Sample ChatGPT Prompts for Financial Advisors
FavoritesI'm pretty obsessed with the latest releases of AI software. For the last two months, I’ve been using ChatGPT in a wide variety of my daily tasks as a financial advisor. (If you are not familiar with ChatGPT, Google it and come back.) I've found the tool to have real benefits, especially with the responses I've been getting from the newer GPT-4 model.
I've come to think of ChatGPT as my newest employee, "Chetgee Pitee." Chetgee has an extensive range of talents: He works for $20 a month, he writes pretty well, he is quite creative, he’s extremely polite, he gets work done very quickly (unless I've asked too much of him in a short amount of time), and he’s extremely confident (sometimes too confident).
I’ve asked Chetgee to provide newsletter topics, summarize articles, draft an outline for a presentation, grab data from a tax report, and write Excel formulas. When I'm clear with my instructions, Chetgee performs these tasks very well.
I've asked Chetgee to try other tasks, and he's failed many of them quite miserably. Remember, he's been trained on a dataset that does not really distinguish between the IRS's Publication 590 and a YouTube influencer explaining how an IRA works. I've learned not to ask Chetgee questions where the "average" answer found on the internet is questionable, and I carefully review all of Chetgee's work.
I've compiled a list of more than 40 cases where I've found ChatGPT useful. These fit into five broad buckets: Idea Generation, Summarizing, Draft Writing, Data Gathering, and Technical Tasks. I'm sharing my list to show off several possibilities, teach a little about prompt engineering, and, I hope, spark some ideas. I have not included the heap of cases I tried that failed—you'll definitely find some if you use the tool for any length of time. If you click on the 👀 following each prompt, you will see the full prompt, ChatGPT's response, and any follow-up prompts I used to get more out of the tool.
I’ve been consistently surprised by the range of use cases, and I’m sure there are additional cases and prompts that can be added to this list. If you want to share, feel to send your use cases and sample prompts to mark@milewealth.com. (Please only send cases that a financial advisor might find useful.)
I hope you find this information helpful!
MY WARNINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Don’t use ChatGPT's work in any client communication unless you are highly competent in the areas presented and carefully review the work. Although the GPT-4 model is a huge improvement from the prior versions (and the current free version), some estimates suggest that ChatGPT will "hallucinate" (make up stuff) in 10% to 20% of the work it provides.
Use the GPT-4 engine when you can. This latest version is much better than its previous models.
Do not use ChatGPT to write all of your content. We could use this tool to write 50 decent financial planning articles in an afternoon—but that does not mean we should. Seth Godin’s comment makes the point, “If your work isn’t more useful or insightful or urgent than GPT can create in 12 seconds, don’t interrupt people with it.”
Start a new chat frequently. I often see ChatGPT losing its train of thought during a long string of prompts. I’ve had better results when I start a new chat with each new set of questions.
Again, check ChatGPT’s work. I’ve seen the tool connect book titles to the wrong author, make up quotes from famous people, show me numbers, dates, and facts that come out of thin air, write formulas and macros that fail miserably, make basic math errors, and provide links to research sites that do not exist. Assuming the tool is trying to sneak errors past you is a wise starting place. These large language models are definitely going to get better, but I’m not certain they will ever be 100% accurate. “You can’t always believe what you read on the internet.” – Abraham Lincoln
SAMPLE CHATGPT PROMPTS FOR FINANCIAL ADVISORS
Idea Generation / Brainstorming
Card Message Ideas
Write seven birthday card messages 👀
Write five anniversary card messages for a couple celebrating 25 years of marriage 👀
Create seven get well wishes for Leslie, an energetic and sharp 70 year old woman who is recovering from hip surgery; she's looking forward to walking Snooker and dancing sometime soon. 👀
Book Recommendations
Give me some book titles for someone starting to learn about personal finance 👀
Can you recommend five authors for someone who likes Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel novels? 👀
I liked the books Start With Why, The Speed of Trust, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. What books should I add to my future reading list? Titles only, please. 👀
Topic Ideas
Give me seven specific but timeless financial blog post topics applicable to middle aged dentists. 👀
Write 5 titles to my blog post below: 👀
What are some FAQ topics we should consider for our website? 👀
I own a financial planning firm. I'm setting up workflows for my CRM. Give me a workflow for when a client requests a QCD. 👀
Generating Questions
I'm the owner of a fee-only financial planning firm with a strong client centered culture. I'm running a second interview with a candidate for our associate financial advisor position. Give me five standard and five insightful interview questions. 👀
I'm an experienced financial advisor who has been educated by the best as a life planner. I'm meeting with a young executive this afternoon for our exploratory (second) meeting. In addition to the standard Kinder questions, what five deep questions might I ask? 👀
I'm interviewing Gene Fama for my podcast. Give me five basic and five insightful interview questions. 👀
I'm meeting with a couple this afternoon. They are looking to hire a financial advisor to help with their family finances. They have never worked with a financial advisor before. She is a college professor teaching finance and he's a roofer. What five tough questions should I be prepared for from her? 👀
Write a seven question survey (10 point scale) that'll give us some insights into the clients of our financial planning firm. Integrate three questions that I can use to calculate an NPS (identify them). 👀
Summarizing
Summarize the text below for a busy CEO: 👀 ✨
Summarize the video transcript below for a busy CEO 👀 ✨
Give me the main points from the book "Happy Money" 👀
