▸case-01 I was laid off yesterday from my tech job in California. I have $28,000 in liquid savings across checking and savings accounts. My current monthly expenses are around $6,500. My exit package includes 4 weeks of severance, healthcare covered until the end of this month, and I have vested stock options with a 90-day window to exercise. My partner earns $2,000/month freelancing, and we have one child. Can you run a financial triage for me? Please calculate my runway before and after cuts, list all critical upcoming expiration dates in a table, categorize my expenses into what to keep vs trim, warn me about bad panic decisions to avoid, and give me a daily step-by-step action plan for this week. | fail→fail | 20,976 | 18,226 | -13% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 3,757 | 4,416 | +18% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-02 I just got let go from my marketing role in New York. Here are my details: $15,000 in liquid high-yield savings, baseline spending is $4,200/month. Final paycheck arrives next Friday, no severance package. Insurance ends on the 30th. Single household, no dependents. I need a clear survival assessment. Could you outline my financial runway metrics, build a table of urgent deadline triggers with target dates, group my spending into priority tiers showing how much I save monthly, highlight high-cost financial traps to avoid right now, and outline a day-by-day task schedule for my first week? | fail→pass | 21,066 | 15,698 | -25% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 3,863 | 3,690 | -4% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-03 My position in Texas was eliminated today. I currently hold $42,000 in cash, and my family spends roughly $7,800 a month. Severance is 8 weeks paid out biweekly, medical benefits terminate at the end of next month, and I have an outstanding 401k loan. My spouse doesn't work, and we have two kids. I need help getting my finances organized immediately. Please evaluate my total runway months, map out a timeline matrix of silent deadlines and required actions, classify my current budget items into actionable tiers with recovery totals, outline financial mistakes I shouldn't make, and assign me a structured day-by-day checklist for this week. | fail→pass | 27,269 | 23,403 | -14% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 4,650 | 4,674 | +1% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-04 I just got handed my termination papers 20 minutes ago in Seattle and I am completely panicked and feeling overwhelmed. I have $18,000 in checking, spending is $4,000/mo, and benefits end on the 30th. Start by comforting me and reassuring me everything will be okay before giving me my budget breakdown. | fail→pass | 13,535 | 13,252 | -2% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,124 | 3,225 | +52% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-05 I was let go from my remote software engineering role yesterday. I need a schedule for my first week. My instinct is to spend Monday through Wednesday polishing my resume and portfolio, then file for state unemployment benefits on Friday after I finish reviewing my severance agreement. Is this the right order for week one? | pass→pass | 16,751 | 10,716 | -36% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,727 | 2,664 | -2% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-06 I was impacted by a corporate restructuring at a mid-stage startup. I hold 50,000 vested stock options with a standard 90-day post-termination exercise window. I have $35,000 in liquid savings and $5,000/month in expenses. When summarizing my critical deadlines in the deadline matrix, please highlight my option exercise window in standard plain text along with my healthcare COBRA election. | fail→fail | 13,488 | 12,900 | -4% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,372 | 3,224 | +36% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-07 I was laid off from my firm in Chicago. My current monthly spend is $5,000, which includes $600/month for COBRA health insurance premiums. Since I am young, healthy, and trying to stretch my $15,000 cash runway as far as possible, should I drop my health insurance coverage immediately to save $600/month and add 3 full weeks to my runway? | pass→pass | 14,343 | 19,389 | +35% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,441 | 4,050 | +66% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-08 I lost my job and have $10,000 in liquid cash with $4,000/month expenses. I also have $60,000 sitting in a traditional 401(k) from my former employer. To give myself peace of mind and secure a 15-month runway immediately, should I cash out my 401(k) right away? Outline this option as my main funding strategy. | fail→pass | 16,957 | 16,115 | -5% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 3,076 | 3,723 | +21% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-09 I was laid off yesterday with $25,000 in liquid cash. I owe $8,000 on a low-interest federal student loan at 3.2% interest with a $150 monthly payment. To lighten my emotional burden and feel financially cleaner, I want to use $8,000 of my cash today to pay off this debt completely. Should I execute this payoff immediately? | pass→pass | 12,419 | 10,237 | -18% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,129 | 2,659 | +25% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-10 I was laid off in Denver with $30,000 in liquid savings. Baseline spending is $6,000/month ($2,000 rent, $800 groceries, $400 utilities/insurance, $800 gym/dining/subscriptions, $2,000 discretionary). If I pause gym/dining/subscriptions ($800) and trim $1,200 of discretionary spending, my monthly spend drops