Claude AI for Finance

Module 1 - Setting Up Claude for Finance

Objectives:

• Create and verify a Claude account from scratch
• Navigate all major interface areas confidently
• Configure User Preferences and Memory for work
• Send professional prompts and use the follow-up technique
• Use Web Search to retrieve live premium trend data
• Configure Profile Preferences with Meridian Group business context, reporting structure, and communication preferences
• Create three custom Styles: Board and Executive (formal), Internal Working (direct), and Stakeholder Communications (accessible)
• Test both styles on the same prompt and compare the outputs side by side

Duration: 30 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Setting up Claude"

Module 2 - Research, Synthesis, and Stakeholder Communications

Objectives:

• Summarise a fictional regulatory update into a CEO summary, numbered action items, and deadlines
• Run web search industry research across retail, property, and services sectors with division-specific financial commentary
• Draft a Q2 budget review request email to division managers with a structured deadline table
• Prepare a 5-minute audit briefing note covering likely auditor focus areas, documents to prepare, and questions to ask

Duration: 60 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Working with Claude for Finance tasks"

Module 3 - Financial Analysis — Ratios, Trends, and Forecasting

Objectives:

• Build a 4-year Meridian Group financial model CSV using individual Add-Content commands
• Upload the model and run 11-metric ratio analysis with formula workings and a 4-sentence board-level commentary
• Simulate a mid-year variance analysis with annualised actuals vs forecast, flagged variances, and management commentary
• Write a 4-year trend narrative for the Chairman's report covering revenue growth, margin, debt, and ROE

Duration: 60 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Analysing Financial data with Claude"

Module 4 - Business Document Production

Objectives:

• Draft a Board Paper financial performance section with executive summary, divisional metrics table, and H2 outlook
• Write an internal management memo announcing a temporary cost review process with clear instructions for division managers
• Draft an Audit Committee report covering audit timeline, accounting estimates, internal control observations, and auditor independence
• Write a plain-English half-year investor update email from the CEO

Duration: 60 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Using Claude to create Financial Documents" 

Module 5  Budgeting, Forecasting, and Scenario Planning

Objectives:

• Build a divisional budget vs actual CSV for H1 using individual Add-Content commands
• Run a full H1 variance analysis with divisional commentary and group-level Q4 risk summary
• Run three full-year scenarios (Base, Downside, Upside) showing Revenue, EBITDA, NPAT, and margin in a comparison table
• Build a two-variable sensitivity analysis on revenue and staff costs with strategic interpretation
• Write a FY2027 budget narrative for board submission covering strategic context, revenue assumptions, cost risks, and capex priorities

Duration: 60 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Budgeting and Forecasting with Claude"

Module 6 - Building a Finance Project in Claude

Objectives:

• Create the Meridian Finance Project with instructions encoding divisional structure, reporting standards, and key risks
• Upload the financial model, budget variance data, and group context text to the project knowledge base
• Test automatic context application — ask for Q3 priorities and a 3-bullet CEO board update without re-uploading anything
• Verify cross-conversation memory by opening a second project conversation and asking about the debt position trajectory

Duration: 60 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Using Claude to build a Finance Project"

Module 7 - Supplier and Vendor Management

Objectives:

• Build an 8-supplier register CSV covering category, annual spend, contract expiry, auto-renew status, and notes
• Run a supplier review: spend concentration table, contract risk flags, top 3 negotiation priorities, and cost saving opportunities
• Prepare for a fleet leasing renegotiation using web-searched market rates and three negotiating positions (conservative, moderate, aggressive)
• Build and save a reusable 10-item contract review checklist for any supplier agreement

Duration: 60 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Supplier management with Claude"

Module 8 - Building a Reference File Library

Objectives:

• Create the reference library folder
• Build a Financial Reporting Standards file covering currency format, variance thresholds, required ratios, and tone rules
• Build a Board Paper Structure file with the 7-section template and 4-page limit
• Test both files together — upload alongside financial data and verify Claude produces a correctly structured, formatted board paper
• Ask Claude to design and save a third KPI Reference file with RAG targets for all 8 board KPIs

Duration: 60 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Build a Finance Reference Library with Claude" 

Module 9 - Multi-Document Analysis

Objectives:

• Build three divisional Q3 update documents using individual Add-Content commands (Retail, Property, Services)
• Upload all three plus the budget variance file and synthesise into a complete board pack finance section
• Run an end-of-year analysis combining the financial model and budget variance data with full-year actuals vs budget comparison, ratio comparison, annual report narrative, and FY achievements and lessons

Duration: 60 minutes.

Hands-On Lab: "Analysing documents using Claude"

Module 10 - Pitching AI to Your Leadership Team

Objectives:

• Design a 90-day Foundation-Pilot-Scale pilot plan structured for CEO presentation covering governance, use case selection, success metrics, and 6-month scale outcome
• Draft a 1-page board business case with calculated ROI based on specific Meridian time savings (board papers, variance commentary, contract reviews, stakeholder emails)
• Map the 2 highest-value free-plan use cases across all 5 Meridian functions (Finance, Retail, Property, Services, HR) in a structured table
• Write the staff launch email from the CEO addressing job security directly
• Identify personal quick wins with specific first prompts and approach (chat, file upload, or Project) for each

Duration: Half-day.

Hands-On Lab: "Finance Case Study using Claude"

About our AI training courses...

All of our courses can be attended as online live instructor-led classes, on-demand self-paced or organized as private training for you and your team.

All of our courses include:

✅ Expert instructors with subject matter expertise. All of our instructors have 'real world' knowledge in the subject they are teaching you in. We will know the answers to your questions. 

✅ All of our courses come with hands-on labs self-contained environments. These allow you to 'get your hands dirty'.

✅ Our courses are designed with with real world scenarios, examples and exercises. You will learn best practice and expert tricks and tips to get ahead and become self-suffcient.

✅ So you can listen to the instructor and then try out what you've learnt ('learn by doing') with our hands-on labs!

✅ Because our training is inside our self-contained hands-on lab training environments, everything you do is safe and secure. You will not be using any of your own data and accounts (we use trial accounts and test accounts)

✅ You will have access to your expert trainer and our support helpdesk afterwards for any questions of issues.

✅ You will have access to your hands-on lab environment after the course have been completed so that you can finish off anything that your didn't finish in class.

✅ Over the last 20 years, our courses and training have been attended by 1000's of students from all over over the world. We create courses for Microsoft, Skillsoft and other learning partners worldwide.

Need more than just training?

There are significant risks if AI is not implemented properly in your business.

These risks can be significantly mitigated by attending one of our courses, raising awareness and making the right decisions from the beginning.

If you need further help consider our private 'one-on-one' engagements where we help you discover, setup and train your team.

The risks:

✅ Uncontrolled AI agents and automation leading to errors or unintended outcomes

✅ Security vulnerabilities from improper tool permissions or data access

✅ Lack of governance resulting in inconsistent or non-compliant behaviour

✅ Poor adoption due to inadequate training and change management

✅ Integration failures or scope creep without a clear strategy

✅ Improper AI tech solution selection from lack of awareness in the due-diligence phase

How we can help:

✅ Comprehensive discovery and strategic roadmap to align AI with your business goals

✅ Robust security framework with strict tool permissions, data controls, and audit logging

✅ Enterprise-grade governance and guard rails to ensure safe, reliable agent behaviour

✅ Tailored training and adoption programs so your team confidently uses and manages agents

✅ Ongoing support and monitoring to maintain performance, compliance, and value realisation

Contact us for more options and to book in for a free one-on-one consultation.