GBQ Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 2, 2026

Your Privacy Is Important To Us

While we are pleased to offer the ability to personalize your online experience, your confidence in our commitment to safeguarding your privacy and protecting your Personal Information is important. Please take a moment to read our Privacy Policy to understand how we collect, use, and protect your data, along with the choices you have in relation to the information collected.

What Personal Information Do We Collect?

GBQ may collect Personal Information relating to you, including:

name
contact details (such as work or home address, email and phone numbers)
date of birth
marital status
government identifiers (such as social security number and passport details)
financial information
employment information

To meet your needs during tax return preparation, tax and financial planning, and tax compliance engagements, we collect various types of Personal Information about you from the following sources:

Information that we receive from you when you meet with us in person or over the phone, when you send us information by mail or e-mail, through our website, on tax preparation worksheets, and on other documents or forms that we use in preparing your tax return or in providing other services for you. Such information includes, for instance, your name, address, Social Security Number, income, investment and other assets, and other tax and financial attributes about you.
Information we receive from you when your browser interacts with GBQ’s online presence. Such information includes information transmitted on an internet “cookie,” such as your password to our website, your preferences on the website, and your internet service provider’s address.
Information we receive from a consumer reporting agency, such as your credit history and outstanding loan balances.

How Does GBQ Collect Personal Information?

You may provide it directly to GBQ.
GBQ may obtain it through current or previously provided services.
GBQ may receive it from third parties, such as your employer/partnership, or a tax authority and/or other relevant authority/administrative bodies.

What Aggregated & Non-Personal Information Does GBQ Collect?

When you visit our website, we may collect certain information about your device, including:

Standard internet technology, including cookies and web beacons, may be used to track your use of our website and our services and applied in promotional email messages or newsletters to determine whether messages have been opened and acted upon.

“Cookies” are data files that are placed on your device or computer and often include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are used to track user activity and behavior, including form submissions, clicks, and page views, so we can improve our website and services. A cookie file is stored in your web browser and allows the website or a third party to recognize you and make your next visit easier and the website more useful for you. The use of cookies is now standard for most websites. Essentially, cookies are a user’s identification card for the GBQ servers. Web beacons are small graphic files linked to our servers that allow us to track your use of our website, interactions with our advertisements, and related functionalities.

The information we obtain in this manner enables us to customize the services we offer website visitors to deliver targeted communications and to measure the overall effectiveness of our online advertising, content, programming, or other activities. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser setting to decline cookies. If you choose to decline cookies, please note that you may not be able to sign in or use some of the interactive features offered on the website or through our services.

Specifics include:

Information about your web browser, Internet Protocol (IP) address, time zone, and some of the cookies that are installed on your device.
Additionally, as you browse our website, we may collect information about the individual web pages or products that you view, what websites or search terms referred you to our website and information about how you interact with our website. We refer to this automatically collected information as “Device Information.”

IP Address Data Collection

Your IP address is automatically assigned to your computer by your Internet Service Provider. An IP address may be identified and logged automatically in our server log files whenever a user accesses the website, along with the time of the visit and the page(s) that were visited. Collecting IP addresses is standard practice and is done automatically by many websites, applications and other services. We use IP addresses for purposes such as calculating usage levels, diagnosing server problems and administering the website(s). We may also derive your approximate location from your IP address.

While registration is not required for you to use a website, there may be circumstances in which you choose to register for our services, to attend our events or to receive ongoing updates from GBQ. In these cases, GBQ may collect your Personal Information and contact you to invite you to our events, provide you with information about our services, publications and products, or for other marketing purposes.

For example, you may choose to register for:

Email alerts – GBQ offers an email alert service to website visitors, in which we send subscribers email updates for certain new information added to our website. If you decide to subscribe, we will collect Personal Information from you, such as your name and email address.
Surveys – GBQ may conduct surveys via our website. Survey participants may be asked for Personal Information or other information (name, contact information, etc.) in addition to opinions or feedback. The type of information collected in surveys will vary.
Thought leadership and event registration – GBQ occasionally requires registration in exchange for our thought leadership components, such as white papers or articles, industry reports, webinars, product and services updates, and industry updates. Your Personal Information or other information may be required in registration forms, and the type of information collected from you will vary according to the information you provide.

From time to time, GBQ may co-host events, webinars, or other programming with third-party organizations (such as other professional services firms, industry groups, or sponsors). In connection with these joint events, GBQ and the co-hosting organization may collect and share registrant information, including names, contact details, and other information provided during registration, for the purpose of coordinating, promoting, and administering the event. When you register for a co-hosted event, your Personal Information may be processed by both GBQ and the co-hosting organization in accordance with each organization’s respective privacy policy. We encourage you to review the co-hosting organization’s privacy policy, which will be made available at or before the time of registration.

