Privacy Policy
At Sentinel Wealth Management we are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This Policy describes our policies and practices for collecting, handling, storing, using and disclosing personal information. It also deals with how you can complain about a breach of the privacy laws, access the personal information we hold about you and have that information corrected (where necessary).
What personal information do we collect and hold?
Our business is to provide financial planning advice and other services to enable individuals to understand their financial needs and make financial and investment decisions. To do this effectively, we need to collect certain personal information.
We collect personal information about you directly from you – this can be in person, in documents you give us, from telephone or video calls, emails, applications forms or via our website. This can include a broad range of information from your name, address, date of birth, contact details to information about your personal and financial affairs including income, assets and liabilities, account balances, tax and financial statements and employment details.
We also record all of our interactions with you for compliance purposes (including by telephone, email and online).
We only collect sensitive information such as information relating to your health with your agreement and as necessary for the purpose of arranging applications for death, sickness and disability insurance.
We may also obtain information from other sources such as your accountant, solicitor, banks and other financial institutions with your prior consent.
From time to time we will also send you newsletters, events, articles and information that we believe will be of interest to you. We give you the option of electing not to receive these communications if you wish.
What if you don’t provide information to us?
If you choose not to provide the information we need to ensure our advice is appropriate to your situation, we may not be able to provide you with advice or recommend a service or product.
You can contact us without using your name or by using a pseudonym. However, we may need your name or contact details to respond to you.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
We strive to maintain the relevance, accuracy and completeness and currency of the personal information we hold and to protect its privacy and security. We keep personal information only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or to comply with any applicable legal reporting or document retention requirements.
We hold the information we collect from you in a combination of secure computer storage facilities and paper-based files. When your file is archived it is sent to an external data storage provider. We only use storage providers in Australia who are also regulated by the Privacy Act. We only keep paper-based files temporarily. All documents are scanned and shredded when not in use.
We ensure that your information is safe by encrypting our computers with Sophos, enabling Multi-factor authorisation and password protecting personal information over email. We maintain physical security over our paper and electronic data in our premises, by using locks and security systems.
Will we disclose your personal information to anyone?
We collect information necessary for the purpose of understanding and advising you on your financial affairs, or as required by law (Corporations Act 2001, FASEA Financial Planners and Advisers Code of Ethics 2019, Superannuation Act 2005, Tax Agent Services Act 2009 (TASA), Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Act 2006 and Australian Financial Complaints Authority Act 2018).
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to others. We may disclose your information (or parts thereof) to external parties or contractors who supply services to us, E.g. to handle mailings on our behalf, external data storage providers, platform providers, business consultants, or to other companies in the event of a corporate sale, merger, reorganisation, dissolution or similar event. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that they protect your information in the same way that we do.
Your information may be disclosed from time to time to our related parties in relation to the agreed purpose for which it was collected/held.
We may provide your information to others if we are required to do so by law or under some other unusual circumstances which the Privacy Act permits.
We will not disclose your information to overseas recipients unless it is necessary in relation to our financial planning advice or other services, we provide you, such as your overseas accountant, solicitor, banks and other financial institutions. If they are not regulated by laws which protect your information in a way that is similar to the Privacy Act, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that they protect your information in the same way that we do or seek your consent before disclosing your information to them.
How can you check, update or change the information we are holding?
You may ask us for access to your personal information and to correct it at any time.
Upon receipt of enough information to allow us to identify the information, we will tell you what personal information we hold about you. We will also correct, amend or delete your personal information if we agree it is inaccurate, irrelevant, out of date or incomplete.
To access or correct your personal information, please write to Justin Hooper, Managing Director at info@sentinelwealth.com.au.
We do not charge for receiving a request for access to personal information or complying with a correction request.
In most cases we do not charge for providing access to personal information. Depending on the amount of data and time frame of the information you request, we may charge you for our reasonable expenses incurred in providing you with access to your information.
In some limited situations, we may need to refuse access to your information or refuse a request for correction. We will advise you as soon as possible after your request if this is the case and the reasons for our refusal.
What happens if you want to complain?
We welcome your questions and comments about how we manage your privacy. If you have any concerns about whether we have complied with the Privacy Act, the Australian Privacy Principles or this Privacy Policy, please call us, send us an email or put your complaint in writing to our office.
Justin Hooper, Managing Director
Sentinel Wealth Management Pty Ltd
Level 24, 56 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
info@sentinelwealth.com.au
02 8908 5300
We aim to resolve complaints immediately. Where this is not possible, we will acknowledge the receipt of your complaint within 48 hours. We will then explain our process to resolve your complaint and tell you who will handle your complaint.
Your consent
By asking us to assist with your financial planning needs, you consent to the collection and use of the information you have provided to us for the purposes described above.
Updating this policy
This Privacy Policy was prepared on 24 November 2020. We may update it at any time. The new version will be published here.