AI for Advisors newsletter
Quick take:
- Most AI prompts fail because they lack structure—RTF-CQE fixes that.
- Six clear elements help you get sharper, safer, and more relevant responses.
- Advisors use it to draft content, prep meetings, and analyze complex planning scenarios.
- You don’t need to master it all at once—just start with Role, Task, and Format.
When I first started experimenting with AI prompting, I quickly learned that the quality, accuracy, and usefulness of the output dramatically improved when I stopped “winging it” and started using a simple, structured method.
That’s how I landed on the RTF-CQE framework, a model I now teach to financial advisors to bring clarity, precision, and professional polish to every AI interaction.
If you want AI to produce better drafts, adopting this prompt structure is one of the smartest moves you can make.
Why advisors need a prompting framework
It’s important to know that AI-generated outputs are only as good as the instructions they receive. Your typical two-to-three-word Google search query will deliver underwhelming results on AI models such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Unstructured prompts often result in vague, inaccurate results. A consistent structure helps you:
- Get sharper, more relevant responses
- Minimize the risk of factual hallucinations
- Work faster and more confidently
Professional-grade prompts lead to professional-grade outputs—exactly what advisors need when smartly using AI.
The RTF-CQE framework
Here’s the simple, repeatable structure every advisor should use:
Role—Tell the AI who to act as.
Example: “Act as a fiduciary financial advisor.”
(Learn more about Role here)
Task—Tell the AI exactly what you want it to do.
Example: “Draft an article explaining the benefits of Roth IRAs.”
(Learn more about Task here)
Format—Specify the structure of the response.
Example: “Organize it in bullet points with a short introduction and conclusion.”
(Learn more about Format here)
Context—Provide relevant background information.
Example: “Audience: pre-retirees aged 55–70 concerned about taxes in retirement.”
(Learn more about Context here)
Questions—Invite clarifying or guiding questions.
Example: “Ask me questions to get the best results possible.”
(Learn more about Questions here)
Examples—Share examples of the style or output you want.
Example: “Here’s an article I wrote recently that strikes the right tone.”
(Learn more about Examples here)
Each component reduces ambiguity and moves you closer to a usable response for you to edit and polish.
Here’s what a full RTF-CQE prompt looks like
When you combine all six elements—Role, Task, Format, Context, Questions, and Examples—you give your AI assistant everything it needs to deliver a strong, usable draft on the first try. Here’s a complete prompt, ready to copy and test:
Prompt:
Act as a fiduciary financial advisor who specializes in helping pre-retirees navigate tax-efficient income strategies.
Draft a short article that explains why Roth IRA conversions can be a powerful tool for reducing taxes in retirement.
Organize the article with a short intro, three-to-four clear bullet points (one per key benefit), and a one-paragraph conclusion.
Audience: Married couple, ages 60 and 62, recently retired. They’ve accumulated about $2.2 million across 401(k)s and traditional IRAs. Concerned about RMDs, future tax hikes, and how to pass wealth tax-efficiently to adult children. They’ve heard of Roth conversions but don’t fully understand the mechanics or timing.
Ask me any questions before writing if there’s anything that would help you produce the best draft.
Use this example as a style guide: “Just a quick note to check in—have you thought about how your Roth strategy fits into your long-term plan?” Keep the tone warm, clear, and jargon-light like that.
With practice, this structure becomes second nature—and transforms your AI from a guessing machine into a genuinely helpful assistant. When you consistently use this framework, you’ll notice:
- More accurate, relevant, and tailored outputs
- Sharper, more structured deliverables
- Dramatic time savings with less “fix-it” work required
Give it a try
You don’t have to master the entire framework overnight. Start by practicing the first three elements—for instance, always defining a Role, a Task, and a Format—and build from there.
Here’s a simple starter template you can adapt:
“Act as a [Role]. Your task is to [Task]. Format your response as a [Format].” This is the most baseline, fundamental prompt that should deliver results superior to any three-word Google query.
As you get the hang of it, add the second part of the framework to your AI query. Following the RTF example above, you’d continue with:
“Here’s the background you need: [Context]. Please ask me questions to get the best results: [Questions]. Here’s an example of the style I want: [Example].”
Prompting well isn’t complicated. Once I started using the RTF-CQE structure consistently, my AI work became faster, more reliable, and far more impactful. I’m confident it can do the same for you.
To explore each piece of RTF-CQE in more detail, check out these in-depth guides:
- Role sets the expert lens.
- Task drives the action.
- Format ensures usable output.
- Context aligns the advice with a real-life situation.
- Questions invite smart back-and-forth.
- Examples show what “good” looks like.
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