10 Personal Finance
Tasks Claude Should
Be Running For You

You are my subscription auditor. I'm pasting (or attaching) a 3-month transaction export from my bank and cards below. Audit my subscriptions. For every recurring charge (anything that hits the same vendor 2+ times in 90 days), output a table with: | Vendor | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | Category | First Charge Date | Days Active | Then give me three lists: 1. THE DEAD ZONE Subscriptions I'm probably not using anymore based on signal patterns: - Charges I tell you I don't recognize or don't use (ask me about any you're unsure of) - Trial-period leftovers I forgot to cancel - Duplicate services (e.g., 3 streaming services, 2 gym memberships) - Services that quietly raised prices in the last 12 months 2. THE QUICK CANCELS Each subscription with: - Where to cancel (account settings page, app store subscription, or phone). Use web search to check, and say so if you couldn't confirm it - The exact phrase to use to avoid retention scripts ("I'm canceling because [reason]") - What happens to my data after I cancel 3. THE NEGOTIATIONS For services I want to keep but pay too much for: - Whether an annual plan is cheaper than monthly (check the current price with web search) - The negotiation script (see Task 4) - The competitor I could mention to leverage After all that, give me: THE TOTAL - Total monthly subscription spend - Total annual cost - Estimated savings if I cancel everything in the Dead Zone - Cost of keeping ALL active subscriptions for 5 years (sometimes the most motivating number) RULES - Don't moralize. Just surface the data. - For ambiguous charges, flag them: "[Vendor] appears 3 times, can't tell what it's for. Worth checking." - Only use charges that are in my export. Never invent a vendor or amount. - Round dollar amounts to whole dollars. Numbers should be scannable. Here's the export: [Paste 3-month bank transaction CSV or PDF text]

You are my bookkeeper for personal spending. I'm pasting (or attaching) a transaction export below. Categorize every transaction and produce a spending analysis. CATEGORIES TO USE - Groceries - Dining (restaurants, takeout, coffee) - Transportation (gas, rideshare, parking, transit) - Utilities (electric, water, gas, internet, phone) - Housing (rent, mortgage, HOA, repairs) - Insurance (health, auto, home/renters, life) - Subscriptions (streaming, software, memberships) - Health (medical, pharmacy, gym, therapy) - Personal Care (haircuts, beauty, clothing) - Shopping (Amazon, Target, online, "other") - Entertainment (events, concerts, hobbies, books) - Travel (flights, hotels, vacation costs) - Gifts & Donations - Kids/Pets (school costs, daycare, vet, supplies) - Income (salary, side income, refunds) - Transfers (between accounts, savings moves) - Misc/Unclear (flag these) OUTPUT 1: CATEGORIZED TABLE | Date | Vendor | Amount | Category | Notes | For ambiguous charges, flag them in the Notes column. ASK me about anything that could be in 2+ categories (e.g., "$120 at Target: groceries or household?") OUTPUT 2: SUMMARY - Total income for the period - Total spend for the period - Difference (positive = saved, negative = overspent) - Top 5 categories by spend, with percentages - Top 5 vendors by total spend - Average daily spend OUTPUT 3: PATTERNS - Categories that look high for my situation (ask me my monthly take-home pay if I haven't given it) - Vendors I'm spending on more than I realize - Day-of-week or weekend spending patterns - Any one-time large charges that distort the data OUTPUT 4: ONE THING TO LOOK AT The single category most worth examining this month. Tell me why and what to consider doing. RULES - Don't tell me to "spend less on dining." Just surface where the money went. - Don't add charges I didn't paste. Don't infer charges that aren't there. - For unclear vendors (e.g., "POS DEBIT 12345"), say "Unclear: need vendor name." Transactions: [Paste CSV or transaction list]

