The money goes somewhere, but where?
Your banking app's transaction list fills up with familiar but scattered entries: S-market, Netflix, HSL, K-Market, a rental agency, Elisa. At the end of the month, your balance is lower than expected, but the entries alone do not tell you where the money actually went. AI cannot see your account or know your balance, but it can organise a list you write out for it.
Your goal for this session
Take a fictional month's expense list, ask AI to group it into categories and check which category actually accounted for the most spending.
Your first experiment (about 10 minutes)
- 1
Use the fictional expense list
Use only the fictional expense list below for this exercise. Do not paste real bank transactions, account details or identifying or sensitive information into the assistant. For any later real-data use, first assess the tool’s suitability and remove sensitive and identifying details; if unsure, keep the data out.
- 2
Paste the list into the AI assistant
Copy the request and fictional list below as they are. The request asks AI to group the fictional expenses into categories and calculate each total.
- 3
Check one category yourself
Add up the entries in one category with a calculator or in your head and compare the result with the AI's total. AI can calculate incorrectly even when the grouping makes sense, so check the figure before relying on it.
- 4
Compare the summary with your own impression
Notice which category surprised you. The surprise is often a more useful discovery than the summary itself.
- 5
Continue in the same conversation
Ask the AI to say which category it is least certain about, or suggest one realistic expense to cut. This shows you that you can continue working with the same answer rather than accepting the first version unchanged.
Two everyday experiments
Group an expense list into categories
Group the monthly expense list below into categories, such as housing, food, transport, bills, health and wellbeing, and entertainment and other expenses. Calculate the total for each category and the grand total for the list. Present the result as a clear list by category. Finish by identifying the single largest expense entry. Expense list: Rent 690 € S-market 46.20 € K-Market 18.90 € HSL monthly travel pass 62 € Netflix 15.99 € Elisa phone bill 24.90 € Pharmacy 12.50 € S-market 38.70 € Insurance company, home insurance 19.90 € Kotipizza restaurant 24.50 € Electricity bill 54.30 € Prisma 71.40 € Gym membership 39.90 € Online shop, book 21.90 € K-Market 15.20 €
Compatible with: AI assistant
Follow-up in the same conversation
Look at the categories you just created. Say which category boundary you were least certain about and why. Then suggest one expense from the whole list that I could realistically cut, without suggesting anything for which you do not know enough about my situation.
Compatible with: AI assistant
Explain a difficult term too
Explain a term in the context of your situation
I have just received a text message saying that a payment default entry has been added to my credit record because of an unpaid bill. I have not heard the term before. In no more than six sentences of plain English, explain in general what a payment default entry means, how it usually arises and where I can officially check my own situation. Do not guess whether I currently have such an entry or which bill caused it, because you do not know.
Compatible with: AI assistant
This is not investment or financial advice
AI can organise and explain your own figures and general terms, but it does not know your full financial situation and cannot give truly personalised investment or loan advice. An answer that sounds general may still be wrong for your particular situation. For a major decision, such as a loan, investment or debt restructuring, check with your bank or the free FINE insurance and financial advisory service (fine.fi) before deciding.
Once you know the basics
Once you are comfortable with categorising expenses, you can use the same idea to compare choices. Give AI two fictional options and your own goal, and ask it to calculate which brings you closer to that goal.
Compare two choices against a goal
My goal is to save 600 euros within four months. I have two monthly expenses, and I could give up one of them: a double subscription to streaming services (Netflix 15.99 € and HBO Max 11.99 € at the same time) or a gym membership (39.90 €/month) that I currently use less than once a week. Calculate which cut would bring me closer to the 600-euro goal in four months, and show the calculation for each option separately. Do not suggest a third option I have not mentioned.
Compatible with: AI assistant
Free practice on this website
Ask for a calculation rather than a recommendation
Read the material once and mentally put it aside before your first answer. The hint and assessment criteria become available only after your own attempt or after choosing "I cannot do this yet". In the second round, apply the same idea to a new fictional situation.
Your written answers stay only in this browser tab. They are not sent to AI Licenses' server or to analytics. Use only the fictional example provided in this exercise and do not enter your own real financial details here.
Question 1/2
Read the material before your first attempt
Once you have read the material, hide it using the button on the left and answer from memory.
Use the practice activity in your own AI service (optional)
Understand an offer's true cost before deciding
Practise reading a loan offer and instalment terms so you can see their total cost, rather than just the monthly payment.
Two financial situations · about 6 min
Which offer are you looking at?
How the request is built
- Task
- Estimate the monthly payment and total cost
- Background
- 2000 €, 9.5 %, 24 months, with monthly and opening fees provided
- Format
- Calculation first, then an explanation in no more than three sentences
I have received a fictional loan offer: a 2000-euro consumer loan, a nominal interest rate of 9.5 %, a term of 24 months, a monthly account fee of 4.90 € and a one-off opening fee of 50 €. Estimate the monthly payment and total cost over the full loan term, including interest and fees. Finish by explaining in no more than three sentences why the annual percentage rate can be higher than the nominal interest rate alone. Clearly label this as an estimate rather than a final offer.
Ready to try it in the actual tool?
The exercise figures are fictional. Always use an official calculation for your own offer.
Open ChatGPTA fictional offer: always check a real one against the original: These calculations are fictional and indicative. When making a real decision, check the final price against the lender's or retailer's own calculation and, if needed, with your bank.
Publication details and sources
- Published:
- August 13, 2026
- Sources checked:
- September 4, 2026