Cookie Policy

What Cookies Are

A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store on your device. The next time you visit, the browser sends the file back, which lets the site recognize that you have been there before. Cookies are widely used to remember preferences (such as a logged-in state, a language choice, or a dismissed notification), to enable shopping carts, and to measure how a site is used. The text in a cookie is set by the website and read only by the website (or by a third party the site uses, like an analytics provider).

Cookies come in two main types based on lifespan: session cookies, which are deleted when you close the browser, and persistent cookies, which stay on the device for a set period (anywhere from a few minutes to several years) so the site can recognize you on future visits.

Other technologies often discussed alongside cookies include local storage (a small database stored by your browser, often used by web applications) and pixels or beacons (tiny images embedded in pages that trigger a server log when loaded). Reduce Your Balances does not use either of those technologies. Only standard browser cookies are involved.

Cookies This Site Uses

Reduce Your Balances does not set any of its own first-party cookies for marketing, advertising, retargeting, or personalization. The only cookies set when you visit the site come from Google Analytics 4, which records aggregate traffic statistics so we can understand how the site is used. The full list:

No other cookies are set by this site. If you find a cookie on this domain that is not listed above, please let us know at legal@reduceyourbalances.com and we will investigate.

Why We Use Them

Google Analytics tells us, in aggregate and across millions of visits, which pages readers find useful, where readers come from (search engines, social platforms, direct visits, links from other sites), and where readers leave the site without finishing. We use that information to decide which guides to expand, which pages to rewrite for clarity, and which technical errors to fix. The data is reported to us in aggregate; we cannot identify any individual visitor.

We do not use cookies to serve advertising. We do not use cookies to build a profile of any individual reader. We do not use cookies to retarget you on other sites. We do not share cookie data with anyone other than Google as our analytics processor.

Third-Party Cookies

The cookies above are set by Google, not by Reduce Your Balances. Google is the data processor for these analytics cookies under the Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which restrict Google's use of the data to providing the analytics service. Google does not use these cookies to identify visitors to our site by name or to combine them with advertising profiles. Google's full handling of analytics data is described in the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Analytics Safeguarding Your Data page.

We also load typography from Google Fonts (a separate Google service). Google Fonts does not set cookies, but loading a font over the Google content delivery network transmits your IP address to Google so the font file can be returned. The transmitted IP address is not used for cross-site tracking and is retained for a short period for security and operational purposes only. Details: Google Fonts privacy FAQ.

How to Manage or Remove Cookies

You have several ways to control cookies set by this site.

Option 1: Block or delete cookies in your browser

Every major browser lets you delete existing cookies and block new ones, either globally or per site. Instructions:

• Google Chrome: Clear, allow, and manage cookies in Chrome.
• Apple Safari (macOS and iOS): Manage cookies and website data in Safari.
• Mozilla Firefox: Clear cookies and site data in Firefox.
• Microsoft Edge: Delete cookies in Microsoft Edge.
• Brave: Brave cookie controls.

Blocking cookies on this site will not break any feature. The site does not require cookies to function; we will simply have less visibility into how the page was used.

Option 2: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on

Google offers a free browser extension that blocks the Google Analytics tracking script across every site that uses Google Analytics, not just this one. Install it from tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. It works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera.

Option 3: Use browser privacy modes

"Incognito" (Chrome and Brave), "Private Browsing" (Firefox and Safari), or "InPrivate" (Edge) modes do not block cookies during the session but delete all cookies and local storage when the window is closed. This effectively removes any analytics tracking after the session ends.

Option 4: Browser-level privacy signals

If you enable the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal in a supporting browser (Brave, Firefox, DuckDuckGo, and others), we treat it as a valid opt-out signal under the California Consumer Privacy Act, even though we do not currently sell or share personal information. This is described further in our Privacy Policy California rights section.

"Do Not Track" (DNT) signals are not honored by Google Analytics or by most websites, including this one, due to the lack of a consensus standard. The methods above are the reliable ways to opt out.

Changes to This Cookie Policy

If we add or change a cookie, we will update the table above and revise the effective date at the top of the page. Material changes will be noted with a notice on the homepage for at least 30 days. We will not start using a new category of cookies (such as advertising or retargeting cookies) without prior notice and, where required by applicable law, your consent.

Contact

For questions about cookies on this site or to report an unexpected cookie, email legal@reduceyourbalances.com.