How to use these
Copy a prompt into Claude (or your AI assistant of choice). Customize the bracketed parts for your situation, run it, and iterate. Keep what works in your own context library.
Every prompt below has been tested on real finance workflows. Most produce a useful first draft — not finished work. Treat the output as a sharp analyst’s starting point, not the final word.
Financial statement analysis
What it’s for: a fast, skeptical first read of a set of statements before you take them into a meeting.
You are an experienced CFO reviewing the attached financial statements for [Company name]. The company is a [industry] business with approximately [revenue] in revenue.
Please:
1. Identify any anomalies, inconsistencies, or items requiring follow-up
2. Compare the current period to the prior period and flag material changes
3. Assess overall financial health on a 1–10 scale with reasoning
4. List the top 5 questions you would ask the management team
Be direct. Don't soften the analysis. If something looks wrong, say so.Board memo drafting
What it’s for: turning a quarter’s numbers into a tight, one-page memo for sophisticated readers.
Draft a 1-page board memo for [Company name]'s [Q2 2026] results.
Key facts:
- Revenue: [number] vs. [prior period number]
- EBITDA: [number]
- Cash position: [number]
- Major events this quarter: [list 3–5]
Format: 3 short paragraphs.
- Paragraph 1: top-line summary (revenue, EBITDA, cash)
- Paragraph 2: what drove the numbers (the 2–3 biggest factors)
- Paragraph 3: forward look (next-quarter expectations and any decisions needed from the board)
Tone: confident, direct, no marketing language. Written by an operator for sophisticated readers.Variance analysis
What it’s for: pulling the budget-vs-actual variances that actually matter and prepping the questions behind them.
I'm a controller reviewing [month/quarter] results vs. budget. Here's the data:
[Paste your variance data]
For each line item with variance > 5% and > $[threshold]:
1. Explain the most likely operational reason for the variance
2. Suggest 2–3 questions to ask the responsible manager
3. Flag whether this needs immediate attention or can wait
Output as a table. Be brief.13-week cash flow forecast
What it’s for: building a rolling short-term cash forecast and spotting the weeks where liquidity gets tight.
Based on the attached AR aging, AP schedule, and recurring expense list, forecast the cash position for the next 13 weeks for [Company name].
Assumptions:
- Collection cycle averages [X] days based on history
- Major payment events: [list]
- Expected revenue: [list]
Output:
- Week-by-week cash position
- Identify any week where cash falls below [threshold]
- Recommend 3 actions to maintain liquidity if cash gets tight
Show your assumptions explicitly.AR collection email drafting
What it’s for: getting an invoice paid without torching the relationship — with an escalation ladder ready to go.
Draft a collection email to [customer name] for invoice [number] dated [date], amount [$X], now [Y] days past due.
Context:
- Customer relationship: [strong / strained / new]
- Prior payment history: [pattern]
- Industry: [industry]
Tone: firm but professional. Preserve the relationship if possible. Make the next step explicit.
Provide 3 versions:
1. First reminder (gentle)
2. Second reminder (firmer)
3. Final notice (formal, with consequences)Loan covenant compliance check
What it’s for: checking where you stand against your covenants and how much headroom is left before the next test date.
Review the attached financial statements against the loan covenants below for [Company name]:
[Paste covenant requirements: e.g., minimum DSCR of 1.25, maximum leverage of 3.0x, etc.]
For each covenant:
1. Calculate the current ratio
2. State whether we're in compliance
3. Estimate how much headroom (or shortfall) exists
4. Project where we'll be in 90 days based on current trends
Output as a table. Highlight any red flags clearly.M&A diligence acceleration
What it’s for: getting a skeptical first cut of a target’s financials so your deal team knows where to dig.
You are a buyer's CFO conducting due diligence on [Target Company]. The attached files include [list documents].
Review and produce:
1. A 1-page summary of the company's financial profile
2. Top 5 risks identified in the diligence
3. Top 5 questions for the seller's management
4. Recommended adjustments to EBITDA (and reasoning)
5. Working capital trends and concerns
6. Customer concentration analysis
Be skeptical. Find what the seller might be hiding.Audit prep
What it’s for: getting ahead of the auditors with a focused prep checklist instead of a fire drill.
We have an external audit starting [date] for fiscal year [year]. Based on the attached trial balance and prior-year audit notes:
1. List the top 10 areas the auditor will focus on
2. For each, identify what documentation we should pull together in advance
3. Flag any items that are likely to result in audit adjustments
4. Suggest 3 process improvements to make next year's audit easier
Output as an actionable prep checklist.Pricing decision support
What it’s for: pressure-testing a price increase — who, how much, how to phase it, and what happens if customers walk.
We're evaluating a price increase for [product/service]. Current price: [$X]. Competitive prices: [list].
Customer impact analysis:
- Top 20 customers: [paste list with revenue and length of relationship]
- Estimated price elasticity from past changes: [data if available]
Recommend:
1. Whether to raise prices, by how much, and to whom
2. How to phase the increase
3. Communication strategy by customer segment
4. Risk mitigation if customers churn
Provide a 1-page memo I can share with the leadership team.PE sponsor reporting pack
What it’s for: drafting the quarterly investor report your sponsor expects — candid, banker-style, no spin.
Draft the quarterly investor report to our PE sponsor [Sponsor name] for [Q] [year].
Include:
1. Top-line financial summary (revenue, EBITDA, cash, debt)
2. KPI dashboard against the investment thesis
3. Operational highlights and challenges
4. Forward outlook and asks of the sponsor
5. Major risks and mitigations
Format: 4 pages, in the clean, sophisticated style sponsors expect from their portfolio companies.
Tone: candid where things are off-track. Don't sugarcoat — sponsors lose trust faster from spin than from bad news.Want a prompt library built around your numbers?
This is a starter set. Inside an AI Office engagement, your strategist builds a custom prompt library wired to your own close process, reporting cadence, and chart of accounts — the kind that targets paying for itself several times over rather than sitting in a folder.
If you want help turning a specific finance workflow into a working tool, a Value Sprint can ship one in weeks. Start a conversation at frogslayer.com.