Legal policies

Disclaimer

This webpage is published by Assured Wealth Advisors Pty Ltd. Assured Wealth Advisors Pty Ltd (CAR No: 433035) are authorised representative of Synchron Advice Pty Ltd (AFSL 243313) for financial planning services only.

The information contained in this website and any of the resources available through it including eBooks, fact sheets and seminars (‘Content’) has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not (and cannot be construed or relied upon) as personal advice. No investment objectives, financial circumstances or needs of any individual have been taken into consideration in the preparation of the Content. Financial products entail risk of loss, may rise and fall, and are impacted by a range of market and economic factors, and you should always obtain professional advice to ensure trading or investing in such products is suitable for your circumstances.

Under no circumstances will any of Assured Wealth Advisors Pty Ltd, Synchron Advice Pty Ltd, its officers, representatives, associates or agents be liable for any loss or damage, whether direct, incidental or consequential, caused by reliance on or use of the Content. This Content is restricted to Australian residents and is for the intended recipient only. From time to time, representatives or associates may hold interests in or transact in companies or products mentioned herein, and may receive fees or other benefits, in connection with the making of any recommendation or facilitating a transaction. ALL Rights Reserved.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generated Content Disclaimer

From time to time, this website and the resources available through it may include information, descriptions, summaries, or educational material that has been created, assisted, or enhanced using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

While Assured Wealth Advisors Pty Ltd, its representatives and related entities take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy, reliability and currency of all Content, AI-generated material may contain inadvertent errors, omissions, or outdated information.

AI-generated material:

is provided for general information purposes only;

does not constitute financial advice, legal advice, credit advice, tax advice, or personal recommendations;

is not reviewed or generated with reference to your personal objectives, financial circumstances or needs;

may rely on external datasets or algorithms beyond our control; and

must not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice.

All professional advice, recommendations, and services provided by Assured Wealth Advisors Pty Ltd are subject to human review, professional judgement, and the standards required by ASIC, the Corporations Act, the Tax Agent Services Act, AUSTRAC, CA ANZ, CPA Australia, the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA), and other applicable regulatory bodies.

Assured Wealth Advisors Pty Ltd makes no warranty or representation regarding the accuracy or completeness of AI-generated material and accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on such information. Users should always obtain personalised advice from a qualified professional before acting on any information presented on this website.

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Anti-Spam Policy

Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. is strongly opposed to SPAM.

We provide free special reports, no-obligation meeting requests and other products and services but ONLY to those who sign up for them.

All these lists can be opted-out of at any time.

Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. NEVER share or sell its e-mail lists to third parties.

Each email that you receive from us has simple instructions on how to unsubscribe from our e-mail list.

If you have any questions regarding our e-mail policy, please e-mail us at admin@assuredwealth.com.au

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Our Commitment

We recognise that your privacy is important.

We are committed to providing you with the highest levels of client service. The Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012 (Act) sets out a number of Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Our aim is to both support and ensure that we comply with these principles.

Use and Disclosure

We are subject to certain legislative and regulatory requirements which necessitate us obtaining and holding detailed information which personally identifies you and/or contains information or an opinion about you. In addition, our ability to provide you with comprehensive financial advice and services is dependent on us obtaining certain personal information about you, which may include:

• Your name, contact details, date of birth, tax file number
• Information regarding your dependents and family commitments
• Your occupation, and employment history
• Your financial needs and objectives
• Your assets, liabilities, income, expenses insurances, and social security entitlements
• Credit card and banking details

We will destroy or de-identify your personal information when it is no longer required.

Access and Correction

You have the right to access and request corrections to your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions. We may not disclose confidential formulae or evaluative decision-making details but can provide results or explanations. We may charge a fee for searching and providing access to your information. If access is denied, we will explain the reason. We strive to maintain accurate and up-to-date personal information, but its accuracy largely depends on the information you provide. Please inform us of any errors in your data.

Privacy Complaints

To report a breach or potential breach of our privacy policy or the National Privacy Principles, contact us using the methods provided and direct your complaint to the Privacy Officer. We will address your complaint within 30 days and aim to resolve it to your satisfaction. If unsatisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for further investigation.

Collection

Our main purposes for collecting personal information are to facilitate financial services advice and to update our records. At or before the time we collect personal information from you we will take reasonable steps to inform you why we are collecting that personal information, who else we might disclose that personal information to and what may happen if you do not provide personal information to us.