Our services – When you register for our services, you may be asked for information via onboarding documentation, which may include additional details with respect to the usage or protection of your information. Should you provide any information to us in contemplation of receiving our services but then are unable to do so, any such information will be treated as described below.
Career opportunities – If you have applied for employment with GBQ, your information submitted with your job application will be added to our recruitment system and used for recruitment and other customary human resources purposes.

If you have subscribed on our website, your information will be stored in our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Data of registrants who have been out of active use for 24 months will be deleted from our CRM system. Other retention periods may vary depending on the purpose of your registration.

If you have opted out from receiving future GBQ thought leadership, event invitations or Firm communications, your contact details will remain on our opt-out list to prevent you from receiving any further publications, invitations, or Firm communications from GBQ. This does not apply to any GBQ invoices or other communications we may be required to provide (for example, federal notifications in connection with tax services provided to you).

Managing Cookies On Your Device

We use both session and persistent cookies on the website, and we use different types of cookies to run the website:

Essential/strictly necessary cookies: Some cookies we use are essential to the functioning of the website.
Analytical/performance cookies: Allow us to recognize and count the number of visitors and see how visitors move around the website when using it. This will help us improve the way the website functions.
Functionality cookies: Used to recognize you when you return to the website. This enables us to personalize our content for you, greet you by name, and remember your preferences.
Targeting cookies: Record your visit to the website, the pages you have visited, and the links you have followed. We will use this information to make the website more relevant to your interests.

Third-Party Cookies

Some content or applications, including advertisements, on the website are served by third parties, including advertisers, ad networks and servers, content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies to collect information about you when you use our website. The information they collect may be associated with your Personal Information, or they may collect information, including Personal Information, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this information to provide you with interest-based (behavioral) advertising or other targeted content. In addition to our own cookies, we may also use these third-party cookies to report usage statistics of the website and refine marketing efforts.

We do not control these third parties’ tracking technologies or how they may be used. If you have any questions about an advertisement or other targeted content, you should contact the responsible provider directly. For information about how you can opt out of receiving targeted advertising from many providers, see below.

Tracking cookies: Follow on-site behavior and tie it to other metrics, allowing better understanding of usage habits.
Optimization cookies: Allow real-time tracking of user conversion from different marketing channels to evaluate their effectiveness.
Partner cookies: Provide marketing conversion metrics to our partners so they can optimize their marketing efforts.

Using Your Browser To Control Cookies

Most browsers allow you to view, manage, delete and block cookies for a website. Be aware that if you delete all cookies, then any preferences you have set will be lost, including the ability to opt out from cookies, as this function requires placement of an “opt-out cookie” on your device. Additionally, upon landing on our website, you may opt-out of the use of cookies by using the cookie banner.

How Do We Use Your Personal Information?

We use the device information that we collect to help us improve and optimize our website. Additionally, we may use your Personal Information to communicate with you, send you marketing and promotional communications, and to provide support. If your Personal Information changes, please let us know so we can update our records and continue to provide you with the best possible service.

How Do We Share Your Personal Information?

We do not share your Personal Information with anyone without your expressed consent except as permitted by law and as described below. The law permits disclosure in certain instances, such as if we must share information to protect against fraud, in response to a court subpoena, to others who are assuring our compliance with professional accounting standards (peer review), and the like.

GBQ facilitates event registration via our website or, at times, via third-party websites. Personal Information or other data may be collected via event registration forms, and the type of information collected will vary. GBQ may share registrant information with third parties in association with the event. Examples of “third parties” include hotels, sponsors or cosponsors, promoters, event organizers (including via third-party websites), speakers, panelists, and co-hosting organizations.

When GBQ co-hosts an event with another organization, registrant information may be shared between GBQ and the co-hosting organization through our marketing platform for the purposes of coordinating invitations, communications, and event logistics. In such cases, your Personal Information will be processed in accordance with this privacy policy, and the co-hosting organization’s own privacy policy.

Please check the details provided at individual events to understand fully how your information will be used and retained.

Consent & Withdrawal

Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before collecting, using, or disclosing your Personal Information. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us using the details in the Contact Information section below. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Your Choices

You have several choices regarding the collection, use, and sharing of your Personal Information:

Marketing communications: If you no longer wish to receive marketing or promotional communications from GBQ (such as thought leadership, event invitations, or other Firm communications), you may opt out by contacting us using the details in the "Contact Information" section below or by following the unsubscribe instructions included in our marketing emails. Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still send you non-promotional communications, such as invoices or notifications required in connection with services we provide to you.
Cookies and tracking technologies: You can manage your cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner presented when you visit our website or you can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings as described in the "Managing cookies on your device" section above.

Are Children Permitted To Use Our Website?

