Terms of Use

Effective: July 6, 2026

www.personalfinanceinstitute.org and any content, features, or services offered through the site (collectively, the “Site”) are a free public educational resource provided by the Personal Finance Institute (“PFI,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. These Terms of Use, together with any terms expressly incorporated by reference, govern your access to and use of the Site. “You” and “your” mean each person who accesses or uses the Site.

By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use (these “Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Site. Failure to comply with these Terms may result in suspension or termination of your access to the Site without notice and without limitation of any other remedy available to PFI.

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY. THEY INCLUDE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY, A LIMITATION ON THE TIME TO BRING CLAIMS, A JURY TRIAL WAIVER, AND A CLASS ACTION WAIVER.

Educational Purpose; No Professional Advice

The Content on the Site is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on the Site constitutes financial, investment, legal, tax, accounting, or other professional advice, and no Content is intended to be relied upon as individualized advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular financial product, service, institution, transaction, adviser, or strategy. PFI is a nonprofit educational organization and is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, financial planning firm, law firm, accounting firm, or tax adviser.

Your use of the Site does not create any fiduciary, advisory, professional, client, or similar relationship between you and PFI.

You should consult a qualified financial, legal, tax, accounting, or other professional adviser before making any financial, legal, tax, investment, or similar decisions. PFI does not endorse any specific financial product, service, institution, adviser, investment, or strategy unless expressly stated.

Eligibility; Children

The Site is intended for users who are at least 13 years old. If you are under 13, you may use the Site only with the involvement and consent of a parent, guardian, teacher, or other responsible adult, and you may not submit personal information to PFI. Certain interactive features may be unavailable to users under 13.

Privacy

PFI’s collection, use, disclosure, and other processing of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy. By using the Site, you acknowledge that you have had an opportunity to review the Privacy Policy.

Cookies

The Site may use cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small data files placed on your device when you visit a website. PFI may use cookies and similar technologies to operate, secure, analyze, and improve the Site. For more information about how PFI uses cookies and similar technologies, please review our Privacy Policy.

Third-Party Links

The Site may contain hyperlinks to third-party websites or resources. These links are provided for your convenience only. PFI has no control over the content, accuracy, availability, privacy practices, security, products, services or policies of those sites and does not endorse them. You agree that PFI will not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by your use of or reliance on any content, goods, or services available through any linked third-party site.

Copyright and Limitations on Use

The content available through the Site, including text, graphics, educational materials, tools, articles, guides, videos, and other information (collectively, “Content”), is owned by PFI and, where applicable, its licensors, and is protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, and other applicable intellectual property laws.

Subject to these Terms, PFI grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Site and Content for personal, educational, and noncommercial purposes. You may view, download, print, and share links to Content from the Site for those purposes, provided that you do not remove attribution, copyright notices, trademark notices, or other proprietary notices.

Without the prior written consent of PFI, and except as expressly permitted by these Terms or applicable law, you agree not to:

• Copy, reproduce, store, post, upload, publish, distribute, or otherwise make available substantial portions of the Content except as expressly permitted by these Terms;
• Reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish, or broadcast Content for any commercial purpose;
• Create abstracts from, scrape, or display headlines or excerpts from the Site for use on another website or service in a manner that substitutes for the Site, misrepresents PFI’s relationship with you or any third party, or is otherwise commercial in nature;
• Frame, mirror, or use other means of redirecting Content from the Site without PFI’s prior written consent;
• Use Content from the Site for any commercial purpose;
• Decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer the Site, or attempt to obtain or perceive the source code from which any component of the Site is compiled or interpreted;
• Use automated means, including scrapers, crawlers, bots, scripts, or similar tools, to scan, scrape, index, monitor, copy, harvest, or extract data or content from the Site or any PFI property except as permitted by generally applicable search-engine indexing practices or with PFI’s prior written consent;
• Use the Site or Content to develop, train, improve, or commercialize any artificial intelligence, machine learning, or similar model or system without PFI’s prior written consent;
• Duplicate or create any derivative product from the Site, Content, or other PFI property;
• License, sublicense, lease, resell, or transfer any Content or other PFI property to a third party or allow third parties to gain access to PFI’s property;
• Remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices from the Site or Content;
• Submit, upload, post, or transmit any content that infringes, misappropriates, or otherwise violates the intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights of any person;
• Transmit material containing viruses, malware, or other harmful or deleterious computer code, files, scripts, agents, or programs through the Site;
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity, security, availability, or performance of the Site;
• Attempt to bypass, exploit, defeat, or disable limitations or restrictions placed on the Site;
• Conduct any denial-of-service (DoS) attack on the Site or otherwise attempt to disrupt, disable, damage, or overload the Site;
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, or the computer systems or networks related to the Site;
• Create a false identity or attempt to mislead others as to your identity or the identity of the sender or the origin of any data or communications;
• Use the Site to violate any law or the rights of others;
• Interfere with another person’s use and enjoyment of the Site; or
• Use or export the Site or Content in violation of U.S. export laws and regulations.

