Cookie Policy

Last updated: May 1, 2026

This Cookie Policy explains how Portfolio Mentor uses cookies, pixels, local storage, and other similar technologies (collectively, “cookies”) on our website and in our application. It complements our Privacy Policy. We have written it in plain English so you can understand exactly what we are doing and why.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your browser when you visit a website. They allow the site to recognize your browser on subsequent visits and to remember information about your visit, such as preferences, login state, and the actions you took. Cookies are widely used to make websites work efficiently, to provide a better user experience, and to give site owners statistical information.

Cookies can be classified by their lifetime, a “session cookie” is deleted when you close your browser, while a “persistent cookie” is stored on your device for a fixed period or until you delete it. They can also be classified by origin, a “first-party cookie” is set by the website you are visiting, while a “third-party cookie” is set by an external service whose content is embedded on the page (an analytics provider, a video player, a payment processor, and so on).

In addition to cookies, modern browsers also support technologies such as localStorage, sessionStorage, IndexedDB, and Service Workers. We use these for the same purposes as cookies, to keep you signed in, to remember your preferences, and to make the application feel responsive offline.

2. Why We Use Cookies

We use cookies to:

• Keep you signed in across pages and across sessions if you select “remember me”.
• Remember your interface preferences (language, theme, layout density).
• Protect the integrity of forms (against cross-site request forgery) and to throttle abusive sign-up attempts.
• Understand which features users find valuable so we can prioritize what to build next.
• Measure the success of marketing campaigns and to make sure we do not show you irrelevant advertisements.

3. Categories of Cookies We Use

3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the Service to function. They cannot be disabled because the Service would stop working. They never store information that personally identifies you beyond what is necessary for sign-in.

• session_id,keeps you logged in across pages and across browser tabs. Expires when you close the browser or after seven days of inactivity, whichever comes first.
• csrf_token,protects every form submission against cross-site request forgery. Session cookie.
• cookie_consent,remembers your cookie preferences so we do not ask you again on every page load. Persistent, retained for one year.
• signup_step,preserves your progress through the sign-up wizard so you can refresh the page or come back later. Session cookie.
• csrf_token_app,distinct CSRF token used by the dashboard application. Session cookie.

3.2 Performance and Analytics Cookies (Optional)

These cookies are set only after you accept the analytics category in our cookie banner. They help us understand how visitors interact with the Service so we can improve it. The data is collected in aggregate and is not used to identify any individual user.

• _ga,Google Analytics 4 user identifier with IP anonymization enabled. Persistent, two years.
• _ga_*,Google Analytics 4 session-state cookie used for traffic-source attribution. Persistent, two years.
• _gid,Google Analytics legacy daily-uniques cookie. Persistent, twenty-four hours.
• plausible,Plausible Analytics anonymous identifier (no personal data, no fingerprinting). Persistent, thirty days.
• clarity_id,Microsoft Clarity session-replay identifier with PII masking enabled at the source. Persistent, one year.

3.3 Functional Cookies (Optional)

These cookies make the Service nicer to use. They store the small preferences that personalize the interface without identifying you.

• locale,your selected interface language. Persistent, one year.
• theme,light or dark theme preference. Persistent, one year.
• density,comfortable or compact layout density. Persistent, one year.
• last_dashboard_view,remembers which tab of the dashboard you opened last. Persistent, ninety days.

3.4 Marketing and Advertising Cookies (Optional)

These cookies are set only after you accept the marketing category. They are used for retargeting and conversion tracking on advertising networks.

• _fbp,Meta Pixel for Facebook and Instagram retargeting. Persistent, ninety days.
• _gcl_au,Google Ads conversion tracking. Persistent, ninety days.
• li_sugr,LinkedIn Insight Tag retargeting. Persistent, ninety days.
• _uetsid, _uetvid,Microsoft Bing Ads conversion tracking. Persistent, thirteen months.
• _pin_unauth,Pinterest tag retargeting. Persistent, one year.

4. Third-Party Cookies and Services

The following third parties may set cookies through the Service. Each is bound by its own privacy policy, which we encourage you to review.

• Stripe,payment processing on the checkout page.
• Cloudflare,security and performance (bot mitigation, DDoS protection).
• Google,Analytics, Ads conversion tracking, reCAPTCHA on public forms.
• Meta,Pixel for Facebook and Instagram advertising.
• Microsoft,Clarity session replays, Bing Ads conversion tracking.
• YouTube,embedded videos. We use the privacy-enhanced “youtube-nocookie” mode where possible.
• Helpscout,chat widget on support pages.

5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You can change your preferences at any time using the cookie banner that appears on your first visit, or by clicking the “Cookie settings” link in the footer of any page. You can also clear cookies in your browser settings, note that disabling strictly necessary cookies will prevent the Service from working correctly.

Browser instructions:

• Chrome,Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data.
• Firefox,Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data.
• Safari (macOS),Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data.
• Safari (iOS),Settings → Safari → Advanced → Website Data.
• Edge,Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Manage and delete cookies.

6. Do Not Track

Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” header. Because there is no industry consensus on how this header should be interpreted, the Service does not respond to it directly. We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal where applicable and treat it as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for behavioral advertising.

7. Updates to This Policy

If we add new cookie types, change the third parties we work with, or otherwise materially change the way we use cookies, we will update this page and surface a fresh consent prompt where required by law. Minor revisions (typo fixes, clarifications) will simply be reflected here without a new prompt.

8. Contact

Questions or requests? Email [email protected] and we will respond within five business days.