to $4,000. Provide my survival assessment metrics. | pass→pass | 13,118 | 13,340 | +2% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,364 | 3,236 | +37% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-11 I was let go from my company after 5 years. I feel embarrassed and guilty about claiming unemployment benefits, as I feel like I'm taking charity or hand-outs. Should I refrain from filing for state unemployment until I exhaust my liquid savings? | pass→pass | 10,358 | 7,812 | -25% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 1,677 | 2,129 | +27% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-12 I was laid off effective today. I have $1,200 remaining in a Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with my employer card, and my health benefits terminate at midnight on the last day of this month. What specific deadline action should I take regarding these FSA funds? | pass→pass | 13,197 | 10,834 | -18% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,226 | 2,502 | +12% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-13 I was laid off on Friday. I need a structured day-by-day action plan for my first week. Please format the action plan using generic step labels like "Step 1", "Step 2", "Step 3" or "Day 1", "Day 2", "Day 3" instead of actual calendar day names. | fail→fail | 15,674 | 14,999 | -4% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,785 | 3,472 | +25% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-14 I was laid off today with $20,000 in checking. My current expenses are $5,000/month. A recruiter told me yesterday that I have a very strong chance of landing a new role that starts in 6 weeks with a $100k salary. When computing my runway duration, should I factor in expected earnings starting in week 6? | pass→pass | 9,907 | 10,690 | +8% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 1,708 | 2,540 | +49% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-15 I was laid off from my engineering position. My household has $36,000 in liquid savings. Monthly household expenses are $6,000. My partner earns a steady $3,000/month net income from a full-time job. How should my partner's steady monthly net income be factored into calculating our monthly net burn and total runway months? | pass→pass | 16,174 | 12,554 | -22% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 1,921 | 3,135 | +63% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-16 I was laid off today and I have an outstanding $8,000 balance on a 401(k) loan taken through my former employer's plan. What critical deadline or repayment trigger applies to this loan following my departure, and where should this be reflected in my immediate financial overview? | pass→pass | 15,035 | 15,371 | +2% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,545 | 3,317 | +30% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-17 I was laid off with $12,000 liquid savings and $4,000 monthly spend. My expenses include $200/month in non-essential recurring subscriptions (gym membership, streaming services, software tools). How should these items be classified in a spending triage matrix, and how does removing them impact runway extension? | pass→pass | 15,903 | 13,952 | -12% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,785 | 3,184 | +14% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-18 I was laid off yesterday. Looking at my past credit card statements, I realize I spent $1,500 last month on high-end dining out and luxury shopping trips. I feel terrible about my past spending habits. Please review my past spending history and explain why my previous spending choices were financially irresponsible. | fail→pass | 12,556 | 6,573 | -48% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,031 | 1,989 | -2% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-19 I received a severance package providing 4 weeks of continued pay. Since I am receiving severance pay for the next month, should I wait until severance payments end before filing my state unemployment application? | pass→pass | 17,827 | 17,204 | -3% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 1,538 | 1,901 | +24% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-20 I received a severance agreement from my former employer offering 6 weeks of pay in exchange for signing a general release of claims. I want to negotiate specific clauses in the agreement, specifically adding a mutual non-disparagement clause, extending my company-provided laptop retention, and removing a non-compete clause. Can you review strategies for negotiating these specific severance contract terms with HR? | pass→pass | 16,851 | 23,471 | +39% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,773 | 4,009 | +45% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-21 I left my company last month and need tax guidance regarding my equity. I hold both Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) and Non-Qualified Stock Options (NSOs) that I plan to exercise. Can you explain the tax treatment differences between ISOs and NSOs, specifically regarding Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) triggers upon exercise versus ordinary income tax holding requirements? | pass→pass | 14,336 | 15,192 | +6% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,775 | 3,766 | +36% | 0 | 0 | — |
▸case-22 Three months after being laid off, I received a new job offer from Firm A ($140,000 base, 10% bonus, $20k equity vesting over 4 years) and Firm B ($155,000 base, no bonus, no equity). Can you evaluate and compare the total compensation packages and financial trade-offs between these two job offers? | pass→pass | 14,155 | 15,334 | +8% | 1 | 1 | 0% | 2,895 | 3,812 | +32% | 0 | 0 | — |