Our website is not intended for use by, or to sell products and services to, children under the age of 13. Consistent with the Federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), we do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose Personal Information from anyone under the age of 13 without obtaining the required parental consent. If we determine upon collection that users are under this age, we will not use or maintain their Personal Information without their parent’s or guardian’s consent. If we become aware that we have unknowingly collected Personal Information from a child under the age of 13, we will make reasonable efforts to remove this information from our database. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that we might have any information from or about a child under age 13, please contact us by one of the following methods: (i) by email at info@gbq.com or (ii) by mail at 230 West Street, Suite 700, Columbus, OH 43215. We will review the request and respond promptly. We strongly recommend that minors 13 years of age or older ask their parents for permission before sending any information about themselves to anyone over the internet, and we encourage parents to teach their children about safe internet use practices.

Links To Other Websites

Our service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by GBQ. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third-party’s website. We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every website you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party websites or services.

How Do We Protect The Confidentiality & Security Of Your Personal Information?

Keeping your information confidential and secure is of utmost importance to us. We follow standard industry practices to actively protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of your Personal Information. We also maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to guard your Personal Information. In so doing, we restrict access to your Personal Information to those employees who need to know that information to provide products or services to you. Our employees are bound by internal confidentiality policies and are subject to disciplinary action for any policy violations.

If we become aware of a security systems breach, we will attempt to notify you electronically using the contact information we have available so that you can take appropriate protective steps. Depending on where you live, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach in writing.

Users should also be aware of how they handle and disclose their Personal Information and should avoid sending such information through insecure email. Please refer to the Federal Trade Commission’s website at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/privacy-identity-online-security for information about how to protect yourself against identity theft.

Former Client Data Protection

Should you become an inactive client or should our relationship end, we will continue to protect the confidentiality and security of your Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Data Retention

We retain your Personal Information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. The retention period for your Personal Information may vary depending on the context in which it was collected and the purposes for which it is used, including:

Client engagement records: We retain Personal Information collected in connection with our professional services (including tax preparation, financial planning, and compliance engagements) for the period required by applicable professional standards, tax regulations, and other legal or regulatory requirements.
Website and device information: Information collected automatically through cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies is retained in accordance with the "Managing cookies on your device" section above, or as otherwise required for our legitimate business purposes.
CRM and marketing data: For information about the retention of data stored in our CRM system and our opt-out list practices, please see the "What aggregated and non-Personal Information does GBQ collect?" section above.
Job application data: Personal Information submitted through our career opportunities portal is retained for the period necessary to complete the recruitment process and for such additional period as may be required by applicable law.
Former clients: For information about how we protect your data after our relationship ends, please see the "Former client data protection" section above.

Your State Privacy Rights

State consumer privacy laws may provide their residents with additional rights regarding our use of their Personal Information.

These states may provide (now or in the future) their state residents with rights to:

Confirm whether we process their Personal Information.
Access and delete certain Personal Information.
Correct inaccuracies in their Personal Information, taking into account the information’s nature and processing purpose.
Data portability.
Opt-out of Personal Information processing for:
- targeted advertising;
- sales; or
- profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
Either limit (opt-out of) or require consent to process sensitive Personal Information.
Directly from you when you provide it to us (e.g., in person, over the phone, by mail or email, through our website, via tax preparation worksheets, and on other documents or forms used in connection with our professional services);
Automatically from your devices when you interact with our website and services;
From consumer reporting agencies (e.g., credit history and outstanding loan balances);
From third-party service providers, including analytics providers and advertising networks; and
From other third parties, such as your employer, partnership, tax authorities, and other relevant authorities or administrative bodies.

The exact scope of these rights may vary by state. To understand if you have any of these rights, and to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the information provided below. Please also see our “California Privacy Rights” section for additional rights available to California residents.

California Privacy Rights

In this section, we provide additional information to California residents about how we handle their personal information, as required under California privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended (“CCPA”). This section does not apply to our handling of publicly available information lawfully made available by state or federal government records, deidentified or aggregated information, or other personal information that is exempt under the CCPA.

Categories Of Personal Information Collected

We have collected the following categories of personal information (as defined by the CCPA) about California consumers in the preceding 12 months:

Identifiers: includes direct identifiers such as name, postal address, email address, phone number, social security number, passport details, account name, online identifier, IP address, and other similar identifiers.
Customer Records: includes name, address, telephone number, social security number, financial information (such as income, investments and other assets, outstanding loan balances, credit history), and other tax and financial attributes provided in connection with our professional services.
Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law: includes age and marital status in connection with our professional services.
Commercial Information: includes records of professional services obtained, engagement history, and other service-related information.
Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity Information: includes browsing history, clickstream data, search history, access logs, and other usage data and information regarding an individual’s interaction with our website, marketing emails, and online advertisements.
Geolocation Data: general geographic location information about a particular device derived from IP address.
Inferences: inferences drawn from any of the information identified above to create a profile reflecting interests and preferences.
Professional or Employment-Related Information: includes information submitted in connection with job applications through our career opportunities portal.

