1. Introduction
Welcome to The Prosper Journal (“we,” “our,” or “us”). We are an editorial publication covering personal finance, investing, lifestyle, and travel. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website at theprosperjournal.com, subscribe to our newsletter, or interact with our content.
By using our website, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the site.
2. Information We Collect
Information you provide directly:
- Name and email address when you subscribe to our newsletter
- Name, email, and message when you submit a contact form
- Comments you post on articles
- Any information you voluntarily share when entering competitions or surveys
Information collected automatically:
- IP address and approximate geographic location
- Browser type, operating system, and device information
- Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
- Clicks, scrolls, and other interaction data
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies
Information from third parties:
- Analytics data from Google Analytics
- Advertising data from Google AdSense
- Social sharing data if you interact with social media buttons on our site
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To deliver our newsletter — sending you weekly articles on finance, investing, travel, and lifestyle content you subscribed to receive
- To improve our content — understanding which articles, categories, and topics resonate most with our readers
- To respond to enquiries — replying to messages submitted through our contact form
- To serve relevant advertising — displaying Google AdSense advertisements that help fund our free editorial content
- To analyse site performance — monitoring traffic patterns, page load speeds, and user experience to improve the website
- To prevent fraud and abuse — detecting spam, bots, and malicious activity
- To comply with legal obligations — retaining records as required by applicable law
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. Ever.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies — small text files stored on your device — to operate and improve the website. Here is what we use:
Essential cookies are required for the website to function. They cannot be disabled without breaking core features such as comment forms and newsletter sign-up.
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics) help us understand how readers find and use our content. We use this data in aggregate form only. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking at any time via Google’s opt-out browser add-on.
Advertising cookies (Google AdSense) allow us to display personalised advertisements based on your interests. These cookies are set by Google, not by us. You can manage your Google ad preferences at adssettings.google.com.
Third-party cookies may be set when you interact with embedded content such as YouTube videos or social media sharing buttons. These are governed by the respective third party’s privacy policy.
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our site.
5. Google AdSense and Advertising
The Prosper Journal is a reader-supported publication that uses Google AdSense to display advertisements. In connection with AdSense:
- Google and its partners use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our site and other sites across the internet
- Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our site and other sites on the internet
- You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings
- We participate in the Google AdSense programme and comply with Google’s Publisher Policies
We do not have access to or control over the cookies that Google AdSense places on your device.
6. Newsletter and Email Communications
When you subscribe to The Prosper Journal newsletter, we collect your email address (and optionally your first name) to send you our regular editorial content.
- We use a third-party email service provider (such as Mailchimp) to manage our mailing list and send emails
- Your email data is stored on their servers in accordance with their privacy policy
- Every email we send includes a clear and functional unsubscribe link
- You can unsubscribe at any time, and we will remove you from our mailing list within 10 business days
- We do not share your email address with advertisers or unaffiliated third parties
7. Third-Party Links and Content
Our articles — particularly in our Travel, Finance, and Investing categories — frequently contain links to third-party websites, tools, brokers, banks, travel platforms, and services. Please be aware that:
- We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external websites
- Clicking a link to a third-party site means you are leaving The Prosper Journal and their privacy policy governs your interaction
- Some links on our site may be affiliate links, meaning we receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you
We recommend reading the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit.
8. Financial and Investment Content Disclaimer
The Prosper Journal publishes educational content on personal finance and investing. Nothing on this site constitutes financial advice, investment recommendations, or legal guidance. We are not a registered financial adviser.
Any personal data you share with us in relation to financial topics (for example, in comments or contact forms) is treated with the same care as all other personal data under this policy. We do not share such information with financial institutions or third parties.
9. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy:
- Newsletter subscribers — for as long as you remain subscribed, plus a reasonable period thereafter in case of resubscription
- Contact form submissions — up to 2 years from the date of submission
- Comment data — for as long as the relevant article remains published on the site
- Analytics data — in aggregate, anonymised form with no defined retention limit; individual-level data for up to 26 months (Google Analytics default)
When data is no longer needed, we delete it or anonymise it securely.
10. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to correction — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Right to erasure — request that we delete your personal data (“right to be forgotten”)
- Right to restrict processing — ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
- Right to data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
- Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
- Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on your consent, withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@theprosperjournal.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.
11. Children’s Privacy
The Prosper Journal is intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 18. If you believe a child has provided us with their personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@theprosperjournal.com and we will delete the data as soon as reasonably practicable.
12. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or destruction. These include:
- SSL/TLS encryption on all pages of the website (HTTPS)
- Access controls limiting who within our team can access personal data
- Regular security reviews of our third-party service providers
No method of internet transmission is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by law.
13. International Data Transfers
The Prosper Journal is operated from South Africa. If you access our website from outside South Africa, your data may be transferred to and processed in South Africa or other countries where our service providers operate (including the United States, where Google and Mailchimp are based).
These transfers are made in accordance with applicable data protection law, including the use of appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses where required.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page
- Post a notice on our website homepage for at least 30 days
- Send a notice to newsletter subscribers if the changes are significant
Your continued use of the website after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
15. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:
The Prosper Journal Email: privacy@theprosperjournal.com Website: theprosperjournal.com
For complaints that we are unable to resolve directly, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In South Africa, this is the Information Regulator: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg.