Legal

Privacy Policy

For USA and Canada — Last Updated: March 2026

We are Forward Financial Inc. (“Forward”, “we”, “us”, “our”). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and disclose your information, including information that can be used to identify you, directly or indirectly, as defined by applicable laws (“Personal Information”), in connection with our website at https://www.forwardinheritance.com and any of its subdomains, and any other websites owned and hosted by us (the “Site”), our mobile application or online platform (together with our Site, the “Forward Platform”) as well as any of our other products and services offered on or through the Forward Platform (the “Services”). This Privacy Policy and our Financial Privacy Notice are incorporated into our Terms.

For residents of California, please see our Notice at Collection below.

If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. If you still have any questions or concerns, please contact us at privacy@forwardinheritance.com.

What Personal Information We Collect

Because we are a financial institution regulated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Personal Information we collect in connection with your request for consumer financial products and services constitutes “nonpublic personal information” subject to our Financial Privacy Notice, and we may be exempt from certain state privacy laws.

Therefore, when you visit the Forward Platform or use our Services to apply for a financial product or service, to open and maintain an Account, to take advantage of deals and other third-party offerings, you signify acceptance to the terms of this Privacy Policy and our Financial Privacy Notice, and consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your Personal Information as described herein and therein.

Information That You Provide or Authorize Us to Collect

This is information that you provide directly to us or authorize us to collect from our affiliates and non-affiliated third-party partners. This information could be collected when you register for an Account. The Personal Information that you provide or authorize us to collect may include:

Contact and Demographic Information

Full legal name, email address, date of birth, physical address, telephone number, or other similar identity verification information. We collect this directly from you, from any third-party sources to which you give us access, from our service providers and from publicly available sources. We use this to provide and support the Forward Platform and the Services, manage our relationships with you, respond to inquiries, send service communications, authenticate users, and comply with legal obligations. Retention generally aligns to the duration of your business relationship with us plus a reasonable period to comply with legal, tax, and audit requirements.

Financial Account Information

Account balances, payment and transactional history on any financial products or services you use that are offered by Forward, as well as information about external Linked Accounts, e.g., account number, account balance, account activity (e.g., direct deposit, spending and trading activities), account history, and any other transaction data. We use this to operate, maintain, and provide the Services to you. Retention corresponds to the duration of your business relationship with us, plus a reasonable period to comply with legal, tax, and audit requirements.

User Account Information

Account history, configuration choices, and records of interactions with us. We use it to operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Forward Platform and the Services, and for billing, audit, and compliance. Retention corresponds to the duration of your business relationship with us, plus a reasonable period to comply with legal, tax, and audit requirements.

Consumer Reporting Information

Credit score, credit data status (e.g., how long you've had a credit file, whether your credit is frozen), credit, payment, and bankruptcy histories, and the type and amount of any outstanding loans. We use this information for underwriting when you apply for financial products and services and to market financial products and services to you. Retention corresponds to the duration of your business relationship with us, plus a reasonable period to comply with legal, tax, and audit requirements.

Identity Verification and Authentication Information

Photographic images and other details, including of your government-issued photo identification. We partner with third parties to complete identity verification. We use this information to operate the Forward Platform, and to authenticate you when you apply for financial products and services. Retention corresponds to the duration of your business relationship with us, plus a reasonable period to comply with legal, tax, and audit requirements.

Payment Information

Information necessary to complete billing transactions, including your full name, your payment instrument number, and billing address. We use third parties to process our payments and to collect payment data. We use this information to operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Forward Platform and the Services, and for billing, audit, and compliance. Retention corresponds to contractual and legal requirements.

Sensitive Personal Information

Military status, Social Security number, driver's license number, passport number, or similar identifiers, if you choose to upload such information or if you are applying for a financial product or service. In addition, we may collect Personal Information from minors younger than 16 years of age if your minor registers for a minor's Account on the Forward Platform. We use this information to operate, provide, and maintain the Forward Platform and Services to you. Retention corresponds to the duration of your business relationship with us, plus a reasonable period to comply with legal, tax, and audit requirements.

Social Media

We may provide you with the option to link your social media accounts with your Account. If you choose this option, we will collect certain profile information from your social media account provider, as well as your login information, such as your username or password. Please note that we do not control, and are not responsible for, other uses of your personal information by your third-party social media provider. We recommend that you review their privacy notice to understand how they collect, use, and share your personal information, and how you can set your privacy preferences on their sites and apps. We store and use this information to provide and maintain the Forward Platform and our Services. Retention corresponds to the duration of your business relationship with us.

