SAM Houston Group, Strategic Accounting Management
(832) 937-1980Client Portal →

Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 20, 2026

This policy explains how Strategic Accounting Management Houston LLC, doing business as SAM Houston Group ("SAM Houston Group," "we," "us"), collects, uses, shares and protects personal information through this website, our client portal and the SAM app. We will give you this notice when you become a client, and you can find the current version on this page at any time.

Information we collect

  • Contact details: name, email address, phone number and mailing address.
  • Identity information: Social Security numbers or ITINs, dates of birth, and copies of photo ID, for you and for any spouse or dependents on your return.
  • Income and tax information: W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, prior-year returns, IRS and state letters, deductions, credits and other tax documents.
  • Financial information: bank account and routing numbers for refunds or payments, bank and credit card statements, and business records such as bookkeeping reports.
  • Messages: what you write to us by email, through the website form, in the portal, or to Pete, our AI assistant.
  • Technical data: basic information such as browser type, device and IP address that our hosting providers log automatically.

Where it comes from: mostly from you, when you fill in forms, upload documents or message us. We may also receive information from the IRS or state tax agencies, from your employer or financial institutions through the forms they issue, or from other people you authorize, such as a spouse or business partner.

How we use it

We use your information to respond to you, prepare your tax returns, provide the bookkeeping and accounting services you ask for, send reminders about missing documents or deadlines, and meet our legal obligations.

Tax return information. We use information you provide for tax preparation only to prepare your returns and provide the services you request. We will not use it for any other purpose, or disclose it to anyone else, unless you give us separate written consent or the law requires it.

How we share it

  • Taxing authorities: the IRS and state agencies, when we file returns or respond to letters on your behalf.
  • Service providers who help us run our business and may handle information only to provide their service to us (listed below).
  • People you authorize, such as your spouse or another adviser you ask us to work with.
  • When required by law, such as a valid subpoena or court order.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with affiliates or with outside companies for their own marketing. Because we don’t share information in ways that would require it, there is nothing you need to opt out of.

Service providers we use

  • Supabase: hosts the client portal database, sign-in and document storage (United States).
  • Netlify: hosts this website and the web version of the portal, and receives website form submissions.
  • Twilio: sends the sign-in codes we text to your phone.
  • Microsoft 365 / OneDrive: our business email; we also plan to keep a backup copy of client files in OneDrive.
  • OpenAI: provides the AI model behind Pete (see below).

Pete, our AI assistant

Pete answers general tax questions in the portal. Pete is an AI assistant, not a CPA, attorney or tax preparer, and his answers are general information, not tax or legal advice.

  • When you message Pete, your message and the last few messages in the chat are sent to OpenAI to generate a reply. Your name and account details are not included.
  • Under OpenAI’s published API terms, this data is not used to train their models. OpenAI may keep it for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring.
  • Pete never receives your uploaded documents or their contents.
  • Your messages to Pete are saved in your portal account so our team can follow up.
  • Please don’t enter Social Security numbers, bank account numbers or other sensitive numbers in chat. The app tries to detect and remove them, but it may not catch everything.

How we protect it

  • Connections to our website and portal are encrypted.
  • Our storage providers encrypt stored data.
  • Each client can see only their own files. Only authorized SAM Houston Group staff can see client files, and staff sign-in requires a second verification step.
  • Clients sign in with one-time codes instead of passwords.
  • Documents cannot be deleted through the app, and the database is backed up daily.

No method of sending or storing information is completely secure. If we learn of a breach affecting your information, we will notify you as required by law.

How long we keep it

  • Tax records: as long as the IRS recommends keeping records for each return, which is at least 3 years and longer in some situations.
  • Client information and privacy acknowledgments: at least 3 years.
  • Other records: as long as needed to provide our services or as the law requires. After that, we delete them securely.

Your choices

You can ask to see or correct your information, or ask us to delete it where we are not required to keep it. To delete your SAM app account, see Delete your account.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page. If the change is significant, we will also let current clients know by email or in the portal before it takes effect.

Contact, corrections and complaints

Questions, correction requests or complaints about privacy go to:

Strategic Accounting Management Houston LLC
3050 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 1562, Houston, TX 77056
sam.ali@samhoustongroup.com · (832) 937-1980

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