Asking questions in natural language

Insights answers questions about your finances in plain English. Here's how to phrase them for accurate answers.

What works well

The assistant is best at questions that summarize, compare, or filter:

• "How much did I spend on groceries last month?"
• "What are my top 5 expenses this month?"
• "Compare my spending in January and February."
• "List my biggest charges over $100."
• "How much do my subscriptions cost annually?"
• "Which merchants did I spend the most at this month?"

Be specific about the time range. "This month," "last month," "in March," and "year to date" all work.

What works less well

• "What should I cut to save money?" — opinion-based; you'll get suggestions but they're generic.
• "Predict my spending next month." — extrapolation isn't reliable.
• "Tax advice" or "What stocks should I buy?" — out of scope. The assistant is a finance summarizer, not an advisor.
• Very long historical questions ("five years ago..."). — the assistant only sees a recent summary, not full history.

Tips for better answers

• Pin the time range. "This month" is clearer than "lately."
• Name the category. "How much on coffee" beats "how much on small purchases."
• Ask one thing at a time. Compound questions ("compare grocery and dining over the last 3 months by month and year") often get partial answers — break them up.
• Verify totals. If the number matters, click into the Transactions page with the same filters and confirm.

What the assistant sees

It sees a summary of your last ~30 days plus the current calendar month. Older history isn't in the context. If you ask about "last August," you'll usually get a polite "I don't have that data" rather than a guess.

FAQ

Can the AI run actions for me? No. Insights is read-only.

Why does the answer say "$0" for a category I definitely spent in? The category name in your data may not match what you typed. Check the category list in Settings → Categories and try again with the exact name.

Can I show charts in the chat? Not today. The assistant returns text only. For visualizations use the Reports or Spending pages.