If you believe that another user of our Site is a repeat infringer, please contact info@personalfinanceinstitute.org and provide information so that we can verify the relevant user, account if any, and material you believe to be problematic.

You may reference or share links to Content from the Site, provided you clearly attribute the material to the Personal Finance Institute and include a reference to www.personalfinanceinstitute.org.

User-Submitted Content

To the extent the Site offers any interactive features that allow you to post comments, questions, feedback, testimonials, or other content, by submitting such content you represent and warrant that:

• You own or otherwise control all rights to the content you submit;
• The content is accurate and does not violate any applicable law; and
• The content does not violate these Terms or the rights of any third party.

You should not submit confidential, proprietary, or sensitive personal information through public or interactive features of the Site.

By submitting content to or through the Site, you grant PFI a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute, display, and otherwise exploit that content in connection with operating, improving, promoting, and protecting the Site and PFI’s educational mission.

PFI reserves the right, but has no obligation, to review, edit, or remove any user-submitted content at any time and for any reason. PFI does not assume any liability for user-submitted content.

Copyright Infringement Notices

If you believe that any Content available through the Site infringes upon your copyright, you may submit a notice to PFI pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512. Your notice must include substantially the following information:

• A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on the owner’s behalf;
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed;
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material on the Site;
• Your contact information, including name, address, telephone number, and email address;
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
• A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

We may forward copyright infringement notices, including the contact information provided in the notice, to the person or entity that provided the allegedly infringing material or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

Please send copyright infringement notices to:

Personal Finance Institute

Website: www.personalfinanceinstitute.org

Email: info@personalfinanceinstitute.org

Suspension or Termination of Your Access and Removal of Content

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site or your account, if any, or remove any content you submit immediately and indefinitely if we, in good faith, believe that you have materially breached any provision of these Terms; that you are using the Site in a manner that threatens the security, integrity, or reliability of the Site; that there has been unauthorized access or fraud related to your account, if any, or the Site; or that the provision of the Site or any portion thereof will expose us or you to legal, regulatory, or compliance risk.

Modifications and Availability

PFI reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Site, or any portion thereof, at any time with or without notice. PFI shall not be liable to you or any third party for any such modification, suspension, or discontinuation. We may also impose limits on certain features or restrict access to all or part of the Site without liability, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

Disclaimer of Warranties; Limitation of Liability

The Content available through the Site may include facts, perspectives, and general information drawn from a variety of sources. While PFI makes reasonable efforts to support the accuracy and currency of its Content, PFI cannot guarantee that all information is complete, accurate, or up to date.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AND ASSUME ALL RISKS IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SITE. THE SITE, CONTENT, AND ANY OTHER CONTENT, DATA, SOFTWARE, MATERIALS, FEATURES, OR SERVICES PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS,” “WITH ALL FAULTS,” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” PFI AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND LICENSORS DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENTNESS, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF THE CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE. NEITHER PFI, NOR ANY OF ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, OR LICENSORS, SHALL BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON FOR ANY LOSS OR INJURY ARISING IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM THE USE OF OR RELIANCE ON ANY CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE. WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES TO YOU OF ANY KIND IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE, AND, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND OR NATURE, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY. WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTIES OF SYSTEM INTEGRATION, NON-INTERFERENCE, ABSENCE OF ANY DEFECTS, WHETHER LATENT OR PATENT, OR SECURITY OF DATA. WE DO NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS CONCERNING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, QUALITY, USABILITY, OR RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION OR MATERIALS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE, FOUND ON OUR SITE, OR LINKED TO OUR SITE. WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY RELATED TO THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES OR OTHER THIRD-PARTY CONTENT THAT MAY BE ACCESSED THROUGH OUR SITE. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION ON THE BASIS OF TRADE USAGE, COURSE OF DEALING, OR COURSE OF PERFORMANCE. WE DO NOT WARRANT OR REPRESENT THAT THE SITE, OR ANY OTHER MATERIALS, DATA, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES PROVIDED ON THE SITE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, COMPLY WITH LAW, OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR THAT ALL ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED. THE SITE MAY BE SUBJECT TO LIMITATIONS, DELAYS, AND OTHER PROBLEMS INHERENT IN THE USE OF THE INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DELAYS, DELIVERY FAILURES, OR OTHER DAMAGES RESULTING FROM SUCH PROBLEMS.

IN NO EVENT WILL PFI, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN BY YOU IN RELIANCE ON CONTENT FROM THE SITE, OR FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR SIMILAR DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE THE SITE IS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE, AND TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, PFI’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE, CONTENT, THESE TERMS, OR PFI’S PRIVACY POLICY SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

YOU AND WE AGREE TO LIMIT THE DEADLINE TO BRING CLAIMS. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you and we each agree that all claims related to the Site, these Terms, or our Privacy Policy must be brought within two (2) years of the date the claim arises or they will be permanently barred.

