Teen Money Independence is an educational product, not a financial services company. All content — including lessons, discussions, simulations, calculators, and activities — is provided solely to help students and families understand personal finance concepts.

Examples, scenarios, and characters used throughout the curriculum are fictional and illustrative. They are not predictions of future results, guarantees of any outcome, or recommendations for specific financial decisions.

Always consult a licensed financial advisor, tax professional, or attorney before making real financial decisions. Your circumstances are unique, and no curriculum can account for them.

Teen Money Independence, its creators, employees, and contractors do not act as fiduciaries to users of this curriculum or platform. We have no duty to act in your financial interest, and no fiduciary relationship is created by your use of this product.

We are educators, not advisors. The information we provide reflects general personal finance principles that are widely accepted in the field of financial literacy education. It is not tailored to any individual's specific financial situation, goals, risk tolerance, or needs.

When this curriculum discusses investing concepts — including stocks, bonds, index funds, ETFs, Roth IRAs, and other investment vehicles — it does so for educational purposes only. Specific investments mentioned are used as examples to illustrate concepts, not as recommendations to buy, sell, or hold any security.

Cryptocurrency and digital assets carry additional risks beyond traditional investments, including extreme price volatility, regulatory uncertainty, lack of FDIC or SIPC protection, and the risk of total loss of value. Nothing in this curriculum recommends investing in cryptocurrency.

Simulated returns and calculator outputs are hypothetical and based on assumed rates of return. Actual results will vary and may be significantly different from projections shown.

Teen Money Independence is designed for students ages 13–18. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.

• Users 13 and older may create an account with a valid email address.
• Users under 13 may not create an account without a parent or legal guardian completing registration on their behalf and providing verifiable parental consent.
• If we discover that we have collected information from a child under 13 without proper consent, we will delete that information promptly.

Parents and guardians may review, correct, or request deletion of their child's information at any time by contacting us at the address below.

We wrote this so a teenager can understand it. Here's exactly what we do with your information.

What we collect:

• Your email address (to create your account)
• Your name (optional, used to personalize greetings)
• Your role: student, parent, or educator
• Which lessons you've completed (so your progress saves)

What we do NOT collect:

• Your real financial information (we never ask for it)
• Your location
• Your browsing history on other sites
• Information about your device beyond what's needed to run the app
• Any information about children under 13 without parental consent

Who sees your information:

• You — always
• If you're a student, your parent or educator may see your progress if they're linked to your account
• Supabase — our secure database provider, which stores your account data
• We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertisers. Ever.

How we protect your information:

• All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS)
• Passwords are never stored in plain text
• Your data is stored in a secure database with row-level security — meaning only you can access your own records

Your rights:

• You can request a copy of your data at any time
• You can request deletion of your account and all associated data
• You can correct inaccurate information in your profile
• California residents have additional rights — see the California section below

How long we keep your data: We keep your account and progress data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete your data within 30 days.

Cookies: We use only essential session cookies necessary to keep you logged in. We do not use tracking cookies or advertising cookies.

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).

Your California rights include:

• The right to know what personal information we collect and how we use it
• The right to delete your personal information
• The right to correct inaccurate personal information
• The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (we do not sell or share data)
• The right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

California Eraser Law (SB 568): If you are a minor (under 18) and a California resident, you have the right to request removal of content or information you posted on our platform. To submit an erasure request, contact us at the address below. We will process your request within 45 days.

To exercise any California privacy right, contact us at privacy@teenmoneyindependence.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request." We will respond within 45 days.

By using Teen Money Independence, you agree to these terms. If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must agree to these terms on your behalf.

Permitted use: Teen Money Independence is licensed for personal, non-commercial, educational use by the purchasing family or educator. One license covers one household or one classroom.

Purchasing parent clause: If a minor is using this product, the parent or legal guardian is the contracting party. By completing a purchase, the adult represents that they are at least 18 years old and have the authority to enter into this agreement. Minors may not independently purchase or enter into subscription agreements.

What you may not do:

• Share login credentials with people outside your household or classroom
• Reproduce, distribute, or resell curriculum content
• Use the platform for commercial tutoring or resale without a commercial license
• Attempt to reverse-engineer or copy the platform

Intellectual property: All curriculum content, characters, lesson materials, and platform design are the intellectual property of Teen Money Independence. Lucy, Joseph, Alex, and Sofia are original fictional characters.

Limitation of liability: To the maximum extent permitted by law, Teen Money Independence is not liable for any financial decisions made based on curriculum content, or for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the platform.

Governing law: These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Changes to terms: We may update these terms. We will notify users by email and post the updated date above. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

Where this curriculum references specific financial data, rates, or statistics, we source from the following publicly available references:

• Tax brackets and rates: IRS Publication 15-T and IRS.gov (updated annually)
• FICA rates: IRS.gov and Social Security Administration
• Federal student loan rates: StudentAid.gov
• Credit score factors: myFICO.com (FICO scoring methodology)
• Compound interest calculations: Standard mathematical formulas (A = P(1 + r/n)^nt)
• Historical market returns: S&P 500 historical data via publicly available sources; past returns do not predict future results
• State income tax rates: State department of revenue websites (rates may change; verify current rates at your state's official site)
• Rental cost guidelines: The 30% rule is a widely cited general guideline, not a legal standard