AI for Financial Services (Self-Paced)

Module 1: Getting Started with Claude AI

• Explain how Claude works in plain language and identify the model tiers, plans, and interface
• Understand the context window, how Claude processes information, and when to start new conversations
• Practice your first Claude conversation using a financial services-specific prompt
• Identify what Claude does well, what it doesn’t, and when human judgment is essential

Module 2: Prompting Fundamentals

• Apply the five-part prompt framework: context, task, format, constraints, and examples
• Write effective prompts across five use cases: writing, summarization, analysis, research, and creative problem-solving
• Recognize and fix common prompting mistakes that produce vague or unusable output
• Practice prompting with financial services scenarios: drafting a client portfolio review letter, summarizing a regulatory update, and writing an investment committee briefing

Module 3: Working with Files & Documents

• Upload and analyze images, PDFs, spreadsheets, and documents directly in Claude
• Use Claude to extract, compare, and summarize information from uploaded files
• Work with financial services file types: portfolio reports, compliance checklists, market research PDFs, client account summaries, and regulatory filings
• Complete a hands-on document analysis exercise using provided financial services sample files

Module 4: Projects & Knowledge Bases

• Explain how Projects use custom instructions and knowledge bases to organize ongoing work
• Write effective Project instructions that encode your role, audience, format preferences, and rules
• Upload reference documents and understand how RAG retrieves relevant content
• Create a financial services Project for a client engagement or compliance review using provided sample documents and templates

Module 5: Artifacts, Styles, Memory & Usage Management

• Create reusable deliverables with Artifacts and edit them directly or through conversation
• Build custom Styles that match your professional communication voice
• Configure Memory to retain key context about you and your work across conversations
• Apply usage management techniques to extend your plan value

Module 6: Introduction to Claude Cowork

• Explain what Cowork is and how it differs from the claude.ai chat interface
• Read, write, and manage files from your desktop environment
• Configure guardrails, file permissions, and network settings for safe use
• Understand prompt injection risks and how to protect against them

Module 7: Advanced Prompting & AI Tool Selection

• Use role-based prompting, chain-of-thought reasoning, and multi-step workflows
• Apply Extended Thinking, web search, and the You Ask Me technique for complex tasks
• Compare Claude with ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini to choose the right tool for each task
• Practice advanced prompting with financial services scenarios: analyzing a portfolio allocation for a client review, building a compliance audit response step by step, and preparing a quarterly market commentary

Module 8: Context System, Connectors & Integrations

• Build foundational context files and set Global Instructions that apply to every Cowork session
• Connect Claude to Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, and other workplace tools
• Use Claude natively in Excel and PowerPoint with the Office add-ins
• Configure your context system and connections for financial services workflows, including portfolio analysis in Excel and client presentations in PowerPoint

Module 9: AI for Financial Services — Core Workflows

• Use Claude to draft personalized client communications: review letters, onboarding materials, and quarterly updates in your firm’s voice
• Produce portfolio analysis narratives, performance summaries, and investment rationale documentation from data exports
• Build compliance documentation, audit preparation materials, and regulatory response drafts with appropriate review gates
• Summarize market research, economic commentary, and industry reports into client-ready or internal briefings
• Complete a hands-on lab producing a multi-document financial services package

Module 10: Capstone — Build Your Financial Services Claude System

• Audit your financial services tasks and identify the highest-value opportunities for Claude assistance
• Configure a personalized financial services Claude system: Projects, context files, Styles, and connected tools
• Run a complete end-to-end client service workflow: portfolio review letter, market commentary summary, compliance documentation update, and client meeting preparation brief
• Create a Week 1 action plan for applying what you’ve learned to your financial services role