Feedback or Support Information

Personal information included in your communications with us, e.g., surveys, customer support communications, or inquiries. This may include your name, contact information, voice recording, and any other content or communication that you send to or share with us. We use this to provide you with customer support, and to solicit feedback to improve our products and services. Retention is limited to the purpose and duration necessary for operations, quality, dispute resolution, or compliance.

Inferences

We may derive personal information about you in the form of inferences, which are derivations of information, data, assumptions, or conclusions from facts, evidence or other sources of information or data about you. We do not use sensitive personal information for the purpose of building any inferences. We use this to improve and provide the Services to you. Retention is limited to the purpose and duration necessary for operations, quality, dispute resolution, or compliance.

By voluntarily providing us with Personal Information, you represent that the Personal Information you provide is true, accurate, current, and complete, and that you are authorized to provide it to us.

Information Automatically Collected

Whenever you interact with the Platform or the Services, we may automatically receive and record information from your computer, browser and/or mobile device, which may include the following:

Internet or Other Network Activity

IP addresses, device information, browser type, operating system, website usage patterns, and interaction data, including the content, features, and activities that you access, and the time, frequency, and duration of those activities, collected through cookies and similar technologies when you use our platform. We use it for security, to analyze performance, to improve the Platform and the Services, to remember preferences, and for fraud prevention. Retention varies by signal type and is typically short for security logs unless needed to investigate or comply with law.

Information You Send to Us About Others

Through your use of the Forward Platform and our Services, you may provide us with data, including Personal Information, you collect from others, including about other users. You are responsible for collecting any and all consents and authorizations required by applicable law before you share such third party's Personal Information with us or through the Forward Platform.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies, SDKs, pixels, and similar technologies for functionality, security, analytics, and, where applicable, advertising. On most web browsers, you will find a “help” section on the toolbar. Please refer to this section for information on how to receive notifications when you are receiving a new cookie and on how to turn cookies off. We recommend that you leave cookies turned on because they allow you to take advantage of some of the Services' features, and, if you block or delete cookies, the Services may not work properly.

Please note that the Forward Platform currently does not respond to “Do Not Track” (“DNT”) signals and operates as described in this Privacy Policy, whether or not a DNT signal is received.

Information Collected From Other Sources

We may collect any of the above categories of Personal Information about you from third parties, including payment processors, banks, identity verification partners, advertising networks, internet service providers, data analytics providers, government entities, social networks, and public databases, among others. If you link an authorized payment method or provide payment information to us through a third party, or if you link an external Linked Account, you grant us and these third parties the right, power, and authority to act on your behalf to access and transmit your personal and financial information from the relevant financial institution. You agree to your personal and financial information being transferred, stored, and processed by these service providers. You will have the opportunity to view or agree to these service providers' privacy policies before using their services.

How We Use Personal Information

We may use the Personal Information we collect for the following purposes:

To Provide Services

To verify your identity to comply with industry requirements, self-regulatory guidelines, applicable laws and regulations
To set up and maintain your Account
To personalize the Services when you visit our Platform
To monitor your use of the Services
To maintain our Services, Forward Platform, and operations
To process transactions made through the Services
To ensure the integrity and security of our Services
To perform identity verification in compliance with applicable laws and regulations
To detect and protect against security incidents and malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity
To debug to identify and repair errors in our systems
To verify or maintain the quality of our Services, and to improve, upgrade, or enhance our Services
To monitor conduct or content in accordance with our Terms or this Privacy Policy

For Analytics, Research, and Service Improvement

To monitor and measure your use of the Forward Platform and Services
To conduct testing, research, and surveys to understand how the Forward Platform and Services are being used
To conduct analytics, such as usage trends
To perform financial analysis to better understand pricing and other financial matters
To improve the content and functionality of the Services
To test and improve the quality of our matching process
To better understand user needs
To pre-populate certain fields in our forms, helping to streamline your experience

For Quality Assurance and Training

To monitor communications and interactions with you to ensure the quality of our support services
To respond to and resolve your inquiries

To Communicate With You

To provide information regarding your Account or other transactional information
To share opportunities, alerts, and promotions related to your submitted requests
To share contributions or other content that we think may be of interest to you

For Personalization and Advertising

To serve you with relevant advertising and content
To assess the effectiveness of ads displayed to you

To Comply With Applicable Laws

To investigate disputes or claims related to the Forward Platform or our Services
To respond to legal, government or regulatory requests
To comply with applicable laws

We may also use your Personal Information for any other legitimate business purposes not otherwise prohibited by law. In an ongoing effort to better understand and serve our users, Forward often conducts research on consumer demographics, interests, and behavior based on Personal Information and other information provided to us. This research may be compiled and analyzed on an aggregate basis, and Forward may share this aggregated data with its affiliates, agents, service providers, and other third parties. This aggregated information does not identify you personally.

