Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and Budget Spotlight App ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") governing your access to and use of the Budget Spotlight web application, including any associated services, features, content, and functionality (collectively, the "Service").

By accessing or using the Service, you confirm that you:

• Are at least 18 years of age
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
• Will use the Service in accordance with these Terms
• Accept our Privacy Policy

If you are using the Service on behalf of a household or organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

2. Description of Service

Budget Spotlight is a family budget management web application that provides:

• Account Tracking: Track checking, savings, credit cards, loans, and investment accounts
• Virtual Piggy Banks ("Piggies"): Allocate income to spending categories
• Transaction Management: Import, categorize, and track financial transactions
• Debt Tools: Snowball and Avalanche debt payoff calculators
• Household Sharing: Multi-user access with role-based permissions
• Analytics: Spending insights and financial reporting

2.1 What We Are NOT

You are solely responsible for all financial decisions you make. The Service provides tools to organize your financial information, but does not make recommendations about what you should do with your money.

2.2 Data Accuracy

The Service relies on data you enter or import from financial institutions. We do NOT guarantee the accuracy of imported transaction data, the completeness of bank synchronization, real-time balance accuracy, or the accuracy of any financial calculations.

You are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all data in your account.

3. Account Registration and Security

3.1 Account Creation

To use the Service, you must:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information
• Maintain and promptly update your registration information
• Keep your authentication credentials secure and confidential
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account

3.2 Authentication

You may sign in using email and password or social authentication (Google, Apple). We require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for enhanced security.

3.3 Account Security

You are solely responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to secure your account credentials.

3.4 Household Accounts

When you create or join a household:

• You agree to share financial data with other household members
• The household owner controls membership and permissions
• Member roles (Owner, Admin, Member, Viewer) determine access levels
• Leaving a household removes your access to shared data

4. Acceptable Use

4.1 Permitted Use

You may use the Service for lawful personal or household budget management purposes.

4.2 Prohibited Activities

You agree NOT to:

• Access or attempt to access accounts belonging to others
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our systems
• Introduce malware, viruses, or other harmful code
• Use the Service for any illegal purpose or to commit fraud
• Provide false or misleading information
• Impersonate another person or entity
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service
• Use automated means to access the Service (bots, scrapers)
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service

4.3 Enforcement

We reserve the right to investigate suspected violations, suspend or terminate accounts, report illegal activities to law enforcement, and take any action we deem necessary to protect the Service.

5. Subscription and Payment

5.1 Free and Premium Tiers

Budget Spotlight offers a Free Tier with limited features and a Premium Tier with full features for a subscription fee.

5.2 Subscription Terms

Premium subscriptions are billed:

• Monthly: $7.99 per month
• Annually: $59.99 per year (save 37%)

Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled before the renewal date.

5.3 Payment Processing

Payments are processed by Stripe. By subscribing, you authorize recurring charges to your payment method and agree to Stripe's terms of service.

5.4 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Upon cancellation, you retain Premium access until the end of your billing period, then your account reverts to Free tier features.

5.5 Refunds

Subscription fees are generally non-refundable. We may provide refunds at our discretion for accidental purchases (within 48 hours), billing errors, or as required by law. Contact support@budgetspotlightapp.com for refund requests.

6. Third-Party Services

6.1 Bank Connections

The Service may connect to your financial institutions through:

• Manual Import: You upload CSV, OFX, or QFX files
• SimpleFIN: Automated sync service ($15/year paid directly to SimpleFIN)
• Plaid: OAuth-based bank connections

6.2 Third-Party Terms

When using third-party integrations, you agree to the third party's terms of service. We are NOT responsible for third-party service availability, data accuracy from third parties, or any third-party fees.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Our Property

The Service, including its design, features, code, graphics, logos, and content, is owned by us and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Service for personal purposes.

7.2 Your Data

You retain ownership of the financial data you input or import into the Service. By using the Service, you grant us a license to store and process your data to provide the Service, generate anonymized aggregated statistics, and back up your data for disaster recovery.

7.3 Feedback

If you provide feedback, suggestions, or ideas about the Service, you grant us an unrestricted, perpetual license to use such feedback without compensation or attribution.

8. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy. By using the Service, you consent to our data practices as described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Disclaimers

9.1 No Financial Advice

WE DO NOT PROVIDE FINANCIAL, TAX, LEGAL, OR INVESTMENT ADVICE. Any calculations, projections, or recommendations displayed by the Service are for informational purposes only. You should consult qualified professionals before making financial decisions.

9.2 Data Accuracy

WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR TIMELINESS OF DATA. Bank balances, transaction data, and calculations may contain errors. You are responsible for verifying all financial information.

10. Limitation of Liability

10.1 Liability Cap

10.2 Excluded Damages

WE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages; loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities; damages arising from your reliance on the Service; damages from third-party services; damages from unauthorized access to your account; or damages from errors in financial calculations.

10.3 Jurisdictional Limitations

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations of liability. In such cases, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Budget Spotlight App, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any rights of another person or entity
• Your financial decisions made using the Service
• Any data you upload or input into the Service

12. Dispute Resolution

12.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing a formal dispute, you agree to contact us at support@budgetspotlightapp.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

12.2 Binding Arbitration

12.3 Class Action Waiver

YOU AGREE TO RESOLVE DISPUTES ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS ONLY. You waive any right to participate in a class action, class arbitration, or representative action against us.

12.4 Exceptions

The following may be resolved in small claims court: claims within the court's jurisdiction, actions to protect intellectual property rights, and actions to obtain injunctive relief.

12.5 Opt-Out

You may opt out of binding arbitration by notifying us in writing within 30 days of creating your account. Send opt-out requests to legal@budgetspotlightapp.com.

13. Termination

13.1 By You

You may terminate your account at any time through account settings. Upon termination, your access to the Service ends immediately, your data is deleted according to our retention policy, and active subscriptions are canceled (no refund for partial periods).

13.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account for violation of these Terms, illegal or fraudulent activity, non-payment of fees, or at our sole discretion with reasonable notice.

13.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your license to use the Service ends, we may delete your data (after any legally required retention), and provisions that should survive termination will remain in effect.

14. General Provisions

14.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of California, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

14.2 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.

14.3 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

14.4 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision.

14.5 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.

14.6 Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by email or in-app notification. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

15. Contact Us

For questions about these Terms, contact us:

• Email: legal@budgetspotlightapp.com
• Support: support@budgetspotlightapp.com
• Website: www.budgetspotlightapp.com