Data Security

We take measures to safeguard your information from unauthorised access, misuse, loss, or modification. Your data will be retained only as long as needed, except when required by law. We may share your personal information with third parties or external contractors, who must adhere to our privacy policy. Disclosure to third parties may occur if required or permitted by law, and you have the right to refuse such authorization. If we or your adviser plan to sell the business, your information may be disclosed to potential buyers for due diligence, under confidentiality agreements. If the sale occurs, your data may be transferred to the purchaser, and you will be informed of the transfer.

Use of Cookies

Our website utilises cookies to enhance your online experience by personalising content and saving time. Cookies are text files placed on your hard disk by a web server and are unique to each user, but they cannot run programs or transmit viruses. They help websites remember your information and preferences for easy access during subsequent visits. While most browsers automatically accept cookies, you can modify your settings to decline them; however, this may limit your ability to fully interact with the website's features.

Identifiers

In some circumstances we are required to collect unique identifiers, for example, your Medicare or tax file number. We will not use or disclose this information other than when required to do so by law or, or when consented to by you.

Anonymity

You may deal with us anonymously where it is lawful, practicable and reasonable to do so.

Sensitive Information

Without your consent, we will not collect sensitive information about you. Exceptions to this include where the information is required by law, or for the establishment, exercise, or defence of a legal claim.

Further information on privacy in Australia may be obtained by visiting the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

As a financial services organisation we are subject to certain legislative and regulatory requirements which necessitate us to obtain personal information about you, including s961B of the Corporations Act.

We collect information about you for the purpose of reporting to AUSTRAC under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

General Information

All of the material published on this website is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. This information is of a general nature only and has been provided without taking into account of the objectives, financial situation or needs of any specific user. Because of this, we recommend you consider, with or without the assistance of a financial adviser, whether the information is appropriate in light of your particular needs and circumstances.

Content and Third Parties

The information on this site is current at the date of publication but may be subject to change.

Whilst Assured have made every effort to ensure that information is free from error, we do not guarantee that the information or images are current, complete or correct and accept no responsibility therefore any unintended error. Assured does not accept liability for errors, omissions in, delays or interruptions to or cessation of access to this website, through negligence or for any other reason whatsoever. Assured does not guarantee that this website or third party websites will be free from viruses.

References to other sites are provided as an information service only and should not necessarily be construed as an endorsement. Conversely, omissions should not be construed as non-endorsement.

Although every care is taken to provide links to suitable material from this site, the nature of the Internet prevents us from guaranteeing the quality, suitability, completeness or accuracy of any of the material that this site maybe linked to. Assured accepts no responsibility for the content of that material including any unsuitable or inaccurate material that may be encountered.

Assured is not responsible for the accuracy or legitimacy of information found elsewhere on the Internet and there is no guarantee that any of the sites listed will be available at any particular time. Subject to any terms implied by law and which cannot be excluded, we accept no responsibility for any loss, damage, cost or expense (whether director indirect) incurred by you as a result of any error, omission or misrepresentation in any information in this site.

Assured does not guarantee any services which might be announced nor provide any authorisation direct or indirect relating to use of information or links.

Intellectual Property Rights

Except for copyright in these Terms and Conditions of use, Assured asserts copyright and all other intellectual property rights in this website, unless otherwise stated. Except where indicated to the contrary, all trade marks which appear on this website are the property of Assured and are indicated by the appropriate symbol.

Assured also reserves copyright and all other intellectual property rights in all our documents and images appearing on or linked to this web site. Users of this website may download a single copy of these documents and images for their personal use only.

Except where allowed in this notice or permitted under the Copyright Act 1968(Cth) or other applicable laws, no information appearing on or linked to by this web site in which we have reserved copyright shall be reproduced in any form, adapted or transmitted in any form by any process, including electronic form, without our express permission.

Withdrawal and Suspension of Service

Assured may withdraw completely, or suspend for a period of time, this website, or access to it for any reason including without limitation:

• if there is an interruption, fault, virus, unauthorised access, denial of service or other malicious attack on any part of our computer or telecommunications system;
• if you breach any part of these Terms of Use;
• if you use this website for an inappropriate purpose, including the storage or transmission of inappropriate or offensive material.

Privacy Policy

Assured respects the privacy of our clients, agents and associates and protect your personal information. We comply with the National Privacy Principals (NPPs) as implemented under the Privacy Amendment(Private Sector) Act 2000 ('Privacy Act'), which came into effect on 21December 2001. The Privacy Act established a national scheme for the handling of personal information by private sector organisations. The NPPs are the minimum privacy standards. This Privacy Policy outlines how Assured safeguards the privacy of your personal information in compliance with the privacy laws. The scope of the principles set out in our Privacy Policy extends to any personal information you give to us in person, through the telephone, via our website or pursuant to any other arrangement. Acts and practices of ours which are directly related to the employee records of our current and former employees are exempt from the coverage of the NPPs and this Privacy Policy does not apply to them.

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Engagement disclosures

As a Registered Tax Agent, our work for you is performed in accordance with the Tax Agent Services Act 2009. Under this Act, the Tax Agent Services (Code of Professional Conduct) Determination 2024 requires that we make the following disclosures to you:

1. Matters that could significantly influence your decision to engage us (or continue to engage us) for a Tax Agent Service. Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty Ltd have not have any significant matters to disclose and we can confirm the following:

• No prior material breaches of the Act;
• No current or former investigations by the Tax Practitioners Board;
• No sanctions imposed by the Tax Practitioners Board;
• No conditions applied to its tax agent registration; and
• No use of disqualified entities.

2. The Tax Practitioner's Board maintains a register of the Tax Agents and BAS Agents. You can access and search this register here: Information for clients – Taxpayers Search the TPB public register.

3. If you have a complaint about our Tax Agent services, you will need to contact Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty Ltd in the first instance with details by email. If we are unable to resolve your complaint within 3 business days, please contact the partner of the business Paul Tsimopoulos by email. Your complaint will be investigated by Paul Tsimopoulos or a staff member who is not involved in the subject matter of the dispute where possible. We will provide you with an email acknowledgement of receipt of your complaint and our understanding of the circumstances. The email will inform you that we will attempt to resolve your complaint within 14 days and will outline the dispute resolution process. If you are unhappy with the outcome that we propose to you, you can then make a complaint to the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) using the link listed above. The TPD will send you an acknowledgement email to acknowledge the receipt of your complaint and review and risk assess your complaint. If you are unhappy with how the TPD has dealt with your complaint, the above link includes details about your review rights and who can further assist you.

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Privacy Policy - Synchron Advice

For details regarding Synchron Advice's privacy policy please refer to Privacy Policy | Synchron Advice

Synchron Advice is committed to protecting your privacy and developing technology that gives you the most powerful and safe online experience. This Statement of Privacy applies to the Synchron Advice Web site and governs data collection and usage. By using the Synchron Advice website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

Collection of your Personal Information

Synchron Advice may collect personally identifiable information, such as your e-mail address, first and last names, or company name. Synchron Advice may also collect anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as your Post code, age, gender, preferences, interests and favourites.

There is also information about your computer hardware and software that is automatically collected by Synchron Advice . This information can include: your IP address, browser type, domain names, access times and referring Web site addresses. This information is used by Synchron Advice for the operation of the service, to maintain quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of the Synchron Advice Web site.

Please keep in mind that if you directly disclose personally identifiable information or personally sensitive data through Synchron Advice public message boards, this information may be collected and used by others. Note: Synchron Advice does not read any of your private online communications.

Synchron Advice encourages you to review the privacy statements of Web sites you choose to link to from Synchron Advice so that you can understand how those Web sites collect, use and share your information. Synchron Advice is not responsible for the privacy statements or other content on Web sites outside of the Synchron Advice family of Web sites.

Use of your Personal Information

Synchron Advice collects and uses your personal information to operate the Synchron Advice Web site and deliver the services you have requested. Synchron Advice also uses your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from Synchron Advice and its affiliates. Synchron Advice may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered.

Synchron Advice does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties. Synchron Advice may, from time to time, contact you on behalf of external business partners about a particular offering that may be of interest to you. In those cases, your unique personally identifiable information (e-mail, name, address, telephone number) is not transferred to the third party. In addition, Synchron Advice may share data with trusted partners to help us perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, provide customer support, or arrange for deliveries. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to Synchron Advice, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

Synchron Advice does not use or disclose sensitive personal information, such as race, religion, or political affiliations, without your explicit consent.

