. We do not control these cookies. Please review the privacy policies of those platforms directly.
Functional cookies — used to remember preferences and improve your experience, such as whether you have dismissed a notice.
Managing cookies
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. Most browsers allow you to refuse new cookies, be notified when a new cookie is set, and delete existing cookies. Instructions for managing cookies in common browsers are available at aboutcookies.org.
8. Your rights under PIPEDA
Under PIPEDA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:
Right of access — you have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, how it has been used, and to whom it has been disclosed. We will respond to access requests within 30 days.
Right to correction — if you believe any personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated, you have the right to request that we correct it.
Right to withdraw consent — you may withdraw consent to our use of your personal information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawal will not affect uses that occurred before withdrawal.
Right to deletion — you may request that we delete your personal information from our records. We will honour such requests to the extent permitted by law, retaining only what we are legally required to keep.
Right to file a complaint — if you are unsatisfied with how we have handled your personal information, you have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@plansmartfi.ca. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
9. Quebec residents — Law 25
If you are a resident of Quebec, you have additional rights under Quebec’s Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector (Law 25), which took full effect in September 2023.
These additional rights include:
- The right to data portability — to receive a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used format
- The right to be informed of automated decision-making that significantly affects you
- The right to have inaccurate, incomplete, or ambiguous information corrected or deleted
- The right to request that information collected from you as a minor be de-indexed from the internet
To exercise these rights or to make a complaint, you may also contact the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec (CAI) at cai.gouv.qc.ca.
10. How we protect your information
We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect it against loss, theft, unauthorised access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.
Safeguards we use include:
- SSL/TLS encryption on all pages of our website (HTTPS)
- Secure, reputable third-party platforms for email and data storage
- Limiting access to personal information to those who need it to operate the site
- Regular software updates and security monitoring through Wordfence
- Regular backups via UpdraftPlus
No method of data transmission or storage is completely secure. While we use commercially reasonable measures to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a privacy breach that creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as required under PIPEDA.
11. Children’s privacy
PlanSmartFi is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a minor, we will delete it promptly. If you believe we have collected information from a minor, please contact us at privacy@plansmartfi.ca.
12. Links to third-party websites
Our website contains links to third-party websites, including affiliate partners such as Wealthsimple, Questrade, and Amazon Canada. These links are provided for your convenience and for educational purposes. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party website. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any external site you visit.
When you click an affiliate link, the third-party platform may collect data about your visit. We may receive a commission if you sign up or make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you. This is disclosed clearly on any post containing affiliate links.
13. Email communications and CASL
Our email communications are governed by Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). We will only send you commercial electronic messages if you have given us express or implied consent to do so.
Every email we send includes:
- A clear identification of PlanSmartFi and Alella Concepts Inc. as the sender
- Our contact information
- An easy and functional unsubscribe mechanism
You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email, or by contacting us directly. We will process unsubscribe requests within 10 business days.
14. Changes to this privacy policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
15. How to contact us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Officer:
PlanSmartFi / Alella Concepts Inc.
Email: privacy@plansmartfi.ca
Website: plansmartfi.ca/contact
If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Website: priv.gc.ca
Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376