Analyze the following financial information as an auditable management or personal-finance analysis. Treat all figures as unverified until reconciled; do not provide investment, tax, lending, or legal advice. Decision I need to make: [DECISION QUESTION] Data and period: [FINANCIAL DATA] Comparison basis: [COMPARISON PERIOD OR BUDGET] Business or household context: [CONTEXT] Known one-time items and assumptions: [ONE-TIME ITEMS AND ASSUMPTIONS] Produce: 1. A clean input-and-calculation table that separates supplied figures, derived figures, and assumptions. State units, period, currency, and whether values are cash-based or accrual-based if known. 2. An executive summary of no more than 150 words: what changed, why it matters for the decision, and what cannot be concluded from the data. 3. A variance table for the most material movements, showing current value, comparison value, absolute variance, percentage variance, likely driver, and evidence status. Do not label a driver as fact unless supported by the inputs. 4. A focused analysis appropriate to the decision: revenue and margin bridge, spending trend, unit economics, debt-service capacity, cash runway, or household cash-flow pressure. Show formulas and intermediate steps. 5. Three scenarios using explicit assumptions, including a downside case. State sensitivity: which inputs most change the answer. 6. A short list of next data checks and questions for the accountant, finance lead, lender, or adviser as relevant. Do not create missing transactions, forecasts, market data, tax rates, or benchmarks. Preserve negative signs and distinguish percentage points from percent change. Before answering, check subtotals against totals and ensure each ratio’s numerator and denominator cover the same period. Flag inconsistencies, missing definitions, and conclusions that need source records or professional review. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [DECISION QUESTION] | The specific decision or question the analysis must help answer. | Can our 12-person agency hire a senior project manager in January without reducing the cash buffer below three months of fixed costs? |
| [FINANCIAL DATA] | The actual financial figures, source notes, and period covered. | July-September revenue $612,000; direct contractor costs $183,000; payroll $208,000; operating expenses $121,000; ending cash $286,000; accounts receivable $144,000, with $38,000 over 60 days. |
| [COMPARISON PERIOD OR BUDGET] | The prior period, plan, forecast, or benchmark you want to compare against. | April-June revenue $570,000; direct contractor costs $160,000; payroll $198,000; operating expenses $106,000; planned Q4 revenue $630,000. |
| [CONTEXT] | Relevant business model or household circumstances that explain how the numbers work. | Most work is fixed-fee brand projects; average collection is 42 days; fixed monthly costs excluding contractors are about $103,000. |
| [ONE-TIME ITEMS AND ASSUMPTIONS] | Known unusual items and any explicit assumptions allowed in scenario calculations. | Q3 operating expenses include a $18,000 website project; proposed project-manager loaded monthly cost is $12,500; no revenue growth assumed in downside case. |
How to use
- Paste source figures with their dates and define whether they come from a P&L, bank account, budget, or other record.
- Check the calculation table against the original records before relying on a conclusion.
- Use the evidence-status column to separate an observed variance from a suspected explanation.
- Follow up with: “Recalculate the hiring scenario if collections slow by 15 days and show every changed assumption.”
Variations
Budget variance
Use this for a monthly or quarterly budget review.
Analyze budget versus actual results for [PERIOD] using [ACTUAL FIGURES] and [BUDGET FIGURES]. The decision context is [DECISION CONTEXT], and known one-time items are [ONE-TIME ITEMS]. Produce a variance table by material line item with dollar and percent variance, calculation, evidence-backed driver, and action owner. Then summarize the three largest controllable variances and their potential next-period effect. Do not assume a reason from a label alone. Check that category totals reconcile and flag any category with mismatched periods or accounting treatment.
Cash runway
Use this to model near-term cash needs.
Calculate a cash-runway model from [STARTING CASH], [MONTHLY CASH INFLOWS], [MONTHLY CASH OUTFLOWS], [RECEIVABLES], and [KNOWN TIMING RISKS]. The planning horizon is [MONTHS]. Show a monthly cash table for baseline, delayed-collections, and cost-reduction scenarios, with every assumption stated. Identify the earliest month cash falls below [MINIMUM CASH]. Do not treat invoices as cash until their expected collection date is supplied. Check that opening cash plus net movement equals closing cash each month, and flag figures needing accountant or lender confirmation.
Investment memo
Use this to prepare questions about a business opportunity.
Create an analytical memo about [OPPORTUNITY] using [FINANCIALS], [OPERATING METRICS], [TERMS OR PRICE], and [KNOWN RISKS]. Summarize the economics, key assumptions, valuation or return inputs if supplied, downside sensitivities, and diligence questions. Keep facts, calculations, and inferences in separate sections. Do not invent market comparables, legal terms, customer concentration, or forecast growth. Check whether historical figures reconcile to stated totals and identify which assumptions need verification by an accountant, lawyer, or licensed investment professional before a decision.
Tips
- Keep source exports intact and put every manual adjustment in a separate assumptions row; analysis is easier to audit when it does not overwrite the original numbers.
- Compare like with like: a partial month, cash-basis number, or reclassified category can create a false variance against an accrual or full-period comparator.
- For percentage changes, show the base value; a 50% change from a small base may be less important than a modest movement in payroll or cash.
- Use scenario analysis to expose the assumptions driving a decision, not to make a single forecast appear certain.
FAQ
Can Copilot analyze a spreadsheet safely?
It can calculate and summarize data, but you should validate imported ranges, formulas, units, and dates. Financial outputs are only as reliable as the source data and stated assumptions.
What is the difference between a variance and a driver?
A variance is the measured difference between two figures. A driver is the reason for that difference and should be marked as a hypothesis until supported by records or operating data.
Can AI tell me whether to invest or borrow?
It can organize scenarios and due-diligence questions, but a decision about investing, lending, taxes, or legal obligations may need a licensed professional who can assess the full facts.