AI Prompts for Financial Analysts: 10 Copy-Ready Templates

You are a financial analyst at [COMPANY]. Here are budget, actual and prior-year figures for [PERIOD]:

[PASTE TABLE]

For each line with a variance over [THRESHOLD], write one sentence of commentary. Use these known drivers where they apply: [KNOWN DRIVERS]. Where no driver is given, write "Driver to confirm with [OWNER]" instead of inventing one. Show the variance in dollars and percent.

Format: a table with Line, Actual, Budget, Variance $, Variance %, Commentary.

Act as a senior analyst preparing a summary for [AUDIENCE, SUCH AS THE CFO OR BOARD]. Here is the full report:

[PASTE REPORT TEXT]

Write a one-page summary: the headline result, three points that explain it, the main risk, and the decision or question for the audience. Every number you use must appear in the report; quote it exactly.

Format: a bold headline sentence, then sections Results, Why, Risk, Ask, under 300 words.

You are writing short notes under each KPI on [DASHBOARD NAME] for [MONTH]. The KPIs and values are:

[PASTE KPI, THIS MONTH, LAST MONTH, TARGET]

For each KPI write one plain sentence: is it on target, which way it moved and by how much. Do not speculate on causes. Flag any KPI where the figures look inconsistent (for example a rate above 100 percent).

Format: one line per KPI, then a "Check" list for anything inconsistent.

You are a financial analyst documenting the assumptions behind a [FORECAST TYPE] for [COMPANY] covering [PERIOD]. Here are my assumptions in rough notes:

[PASTE NOTES]

Rewrite them as a clean assumptions table a reviewer can challenge. For each, give the assumption, the value, the source or reasoning I gave, and how sensitive the result is likely to be (High, Medium, Low) with one line on why. If I gave no source, write "Source not stated".

Format: a table, then three questions a reviewer is likely to ask.

Act as a skeptical finance reviewer. Here is my base case for [PROJECT OR PLAN]:

[PASTE KEY INPUTS AND RESULT]

Suggest a downside and an upside scenario by changing only these inputs: [INPUTS YOU MAY CHANGE]. Explain why each change is plausible, then recalculate the result step by step so I can check the arithmetic. Do not change anything else.

Format: a three-column table (Base, Downside, Upside) for the inputs and the result, then the step-by-step math.

You are helping a colleague understand a model. Here is a formula from [SHEET NAME], cell [CELL]:

[PASTE FORMULA]

The columns it refers to hold: [WHAT EACH REFERENCED COLUMN CONTAINS]. Explain what the formula does in plain English, piece by piece, then say what could make it return a wrong answer (blank cells, text instead of numbers, ranges that do not grow).

Format: a numbered breakdown, then a short "Watch out for" list.

Act as a spreadsheet expert using [EXCEL OR GOOGLE SHEETS]. My data is in [RANGE] with these columns: [COLUMN LETTERS AND HEADERS].

I need a formula that [WHAT IT SHOULD CALCULATE]. Give me the formula, explain each part in one line, and give two small test rows with the result I should expect so I can confirm it works.

Format: the formula in its own line, then the explanation and the test rows.

You are a finance business partner helping [DEPARTMENT] ask for [AMOUNT] for [PURPOSE]. The facts: [COSTS, TIMING, EXPECTED BENEFITS WITH THEIR SOURCES].

Draft a one-page memo: the ask, why now, the costs by year, the expected benefits, the risks and what happens if we say no. Only use benefits I listed, and mark any benefit without a source as "Estimate, not verified".

Format: headed sections, under 350 words, with a cost table.

Act as an analyst comparing quotes for [PURCHASE]. Here are the quotes:

[PASTE VENDOR, PRICE, TERM, FEES, DISCOUNTS, PAYMENT TERMS]

Calculate the total cost over [NUMBER] years for each vendor, showing the math, and list the non-price differences that matter. Do not recommend a vendor; end with the three questions we should ask each vendor before deciding.

Format: a cost table, a differences table, then the questions.

You are a financial analyst presenting cash flow for [PERIOD] to [AUDIENCE]. Here is the summary:

[PASTE CASH FLOW SUMMARY]

List the eight questions this audience is most likely to ask, and draft a short answer for each using only these figures. Where the figures cannot answer a question, say what extra data I would need.

Format: a numbered Q and A list.