Synchron Advice keeps track of the Web sites and pages our customers visit within Synchron Advice, in order to determine what Synchron Advice services are the most popular. This data is used to deliver customized content and advertising within Synchron Advice to customers whose behaviour indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area.

Synchron Advice Web sites will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Synchron Advice or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Synchron Advice; and, (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of Synchron Advice, or the public.

Use of Cookies

The Synchron Advice Web site use “cookies” to help you personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the Web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize Synchron Advice pages, or register with Synchron Advice site or services, a cookie helps Synchron Advice to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of recording your personal information, such as billing addresses, shipping addresses, and so on. When you return to the same Synchron Advice Web site, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the Synchron Advice features that you customized.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the Synchron Advice services or Web sites you visit.

Security of your Personal Information

Synchron Advice secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. Synchron Advice secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. When personal information (such as a credit card number) is transmitted to other Web sites, it is protected through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

Changes to this Statement

Synchron Advice will occasionally update this Statement of Privacy to reflect company and customer feedback. Synchron Advice encourages you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how Synchron Advice is protecting your information.

Contact Information

Synchron Advice is committed to protecting your privacy and developing technology that gives you the most powerful and safe online experience. This Statement of Privacy applies to the Synchron Advice Web site and governs data collection and usage. By using the Synchron Advice website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.

Further Information

Synchron Advice Pty Ltd (Synchron)

Phone: 02 9248 0422

Email: info@synchron.net.au

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Who are we?

‘We’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ refers to the Broker, Aggregator, Australian Credit Licensee and our related businesses outlined in the Credit Guide provided to you.

Our commitment to protect your privacy

We understand how important it is to protect your personal information. This document sets out our privacy policy commitment in respect of personal information we hold about you and what we do with that information.

We recognise that any personal information we collect about you will only be used for the purposes we have collected it or as allowed under the law. It is important to us that you are confident that any personal information we hold about you will be treated in a way which ensures protection of your personal information.

Our commitment in respect of personal information is to abide by the Australian Privacy Principles for the protection of personal information, as set out in the Privacy Act and any other relevant law.

Personal information

When we refer to personal information we mean information from which your identity is reasonably apparent. This information may include information or an opinion about you. The personal information we hold about you may also include credit information.

Credit information is information which is used to assess your eligibility to be provided with finance and may include any finance that you have outstanding, your repayment history in respect of those loans, and any defaults. Usually, credit information is exchanged between credit and finance providers and credit reporting bodies.

The kinds of personal information we may collect about you include your name, date of birth, address, contact details, account details, occupation, and any other information we made need to identify you.

If you submit inquiries or information using our website we may also collect the type of finance and the amount of finance that you are interested in obtaining, and any information that you provide to us directly through our website or indirectly through use of our website.

If you are applying for finance we may also collect the ages and number of your dependants and cohabitants, the length of time at your current address, your employment details and proof of earnings and expenses. If you apply for any insurance product through us we may also collect your health information. We will only collect health information from you with your consent.

Why we collect your personal information

We collect personal information for the purposes of assessing your application for finance and managing that finance. We may also collect your personal information for the purposes of direct marketing and managing our relationship with you. From time to time we may offer you other products and services.

We collect personal information on our website to send communications requested by you and to answer enquiries and provide information or advice to you.

To enable us to maintain a successful business relationship with you, we may disclose your personal information to other organisations that provide products or services used or marketed by us. We may also disclose your personal information to any other organisation that may have or is considering having an interest in your finance, or in our business.

How do we collect your personal information?

Where reasonable and practical we will collect your personal information directly from you.

We may also collect your personal information from LM Broker Services, other finance brokers and other people such as accountants and lawyers.

Do we disclose your personal information?

We may disclose your personal information:

• to prospective funders or other intermediaries in relation to your finance requirements;
• to other organisations that are involved in managing or administering your finance such as third party

suppliers, printing and postal services, call centres;

• to associated businesses that may want to market products to you;
• to companies that provide information and infrastructure systems to us;
• to anybody who represents you, such as finance brokers, lawyers and accountants; • to anyone, where you

have provided us consent;

• where we are required to do so by law, such as under the Anti-Money or Laundering and Courter Terrorism

Financing Act 2006 (Cth);

• to investors, agents or advisers, or any entity that has an interest in our business; or
• to your employer, referees or identity verification services.

