Privacy Policy

Last updated July 27, 2026

The short version

This portal exists so you can exchange documents and information with your accounting firm securely. We collect only what serving you requires, we do not sell or rent anything about you to anyone, and the tax and financial information you trust us with is protected by both this policy and federal law.

Who we are

Fredrick James Accounting, Tax & Consulting ("the firm", "we") operates this client portal at portal.fredrickjames.com for its clients. Questions about this policy can go to info@fredrickjames.com or (727) 474-0922.

What we collect

Your account information: name, email address, and mobile phone number, provided when the firm invites you. Accounts are created by the firm only; there is no self-registration.

The content you and the firm exchange through the portal: documents you upload, documents we deliver to you, descriptions and notes you attach, intake form answers, invoices, and the full history of text messages and attachments when you communicate with us by SMS.

Signature evidence: when you sign a document electronically, we record the signature, the date and time, the network address and device used, and your consent to sign electronically. This is what makes the signature dependable.

Technical records: sign-in history and an audit log of actions taken in the portal, kept for security and required recordkeeping.

What we deliberately do not store here: Social Security numbers and employer identification numbers are not collected or stored in the portal. Passwords are stored only as one-way cryptographic hashes that cannot be reversed.

How we use it

To provide accounting, tax, and consulting services to you; to communicate with you about your engagement; to meet professional, legal, and regulatory obligations; and to keep the portal secure. Nothing more. We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not sell or rent it.

Federal protections for your financial information

As an accounting firm, we are subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the FTC Safeguards Rule, which restrict how nonpublic personal information may be handled and require a written security program. Tax return information receives further protection under Internal Revenue Code section 7216: it is not disclosed or used for any purpose other than preparing your returns without your written consent, except as the law specifically permits.

Text messaging

We text with clients only after you agree to it. Message frequency varies with the activity on your engagement. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP at any time to stop receiving texts; reply START to resume; reply HELP or call (727) 474-0922 for assistance.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent are not shared with or sold to any third party.

Who we share information with

Service providers that make the portal work, and only to the extent their role requires: Amazon Web Services stores documents and backups in encrypted form, Twilio carries text messages, Intuit QuickBooks handles invoicing when connected, and our email provider delivers portal notifications. Each acts on our instructions.

Beyond that, we disclose information only when you direct us to, when a law or valid legal process requires it, or as permitted for professional standards reviews. We never sell client information.

How it is protected

Everything moves over encrypted connections and is stored encrypted. Every account, client and staff alike, is protected by two-factor authentication. Documents live in private storage reachable only through short-lived signed links. Invitation and reset links are stored only as hashes, so nothing in our database is a working link. An append-only audit log records portal activity.

How long we keep it

As long as our professional and legal obligations require. For example, the IRS requires signed e-file authorizations to be retained for three years. Backups are kept on a rolling schedule and age out automatically. When retention periods end, records are deleted.

Cookies

The portal sets only the cookies it needs to work: one that keeps you signed in during a session, and one, if you choose "remember this device", that lets your device skip the two-factor code for thirty days. There are no advertising cookies, no analytics trackers, and no third-party cookies.

Your choices

You can see the documents, messages, forms, and invoices on your file by signing in. To correct account information, change your phone number, stop text messages, or ask questions about anything we hold, contact the office and we will take care of it.

Children

The portal is for the firm's clients and their authorized representatives. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under eighteen except as part of a client household's tax matters.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes in a way that matters, we will tell you through the portal or by email before the change takes effect, and the date at the top will move.