Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how ForWidows.com ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you visit this website. By using ForWidows.com you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please stop using the site.

ForWidows.com is an independent educational publication. We do not require accounts and we do not run a backend application that stores user records. The information we collect is limited to standard server logs, analytics, advertising signals from our ad partners, and any data you voluntarily send us.

Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

If you email us at contact@forwidows.com, we receive your email address and the message you send. We use that information solely to respond to you.

Information stored locally on your device

The interactive tools on this site — the survivor benefits calculator, budget calculator, and 30-day checklist — save your inputs and progress to your browser's local storage. This data lives only on your device. It is never transmitted to our servers. Clearing your browser storage removes it.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the site, our hosting provider, analytics provider, and advertising partners may automatically receive:

• IP address (often truncated or anonymized by the provider)
• Browser type, version, language, and operating system
• Pages viewed, referring URL, time on page, and approximate location derived from IP
• Device type and screen size
• Standard cookie and identifier values

How We Use Information

• To deliver and improve the content and tools on this site
• To measure traffic and understand which articles readers find useful
• To respond to email inquiries
• To detect, prevent, and respond to abuse, fraud, and security issues
• To serve advertising through Google AdSense (see below)
• To meet our legal obligations

We do not sell personal information for monetary consideration. We do not build user profiles for resale.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar local-storage technologies for analytics, preferences, and advertising. For a category-by-category breakdown, see our Cookie Policy.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, including blocking or deleting them. Some browser features depend on cookies and local storage, so disabling them may affect parts of the site.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics (gtag.js, property G-V9SVXQB3G6) to understand aggregate, anonymized usage patterns. Google Analytics sets cookies that record information such as the pages you view and your interactions on this site. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Google's privacy practices for Analytics are described at policies.google.com/privacy.

Advertising and Google AdSense

ForWidows.com is reviewed for participation in Google AdSense. Once approved, Google and other third-party vendors may serve ads on this site.

For more on how Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services, see policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

Third-Party Vendors and Links

This site uses the following categories of third-party services:

• Hosting and content delivery — to serve the site over the public internet.
• Analytics — Google Analytics, as described above.
• Advertising — Google AdSense and its certified ad-tech partners.
• Affiliate networks — some outbound links to books or services may be affiliate links that drop a tracking cookie when you click. We disclose this in plain language on relevant pages.

Each vendor processes data under its own privacy policy. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites we link to.

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, our legal bases for processing your information are:

• Legitimate interests — operating the site, basic analytics, and security.
• Consent — for non-essential cookies, including advertising cookies, where required.
• Legal obligation — when required to retain or disclose information by law.

Your Rights

If you are in the EU, EEA, or UK (GDPR)

You have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to processing of your personal data, and the right to data portability. You may withdraw cookie consent at any time. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

If you are a California resident (CCPA / CPRA)

You have the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete personal information, the right to correct inaccurate information, and the right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. To exercise these rights, email contact@forwidows.com with the subject line "Privacy Request."

How to exercise your rights

For any privacy request, email contact@forwidows.com. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests. We do not discriminate against users for exercising these rights.

Data Retention

We retain email correspondence only for as long as necessary to handle your inquiry and any reasonable follow-up. Analytics data is retained according to Google Analytics' default retention settings. Advertising-cookie data is governed by the relevant ad partner's policy.

Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards. The site is served over HTTPS. No method of transmission or storage is fully secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children's Privacy

This site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU/UK). If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

International Transfers

Information processed by Google and other vendors may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other countries. Those vendors maintain their own safeguards for international transfers, including standard contractual clauses where applicable.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by an updated "Last reviewed" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Privacy Contact

For privacy questions or requests, email contact@forwidows.com. Allow 3–5 business days for a response. For more on what we do and do not provide, see our About page, our Cookie Policy, our Terms of Use, and our Editorial Disclaimer.