Prior to disclosing any of your personal information to another person or organisation, we will take all reasonable steps to satisfy ourselves that:

(a) the person or organisation has a commitment to protecting your personal information at least equal to our

commitment, or

(b) you have consented to us making the disclosure.

Do we disclose your personal information to anyone outside Australia?

We may disclose personal information to our related bodies corporate and third party suppliers and service providers located overseas for some of the purposes listed above. We take reasonable steps to ensure that the overseas recipients of your personal information do not breach the privacy obligations relating to your personal information.

We may disclose your personal information to entities and services located outside of Australia, including the following:

• our data hosting and other IT service
• providers, located in various countries; and
• other third parties located in various foreign countries, including Philippines & USA.

Your personal information may be stored in the cloud in an overseas country. If your information is stored in this way, disclosures may occur in countries other than those listed.

In the event that a disclosure is made in an overseas country, the information will be under a foreign law and may not be protected by the Australian Privacy Principles. In any event, by providing your details, you consent to your information being disclosed in this manner.

Direct marketing

From time to time we may use your personal information to provide you with current information about finance, offers you may find of interest, changes to our organisation, or new products or services being offered by us or any company with whom we are associated.

If you do not wish to receive marketing information, you may at any time decline to receive such information by contacting us. If the direct marketing is by email you may also use the unsubscribe function. We will not charge you for giving effect to your request and will take all reasonable steps to meet your request at the earliest possible opportunity.

Updating your personal information

It is important to us that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and up to date. During the course of our relationship with you we may ask you to inform us if any of your personal information has changed.

If you wish to make any changes to your personal information, you may contact us. We will generally rely on you to ensure the information we hold about you is accurate or complete.

Access and correction to your personal information

We will provide you with access to the personal information we hold about you. You may request access to any of the personal information we hold about you at any time.

We may charge a fee for our costs of retrieving and supplying the information to you.

Depending on the type of request that you make we may respond to your request immediately, otherwise we usually respond to you within seven days of receiving your request. We may need to contact other entities to properly investigate your request.

There may be situations where we are not required to provide you with access to your personal information, for example, if the information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings, or if your request is vexatious.

An explanation will be provided to you if we deny you access to the personal information we hold about you.

If any of the personal information we hold about you is incorrect, inaccurate or out of date you may request that we correct the information. If appropriate we will correct the personal information. At the time of the request, otherwise, we will provide an initial response to you within seven days of receiving your request. Where reasonable, and after our investigation, we will provide you with details about whether we have corrected the personal information within 30 days.

We may need to consult with other entities as part of our investigation.

If we refuse to correct personal information we will provide you with our reasons for not correcting the information.

Using government identifiers

If we collect government identifiers, such as your tax file number, we do not use or disclose this information other than required by law. We will never use a government identifier in order to identify you.

Business without identifying you

In most circumstances it will be necessary for us to identify you in order to successfully do business with you, however, where it is lawful and practicable to do so, we will offer you the opportunity of doing business with us without providing us with personal information, for example, if you make general inquiries about interest rates or current promotional offers.

Sensitive information

We will only collect sensitive information about you with your consent. Sensitive information is personal information that includes information relating to your racial or ethnic origin, political persuasion, memberships in trade or professional associations or trade unions, sexual preferences, criminal record, or health.

How safe and secure is your personal information that we hold?

We will take reasonable steps to protect your personal information by storing it in a secure environment. We may store your personal information in paper and electronic form. We will also take reasonable steps to protect any personal information from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with how we have dealt with your personal information, or you have a complaint about our compliance with the Privacy Act, you may contact us via the contact link on our website.

We will acknowledge your complaint within seven days. We will provide you with a decision on your complaint within 30 days.

If you are dissatisfied with the response of our complaints officer you may make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner which can be contacted on either www.oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.

Further information

You may request further information about the way we manage your personal information by contacting us.

Change in our privacy policy

We are constantly reviewing all of our policies and attempt to keep up to date with market expectations. Technology is constantly changing, as is the law and market place practices.

As a consequence we may change this privacy policy from time to time or as the need arises.

You may request this privacy policy in an alternative form.