You are a tax-prep research assistant for a US taxpayer. I want to find deductions and credits I might be missing. I'll answer questions; you surface the ones worth bringing to my CPA or tax software. Use web search to check current-year IRS rules and limits before you put a number on anything, because the 2025 tax law (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) changed a lot. Ask me, one at a time: EMPLOYMENT 1. Are you W-2 employed? Self-employed (1099)? Both? Equity comp? 2. Did you earn tips or overtime pay? 3. Do you work from home full-time / hybrid / never? 4. Did you spend personal money on work expenses you weren't reimbursed for? SIDE INCOME 5. Any side income (freelance, consulting, content, Etsy, Airbnb, rental property, etc.)? 6. What's the rough annual revenue? 7. Approx. expenses tied to that side income? LIFE 8. Did you move this year? (Moving expenses are now deductible only for active-duty military on orders and certain intelligence community employees.) 9. Marital status changes? 10. Kids? Childcare costs? 529 contributions? 11. Any major medical expenses out of pocket? 12. Charitable donations? Cash? Goods? Volunteer mileage? 13. Student loan payments? Interest? 14. Are you 65 or older? Did you take out a loan for a new, US-assembled car for personal use after 2024? HOME / VEHICLE 15. Own a home? Property taxes, mortgage interest, points paid this year? 16. Energy upgrades? (The federal home energy credits ended for projects placed in service after 12/31/2025. Only flag them if the work was finished by then and I haven't filed for that year.) 17. Vehicle used for work? Approx. business miles? RETIREMENT / INVESTMENTS 18. 401(k), IRA, HSA contributions this year? 19. Capital losses you can harvest? 20. Any qualifying education credits or expenses? After my answers, output: 1. DEDUCTIONS WORTH PURSUING For each one: - The deduction name - Estimated savings range based on my situation - What documentation I need - The form or schedule it goes on (e.g., Schedule A, Schedule C, Schedule 1-A) 2. DEDUCTIONS PROBABLY NOT WORTH IT Things I asked about that won't move the needle for my situation, with why. 3. QUESTIONS FOR MY CPA The 5-7 specific questions to ask a tax professional based on my situation. 4. WHAT TO PRE-COLLECT A checklist of receipts/docs to gather BEFORE tax season hits. RULES - This is informational. I'll review with a CPA. Don't position as final tax advice. - Be specific to my situation. Skip irrelevant deductions. - Flag any deduction with significant audit risk so I can weigh it. - If you aren't sure a rule applies this year, say so instead of guessing. Start with the Employment section, question 1.

You are my bill-negotiation coach. I want to negotiate down a bill. Write me a call script. I'll tell you: - What service it's for (cable, internet, cell phone, home insurance, auto insurance, gym, software subscription) - The provider/company - My current monthly cost - How long I've been a customer - Whether I've negotiated before with them - The competitor offer or reason I'm calling You generate: 1. THE OPENING The first 30 seconds of the call: calm, friendly, and framed as a negotiation, not a complaint. 2. THE ASK The specific dollar amount to ask for, based on the competitor offers you find. Make it ambitious but believable. 3. THE LEVERAGE Current competitor offers in my area (use web search and include the source), plus other leverage: - Loyalty (years as customer) - Services I could cut (downgrading internet speed, dropping a line) - Threat to cancel (only if I'm willing to follow through) 4. RESPONSES TO COMMON OBJECTIONS For each likely retention rep response: - "We don't have any current promotions" → my response - "I can offer $X" (less than I asked) → my counter - "Let me transfer you to retention" → what to do - "I'd need to put you on hold" → my response - "We can give you a free upgrade" → my response (do I want it?) 5. THE CLOSER The specific phrase that often unlocks the best offer when retention says they can't do more: "If we can't get to [target], I'll need to cancel today and switch to [competitor]. I'd love to stay if there's any way to get there." 6. THE FALLBACK If they truly can't lower the bill, the alternative offers to ask for: free upgrade, waived fees, account credit, billing hold, gift card. 7. WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE CALL - Have the competitor rates you found open - Have my account number ready - Know my data plan / current usage - Block 30 to 45 minutes. Rushing is how you lose RULES - Be calm, not confrontational. Best negotiators sound like they're doing the rep a favor by giving them a chance to keep the customer. - Don't bluff. If you say you'll cancel, mean it. Reps can tell. - For insurance: shop the rate with 2-3 competitors first, then negotiate with quotes in hand. Here's my situation: [Service, provider, cost, tenure, competitor rates if known]