YOU AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE ENTERED INTO THESE TERMS OF USE WITHOUT THESE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY. The limitations on liability constitute an important part of these Terms and are among the reasons you and we are willing to enter into these Terms.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain disclaimers, exclusions, or limitations of liability. To the extent any disclaimer, exclusion, or limitation is not permitted by applicable law, it will apply only to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless PFI and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, service providers, and successors (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or relating to: (a) your access to or use of the Site in violation of these Terms; (b) any content you submit to or via the Site, including any claim that such content infringes, misappropriates, or violates any third-party intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights; © your violation of any applicable law or regulation; (d) your fraud, willful misconduct, or negligence; or (e) any claim by a third party arising from your unauthorized or unlawful use of, or your breach of these Terms in connection with, the Site. PFI reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, in which case you agree to cooperate fully with PFI’s defense of such claim. You may not settle any claim that imposes any obligation or liability on any Indemnified Party without PFI’s prior written consent.

Disputes and Claims

Step 1: Dispute Process

If you have a dispute with or claim against us, you must give us an opportunity to resolve your claim informally by sending a written description of your claim to info@personalfinanceinstitute.org. You and we each agree to negotiate your claim in good faith. You agree that you may not commence any court proceeding unless you and we are unable to resolve the claim within 60 days after we receive your claim description and you have made a good faith effort to resolve your claim directly with us during that time.

Step 2: Court Proceedings; Jury Trial Waiver

Court proceedings must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, unless applicable law requires another forum. You and PFI each consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of those courts and waive any objection to such jurisdiction or venue.

YOU AND WE EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY.

Class Action Waiver

YOU AND WE EACH AGREE THAT ANY CLAIMS ARISING UNDER OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SITE SHALL BE BROUGHT SOLELY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION OR PROCEEDING. NO COURT MAY CONSOLIDATE OR JOIN YOUR CLAIMS WITH THOSE OF ANY OTHER PERSON, AND NO FORM OF CLASS, COLLECTIVE, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING SHALL BE PERMISSIBLE. IF THIS CLASS ACTION WAIVER IS FOUND TO BE UNENFORCEABLE IN WHOLE OR IN PART, THE AFFECTED PORTION SHALL BE SEVERED AND THE REMAINDER SHALL CONTINUE IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT.

Injunctive Relief

You acknowledge that your breach or threatened breach of the intellectual property, prohibited use, security, or user-submitted content provisions of these Terms may cause PFI irreparable harm for which monetary damages may be an inadequate remedy. Accordingly, PFI may seek equitable relief, including injunctive relief and specific performance, without limiting any other rights or remedies available to PFI and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, without the requirement to post a bond or other security.

Notices

You may deliver notices to us by email to info@personalfinanceinstitute.org. If you are commencing a legal proceeding against us, we do not accept notice or service via email, and you must serve us with legal process as required by applicable law. We may deliver notices to you via email, mail, or electronic means using your contact information in your account, if any, or by posting the notice on the Site. Electronic notices are considered delivered when sent or posted. Postal notices are considered delivered three (3) days after mailing. Notices delivered by a nationally recognized courier, for example, UPS or FedEx, are considered delivered when received.

Electronic Communications

We may provide notices and other communications regarding the Site electronically, including by email, by posting on the Site, or through other electronic means. You consent to receive such communications electronically where permitted by applicable law.

General Provisions

These Terms, together with PFI’s Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and PFI with respect to your use of the Site and supersede any prior agreements, whether oral or written, relating to your use of the Site.

These Terms and all matters relating to your use of the Site shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and applicable U.S. federal law, without regard to any conflict of law provisions. Any action to enforce these Terms or otherwise arising from your use of the Site shall be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, unless applicable law requires another forum, and you hereby consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of such courts and waive any objection to such jurisdiction or venue.

Third-Party Beneficiaries

Our third-party providers, licensors, suppliers, service providers, and affiliates are considered to be third-party beneficiaries of these Terms solely to the extent necessary for them to enforce any protections afforded them by these Terms, except as otherwise provided in these Terms. There are no other third-party beneficiaries to these Terms.

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms, or any rights or obligations under these Terms, without PFI’s prior written consent. We may assign these Terms and our rights and obligations under these Terms, in whole or in part, without notice to you or your consent: (i) in connection with a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganization, or sale of substantially all of our assets, or (ii) to an affiliate of ours. Subject to the foregoing restrictions on assignment, these Terms will bind and inure to the benefit of your and our respective successors and permitted assigns.

Waiver

You and we cannot waive any provision of these Terms except in a writing signed by you and us. Our failure to insist on or enforce strict performance of any provision of these Terms or any of our rights is not a waiver of any provision or right.

Severability

If any part of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, that part may be severed from these Terms to the minimum extent necessary to cure such invalidity or unenforceability, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Survival

Any provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination or expiration will survive, including provisions relating to ownership, limitations on use, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, dispute resolution, governing law, venue, and general legal terms.

Amendment

PFI may amend these Terms at any time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by posting a notice on the Site or by sending an email to the address associated with your account, if any, before or after the changes take effect, as appropriate and where required by applicable law. We encourage you to review this page periodically for the most current version of these Terms. Your continued use of the Site after updated Terms are posted will be subject to the updated Terms as of their effective date.

Personal Finance Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

www.personalfinanceinstitute.org