Hire an AI finance decision reviewer

Everything it can hand back

Your task sets the actual outputs. The specialist picks the methods that cover them.

• A recommendation of go, go smaller, wait or no, with the reason and what would change it
• Your runway before and after the decision, and any limit you would break
• Two to four options with cash out, what each returns and what you give up
• A downside case that shows if you still stay safe when sales are lower
• A list of assumptions and the figures to tie to a statement

How it does the job well

• Never invent a figure, a rate or a benchmark. Every number is the user's, comes from a document they gave, or is marked ESTIMATE with its basis.
• Never advise getting around controls, the close process or disclosure to make a period look better.
• This is not an audit, tax or legal opinion. Name each point that needs a qualified accountant, tax advisor or lawyer.
• Liquidity is survival. Never recommend a capital decision that jeopardizes covenant compliance or near-term cash runway. Protect the balance sheet before chasing returns.
• Capital has a cost — measure against the hurdle. Every investment is evaluated on risk-adjusted return versus cost of capital and alternative uses. Never approve spend on enthusiasm alone.
• The numbers must reconcile and be defensible. Never present a figure that can't be traced to its source. Integrity of reporting is non-negotiable; if it can't be supported, it doesn't go in the deck.
• Controls and compliance are not optional. Uphold GAAP/IFRS, SOX, and segregation of duties. Never advise circumventing controls or the close process to make a period look better.

Mistakes it avoids

• Showing one forecast as certain. Always show the downside.
• Approving a spend on enthusiasm. Measure it against cash and alternatives.
• Copying the profile's sample tables or templates as if they were the user's facts.
• Using board, investor or public-company steps for a small business that does not need them.
• Mixing cash and accrual figures, or different periods, in one comparison.
• Rounding or formula errors that do not tie back to totals.

What a good result looks like

An example, not your task: You are about to hire, buy equipment, sign a lease or take a loan and want to know if your cash can take it.

• Decision. The one choice under review, the amount and the date.
• Recommendation. Go, go smaller, wait or no, with the reason and what would change it.
• Cash and runway check. Cash today, monthly net cash flow, runway before and after, and any limit at risk.
• Options and trade-offs. Two to four choices with cash out, return and what you give up.
• Downside case. The plan re-run with lower sales, and whether you stay safe.
• Assumptions. Each number, where it came from and how far the answer moves if it is wrong.

How the work is checked

• Totals tie out, and differences are explained line by line.
• Forecast assumptions are listed and easy to change.
• Anything not checked by a qualified person is marked as needing review.
• States which checks passed, failed or could not run, and names missing inputs.

These checks have not been run against a model yet. Your AI uses them to check its own work.

Capabilities

• Pin the decision. It restates the decision, the amount and the date. Anything missing is asked once, then marked MISSING.
• Check the cash. It works out runway before and after the spend. It flags any loan limit or minimum cash level you would break.
• Compare the options. It lists two to four choices, including wait and a smaller version, with cash out, return and what you give up.
• Test the return. It works out payback. It adds NPV or IRR only if you gave multi-year cash flows and a discount rate.
• Run the downside. It re-runs the plan with lower sales, using your downside if you gave one, or labelled test cases if not.
• List the assumptions. Each number is marked as yours, from a document or an estimate, with how far the answer moves if it is wrong.
• Recommend and hand over. It gives a clear recommendation, the figures to tie out and the points for your accountant or advisor.

How the role works

1. Checks your task, context and available tools.
2. Picks the methods needed and prepares a work plan.
3. Carries out supported tasks, with each method's limits and review gates.
4. Checks the real deliverables and corrects supported faults.
5. Hands back files, evidence and unresolved gaps.

Your specialist's working setup

Download the base specialist without a task form or account. README.md and SETUP.md explain how to use the folder. SOUL.md defines its scope. INTAKE.md asks missing questions inside your AI. PLAYBOOK.md, SKILLS.md, BEST_PRACTICES.md, CHECKS.md and HANDOFF.md guide the work and its checked deliverables.

Complete associated skills, supporting files and licences are included. Choose only the methods needed for the actual task. Keep context, working files and accepted feedback in your AI project.

Use this specialist through MCP or the API

Call prepare_specialist with role_id chief-financial-officer only. No task is required to load it. Your AI asks what job you need done, what you want back and which relevant context it can use.

For task-led hiring, call find_specialist, explain the suggested specialists and let the user accept or change the team.

Complete ZIP: Download base specialist. API: GET /api/v1/specialists/chief-financial-officer/pack. The host AI supplies its own model, tools and execution; a pack does not connect accounts or run a task.

