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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming an essential tool in financial planning, helping advisers streamline workflows, generate content, and enhance client communication. However, one common frustration with AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Claude is receiving vague, inaccurate, or overly generic responses.
The key to unlocking AI’s full potential lies in how you communicate with it—in other words, how you phrase your prompts. That’s where the Three Cs Framework: Character, Context, and Clarity comes in. By structuring your AI prompts using these principles, you can ensure you get precise, relevant, and high-quality outputs every time.
The Three Cs of AI Prompting
1️⃣ Character – Define AI’s Role
AI is highly versatile, but to get the best results, you need to tell it who to be. Assigning a specific role or expertise helps AI filter its responses and deliver output that aligns with your expectations.
Example Scenarios for Financial Planners:
❌ "Explain investment strategies." (Too broad—AI may return generic information.)
✔ "Act as a financial journalist and write a LinkedIn post explaining investment diversification for beginners."
By setting AI’s perspective and expertise, you receive more tailored responses suited to your needs.
2️⃣ Context – Provide Background Information
AI doesn’t have real-time access to your client data or unique circumstances. It relies on patterns in its training data to generate responses. That’s why providing clear context is crucial—it helps AI understand exactly who the content is for and what details are relevant.
Example Scenarios for Financial Planners:
❌ "Write a blog about pensions." (Too vague—AI won’t know what type of pensions, audience, or key points to include.)
✔ "Write a 600-word blog post explaining the benefits of defined contribution pensions for UK self-employed professionals aged 35–50. Use simple language and avoid technical jargon."
Providing AI with specific details about your audience, objectives, and key points leads to content that is useful, accurate, and engaging.
3️⃣ Clarity – Be Specific About What You Need
Even if you provide character and context, AI responses can still fall short if your instructions are unclear. The more specific you are about the format, tone, and structure of the output, the better the results.
Example Scenarios for Financial Planners:
❌ "Write a LinkedIn post about financial planning."
✔ "Write a LinkedIn post (150 words max) highlighting three key mistakes people make when planning for retirement. Use an engaging, conversational tone and end with a question to encourage discussion."
If you need a certain structure (bullet points, numbered lists, paragraphs), word count limit, or a specific call to action, include that in your prompt for a more polished response.
How to Apply the Three Cs in Your AI Workflow
By incorporating Character, Context, and Clarity, you can dramatically improve AI-generated content.
Here’s a simple process to follow:
1️⃣ Start with the Role: Who should AI act as? A financial journalist, a tax specialist, or an investment analyst?
2️⃣ Add Context: Who is this content for? What key information should be included?
3️⃣ Be Clear and Specific: What format, tone, and length should the response follow?
By mastering this approach, you can use AI to write better client emails, generate insightful LinkedIn posts, create compelling blog content, and streamline administrative tasks—all while ensuring accuracy and professionalism.
Final Thoughts
AI is only as powerful as the instructions you give it. If you’ve ever received a bland or irrelevant response, the problem likely wasn’t the AI—it was the prompt. By applying the Three Cs Framework, you ensure high-quality, tailored responses.