Decide whether to lend money to family or a friend
A clear-headed decision on lending money, plus kind words for yes, no, or a smaller amount, and terms if you lend.
The prompt
Help me decide whether to lend money to someone close to me, and how to say it.
Who is asking and my relationship with them: [e.g. "my brother", "a close friend"]
Amount and what it's for: [DETAILS]
Their history with borrowed money: [e.g. "paid me back last time", "still owes me", "never borrowed before"]
My financial situation: [savings, debts, upcoming costs]
How I'd feel if I never got it back: [fine / upset / it would hurt my finances]
What I'm leaning toward: [yes / no / a smaller amount / not sure]
Give me:
1. A quick decision check: can I afford to lose this money? Would I lend it as a gift? What does this mean for the relationship either way?
2. Alternatives to a straight loan: a smaller gift, helping in another way (such as paying one bill directly or helping them make a budget), or pointing them to other resources.
3. Three short, kind scripts: saying yes with clear terms, saying no without over-explaining, and offering a smaller amount or different help.
4. If I lend: simple written terms to agree on (amount, repayment schedule, what happens if a payment is missed) and a friendly way to bring that up.
5. One sentence to agree now on how we'll handle a missed repayment, so it's settled before it happens.
Keep it compassionate and non-judgmental. Do not pressure me either way.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Personal Life & Wellbeing prompts
What to fill in
- e.g. "my brother", "a close friend"
- DETAILS
- savings, debts, upcoming costs
- fine / upset / it would hurt my finances
- yes / no / a smaller amount / not sure
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
Related prompts
- Back up my photos and important files so I never lose themA simple backup setup for your phone and computer, with a cloud plus offline copy, and a test to prove it works.
- Set up a simple home recording space on a budgetA gear list, room setup, and first-recording steps for recording music or voice at home without overspending.
- Eat healthier on a tight grocery budgetA practical shopping strategy, staple list, and weekly spending plan for eating well when money is tight.
- Understand a letter from the tax office and what to do nextA plain-language explanation of a tax notice, how to check it is genuine, your options, and a draft response.