Effective date: August 2021

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Website Policy

This website policy includes a website that allows consumers to fill in questionnaires, forms and surveys, loan applications, subscription services and online expert chat.

About this Website Policy

This website policy applies to this website, which is operated on behalf of Assured Lending Solutions Pty Ltd ACN 604 895 552 and its related bodies corporate (we, us and our).

We are committed to protecting your privacy.

This policy explains how your personal information will be treated as you access and interact with this website.

Our website privacy policy may change from time to time.

Collection and use of information

We may collect personal information from you directly or via your use of our services. We will only collect personal information which is reasonably necessary for, or directly related to, our functions or activities.

Sensitive information

Sensitive information is any information about a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinion, membership of a political association, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, membership of a professional or trade association, membership of a trade union, sexual preferences or practices, criminal record or health information.

We will not ask you to disclose sensitive information, but if you elect to provide sensitive information it will also be captured and stored.

Information from third parties

Our website also contains links to the websites of third party providers of goods and services (Third Party websites). If you have accessed Third Party websites through our website and if those third parties collect information about you, we may also collect or have access to that information as part of our arrangements with those third parties.

Where you access a Third Party website from our website, cookie information, information about your preferences or other information you have provided about yourself may be shared between us and the third party.

Advertising and tracking

When you view our advertisements on a Third Party website, the advertising company uses 'cookies' and in some cases 'web beacons' to collect information such as:

• the server your computer is logged onto;
• your browser type;
• the date and time of your visit; and
• the performance of their marketing efforts.

When you access our website after viewing one of our advertisements on a Third Party website, the advertising company collects information on how you utilise our website (eg which pages you view) and whether you complete an online application.

Cookies

We use ‘cookies’ to provide you with better and more customised service and with a more effective website.

A ‘cookie’ is a small text file placed on your computer by our web page server. A cookie can later be retrieved by our webpage servers. Cookies are frequently used on websites and you can choose if and how a cookie will be accepted by configuring your preferences and options in your internet browser.

We use cookies for different purposes such as:

• to allocate a unique number to your internet browsers;
• to customise our website for you;
• for statistical purposes;
• to identify if you have accessed a Third Party Website; and
• for security purposes.

IP addresses

Your IP address is the identifier for your computer when you are using the internet.

It may be necessary for us to collect your IP address for your interaction with various parts of our website.

Online applications

When you send a completed online application to us, we retain the information contained in that application. We are able to then use that information to provide any financial services that you require.

You can also suspend and save online applications, so you can complete and send the applications at a later time. If you suspend or save your application, the information that you have entered will be retained in our systems so that you may recover the information when you resume your application.

Online applications that have been suspended or saved may be viewed by us.

Security of information

The security of your information is very important to us.

We regularly review developments in security and encryption technologies. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as totally secure.

We take all reasonable steps to protect the information in our systems from misuse, interference, loss, and any unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

If we no longer require your information, and we are legally permitted to, we will take all reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify the information.

We take reasonable steps to preserve the security of cookie and personal information in accordance with this policy. If your browser is suitably configured, it will advise you whether the information you are sending us will be secure (encrypted) or not secure (unencrypted).

Direct marketing

We will not use or disclose sensitive information about you for direct marketing purposes unless you have consented to that kind of use or disclosure.

We may use your personal information for direct marketing purposes. If you do not wish to receive direct marketing communications from us or from other organisations, or wish to know the source of the information being used, you may submit a request here. We will respond to your request as soon as practicable.

Disclosure to overseas entities

We do not generally disclose personal information obtained from cookies to overseas entities in the course of our activities.

Please contact us on 08 8384 4400 if you would like further information.

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

Complaints resolution

We aim to provide the very best service for our clients. In the event that you are unhappy regarding any part of our service, our internal dispute resolution process provides that your complaint will be handled efficiently, honestly and fairly.

Assured Lending Solutions Pty Ltd is authorised as a credit representative (Credit Representative number 475679) to engage in credit activities on behalf of BLSSA Pty Ltd (ACN 117 651 760) (Australian Credit Licence number 391237) who may assist us in the investigation and resolution of your complaint.

Should you have a complaint about our services, please contact:

Complaints Officer:

Paul Tsimopoulos

ADDRESS: 2 Stirling Drive, Morphett Vale, SA, 5162

PHONE: 08 8384 4400

EMAIL: paul@assuredwealth.com.au

BLSSA Pty Ltd Complaints Officers:

ADDRESS: BLSSA Advice Complaints, Level 15/360 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000

PHONE: 03 9320 1082 or 1800 763 486 (toll free) Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (AEST)

EMAIL: resolutions@loanmarketgroup.com.au

The Complaints Officers are senior personnel in our organisation and in BLSSA Pty Ltd and have the necessary experience and authority to handle your complaint and make relevant decisions on outcomes.

The complaint need not be in writing and may be presented by any reasonable means, for example letter, telephone, post on social media site owned by our organization, email or in person. Please ensure you give us full particulars of your complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you may contact the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) (of which we and BLSSA Pty Ltd are members) on:

Online: www.afca.org.au

Email: info@afca.org.au

Phone: 1800 931 678

Mail: GPO Box 3 Melbourne VIC 3001

If the complaint is about privacy and you are not satisfied with the outcome of our investigations, you may ask the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to consider the complaint. The Information Commissioner can be contacted online at OAIC privacy complaints or on 1300 363 992.

AWARENESS

All staff and consultants who deal with (or are likely to deal with) clients, are aware of the names, titles and telephone numbers of our and BLSSA Pty Ltd’s Complaints Officers.

Each staff member and consultant is also instructed in how to transfer a client who has a complaint to our Complaints Officer or BLSSA Pty Ltd’s Complaints Officer; and what client details to record if the Complaints Officers are for any reason unavailable (this information will include a minimum of the name, telephone number, and description of the product or transaction to which the complaint relates). We and BLSSA Pty Ltd do not charge any fee in respect to any complaint.

TIMELINESS

We will provide a written acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint to the client within 24 hours (1 business day) or as soon as practicable unless the complaint is otherwise resolved in the meantime.

We will ensure that a final response is given to you as soon as possible, but within twenty one (21) or thirty (30) days of receipt of the complaint.

If we or BLSSA Pty Ltd are unable to deal with the complaint as it relates to a third party (for example, a lender), we or BLSSA Pty Ltd may ask you to contact the relevant third party.

For certain types of complaints, involving “default notices” or urgent disputes such as “applications for hardship”, a final response must be provided within twenty one (21) days.

Final responses to complaints not involving financial hardship should be received by you within thirty (30) days.

If we cannot respond to you within relevant timeframes, we will inform you within thirty (30) days of the reasons for the delay and of your right to refer the complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) or, in the case of privacy complaints, to the Australian Information Commissioner.

We will have provided a final response to you if we:

(a) Accept the complaint and, if appropriate, offer redress, or

(b) Offer redress without accepting the complaint; or

(c) Reject the complaint.

WRITTEN RESPONSE TO A CLIENT

We will give you a written response to your complaint and the reasons for reaching a particular decision on the complaint. We will adequately address the issues that are raised in the complaint.

Where practicable, our response will refer to applicable provisions in Legislation, Codes, Standards or Procedures.

We will inform you of the contact particulars of our EDR Scheme and, for privacy complaints, the Australian Information Commissioner if you are not satisfied with the outcome of our investigating the complaint.

REMEDIES

If we accept the complaint and are of the view that it is appropriate to offer redress to you, that redress may be non-financial as well as, or instead of, financial. If we consider that a financial remedy is appropriate then we will provide compensation for any direct loss or damage caused.

We will, when determining the appropriate remedy, take into consideration the extent of loss or damage suffered by you, relevant legal principles, EDR scheme rules, the MFAA Code of Practice and other relevant codes of conduct and concepts of fairness and relevant industry best practice.

DATA COLLECTION

We will keep data concerning the complaint in such form and manner as we think fit and will enable analysis according to:

(a) Type of complaint;

(b) Subject of complaint;

(c) Outcome of complaint;

(d) Timeliness of response.

So that we can identify any systematically recurring problems, we will classify complaints accordingly.

Subject to legal constraints including our privacy obligations, we will make available data collected in respect of the complaint upon request to the EDR Scheme, of which we are a member, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

REVIEW

We will review our Internal Dispute Resolution Procedures at least every three (3) years to ensure that our complaints systems are operating effectively.

This document was reviewed on 01 October 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Assured Business & Wealth Advisors Pty. Ltd. Liability Limited by a Scheme Approved under Professional Standards Legislation.