MarginDeckPortfolio revenue rose from $1,630 to $2,000. Clipboard's revenue rose too, but its contribution profit fell from $430 to $350.
That's a good follow-up question for your assistant: where did the extra cost come from? Will it recur every month, or did an annual bill happen to land in this one?
This walkthrough uses a fictional ledger, with tables calculated from the inputs below. The prompts are ready to reuse; swap in your own dates and product names. The ledger has more products and costs than the one in the setup guide. If you haven't connected your assistant yet, start there.
The example ledger
The example covers June, July, and August 2026. Every amount is in USD, and revenue is recorded after platform fees. There are three products: Timer, Clipboard, and Screenshot. Following along with all three needs Pro; on Free, you can start with one product.
| Product | June revenue | July revenue | August revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timer | $900 | $1,000 | $1,280 |
| Clipboard | $500 | $550 | $600 |
| Screenshot | $0 | $80 | $120 |
The costs:
| Cost | Amount and billing schedule | Assignment |
|---|---|---|
| Timer services | $180 monthly from June 1 | 100% Timer |
| Clipboard services | $120 monthly from June 1 | 100% Clipboard |
| Screenshot storage | $40 monthly from June 1 | 100% Screenshot |
| Business tools | $60 monthly from June 1 | Shared portfolio cost; not assigned to products |
| Shared server | $20 monthly from August 1 | 50% Timer, 50% Clipboard |
| Clipboard annual service | $120 yearly, first billing date August 1 | 100% Clipboard |
Each cost counts in its scheduled billing month. "Profit" below means estimated contribution profit.
Start with the portfolio
With financial-reading permission approved, ask:
Use MarginDeck to query portfolio revenue, scheduled cost, and estimated contribution profit for each month from June to August 2026, in USD.
The example gives:
| Month | Revenue | Scheduled cost | Estimated contribution profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | $1,400 | $400 | $1,000 |
| July 2026 | $1,630 | $400 | $1,230 |
| August 2026 | $2,000 | $540 | $1,460 |
August brought $370 more revenue and $140 more cost than July, so contribution profit rose by $230.
The report lists the $60 monthly shared cost on its own line, but it's already included in total cost. Don't subtract it again from the $1,460.
Look at each product
Continue with:
Query Timer, Clipboard, and Screenshot for August 2026. List revenue, scheduled cost, and estimated contribution profit, sorted by profit. Keep the shared cost on its own row without allocating it.
The example works out as:
| Product or cost item | Revenue | Scheduled cost | Estimated contribution profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timer | $1,280 | $190 | $1,090 |
| Clipboard | $600 | $250 | $350 |
| Screenshot | $120 | $40 | $80 |
| Shared portfolio cost | — | $60 | -$60 |
| Total | $2,000 | $540 | $1,460 |
The shared cost row makes the product subtotals add up to the portfolio total. It isn't another product.
Timer earns the most, but the table can't show how much of your time it takes. If Clipboard needs an hour of maintenance a month and Timer needs three days, where you spend your time next is still your call.
Why Clipboard lost $80
Revenue went up but profit went down, so ask:
Compare Clipboard's July and August 2026 reports. Separate the revenue change from the cost change. Tell me if you need cost details, and don't guess at causes.
In the example, July had $550 revenue, $120 cost, and $430 profit. August had $600 revenue, $250 cost, and $350 profit. Revenue grew by $50; cost grew by $130.
Check the cost records in MarginDeck and you'll find two additions: a $10 share of the server and the $120 annual service billed in August. Tell your assistant:
I checked: August adds a $10 server allocation and a $120 annual service billed in August. Explain these separately from costs that recur every month.
An annual cost counts in full in its billing month, which is why August's profit dips. It won't repeat every month: all else equal, September's costs will be $120 lower.
Write down what to check next
Finally, ask for a short note you can come back to next month:
From the figures we checked, write a monthly review with confirmed changes, missing information, and three things to check next month. Keep facts and suggestions separate.
For this example, you might note:
- Confirm Clipboard still needs the annual service.
- Check whether an even server split matches how the two products use it. If it changes, set the effective month.
- Record how much maintenance time each product took this month, so you can compare it with profit next time.
If you want an image to keep, ask:
Export the August 2026 portfolio financial snapshot as an image.
If your client can't save the image, open AI Connections in MarginDeck, choose Export image…, and save the recent report. If the report has expired, query it again.