Simply Sam: Terms & Privacy

Simply Sam Terms of Use

Effective date: to be set at launch

1Who we are and what you are agreeing to

The short versionThis is an agreement between you and Simply Sam LLC. Buying, installing, or using the app means you accept it.

Simply Sam is made and sold by Simply Sam LLC, a Massachusetts limited liability company ("we," "us"). These Terms of Use are a legal agreement between you and Simply Sam LLC. By purchasing Simply Sam, installing it, or using it, including the online demo, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, do not use the software, and if you purchased it, you may request a refund under Section 6.

You must be at least 18 years old to purchase or use Simply Sam.

2Simply Sam is a calculator, not an advisor

The short versionThe app does math on the numbers and assumptions you give it. It never tells you what to do, and its projections are illustrations, not promises.

Simply Sam is an educational planning calculator. It takes the balances, incomes, spending, and assumptions that you enter and computes year-by-year projections from them. It is a tool for exploring "what if," nothing more.

Simply Sam does not provide financial, investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. We are not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, accountant, or fiduciary, and no advisory relationship is created by your use of the software. The software may show comparisons between choices you define, but it never recommends a course of action.

Every projection depends entirely on the numbers and assumptions you enter. Markets, tax law, inflation, and your own life will differ from any assumption. Projections are hypothetical illustrations, not predictions or guarantees of any outcome. The tax math in Simply Sam is deliberately simplified and is not a substitute for tax preparation software or a tax professional.

Before making significant financial decisions, such as retiring, claiming Social Security, converting retirement accounts, or changing how your money is invested, consult qualified professionals. You are solely responsible for your financial decisions.

3Your license

The short versionYou bought a personal license for up to 2 of your own devices. Don't share your key, don't resell it, don't tamper with the software.

When you purchase Simply Sam, we grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to install and use the software on up to two (2) devices that you own or control, for your own personal, non-commercial use. The software is licensed, not sold; Simply Sam LLC keeps ownership of the software and everything in it.

You agree not to:

share, publish, sell, rent, or give away your license key;
use one license for more than two devices, or for people outside your household;
copy, resell, or redistribute the software;
remove, disable, or work around the license activation;
reverse engineer, decompile, or modify the software, except where the law gives you that right regardless of this agreement.

If you are a financial professional and want to use Simply Sam with clients, contact us first; this license does not cover that use.

4The optional updates subscription

The short versionThe yearly subscription keeps tax tables and limits current. If you skip it, the app keeps working, but its built-in tables get stale over time, and that's on you to know.

Simply Sam offers an optional annual updates subscription that delivers updated tax tables, contribution limits, and similar reference data, along with software updates. It renews annually until you cancel, at the price shown when you subscribe.

If you never subscribe, or your subscription lapses, the software keeps working with the reference data it already has. Over time that data will fall out of date as laws and limits change, and projections that depend on it will become less accurate. It is your responsibility to understand that an un-updated copy reflects the rules as of its last update.

5Your data stays with you, and so does backing it up

The short versionYour plan lives in a file on your computer. We never have it, which also means we can never recover it for you. Back it up.

Simply Sam stores your financial information in a plan file on your own device. It is never transmitted to us, and we have no copy, no access, and no way to view, restore, or recover it. See the Privacy Policy for the short list of what we do handle (licensing information only).

Because we never hold your data, we also cannot help you get it back. You are responsible for backing up your plan file. If your device is lost, damaged, or wiped and you have no backup, your plan data is gone.

6Buying, prices, and refunds

The short versionPrices are shown at checkout, Stripe handles the payment, and you have 30 days to get your money back, no questions asked.

Prices for the license and the optional updates subscription are shown at the time of purchase. Payments are processed by our payment provider, Stripe; we never see or store your card details.

Refunds: if you are unhappy with Simply Sam for any reason, contact us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund of the license price. A refund deactivates the associated license key. Subscription renewals may be refunded if requested within 30 days of the renewal charge.

7The online demo

The short versionThe demo is a test drive with sample numbers. Don't put real personal details into it, and don't rely on it.

We may offer a hosted online demo of Simply Sam using a fictional sample household. The demo exists so you can evaluate the product before buying. It is not designed to store your information: do not enter real names, real account details, or other sensitive personal information into it. Anything entered in the demo is held only in a short-lived session that is deleted automatically after a period of inactivity; treat it as discarded. The demo may be changed, interrupted, or withdrawn at any time, and Sections 2, 9, and 10 apply fully to it.

8What you agree not to do

The short versionUse the product lawfully and don't attack our systems.

You agree not to use Simply Sam, the demo, our website, or our licensing service in a way that breaks the law, and not to probe, overload, disrupt, or attempt unauthorized access to our licensing service, demo, or website.

9No warranty

The short versionWe work hard to make the math right, but the software is provided as is, and we can't promise it is error-free.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SIMPLY SAM, THE DEMO, AND THE WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE IS FREE OF ERRORS, THAT ITS CALCULATIONS OR REFERENCE DATA ARE ACCURATE, CURRENT, OR COMPLETE, OR THAT IT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so some of the above may not apply to you.

10Limitation of liability

The short versionOur responsibility is capped at what you paid us. We are not liable for financial decisions made using the app.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SIMPLY SAM LLC AND ITS MEMBERS AND EMPLOYEES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF MONEY, SAVINGS, INVESTMENT RETURNS, PROFITS, OR DATA, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SOFTWARE OR YOUR RELIANCE ON ANY PROJECTION OR OUTPUT, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATED TO THE SOFTWARE IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AROSE.