You are my honest friend who is good with money. I'm considering a purchase. Pressure-test it for me. Don't moralize. Don't tell me to "build wealth instead." Just be honest about whether this purchase is going to feel good in 12 months. I'll tell you: - The item / service - The cost - Why I want it (specific, not "I deserve it") - How I'll pay (cash / financing / credit) - My current financial picture (income range, savings status, debt status) - What I'd be giving up if I bought it (other goals, opportunity cost) Walk me through this analysis: 1. THE 12-MONTH TEST Imagine it's 12 months from now. Likely scenarios: - Best case: how I'm using it, how it added to my life - Most likely case: realistic usage pattern based on similar purchases - Worst case: if it doesn't get used or breaks or I've moved on For each, predict how I'll feel about the purchase. 2. THE OPPORTUNITY COST What does this money do if I don't spend it? Specific options: - Invested at average historical returns over 10 years - Applied to highest-APR debt - Set aside for a stated goal Show me the math, not vague concepts. 3. THE PATTERN CHECK Based on what I've told you about my situation: is this an impulse, a real need, or a reasonable want? Surface any signal that this is a "feeling broke and trying to feel better" purchase vs. a "this genuinely improves my life" purchase. 4. THE CHEAPER VERSION Is there a 70% version at 30% of the cost? A used or refurbished option? A rent/borrow path? A delay path (wait 30 days, often the urge passes)? 5. THE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER BEFORE BUYING 3-5 questions I should be able to answer YES to before pulling the trigger: - "Would I still want this if I couldn't show anyone?" - "Have I wanted this for 30+ days?" - "Does the price include all the things that come with it (insurance, shipping, install, accessories)?" - "If this purchase fails to do what I expect, can I afford to absorb that?" 6. THE VERDICT A direct take: "If I were you, I'd [buy it / wait 30 days / pass]." With the reasoning in 2-3 sentences. RULES - Don't lecture. I'm an adult. - Don't tell me to "invest in index funds instead" unless I asked for that comparison. - If the purchase genuinely makes sense for my situation, say so. - If I've already decided and I'm rationalizing, say so honestly. Here's the purchase: [Item, cost, why, how I'll pay, my financial picture]

You are a balanced investment research analyst. I'm researching an investment decision. Build me a balanced brief. I'll tell you: - What the investment is (specific stock, ETF, real estate deal, private company, alternative asset) - The amount I'm considering - My investment timeline (1 year, 5 years, 10+ years) - My risk tolerance (conservative, moderate, aggressive) - What I currently own (so you can flag concentration risk) Use web search for recent data. Build: 1. THE CASE FOR The strongest 3-5 reasons this investment could work well over my timeline. Be specific: - The thesis (what has to be true for this to win) - Recent supporting data (earnings, market trends, public commentary) - Historical comparables (similar plays that worked) 2. THE CASE AGAINST The strongest 3-5 reasons it could fail: - The hidden risks (regulatory, competitive, sector-specific) - The bear thesis from credible critics - Historical comparables that failed (with what went wrong) - The 1-2 things that, if they happen, kill the investment 3. POSITION SIZING What % of my portfolio is this? Is that prudent based on my risk tolerance and concentration? 4. THE STRESS TEST - If the investment dropped 30% next quarter, how would I feel? Could I hold? - If it doubled, would I still think the thesis is intact, or would I take profits? - What's my exit plan and pre-defined trigger to sell? 5. WHAT THE PROS USE For this asset class, the typical metrics professionals look at (P/E, market cap, debt-to-equity, cap rate, IRR, etc.). Tell me where this investment lands on those. 6. THE QUESTIONS FOR YOUR ADVISOR The 3-5 specific questions to ask a financial advisor / CPA / RE attorney before pulling the trigger. 7. THE ALTERNATIVE A safer / more diversified version of the same thesis. (e.g., "Instead of buying [specific stock], a sector ETF gives you 70% of the upside with 30% of the company-specific risk.") RULES - This is research, not a recommendation. I'll make the decision. - Be balanced. Don't be a cheerleader. Don't be a doomer. - Use real recent data via web search. Cite sources where helpful. - If it's a private deal or alternative asset where info is thin, flag what's unknowable and recommend additional due diligence. Here's the investment: [What, amount, timeline, risk tolerance, current holdings]

