Privacy Notice

Our Privacy Notice

Your personal data – what you need to know

GC Financial Advisory Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number ZC082852, details of which can be found on the ICO register.

We use your personal information to provide you with financial advice that is suitable for your needs and circumstances. This includes understanding your financial position, your objectives, and recommending appropriate products and services.

We only collect information that is necessary to:

  • Provide regulated financial advice

  • Arrange and manage financial products

  • Meet our legal and regulatory obligations

In some cases, this may include sensitive information, such as medical details, where required for financial protection or insurance advice. We will always explain why this is needed and obtain your consent where appropriate.

We may share your information with trusted third parties such as product providers, investment platforms and insurers, but only where necessary to deliver our services.

We keep your information secure and retain it only for as long as required to meet regulatory requirements and support the advice we provide.

You have the right to access, correct or request deletion of your data, and to object to how it is used.

If you would like more detail about how we use your personal information, please read the full Privacy Notice below.

At GC Financial Advisory Ltd, we take your privacy seriously and are committed to handling your personal information in a fair, transparent and secure manner. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and share your personal data when you visit our website, contact us, or engage with our financial planning and advisory services.

For the purposes of data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, GC Financial Advisory Ltd acts as the data controller.

What information we collect

We collect personal information so that we can provide you with regulated financial advice and the ongoing service required to support that advice. This may include:

  • Your name, address and contact details

  • Date of birth and identification information

  • Financial circumstances, income, assets and liabilities

  • Investment history and existing arrangements

  • Your objectives, needs and future plans

Where relevant to the services we provide (for example, financial protection or insurance advice), we may also process health or medical information. This is treated as special category data and handled with particular care.

We do not collect or process criminal offence data in relation to our clients.

How we collect your information

Most of the information we hold is provided directly by you, whether in meetings, by telephone, via our website, or through written correspondence.

We may also receive information from third parties where you have authorised this, including:

  • Investment and pension providers

  • Insurance companies

  • Investment platforms

  • Professional advisers such as accountants or solicitors

We may record calls or maintain detailed notes of meetings to ensure accuracy, support the advice process, and meet our regulatory obligations.

How we use your information

We use your personal data to:

  • Understand your financial situation and objectives

  • Assess your needs and provide suitable advice

  • Arrange and administer financial products

  • Provide ongoing review and servicing

  • Maintain accurate records of the advice we provide

We also use your information to meet our legal and regulatory obligations, including:

  • Anti-money laundering requirements

  • FCA regulatory requirements

  • Record keeping and compliance monitoring

We may contact you about your existing arrangements or similar services we provide. Where required, we will obtain your consent before sending marketing communications, and you can opt out at any time.

Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

  • Performance of a contract – to provide you with financial advice and services

  • Legal obligation – to comply with FCA rules and other regulatory requirements

  • Legitimate interests – to manage our business, improve our services and ensure appropriate advice is provided

  • Consent – for marketing communications and where required for certain types of data

Where we process health or medical information, we do so:

  • With your explicit consent, and/or

  • Where necessary for financial protection advice and servicing purposes in accordance with applicable legislation

Sharing your information

To provide our services effectively, we may share your information with third parties such as:

  • Investment and pension providers

  • Insurance companies and underwriters

  • Investment platforms

  • Professional advisers (where authorised)

  • Compliance consultants and professional support services

  • Technology providers who support our systems and client portals

We may also share your information, where appropriate and, where required, with your agreement, with professional advisers, introducers and associated professional firms (where authorised or otherwise lawful to do so) such as:

  • Accountants

  • Solicitors

  • Mortgage Advisers

  • Estate planners

  • Other regulated professionals

Where this is necessary to:

  • Provide joined-up professional services

  • Facilitate introductions requested by you

  • Support your financial planning needs

  • Or administer products and services relevant to your circumstances.

In some cases, these professional relationships may operate under formal introducer or referral arrangements. We will only share information that is necessary and appropriate, and we will take reasonable steps to ensure your information is handled securely and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

International transfers

In some cases, your information may be transferred outside the UK. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or International Data Transfer Agreements, to protect your personal data.

How long we retain your information

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to provide our services and meet legal and regulatory obligations.

In line with FCA expectations, records relating to financial advice are typically retained for at least six years and often longer, particularly where required to:

  • Demonstrate the suitability of advice

  • Defend potential complaints or claims

  • Meet ongoing regulatory expectations

Your rights

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

  • The right to access the information we hold about you

  • The right to request correction of inaccurate data

  • The right to request deletion (where appropriate)

  • The right to restrict or object to processing

  • The right to data portability

  • The right to withdraw consent where we rely on it

If you provide information about another individual (for example a spouse or partner), you confirm that you have their permission to do so.

Data security

We take data security seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from loss, misuse or unauthorised access.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. If you would prefer us not to communicate electronically, please let us know.

Cookies

Our website uses a strictly necessary security cookie to ensure the website functions securely and to prevent cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. This cookie does not store personal information and is deleted at the end of your session.  As this cookie is strictly necessary for the operation of the website, your consent is not required.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we handle your personal data, please contact the person responsible for data protection, George Clelland:

GC Financial Advisory Ltd
14 Red Lion Square

London

WC1R 4QH

 

Email: George.clelland@gcfa.co.uk

Phone: 07784 169736

Complaints

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Website: https://www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113