Some jurisdictions do not allow these limits, so some may not apply to you; in that case our liability is limited to the smallest amount the law allows.

11Changes to the software and to these terms

The short versionThe product will evolve, and these terms may too. Material changes will be announced, and continuing to use the app means accepting them.

We may add, change, or remove features of the software over time. We may also update these terms; if we make a material change, we will post the updated terms on our website and update the effective date, and where reasonable we will note the change in the app or by email. Your continued use of the software after a change takes effect means you accept the updated terms.

12Ending the license

The short versionBreak these terms in a serious way, like sharing your key, and we can revoke the license.

We may terminate your license if you materially breach these terms, for example by distributing your license key or tampering with activation. On termination your right to use the software ends. Sections 2, 5, 9, 10, and 13 survive termination.

13Governing law and disputes

The short versionMassachusetts law governs, and we ask that you talk to us before anyone files anything.

These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. If you have a dispute with us, contact us first and give us 30 days to work it out informally; most problems can be fixed with an email. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Massachusetts, and both sides consent to their jurisdiction. Either side may instead use small claims court where eligible.

14Contact

Simply Sam LLC
Billerica, Massachusetts
simplysamretirement@gmail.com

Simply Sam Privacy Policy

Effective date: to be set at launch

1The short version

Your financial data lives in a file on your own computer. It is never sent to us, and we never see it. The only personal information we handle is the small amount needed to sell you a license and keep it working: your email address, your license key, and an anonymous device code. That's the whole story; the rest of this policy just spells it out.

2What we never collect

Simply Sam was designed so that we cannot see your finances, not merely so that we promise not to look.

Your plan file, and every number in it (balances, income, spending, ages, assumptions), stays on your device. The app has no feature that transmits it to us or anyone else.
Simply Sam never connects to your bank, brokerage, or employer accounts. There is no account linking. You type your numbers in yourself, so the app never holds a password, account number, or Social Security number.
We do not use advertising trackers, and we do not sell or rent personal information to anyone.

3What we do collect, and why

When you buy and activate Simply Sam, our licensing service handles:

Your email address, to deliver your license key, your receipt, and service messages such as a refund confirmation.
Your license key and its activation records, to enforce the two-device limit.
A machine identifier, an anonymous code derived from your device's hardware. It tells us "this key is active on this device" and nothing else; it contains nothing about your files or your finances.
Activation timestamps, so we can help you if you need to move the license to a new device.
Your updates subscription status, if you subscribe, to know which reference-data updates you are entitled to.

That licensing service runs on a separate server that the projection engine never talks to. Activation happens once per device; running your plan happens entirely on your machine.

4Payments

Payments are processed by Stripe, our payment provider. Your card number goes to Stripe, not to us; we never see or store it. We receive from Stripe your email address and a confirmation of what you bought. Stripe's handling of your information is described in Stripe's own privacy policy at stripe.com/privacy.

5Website and demo

Our website and the hosted demo are served by our hosting provider, which keeps standard technical server logs (IP address, browser type, pages requested, and times). We use these only to keep the services running and to diagnose problems.

The demo runs on a fictional sample household. Numbers you change in the demo are held in a temporary session on the server so the demo can keep showing them while you explore. That session is tied to a random cookie, not to your name or any account, and it is deleted automatically after about six hours of inactivity, or sooner when the demo restarts. Even so, the demo is not designed to store your information: please do not enter real names, real account details, or other sensitive personal information into it.

6Email

We use your email address for receipts, license delivery, and messages about your purchase or the service. We will only send marketing or product-news email if you opt in, and every such email includes an unsubscribe link.

7When we share information

We share personal information only:

with service providers who help us run the business (payment processing by Stripe, hosting for the website, demo, and licensing service), and only what they need to do their job;
if the law requires it, such as a valid legal request;
if Simply Sam LLC is ever sold or merged, in which case the licensing records go with the business and this policy continues to apply to them.

We never sell personal information. And to say it once more: your plan data cannot be shared by us, because we never have it.

8How long we keep it

We keep licensing records (email, key, activations) for as long as your license is active, so it keeps working, plus a reasonable period for tax and business records. Server logs are kept briefly and routinely discarded.

9Your choices

Email us at simplysamretirement@gmail.com to ask what information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it. We will honor deletion requests, with one caveat stated plainly: deleting your licensing record means we can no longer verify your license, so reactivation on a new device and future updates would stop working. Your installed app and your plan file are yours and are untouched by anything we do.

10Security

We protect licensing information with reasonable technical measures, including encrypted connections to the licensing service. No system is perfectly secure, but ours holds very little worth taking: the most sensitive thing on our servers is your email address, because your financial data was never there.

11Children

Simply Sam is for adults planning retirement and is not directed to anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

12Where we operate

Simply Sam LLC operates from the United States, and our services are directed to customers in the United States. If you use them from elsewhere, the licensing information described above is processed in the United States.

13Changes to this policy

If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we will post the updated version on our website with a new effective date, and where reasonable we will note the change in the app or by email. We will never change the core promise in Section 1 retroactively.

14Contact

Simply Sam LLC
Billerica, Massachusetts
simplysamretirement@gmail.com