Tried AI on real finance work and got back something you would never send?

Can you point at an example of good, or can you only describe one?

Ever written off a tool on the strength of one bad Tuesday?

HIGHLIGHTS OF EPISODE

The first time I opened Microsoft Copilot for Excel I gave it three months of revenue data and one sentence, asking why a line wasn’t working, and when it handed back something unformatted and generic I decided the tool was junk and didn’t open it again for two months.

I was the problem.

A new analyst gets weeks of context before anyone judges the work, and I gave the model a sentence. This episode is the three things missing from that handoff: context, standards, and the job you picked. Adding context took my output up about 80%. Attaching one report my leadership had liked took it to 95%.

If you work in FP&A and AI has burned you once, this is the fix, and it takes about 10 minutes.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED

Microsoft Copilot for Excel, the tool in the story

The 3 questions to run before your next prompt, covered at 12:40

The reversibility test for choosing what to hand over, covered at 11:17

The F9 Finance AI Library, free prompts and templates: https://www.f9finance.com/ai-library/

This episode’s sponsor is Finance AI Lab. Members who finish their first four roadmaps get about seven hours a week back. Fifty-nine dollars a month, cancel anytime. https://www.f9finance.com/lab/

Contact -> hello@f9finance.com

Podcast -> https://www.f9finance.com/podcast

Connect -> Finance AI Lab, the private community for finance pros learning AI: https://www.f9finance.com/lab/

Instagram -> @f9finance

TikTok -> @f9finance

Resources -> https://www.f9finance.com/ai-library/

Next Steps:

Step 1: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@f9finance/

Step 2: Get a free set of ready-to-use AI prompts and templates for finance work with the AI Library: https://www.f9finance.com/ai-library/

Step 3: Ready to launch your finance team into AI? Join the Finance AI Lab: https://www.f9finance.com/lab/

Excel at AI in Finance is for the finance pro, executive, and CFO looking to take their work to the next level. Mike is a senior finance leader breaking down AI tools like Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and beyond to reduce hours and prevent burnout. If you’re ready to break free from burnout in corporate finance and FP&A, it’s time to invest in AI for Finance.