# Personal Finance Prompt Pack **Prepared by Dan Rivers | Scrhoz** *15 simple prompts to help you budget smarter, track your spending, set financial goals, and have better money conversations with AI.* ## How to Use This Pack - Copy a prompt, paste it into any AI assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or similar), and replace each [BRACKETED] part with your own details. - Remove names, account numbers and anything identifying before you paste. The AI only needs the amounts and categories. - AI can make arithmetic mistakes. Check any totals it gives you before acting on them. - If the first answer is too general, reply with more detail or ask it to try again with your actual numbers. > **Note:** These prompts are for general information and thinking things through. They are not financial, tax or legal advice. For decisions that matter, check the details with a qualified professional in your country. ## Budgeting ### 1. Build a Simple Budget ``` I'm going to give you my monthly income and expenses. Build a simple budget using the 50/30/20 rule as a starting point, then show me where my numbers differ and what I could adjust. Monthly income after tax: [AMOUNT] Fixed expenses (rent, bills, loan repayments): [LIST WITH AMOUNTS] Variable expenses (food, transport, fun): [LIST WITH AMOUNTS] Show the result as a table, then give me three specific suggestions. ``` *Tip: Use last month's real spending, not what you think you spend.* ### 2. Find the Leaks ``` Here is a list of my spending last month: [PASTE LIST]. Group it into categories, show the total for each, and point out the three categories that look highest for a typical household. Ask me up to five questions about anything that looks unusual before you make recommendations. ``` *Tip: A bank export or card statement works well here.* ### 3. Give Every Bit of Income a Job ``` Help me build a zero-based budget, where every bit of my income is assigned to something. My monthly income after tax is [AMOUNT]. My must-pay expenses are [LIST WITH AMOUNTS]. Walk me through allocating the rest to savings, debt and spending, asking me one question at a time, and finish with a one-page summary. ``` *Tip: Zero-based means every bit of income has an assignment, including the part you choose to leave unspent.* ### 4. Budget for Irregular Income ``` My income changes from month to month. My last six months of income were: [LIST]. Suggest a budgeting approach that works for irregular income, including how much to treat as my baseline income and what to do with months above it. ``` *Tip: Useful for freelancers, contractors and seasonal work.* ## Tracking Your Spending ### 5. Sort My Transactions ``` I'll paste a list of transactions. Sort each one into a sensible category (groceries, transport, subscriptions, eating out and so on), give me the total for each category, and flag anything you couldn't categorise. Transactions: [PASTE LIST] ``` *Tip: Ask it to use the categories you already use if you have a set.* ### 6. Subscription Audit ``` Here are my recurring payments: [LIST WITH AMOUNTS AND HOW OFTEN]. Work out what they cost me per month and per year. Help me decide which to keep, which to cancel and which to review. Ask me how often I use each one if you need to. ``` *Tip: The yearly total is usually the number that gets people to act.* ### 7. Month in Review ``` Here is my spending for this month and last month: [PASTE BOTH]. Compare them, tell me what changed, and summarise it in five bullet points. Then suggest one change for next month. ``` *Tip: Do this on the same day each month so it becomes a habit.* ### 8. Spending Check-In ``` Act as a friendly money coach. Ask me ten short questions about my spending over the past month, one at a time. When we're done, summarise what my answers suggest about where my money is really going. ``` *Tip: Answer honestly. Nobody else sees it.* ## Goals and Saving ### 9. Set a Savings Goal ``` I want to save [AMOUNT] for [GOAL] by [DATE]. My current savings are [AMOUNT] and I can put aside about [AMOUNT] per month. Tell me whether this is realistic, show a month-by-month plan, and suggest what to change if it isn't. ``` *Tip: Be specific about the date. A vague deadline is easy to ignore.* ### 10. Size an Emergency Fund ``` Help me work out how big an emergency fund I need. My monthly essential expenses are [AMOUNT], I have [NUMBER] dependants, and my job security is [STABLE / UNSURE / UNSTABLE]. Recommend a target, then give me a step-by-step plan to build it. ``` *Tip: Essential expenses means the bills you'd still have if your income stopped.* ### 11. Compare Debt Payoff Methods ``` I have these debts: [LIST WITH BALANCE, INTEREST RATE AND MINIMUM PAYMENT FOR EACH]. I can pay an extra [AMOUNT] per month. Compare the avalanche and snowball methods for my situation, show roughly how long each would take, and recommend one. ``` *Tip: Avalanche saves the most interest. Snowball can be easier to stick with.* ### 12. Turn a Big Goal Into Steps ``` My financial goal is: [GOAL]. Break it into milestones I can reach over the next 12 months, and give me one small action I can take this week for each milestone. ``` *Tip: Pick the goal that would make the biggest difference to you.* ## Money Conversations ### 13. Explain It Simply ``` Explain [TOPIC, E.G. COMPOUND INTEREST, INDEX FUNDS, CREDIT SCORES] in plain language. Use one everyday example, then give me three questions I should ask a qualified professional about it. ``` *Tip: Add "as if I'm new to this" if the first answer is too technical.* ### 14. Prepare for a Money Talk ``` I need to talk to [PARTNER / FAMILY MEMBER / HOUSEMATE] about [TOPIC]. Help me plan the conversation: what I want to say, how to open it calmly, and how to handle likely objections. Then play the other person so I can practise. ``` *Tip: Practising out loud with the AI makes the real conversation easier.* ### 15. Get Ready to See a Professional ``` I'm going to see [A FINANCIAL ADVISER / ACCOUNTANT / BANK] about [TOPIC]. List the documents I should bring, the questions I should ask, and the terms I should understand beforehand. ``` *Tip: You'll get more out of the meeting if you turn up prepared.* --- If you'd like the thinking behind these prompts, Dan Rivers goes deeper in his books: - [Balanced Ambition](https://scrhoz.com/books/balanced-ambition) - [The One-Year Financial Reset](https://scrhoz.com/books/the-one-year-financial-reset) - [CYOS 1: Managing Money (Choose Your Own System)](https://scrhoz.com/books/cyos/managing-money) [More from Dan Rivers](https://scrhoz.com/authors/dan-rivers) Free from [Scrhoz](https://scrhoz.com). Want more simple, useful tools like this? [Join the newsletter](https://scrhoz.com/newsletter).