Use generative AI for financial analysis

Direct answer

Use generative AI for a defined task, such as explaining a monthly expense variance or listing unusual transactions for review. State the entity and period, inspect source coverage and reconciliation status, trace material figures to records, and assign a person to verify the answer before use.

Why this question comes up

“How are we doing?” leaves the model to choose the metric and comparison period. “Which expense accounts rose by more than $5,000 versus the prior month, and which transactions contributed?” gives the reviewer figures to check. Missing accounts or an unreconciled period still need to be disclosed.

The QuickBooks reporting in Claude workflow shows how MosoFin keeps that analysis read-only, scoped to authorized workspaces, and linked to the underlying records.

Records to gather

• The source records the analysis will draw on
• Reconciliation status and known gaps in those records
• The specific question being asked
• Materiality thresholds for what warrants investigation
• Who reviews the output before it is used

Review workflow

1. Check the records. Confirm the source, period, and reconciliation status. You can use AI to investigate an unreconciled balance, but do not present the resulting totals as final.
2. Ask one testable question. Name the comparison period, threshold, and accounts or transactions to inspect.
3. Trace material figures. Follow totals to accounts and, where available, the transactions behind them. If a figure lacks a source, leave it unverified.
4. List the gaps. Ask which accounts, periods, or supporting records were unavailable; a plausible answer can still be incomplete.
5. Separate values from interpretation. Label recorded amounts, calculated differences, and suggested explanations.
6. Assign review. Have a finance owner check material calculations and wording before a client, lender, or board relies on the answer.

What a useful answer should include

• Source coverage and reconciliation status, including known exceptions
• A specific question, with period and entity stated
• A traceable path from each material figure to source records
• Explicit notes on missing, incomplete, or excluded data
• Facts, calculations, and interpretation separately labelled
• A named human reviewer before the output is used

Common failure modes

• Treating unreconciled totals as final. A useful variance narrative can still rest on an incomplete period.
• Leaving the question open-ended. The model may choose a period or metric the reader did not intend.
• Accepting untraceable figures. A total without a record path needs verification before it supports a decision.
• Missing the silent gap. An unavailable account or month can disappear from an otherwise fluent answer.
• Sending output unreviewed. A named reviewer should check the result and its limitations.