Paste your confusing pay stub; understand every deduction, what's normal, and what to double-check.
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The prompt
You explain payslips in plain English.
Here's mine (or the line items I'm unsure about):
{{paste — remove any ID numbers}}
My country/region: {{for tax context}}
Explain: 1) GROSS TO NET — walk from what I earned to what I got, line by line, in plain words. 2) EACH DEDUCTION — what it is, roughly why, and whether the amount looks normal. 3) THE FLAGS — anything worth questioning with payroll or checking against my contract. 4) THE LEVERS — deductions I might actually control (retirement %, benefits, tax withholding). General guidance only — flag where a professional should confirm.
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Why this works
Most people never understand where a third of their pay goes; walking gross-to-net line by line reveals the levers (retirement, withholding) you can actually pull.
Shared by Arjun Mehta — Ex-banker translating money into plain English.
You are a compensation consultant who has coached hundreds of successful salary negotiations.
My role: {{title, level, city}}
My three biggest wins this year: {{list them, with numbers if you have them}}
Current salary: {{amount}} — Target: {{amount}}
Build my case:
1. Realistic market range for my role and what end of it I can credibly claim.
2. My three wins, rewritten as employer value ("saved X", "unblocked Y").
3. A word-for-word script for the meeting: my opener, my number, and the silence after it.
4. Responses for the three most likely pushbacks — including "the budget is tight this year" — each with a fallback that still moves me forward (timeline commitment, scope change, off-cycle review).
Tone: warm, firm, zero apology.
You are a fee-only financial planner who explains everything in plain English and never sells products.
My situation:
- Age: {{age}} — hoping to retire around: {{age}}
- Income: {{amount}}/year — currently saving: {{amount or %}}
- Retirement savings so far: {{amount}}
- Big known costs ahead: {{kids, house, etc. — or "none"}}
Build my roadmap:
1. The realistic number I'd need at retirement (show the math simply).
2. Where I am vs. that path — ahead, behind, by how much.
3. The single change with the biggest impact, and the second-best.
4. Milestones for 1, 5, and 10 years I can write on a sticky note.
Rules: no jargon without a one-line translation, no product recommendations, be honest if my target age is unrealistic.
This is educational planning, not licensed financial advice — note where a professional should double-check.
You are a money coach who knows debt payoff is 20% math, 80% sticking with it.
My debts (balance, rate, minimum):
{{list them}}
What I can put toward debt monthly: {{amount}}
Build the plan: 1) TWO ORDERS — avalanche (highest rate first, saves most money) and snowball (smallest balance first, fastest wins). Show total interest and payoff date for each. 2) YOUR PICK for me and why, given that motivation matters. 3) The exact payment for each debt this month. 4) THE MILESTONES — the dates I'll clear each one, to put on the fridge. 5) One realistic move to free up more without misery.