How We Disclose Personal Information

We do not sell your Personal Information to any party.

We may disclose your Personal Information to the following categories of recipients:

Service Providers

We share Personal Information with certain third-party service providers who perform functions on our behalf, including cloud hosting, data analytics, payment processing, customer support, and technology services. These providers are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for the specific services they provide to us.

Other Users

We may share Personal Information with other users of the Forward Platform and Services as directed by you. For example, if you grant access to your Account to another user or if you add another user to your family circle.

Corporate Affiliates

We may disclose your Personal Information to affiliated companies for purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy (including for marketing and advertising purposes).

Business Partners

When we partner with other businesses to provide content, products, or services to you, we may disclose relevant Personal Information in connection with such content, products, or services.

Consumer Reporting Agencies

We may disclose basic Personal Information to consumer reporting agencies, either for purposes of completing a "soft" credit inquiry with your authorization, or as part of data studies intended to test the reliability of our internal data and improve the quality of our Services.

Third-Party Social Media Platforms

If you link your Account with your social media accounts, we will follow your instructions and grant the access or permission that you have selected.

Potential Parties to a Corporate Transaction

We may disclose your Personal Information to actual or potential buyers in connection with any actual or proposed purchase, merger, acquisition, reorganization, financing, bankruptcy, receivership, sale of company assets, or transition of service to another provider.

Law Enforcement Bodies, Government Agencies, Courts or Other Legal Parties

We may disclose your Personal Information where we believe disclosure is necessary to comply with applicable law; to exercise, establish, or defend our legal rights; to protect your rights or vital interests or those of any other person; or to detect, prevent, or otherwise address security, fraud, or technical issues.

We do not sell personal information to third parties. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or targeted advertising purposes. We may create and use de-identified or aggregated information for analytics, service improvement, and other lawful purposes.

Other Important Information

Your Choices

On the Forward Platform and in your Account, you may make changes to your settings and preferences, including privacy preferences.

You may opt out of marketing at any time in every marketing communication as applicable. Opting out will stop marketing emails and SMS/MMS as applicable. If you have an Account, you will continue to receive transactional or service-related emails and texts.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your country or state of residence, you may have the following data rights:

Right to Know/Access: Request information about our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information and obtain a copy in a portable format.
Right to Correct: Request that we correct inaccuracies in your personal information.
Right to Delete: Request that we delete personal information, subject to legal exceptions.
Right to Opt Out: Opt out of the sale of your personal information and the sharing or processing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or targeted advertising, as applicable.
Right to Appeal: Appeal our decision if we decline to act on your request.
Right of Portability: Request that your personal information is transferred.
Non-Discrimination: We will not unlawfully discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

You may submit a request by emailing privacy@forwardinheritance.com. We will verify your identity consistent with applicable law before fulfilling a request.

Data Retention

We retain each category of personal information for no longer than is reasonably necessary and proportionate to achieve the purposes for which the information was collected or processed. We determine retention periods based on factors such as the minimum data needed to provide and improve the Forward Platform and our Services, for security and fraud-prevention needs, to meet legal obligations, and recordkeeping requirements. Upon request, we will provide you with information regarding the specific retention periods for a specific type of personal information.

Children's Privacy

If you have a minor in your family to whom you would like to share your financial information, your minor may create an Account on the Forward Platform. Any minor's Account will need to be approved by an adult head of household.

A minor's Account may have limited features, but will be able to see your Account information. A minor will not be able to process any transactions through the Forward Platform or apply for any financial products or services.

A minor has all of the same data subject rights as described in this Privacy Policy. If you are the parent or legal guardian of the minor and wish to exercise any of these data subject rights on behalf of the minor, you may follow the processes set out in this Privacy Policy.

Links to Other Websites

This Privacy Policy applies only to our Platform and to the Services. The Platform may contain links to other websites not operated or controlled by us (the “Third-Party Sites”). The policies and procedures we described here do not apply to the Third-Party Sites. We suggest contacting those sites directly for information on their privacy policies.

