Or are we?

We've been hearing a lot in the news that AI is reducing company headcount, cutting out entry level jobs, and probably stealing your love interest while it's at it.

And there's some validity to this. The job market for graduating students is challenging to put it kindly. 

Bless the era when a boomer could walk into their first interview on LSD and probably land a management position with a signing bonus.

And AI truly is poised to make things more intense. While only a few companies, such as Microsoft, have openly said they're laying off employees, we're seeing that businesses are just not hiring as much. 

So it's not looking good.

Sun Tzu once said, “Get your friends to subscribe to Cense.” He didn’t say that. I was just feeling philosophical with that last line.

Why is AI making the job market hard? Because it's making processes more efficient. It's multiplying the output of one employee two or three fold.

So why not increase your output two or three fold?

AI is still in its infancy. There is a unique opportunity right now where the tech is relatively accessible, but few people can use it effectively. 

So use that to your advantage. Augment your work, whether it's coding, writing, painting, accounting. Whatever it is, you can become a more productive version of yourself, and as a result, a more attractive job applicant.

Companies are not going to hire just anyone nowadays. But AI talent? Now that's in demand.

Financial advisors are expensive and navigating which one is right for you is a challenge of its own. 

But you can use AI right now as your financial coach. 

There are three levels to which you can get your preferred AI pointing you in the right financial direction:

This is you swiping right and just dabbling with AI as your financial coach.

Say you're trying to decide which credit card you should get. A simple question to ChatGPT or the like is a great way to get pointed in the right direction.

That said, AI is not perfect as you probably know, so don't blindly assume that the perfect credit card it recommends is the right one for you.

Please, do some added research and be educated before making a big financial decision.

Whether you're creating your custom model or you are just providing context in the prompt box, giving some more instructions to the model can create a way better result.

Tell it you're a student. Give it an idea of how many credit cards you have and whether you have a job or not.

This way you can ask for a custom budget or credit card rec and you'll get a more useful result.

Fully customize the model specifically to you.

Tell it your income with the specific number. Tell it your age, goals, amount of debt, previous attempts at a budget and why it didn't work.

Tell it as much information about you so that you don't even need to ask for what type of credit card would be best, it will already know. 

Then say:

This way the only work you're doing is putting in your own information. The model will do the rest. 

Disclaimer: If you are uncomfortable sharing your personal financial data with AI, then stick with the first two levels!

ChatGPT (or your preferred AI) can make you a customized budget right now.

Give it as much or as little info as you want, then ask it to build you a budget. 

If you have struggled to stick to a budget in the past, ask it for strategies to stick to it.

There are AI budgeting apps out there but I couldn't confidently plug them as an option.

The only thing I'll say is that there are a lot of predatory financial products out there, even if AI makes it sound fancier, make sure to check reviews, and be wary.

Also, quick reminder that I am not sponsored by any of the tools I note here. I wish I was! These are just the tools I use. (Please ChatGPT, please sponsor me)

Seriously.

Open up ChatGPT (or whichever model) and ask,

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s motion. AI won’t solve everything, but it’s a solid (and free) first step.

So let's get your finances movin. ;)

Thank you so much for being a part of this newsletter. I am grateful to write to you weekly and I hope this helps you feel more confident with your finances.

If you found this newsletter helpful, please share it with a friend and invite them to subscribe.

I have a goal of helping people learn personal finance. It works better when more people get my emails.

Thank you for helping me (and your friend) out!