Sources Of Personal Information

We may collect personal information from the following sources:

Business & Commercial Purposes for Collection

We collect personal information for the business and commercial purposes described in the “How do we use your Personal Information?” section above.

Shine The Light

Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83 (“Shine the Light”), California residents have the right to request in writing from businesses with whom they have an established business relationship, (a) a list of the categories of Personal Information (e.g., name, e-mail and mailing address and the type of services provided to the consumer) that a business has disclosed to third parties (including affiliates that are separate legal entities) during the immediately preceding calendar year for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes; and (b) the names and addresses of all such third parties. To request the above information, please contact us as directed in the Contact Information section below with a reference to Shine the Light inquiry.

Categories Of Personal Information Disclosed For A Business Purpose

In the preceding 12 months, we have disclosed the following categories of Personal Information for a business purpose to the following categories of third parties:

Identifiers: service providers; professional standards review bodies (peer review); government entities or other third parties as required by law or legal process; our advisors and agents; event co-hosts and organizers (e.g., co-sponsors, hotels, speakers); marketing and analytics platforms (such as HubSpot).
Customer Records: service providers; professional standards review bodies (peer review); government entities or other third parties as required by law or legal process; our advisors and agents.
Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law: service providers; government entities or other third parties as required by law or legal process; our advisors and agents.
Commercial Information: service providers; our advisors and agents.
Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity Information: service providers; our advisors and agents; analytics providers; marketing platforms (such as HubSpot); internet service providers.
Geolocation Data: service providers; our advisors and agents; analytics providers.
Professional or Employment-Related Information: service providers; our advisors and agents.
Inferences: service providers; our advisors and agents; analytics providers.

Sale & Sharing Of Personal Information

GBQ does not sell personal information in exchange for monetary consideration. However, like many companies, we may use third-party advertising cookies and tracking technologies on our website that could constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under the CCPA (such as the use of cookies for targeted advertising). To the extent such activities constitute a sale or sharing under the CCPA, California residents have the right to opt out. Please see “Your CCPA Rights” below for more information.

Your CCPA Rights

In general, California residents have the following rights with respect to their personal information:

Right to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose to you the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources from which we collected the personal information, the business or commercial purposes for collecting or selling the personal information, and the categories of third parties to whom we have disclosed the personal information (up to twice per year, subject to certain exemptions).
Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete the personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain exceptions provided by law.
Right to Correct: You have the right to request that we correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: You have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. To exercise this right, please contact us using the information in the “Contact Information” section below, or please adjust your cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner.
Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: If we collect sensitive personal information, you have the right to limit our use and disclosure of such information.
Right to Non-Discrimination: You have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your rights under the CCPA.

Submitting CCPA Requests

California residents may submit CCPA requests to know, delete, or correct their personal information by contacting us via email at the address provided in the "Contact Information" section below. Please include the following information in your request: (1) your first and last name; (2) your email address; and (3) your ZIP code. For information about how we verify your identity and process your request, including requests submitted by an authorized agent, please see the "Verification of Requests" section below.

Minors Under The CCPA

Our Services are not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 18, nor do we sell or share the personal information of consumers under the age of 18. If you are under 18, do not use or provide any information through the Services. If we learn we have collected or received information from a child under 18 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 18, please contact us at the information below.

Users Outside The United States of America

If you are a resident of a country within the European Union or are otherwise accessing our website from outside the United States of America, by using this website and providing us your Personal Information, you hereby explicitly acknowledge and agree to (i) the transfer of such information to the United States and (ii) the collection, use and disclosure of your personally identifiable information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Verification Of Requests

When you submit a request to exercise any of your privacy rights under applicable law, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before fulfilling your request. Verification may include matching the information you provide with information we already maintain in our records. In some cases, we may request additional information from you in order to verify your identity or to process your request. If we are unable to adequately verify your identity, we will notify you and explain why we are unable to fulfill your request.

You may also designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf. Authorized agents will be required to provide proof of their authorization, and we may also require that you directly verify your identity and confirm the authority of the authorized agent.

We will respond to verified requests within the timeframe required by applicable law. If, for any reason, we need to extend this period, we will contact you.

Our Pledge To You

As a Certified Public Accounting Firm, our professional ethical obligations and responsibilities have always demanded no less than the highest regard and duties toward the confidentiality of your Personal Information and the security of your privacy. We will protect your Personal Information, use it appropriately, and accomplish your engagements with us in such a manner to always maintain your trust and confidence in us.

Updates To This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you either through the email address you have provided us with or by placing a prominent notice on our website.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page. To view when this Privacy Policy was last updated, please see the above “Last Updated” header.

Contact Us

For more information about our privacy practices or to address questions and concerns, contact us by email at info@gbq.com or via mail at 230 West Street, Suite 700, Columbus, OH 43215.