Security

We employ administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include access controls, encryption in transit and at rest where appropriate, network and application security, logging and monitoring, personnel training, and vendor due diligence. No security program is perfect; we regularly evaluate and enhance our controls.

Jurisdictional Limits

As of the date of this Policy, all Personal Information is stored on servers in the United States and is subject to United States law. If you are visiting the Platform or accessing the Services from the European Union or other regions with laws governing data collection and use, please note that you are agreeing to the transfer of your information to the United States and the global processing of such information. As Forward expands, we will include region-specific privacy policies that may apply to you more specifically.

Updates to Our Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, Services, or legal requirements. We will post updates with a new effective date and take additional steps where required by law.

California Privacy Notice

This section describes how we collect, use, and share the Personal Information of California residents in our capacity as a “business” under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (collectively, “CCPA”) and the rights these users may have with respect to their Personal Information.

For purposes of this section, the term ‘Personal Information’ has the meaning given in the CCPA and does not include information exempted from the scope of the CCPA. This section does not apply to our collection, use, and sharing of personal information of our internal staff.

Categories of Personal Information we collect and disclose: We are a new company and may not have collected all of the categories of personal information as provided in this Privacy Policy. See “What information do we collect” for more information.

Sensitive Personal Information: We do not collect or process sensitive personal information for purposes of inferring characteristics about consumers, and we do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes other than those permitted by the CCPA regulations. Accordingly, the consumers' “Right to Limit” under the CCPA does not apply to our current practices.

Sales and Sharing: Under the CCPA, ‘sales’ and ‘sharing’ are broadly defined. We do not sell your personal information or share your personal information as those terms are defined by the CCPA.

Recordkeeping: We maintain records of consumer requests and our responses as required by law.

Automated Decision-making Technology (ADMT): We do not currently use ADMT to make significant decisions about consumers. If we begin doing so, we will provide a pre-use notice as required by law.

California Shine the Light

A California resident who has provided personal information to a business with whom he/she has established a business relationship for personal, family, or household purposes is entitled to request information about whether the business has disclosed personal information to any third parties for the third parties' direct marketing purposes, subject to certain exceptions under California Civil Code Sec. 1798.83. If you would like to exercise this right, please contact us using the contact information listed below.

Other State Privacy Rights

Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws (including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, Delaware, and others as they become effective) may have rights similar to those described above. Where these laws impose additional or different requirements, we will comply and provide state-specific supplements as necessary. To the extent we process de-identified personal information, we will maintain and use it in a de-identified form and will not attempt to re-identify it unless permitted by applicable law.

Canadian Privacy Rights

Residents of Canada may have rights under specific laws including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”), applicable provincial legislation, and for residents of Quebec, the Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector (“Law 25”).

Purposes of Collection. We limit our collection of personal information to what is necessary for the purposes identified in the Policy.

Consent. We obtain consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information. For sensitive personal information, we will obtain express consent unless an exception under applicable law applies. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions, by contacting the Privacy Officer.

Cross Border Transfers. Your personal information may be stored and processed in the United States or other jurisdictions outside Canada. Where personal information is transferred outside Canada, we implement contractual and other appropriate safeguards to ensure a comparable level of protection.

Breach Notification. If there is a breach of our security safeguards involving your personal information that creates a real risk of significant harm, we will, to the extent required by law, report the breach to the appropriate authorities and notify affected individuals.

Quebec Residents. For residents of Quebec, we require the consent of a parent or tutor for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information of minors under the age of 14. Additionally, we provide an opt-in consent mechanism before placing non-essential cookies or similar tracking technologies on your device. A French language version of the Privacy Policy is available upon request.

Complaints. If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy inquiry or rights request, you may escalate your complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (www.priv.gc.ca) or, for Quebec residents, the Commission d'accès à l'information (www.cai.gouv.qc.ca).

Other Country Privacy Rights

Residents of countries other than the United States may have rights additional or different to those described herein.

Contact Us

For privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints, please contact our designated Privacy Officer:

Name: Bryan Walley

Title: CEO

Email: privacy@forwardinheritance.com

Address: 1520-D Cloverfield, Santa Monica, CA 90404

For privacy rights requests, please email privacy@forwardinheritance.com with the subject line “Privacy Rights Request”.

Response Time: We will acknowledge receipt of your inquiry within 5 business days and provide a substantive response within 45 days (or such shorter time period as may otherwise be required by applicable law).