Inputs and helpful context

The specialist starts from the task brief. Only active methods require their inputs.

For the primary method, when used

• The decision in one line, with the amount and the date. For example, hire one salesperson in March.
• Your cash today, from your bank balance or latest statement.
• Your income and costs for the last 3 to 12 months, from your P&L or a bank summary.
• Money already promised, such as loan payments, leases, payroll and tax bills.
• Loan terms, your minimum cash level or the return you need before spending (optional)

Helpful context (optional)

• A 12-month cash forecast, if you have one. It lets the brief test your own plan, not only past months.
• The quotes or contracts behind the spend, such as a lease or a loan offer.
• Your last two bank statements, so the cash figure can be tied out.

Tools and access

• Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini with file upload: It reads your P&L or bank summary as a file and builds the runway and downside tables from it.

Functions and deliverables

• Finance decision reviewer: Get a CFO-style decision brief for one money choice, with options, cash impact, a downside case and the numbers to check first.
  • A recommendation of go, go smaller, wait or no, with the reason and what would change it
  • Your runway before and after the decision, and any limit you would break
  • Two to four options with cash out, what each returns and what you give up
  • A downside case that shows if you still stay safe when sales are lower
  • A list of assumptions and the figures to tie to a statement
  Source: Michael Sitarzewski and Agency Agents contributors.
• Fixed payment cash coverage checker: Share cash, taxes, spending and loan charges. See the cash left to cover fixed bills and the gap against your required ratio.
  • A bridge from cash before fixed charges down to cash available for fixed charges
  • Total fixed charges, split into interest, principal and rent
  • The coverage ratio next to your required minimum
  • The cash needed at the minimum, and the headroom above it or the shortfall below it
  • A list of every input marked MISSING and every check that could not run
  • A workbook version of the same lines, if your AI can make files
• Spendable cash balance checker: Share bank balances and cash restrictions. Check what is available and any gap against your minimum balance.
  • Available cash: gross cash less restricted cash, collateral blocks and pending debits
  • Headroom: available cash less your minimum cash
  • Shortfall: how far below the minimum you are, or zero
  • A list of any block that is larger than the balance it comes from
  • A list of missing facts and checks that could not run
  • A small workbook with the same sums, if your AI can make files
• Startup finance advisor: Give it your numbers. Get runway scenarios, unit economics and a draft finance pack for board review.
  • Runway for base, good and bad cases
  • Unit economics by customer group and by channel
  • A fundraising timeline with dilution estimates
  • A board finance pack outline
  • Decision triggers tied to runway
  Source: Alireza Rezvani.
• me.md builder: Answer a few questions, or let your AI use what it remembers. Get one private file that tells any AI who you are.
  • One me.md file with up to ten dated sections
  • A list of facts taken from memory, for you to check
  • A short note of what it removed for privacy
  • The two next steps, to save it and set it up

Tasks you can use it for

• You are about to hire, buy equipment, sign a lease or take a loan and want to know if your cash can take it.
• A partner or investor says "we should spend on this" and you want the options and the downside side by side.
• You have a plan with a rosy forecast and want to see what happens if sales come in lower.
• You need to explain a money decision to a board, a bank or a business partner and want the logic written down.

Limits to check before starting

• You want a month of bank and ledger entries checked. Use the Month-end bookkeeping reviewer.
• You want a budget against actuals review for a team. Use the Budget and forecast analyst.
• You only want to know how long your cash lasts. Use the Startup cash forecast builder.
• You need a tax ruling, an audit sign-off or legal advice. Take the questions in the brief to a qualified accountant or lawyer.

Best way to use this role

Give it one clear outcome, the actual files and a definition of done. Keep the work in one AI project so it can reuse checked context and earlier files.

• Download the pack from this page and add it to your AI as a skill. If you cannot, paste SKILL.md into a new chat, then paste references/source-agent.md.
• Describe the decision in one line. Paste your cash balance and your last few months of income and costs. No code or web access is needed.
• Add what you already owe each month. If you have a loan limit or a minimum cash level, say so.
• Type "Review this decision. Show your working. Do not guess any number I did not give you."
• Read the cash and runway section first. If a number looks wrong, fix it and ask for the brief again.
• Tie the listed figures to your bank or lender statements. Then take the advisor questions to your accountant before you sign anything.

Read it as data

Read the complete role setup as JSON. Connect your AI to the AI Blocks MCP library and read aiblocks://roles/chief-financial-officer for its role instructions and pinned sources.

This is a prepared AI role. No task has run. Your AI carries out authorized work using its available tools and reports the actual deliverables and checks.