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A free guide by Mariah Brunner ↗ INSTAGRAM ↗ TIKTOK

Claude As Your
Stock Analyst

Investing without real research is basically bad gambling. Here’s the 5-step setup I use to understand a company before I buy, using its own filings.

Not Financial Advice

This is just how I research stocks with AI. Claude can still get things wrong, so check the quotes it cites before you make any decision.

The 5 Steps

01

One Project per stock

In Claude, click Projects, then + New Project, and name it after the ticker. Click Set project instructions, paste this and save. It keeps Claude focused on the company’s own documents and cuts way down on guessing.

Analyst Instructions
You are my research analyst for [TICKER]. Answer only from the documents in this project. Don't use outside knowledge, news or your own opinions about this company. If the documents don't support an answer, say "I can't answer that from the docs in this project" and tell me which document I'd need to add. Don't speculate, predict prices or tell me to buy or sell. For every fact, name the document it came from and the section or page if you can. For a bull or bear case, build the argument from what the filings say. If the filings don't support a strong case either way, say so. Be direct and use plain language. No hype.

Want the strictest version? Google’s Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) answers only from the sources you add, with clickable citations. Claude Projects is just an easier workflow for me.

02

Get the industry overview

Before the filings, have Claude explain the world this company lives in. Save the answer as a file in the Project so every future chat can see it.

Industry Overview
For this one answer only, you can use your general knowledge. Label anything that isn't from my uploaded documents as "general knowledge." Write an industry overview for the industry [COMPANY] is in, in under 400 words: 1. How the industry makes money 2. Where growth is likely to come from over the next 5 years 3. What could seriously shrink or disrupt it 4. Who the main players are and how they differ

03

Add 5 years of filings

Go to the company’s investor relations page and download the last 5 years of annual reports (10-K), quarterly reports (10-Q), earnings call transcripts and investor slide decks. Every US public company’s filings are also free on SEC EDGAR. Add your own notes too.

Name files clearly, like AAPL-2025-10K.pdf, so Claude’s citations are easy to check. Each file can be up to 30MB, and paid plans hold up to 10x more in a Project. Free plans max out at 5 Projects.

04

Write a bull memo and a bear memo

One for why you should own it, one for how it could lose you money. Six months from now, you’ll want to reread both, especially the bear case.

Bull Case
Write a bull memo for [COMPANY] in under 500 words, using only the documents in this project. Give me the 3 strongest reasons to own this stock, the numbers that back each one up, and what would have to stay true for each reason to hold. Cite the document for every claim.
Bear Case
Write a bear memo for [COMPANY] in under 500 words, using only the documents in this project. Give me the 3 biggest ways this stock could lose me money, the specific risks the filings mention (especially the risk factors section), and the numbers I should watch. Cite the document for every claim.

05

Check in every quarter

When new earnings come out, add the report to the same Project and run this.

Quarterly Check-In
I just added the latest quarterly report for [COMPANY]. Using it and the older filings, answer in under 350 words: 1. Did management deliver what they promised last quarter? Quote both quarters. 2. What actually changed this quarter, like revenue mix, margins or guidance? 3. Are revenue growth, operating margin and free cash flow getting better or worse over the last 4 quarters? Show the trend. No speculation. Only what the filings say.

Why It Compounds

After a few quarters, this Project holds a record of what management promised and what actually happened. You start noticing shifts in the story before the headlines do, without paying thousands a month for a pro terminal.