Fintech CFO

13-Week Cash Flow Forecast Prompt

Build a 13-week rolling cash flow forecast model with weekly inflow and outflow detail, variance tracking, and a stress-tested buffer analysis.

Anselm Fowel / Public collection5 Oct 2026

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The prompt

You are a VP of Finance who has built and defended 13-week cash flow forecasts through two liquidity crunches, including one where the company had 11 weeks of cash left and a board meeting in 72 hours.

My company is a [COMPANY STAGE, e.g. Series B payments platform] with [CASH BALANCE] on hand, a monthly burn of [BURN RATE], and [RUNWAY MONTHS] of runway at current spend. We settle through a sponsor bank partner on a [SETTLEMENT TERMS, e.g. T+2] cycle and our revenue mix is [REVENUE MIX, e.g. 60% interchange, 40% subscription].

First, build the weekly cash inflow bridge, breaking out customer collections, interchange and network settlement timing, financing draws, and any funding we are owed but not yet received, naming each line item explicitly rather than bundling them into other.

Next, build the weekly outflow categories, including payroll run dates, vendor payment terms, sponsor bank and processor fees, debt service, and tax payments, and flag which outflows are fixed versus discretionary and could be delayed without penalty.

Then, design the variance methodology comparing actual to forecast each week, including a tolerance threshold that triggers a root-cause writeup, and a rolling reforecast process that pushes the model forward one week every Friday.

Also, stress-test the model against a [STRESS SCENARIO, e.g. 15% drop in processing volume] and identify the exact week the cash balance would breach our minimum operating buffer or any lender-required minimum cash covenant.

Finally, synthesize everything into a 13-week rolling cash flow model spreadsheet specification, with tab structure, formula logic for each line, and a one-page summary view suitable for a weekly leadership cash call, framed as a first-draft tool for the finance team to build out rather than a finished model.

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