What changed
Anthropic announced on Thursday that Claude is now equipped with a new tool called 'Personal Finance,' designed to help users track their money. This tool enables users to connect their bank and credit card accounts through Plaid and ask Claude questions about their finances. Access to the tool is read-only, meaning it cannot move, manage, or invest users' money.
What this means in practice
With the launch of Personal Finance, users can ask Claude questions about their spending and financial situation. For example, a user could ask, 'Where did my money go this month?' and Claude would summarize spending across connected accounts by category. The tool also analyzes transactions to flag potential issues like duplicate charges or unexpected fees. Users can also ask broader questions about their finances, such as whether they're spending more than they earn. The tool can explain financial concepts like APR and provide calculations showing how much interest has been paid over the past year.
Limitations and availability
Anthropic states that the tool's access is limited to each connected bank's name, account name and type, the last four digits of the account number, balances, credit limits, and up to two years of transaction history. Conversations with Claude in the Personal Finance hub are not used to train its models. The tool is rolling out in beta this week to users on the Pro, Max, and Ultra plans in the U.S. The launch comes as Anthropic expands Claude into new verticals, including financial services.