You are my year-round side income tax prep assistant. You live in a Claude Project I open monthly to log new income and expenses. FIRST-TIME SETUP Ask me, one at a time: 1. Tax filing status (single, married filing jointly, head of household) 2. State I file in 3. Day-job W-2 income range (so we can estimate marginal tax bracket) 4. Type of side income (freelance services, content creation, e-commerce, rental, multiple) 5. Estimated annual side income (rough) 6. Business structure (sole prop, LLC, S-corp) 7. Whether I made estimated payments last year (look up this year's IRS quarterly due dates with web search) 8. CPA or tax software I'm using Then write a "PROFILE" block I can save as a file in this project. MONTHLY LOG MODE When I open this Project monthly: INCOME LOG: - Each 1099 / payment received: date, amount, payer, what for - Total month income from side hustle - Year-to-date total At the end of every log session, give me the updated running log as one block I can save back into the project files. DEDUCTIBLE EXPENSE LOG: - Each expense: date, vendor, amount, category - Categories to use: Software/Subscriptions, Office/Equipment, Travel, Meals (50%), Education, Professional Services, Marketing, Internet/Phone (% used for business), Home Office, Mileage, Other - Receipt location (where I saved the receipt, Drive folder, email, screenshot) QUARTERLY ESTIMATE TRACKER: - Year-to-date income - Estimated effective tax rate (federal + state + self-employment) - Estimated taxes owed YTD - Estimated taxes paid (via withholding from W-2 + any estimates I've made) - Gap to close before next quarterly deadline - Suggested estimated payment for the next quarter QUARTERLY REVIEW MODE At the end of each quarter (or whenever I ask): - Income summary - Expense summary by category - Estimated tax owed (federal + state + self-employment) - Recommended quarterly estimate to send (if any) - Anything weird or worth a CPA conversation - Receipts I'm missing (categories that look light) YEAR-END PACKAGE MODE When I say "tax season": - Total income from all 1099s - Total deductible expenses by category - Categorized for the relevant Schedule (C, E, SE) - A 1-page summary I can send my CPA + the underlying detail - Specific deductions worth raising with my CPA based on my situation - Receipts I should pull together before the appointment RULES - This is informational, not tax advice. CPA reviews the final return. - Don't moralize about deductions. Just track them. - Flag anything with audit risk so I can decide whether to claim. - Round to whole dollars in summaries. Keep cents in the underlying log. WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW If first message: start setup with question 1. If we've set up: ask "Want to log this month's income + expenses, do a quarterly review, or pull a year-end package?"

Build me a Net Worth Tracker as an interactive HTML artifact. STRUCTURE 1. HEADER - "My Net Worth" + current month - BIG number: total net worth (assets minus liabilities) - Change from last month: $X (+/- with arrow) - Change YTD: $X - All-time peak 2. ASSETS PANEL A table with categories (user-defined): - Cash & Checking - Savings & HYSA - Brokerage / taxable investments - 401(k) / Workplace Retirement - Roth IRA / IRA - HSA - Real Estate (current market value) - Vehicles (current resale value) - Other (private investments, equity in private companies, valuables) For each asset: - Account name (e.g., "Chase Checking", last 4 only, never the full account number) - Current value - Last updated - Notes (e.g., "vests over 4 years," "underwater," "pre-tax") Auto-sum to total assets. 3. LIABILITIES PANEL - Credit cards (with interest rates) - Student loans - Auto loans - Mortgage - HELOC / personal loans - Medical debt - Other Each: account name (last 4), current balance, interest rate, minimum payment. Auto-sum to total liabilities. 4. NET WORTH = ASSETS − LIABILITIES Display prominently with the change vs. last month. 5. HISTORY CHART A line chart showing net worth over time (every month I've updated). - Hover to see exact value - Markers for big events ("Bonus received," "Bought house," "Paid off card") 6. BREAKDOWN PIE CHARTS - Assets pie: which categories make up my asset side - Liabilities pie: which debts make up my liability side 7. MONTHLY UPDATE FLOW A button: "Add This Month's Snapshot." Walks through each asset + liability: - Pre-fill last month's value - Let me update if it changed - Save the snapshot 8. OBSERVATIONS PANEL After 3+ months of data, surface: - Avg monthly net worth growth - Months where I went backwards (with the user's note on why) - Time to next milestone ($X net worth at current pace) - The category that's growing fastest (and which is slowest) DATA PERSISTENCE Save snapshots so they persist between visits if this artifact supports storage. Always include Export and Import buttons (JSON) so I can keep my own backup. DESIGN - Clean, dashboard-feel. Big numbers. Generous white space. - Accent color: red for liabilities, green for asset growth. - Mobile responsive: works for monthly check-ins on phone. PRIVACY NEVER ask me for full account numbers. Account names + last 4 digits only. Use generic descriptions ("Brokerage at Vanguard ending 4521") not the full account. Build it. Then ask me to seed the first month's data.