Write a thorough yet concise summary of [text]; concentrate on only the most important takeaways and primary points from the book that together will give me a solid overview and understanding of the book and its topic Include all of the following in your summary: Main topic or theme of the book Key ideas or arguments presented Chapter titles or main sections of the book with a paragraph on each Key takeaways or conclusions Author's background and qualifications Comparison to other books on the same subject Target audience or intended readership Reception or critical response to the book Publisher and First Published Date Recommendations [Other similar books on the same topic] To sum up: The book's biggest Takeaway and point in a singular sentence OUTPUT: Markdown format with #Headings, ##H2, ###H3, + bullet points, + sub-bullet points text= 👀 ✨
Draft Writing
Write a draft reply to basic emails
Write a short draft reply to this email: 👀 ✨
Write an email reply below; decline the offer until after tax season. 👀
Write an article/script/blog first draft
Write a 300 word blog post for 3rd graders about the basics of credit scores. 👀
Write a 400 word blog post about the basics of credit scores; [Voice and style guide: Makes use of persuasive tone, making use of rhetorical questions, and storytelling to engage readers. Use metaphors, analogies and other literary devices to make points more relatable and memorable. Write in a way that is both informative and entertaining.] 👀
[Style guide: Tone: Use a tone that is motivational, positive, and engaging. Syntax: Use syntax that is clear, concise, and straightforward. Use simple and direct language to convey ideas, making it easy for readers to understand the content. Present information in smaller, digestible sections, with quotations and examples to support the points made. Style: Use a style that is informal, conversational, and approachable. Share anecdotes, quotes from successful people, and book recommendations to illustrate points and engage the reader. Use questions and personal reflection to encourage readers to think critically about their goals and habits. Do not use emojis in any writing.] Write a 400 word blog post about the basics of credit scores. 👀
Write a 400 word blog post about the basics of credit scores in the style Michael Lewis might write for The New Yorker 👀
I'm trying to educate young college students about the importance of credit scores. Write a scene from an episode of The Office where Jim is trying to convince Dwight to do some silly things to "help" his score, but they will actually hurt. 👀
Write A Draft of a Client Letter Using Information
[style and tone: professional and friendly] Write a narrative-style email to Pat following up on our meeting; <paste agenda and meeting notes> 👀 ✨
[Voice and style guide: Write in a casual, friendly way, as if you were telling a friend about something. Use natural language and phrases that a real person would use: in normal conversations] Write an email summarizing to my client the most important items from their homeowner's insurance policy (below). Focus on Section 1 and 2 coverages (with helpful explanations), their premium, and touch on their current dwelling coverage per sq foot and comment on this being high/low based on the local average of $350/sq foot. 👀 ✨
I'm Mark a financial advisor with more than 10 years of experience. Write a short letter to my financial planning client summarizing his tax information (below), only include the most important figures, and use a narrative format that's professional and friendly. 👀 ✨
Presentation Outlines
Build a 7 slide presentation with the title, "Fixed Income: The Past, Present, and Future" for a group new to investing. 👀
I'm a financial advisor with more than 10 years of experience. I'm giving a 60 minute presentation to a large chapter of AARP. Build an outline for my presentation, "Don't Be a Victim of Identity Theft." 👀 ✨
Other Drafts
Write a 100 word press release about our new hire; here is her bio: 👀
Write a short intro to this article that will encourage the reader to read the entire piece 👀 ✨
Write a webinar announcement for our Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn page: 👀
Data Gathering (from text)
Build a table from the information below with the following headings: fund name, ticker, ex-date, record-date, pay-date, short-term distribution, long-term distribution 👀 ✨
Make a table with the key information from the Homeowner's Declaration Page below: 👀 ✨
Build a table from the 1099 information below. The columns I'd like to see are: Security Name, Ticker, Date Sold, Gain/Loss. 👀 ✨
Grab children's names and birthdates from the email below: 👀
Technical Tasks (Formula Help, Macros, Programming)
Excel Formula Help ✨
Write an Excel formula that shows the second largest number of columns A-E. 👀
Write an Excel formula that converts the name in cell A (LAST, FIRST) to FIRST LAST; do not include any explanation or introduction. 👀
Excel Macro Writing ✨
Write an Excel macro that prints each of the spreadsheet tabs (except DataSheet) into PDF files. 👀
Write an Excel macro that walks through every Name in A (starting in the second row) and highlights (in light green) Columns A-E if the name starts with the letter A-M and P; unhighlight all others. 👀
Coding ✨
Write a Python script that...
Bonus Prompts
Prompt Builder
You, ChatGPT, will be my prompt engineer. We will iterate the prompts you output in order to arrive at a prompt that gives me the desired output. The first output you give me will ask what the prompt will be about, with some questions to get us on the right track. Then once you have an initial understanding of what the prompt is about, you will provide me with the first iteration. Then you will ask more questions to make the prompt better. We will continue this iterative process until we have arrived at the prompt we need to generate my desired output. ✨
My Favorite Prompt Builder (from Groove.ai)
Act as a world-class expert prompt engineer. You turn boring prompts into spectacular prompts. I am going to start by giving you a prompt. Then, your task is to create a better, more effective, creative, detailed, and highly effective prompt tailored to produce optimal responses and outputs from ChatGPT. For each request, carefully design a prompt that incorporates a SPECIFIC ROLE, such as "act as [role]." For example, "Act as an Accountant…." You need to MAKE A NEW PROMPT as detailed and comprehensive as possible. Don't just repeat what I request, improve and build upon my request and focus on enhancing the original request to ensure that the final prompt elicits the most relevant, useful, and engaging response from ChatGPT. Here is the prompt I want you to make better: [Desired prompt. Give as much details as you can for a better output. For example: If for an email, Tone, Style, direct response, urgency, use bullets, target market, desired outcome, highlight main feature, etc.. ] ✨ ✨