Cookie Policy

What Are Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Cookies are small text files that websites store on your device when you visit them. Think of them as digital sticky notes that help websites remember who you are and what you've done during previous visits. At Atera Online, we use various tracking technologies beyond traditional cookies to enhance your experience on our financial planning platform.

These technologies include web beacons, pixel tags, local storage, and session identifiers. Each serves a specific purpose in helping us understand how you interact with our services, which ultimately allows us to provide better financial guidance and more personalized economic planning tools.

Types of Tracking We Use

How Tracking Enhances Your Experience

When you use our financial planning tools, tracking technologies work behind the scenes to create a more personalized experience. For instance, if you frequently access our retirement planning calculator, we'll remember your inputs and preferences, saving you time during future visits.

Our analytical tracking helps us identify which educational resources are most helpful for different types of financial goals. If we notice that many users struggle with a particular planning concept, we can create additional resources or improve existing explanations. This collective intelligence benefits our entire community of users seeking better financial literacy.

Session tracking allows us to maintain your login status securely while you navigate between different planning tools. Without this, you'd need to re-authenticate every time you moved from your budget tracker to your investment portfolio review.

Data Retention and Your Control

Different types of tracking data have different lifespans. Essential cookies typically last only for your browsing session and disappear when you close your browser. Preference cookies might stay for several months to remember your settings. Analytical data is usually aggregated and anonymized within 30 days.

You have significant control over these technologies. Most modern browsers allow you to block or delete cookies entirely, though this might limit some functionality on our platform. You can also set your browser to notify you before accepting cookies, giving you choice on a case-by-case basis.

Third-Party Tracking and Partnerships

Some tracking on our site comes from trusted third-party services that help us provide better financial planning tools. For example, we might use analytics services to understand user behavior patterns or integrate with financial data providers to offer real-time market information.

These partners have their own privacy policies and tracking practices. While we carefully vet our partners to ensure they meet high privacy standards, we encourage you to review their policies as well. We never sell your personal information to third parties, and any data sharing is strictly limited to improving your financial planning experience.

If you're concerned about third-party tracking, most browsers offer "Do Not Track" settings that signal your preferences to websites. We respect these signals and work to minimize third-party tracking when you've indicated this preference.