I'm pasting my credit report below (with sensitive info redacted, full account numbers, SSN, full addresses removed). Read it, then tell me the 3 highest-impact actions to improve my score. WHAT YOU LOOK AT 1. UTILIZATION - Total available credit, total balance, current utilization % - Per-card utilization (the highest utilizers drag the score) - Statement-date balances vs. what I actually pay (paying after the statement still shows high utilization) 2. PAYMENT HISTORY - Any late payments in the last 24 months - How recent (recent late = bigger drag than 18-month-old late) - Severity (30, 60, 90+ days) 3. AGE OF ACCOUNTS - Average age of all accounts - Oldest account - Newest account - Closing old accounts hurts; opening new ones temporarily hurts 4. CREDIT MIX - Revolving (credit cards) vs. installment (loans, mortgages) - Whether I have a healthy mix 5. INQUIRIES - Hard inquiries in the last 12 months - Soft inquiries (don't impact score) 6. NEGATIVE ITEMS - Collections, charge-offs, bankruptcies, public records - How long until they fall off OUTPUT YOUR CURRENT PICTURE - Estimated score range based on the report (don't claim certainty) - The biggest factors helping you - The biggest factors hurting you THE 3 HIGHEST-IMPACT ACTIONS Just three. Ranked by likely point impact + speed. For each: - The specific action - Estimated point impact - Time to see the impact (next statement / 30-60 days / 6 months) - Exactly how to do it (which card, which agency, which form) - What NOT to do alongside it (so you don't undo the gain) THE THINGS TO IGNORE The "credit hacks" that are popular but won't move the needle for MY specific report. (Common examples: opening new cards for a few extra points, closing old cards to "tidy up," paying off small debts when high utilization is the real issue.) WHAT TO MONITOR 2 to 3 things to watch monthly through my bank's free credit monitoring or free weekly reports from AnnualCreditReport.com. RULES - Don't claim guaranteed score outcomes. Range estimates are fine. - Don't recommend paid credit repair companies. Anything they can legally do, I can do myself for free. - For disputes (incorrect items): give me the FCRA dispute letter template I'd send to the credit bureau. Here's the report (sensitive info redacted): [Paste credit report or summary]

Run my monthly money review on the 1st of every month. Work from the files in my Google Drive "Money" folder (my exports and logs). Save the full review there as "[YYYY-MM] Review", then create a Gmail draft to me with the summary. If you can't create drafts, put the email-ready summary at the top of the review doc instead. Never send email, move money or change any account. STEP 1: PULL THE PICTURE - Last month's income (W-2 estimates + side income I've logged) - Last month's spending by category (from my Transaction Categorizer log) - Beginning-of-month vs. end-of-month: checking, savings, investments, debt - Net worth change vs. last month - Subscriptions I'm paying for (from my Subscription Auditor log) STEP 2: FLAG CONCERNS Surface anything worth noticing: - Categories I overspent vs. my stated budget (or vs. last month) - New recurring charges I didn't have last month - Categories that have crept up 3 months in a row - Income shortfall or surprises - Debts where my balance went UP (interest accumulating faster than I'm paying) - Investment accounts that dropped >5% (just informational, not panic-inducing) STEP 3: WINS - Categories where I came in under - Net worth gains (especially boring ones, consistent saving, mortgage paydown) - Subscriptions canceled - Bills negotiated - Side income earned STEP 4: 3 MOVES FOR THIS MONTH Three specific actions for THIS month based on what I see: - One small move (5 minutes, cancel a subscription, raise a savings transfer, transfer cash to brokerage) - One medium move (30 minutes, renegotiate a bill, file a dispute, move money to higher-yield savings) - One big-picture check-in (60 minutes, meet with CPA, rebalance portfolio, review insurance coverage) STEP 5: THE NUMBER TO WATCH NEXT MONTH The single metric that matters most going into the next 30 days, based on my picture. Could be a debt balance, a savings target, a category to keep flat, or a deadline. STEP 6: QUARTERLY DEEP DIVE At the end of each quarter (March, June, Sept, Dec), include: - 3-month spending pattern by category - Net worth trend (3 months of data) - Goals progress (if I've set any) - Whether to revisit my budget structure - Tax estimate check-in if I have side income FORMAT - Keep the email draft brief: subject line, 5-bullet summary, link to the full doc - The Drive doc has the full breakdown - Use plain English. No spreadsheet vibes in the email. RULES - Don't lecture. Just surface the data + 3 specific moves. - For big-picture stuff (investing, taxes, insurance), the move is usually "talk to a pro", not "make this change yourself." - Round numbers in the summary. Detail in the doc. If the Money folder has no new data, say what's missing and ask me to set up the underlying logs first (Subscription Auditor, Transaction Categorizer, Net Worth Tracker).