Legal · vela.money

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: [DATE]Last Updated: [DATE]

The short version

Vela reads your financial data to show you what is happening with your money. We take that responsibility seriously. We do not sell your data. We do not use your data to train AI models. We do not share your information with advertisers. Your financial data is yours. We are a tool you use — not a product you become.

Who We Are

Vela is operated by FAST Funding Analysis & Strategy Technology LLC ("Vela," "we," "us," or "our"), a Delaware limited liability company. Our primary place of business is in Florida.

For privacy questions, contact us at: [email protected]

What Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Give Us Directly

Account information
When you create a Vela account, we collect your name, email address, and password. We do not store your password in plain text — it is encrypted.

Financial profile information
Through our onboarding and planning intake, you may provide information including your age, income, household size, employment type, financial goals, and behavioral preferences. This information is used to personalize your experience.

Documents you upload
You may upload financial documents including bank statements, tax returns, pay stubs, insurance policies, investment statements, and employer benefits packages. We store these documents securely and use them to generate insights for you. We do not share the contents of your uploaded documents with third parties except as described in this policy.

Estate planning intake
If you use the Jordan estate perspective, you may provide self-reported information about legal documents you have or do not have — including wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and beneficiary designations. This information is stored and used solely to generate your estate readiness analysis.

Communications
If you contact us by email or through the app, we retain those communications to respond to you and improve our service.

2.2 Information We Collect Automatically

Account activity
We collect information about how you use the app — which features you access, what perspectives you consult, how often you open the app, and what actions you take.

Device and connection information
We collect your device type, operating system, browser type, IP address, and general location (city/region level — not precise GPS).

Cookies and similar technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies for authentication, security, and basic analytics. We do not use tracking cookies for advertising purposes.

2.3 Information From Third-Party Services

Plaid — If you connect bank accounts, we use Plaid to access your financial account data. We receive transaction data, account balances, and account metadata from Plaid. We do not receive or store your bank login credentials. Plaid Privacy Policy →

Stripe — We use Stripe to process payments. We do not store your full credit card number. Stripe Privacy Policy →

OpenAI — The analytical intelligence that powers Vela's financial perspectives uses OpenAI's API. OpenAI processes this data under their API usage policies and does not use API data to train their models. OpenAI Privacy Policy →

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Delivering the service — To analyze your financial data, generate insights, and provide the personalized experience Vela is designed to deliver.
Improving the product — To understand how users interact with Vela and develop new features. We use aggregated and de-identified data for this purpose.
Security and fraud prevention — To detect and prevent unauthorized access and security threats.
Communications — To send you service notifications and updates. We do not send promotional communications from third parties.
Legal compliance — To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and lawful government requests.

What we do NOT use your information for:

Selling to advertisers or data brokers
Training AI models on your personal financial data
Targeting you with third-party advertising
Any purpose that would surprise you if you read it here

The Support Circle Feature

Vela offers an optional Support Circle feature that allows you to invite trusted individuals ("Supporters") to view certain aspects of your financial health. This is entirely optional and entirely under your control.

You invite a Supporter using their email address and choose what they can see. You can revoke a Supporter's access at any time, instantly. Your Supporters cannot make changes to your account or access your raw financial data.

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We do not rent your personal information. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

Service providers — Plaid, OpenAI, Stripe, Amazon Web Services, and email service providers. These providers are contractually required to protect your information.
Your Supporters — If you have enabled the Support Circle feature, we share the information you have specified with the individuals you have invited.
Legal requirements — If required by law, regulation, or court order.
Business transfers — If Vela is involved in a merger or acquisition, your information may be transferred. We will notify you before this happens.
With your consent — For any other purpose with your explicit prior consent.

Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored in the United States. Uploaded documents are stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS S3) with encryption at rest and in transit.

We implement industry-standard security measures including encryption in transit (TLS 1.2 or higher), encryption at rest, access controls, regular security assessments, and secure authentication including multi-factor authentication options.

No security system is perfect. If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it to [email protected].

Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period after account closure to comply with legal obligations.

Data Type	Retention Period
Account information	Duration of account + 3 years after closure
Financial transaction data	Duration of account + 3 years
Uploaded documents	Duration of account + 90 days after deletion request
AI-generated analyses	Duration of account + 1 year
Payment records	7 years (legal requirement)
Security and access logs	2 years
Support communications	3 years
Estate planning intake	Duration of account + 90 days after deletion

Children's Privacy

Vela is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected] and we will delete it.

Your Rights and Choices

Access — You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you at any time.
Correction — You may update or correct your personal information through your account settings.
Deletion — You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
Data portability — You may request an export of your data in a machine-readable format.
Opt-out of communications — You may opt out of marketing communications at any time.
California residents — You have additional rights under the CCPA, including the right to know, delete, and opt-out of sale (we do not sell your data).

To exercise your rights, email [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

Third-Party Links and Services

Vela may contain links to third-party websites or services. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you use.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and notify you by email or through the app if the changes are material.

Contact Us

For privacy questions, requests, or concerns:

Email: [email protected]
Mail: FAST Funding Analysis & Strategy Technology LLC, Attn: Privacy