NOTICE OF THE PRIVACY POLICIES OF TALBOTT BOOKEEPING SERVICES, LLC
Accounting and bookkeeping firms providing financial
services to individuals are now required by federal law to inform their clients
of their policies regarding privacy of client information. We have always
safeguarded the confidentiality of information provided to us by our clients
and are bound by our professional standards to continue to maintain this vital
aspect of our professional relationship.
Acquisition of Client Information
The firm collects nonpublic personal information about our
clients from the following sources:
- Information
You Provide: Our client engagements routinely require us to obtain private
information about our clients so that we can proceed with the various
services we perform for our clients as part of the professional
relationship.
- Other
Sources: Depending upon the particular service a client has engaged the
firm to complete, we may request nonpublic information concerning the
matter at hand. However, this information is never obtained without our
client’s specific authorization for the type of information and the
source(s) from which it may be obtained.
Disclosure of Nonpublic Information
Our firm policy is never to disclose nonpublic information
about our clients. Nonpublic personal information is defined in the regulations
as any publicly available information that we acquire by using information you
have provided us in connection with any professional services we perform for
you, which is not public information. In a generic sense, any information that
a client provides us that involves financial product or service is likely
considered nonpublic personal information and receives the same protection from
disclosure as all other information about our clients. For purposes of our
business relationships with our clients, all information acquired is disclosed
only under the following conditions:
- Employees
of the firm: Employees who need such information to conclude a transaction
for which the client has engaged the firm.
- Service
Providers: As with any business, we have our own accounting, insurance,
and other service firms that we may need to provide information that the
regulations consider nonpublic personal information. We have always
insisted that any such information that needed to be disclosed for a
business purpose be considered confidential and not used for any purpose
other than the specific business need. That well-understood business
policy of confidentiality will be reinforced as needed by contractual
agreements between such service providers to the firm, referencing the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations.
- Others:
Other than as stated above, we do not disclose nonpublic personal
information, or any other information, to any outside party without
specific client authorization. An example would be providing financial
records to a client’s accountant to prepare tax returns. In such a case,
we would require the client’s approval for such a disclosure.
In addition to the privacy protection that the new FTC
regulations provide you, the Internal Revenue Code prevents the disclosure of
client information provided for tax planning or preparation services without
the client’s written permission. Further, the ethics rules that govern the
operation principles that our firm must follow prohibit disclosing client
information.
Security Arrangements
We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards
that comply with federal regulations to guard our clients’ nonpublic personal
information and any other information, to ensure our clients that their privacy
is a major part of the firm’s commitment to provide the finest service
possible.
Opt-Out Provision
The Federal Trade Commission regulations provide that this
notice must include a provision for you to request that the firm not release
your nonpublic personal information. While such a request is unnecessary,
because the firm does not disclose your nonpublic personal information in a
manner that would allow you to opt out, in the interests of satisfying
regulations, we include this Opt-Out Provision.
Please call us at (484) 364-5235 if you have any questions,
because your privacy, our professional standard, and the ability to provide you
with quality professional services are very important to us.