AI Is the Cheapest Financial Adviser Homeowners Can Hire—and You Get What You Pay For

Artificial intelligence is the future—but should it be trusted with our money?

On May 15, OpenAI launched a new set of personal finance tools for ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the U.S.

The move is likely in response to more and more Americans using artificial intelligence in their everyday lives—especially when it comes to money.

One recent survey from TD Bank found that the share of Americans using AI to help manage their finances jumped from 10% in 2025 to 55% in 2026, and according to OpenAI, more than 200 million users ask financial questions of ChatGPT every month.

The train has clearly left the station, but for homeowners looking to manage their budgets, either to organize household expenses or fund their next home purchase, it begs more than a few questions.

For example, is the price of giving over your financial information to AI worth the reward?

Paying for financial help

The draw of using AI for financial help at the outset is undoubtedly the cost. Without paying a cent, users can jump onto platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini and ask any question they desire.

Additionally, even the pro tools are reasonably priced. The finance tools are currently available only to ChatGPT Pro subscribers, who pay $100 or $200 per month, depending on their tier. That translates to $1,200 to $2,400 per year for access to the entire ChatGPT suite.

By comparison, human financial fees vary greatly, depending on how the planner or adviser gets paid and how much money you’re asking them to manage, according to Linda Grizely, CFP, a personal finance expert and a financial wellness speaker

“There is not an easy answer as to how much a financial planner typically costs,” Grizely admits.

“Some are compensated through commissions, some manage investments (often charging around 1% of the assets under management annually), some may charge hourly, project-based, or retainer fees.”

If you’re planning on working with a live financial adviser, make sure to understand all of the fees and compensation rules before signing with them.

Why AI shouldn’t be trusted with your finances

Though artificial intelligence can serve as a helpful starting point, users—especially homeowners—should proceed with caution when it comes to sharing financial information with an AI platform.

Because it could cost you in the long run.

For starters, a human financial planner acts under certain restrictions and regulations that a typical AI tool does not.

A Certified Financial Planner, “when providing financial advice, is required to act as a fiduciary and in the client’s best interests,” explains Grizely. “AI does not have any duty to the user and does not know the full emotional and financial picture. There is accountability for regulated human professionals, not for AI.”

With that in mind, a good rule of thumb is to never share any of your personal information with an AI chatbot.

“The most important thing to know is not to enter sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers, account numbers, tax returns, mortgage documents, or full insurance policies into a public AI tool,” adds Grizely.

If you do, you run the risk of that information falling into the wrong hands. Though in the case of ChatGPT, users have the control to remove connections to certain accounts whenever they want. Once they disconnect an account, the synced data will be removed from ChatGPT in 30 days.

Apart from the fear that your information will be mishandled, AI can still be a fairly unreliable source, depending on the topic.

“AI sounds very confident, yet often gives incomplete and general information,” Grizely says. AI advice can sometimes derive from “outdated, incomplete, unreliable, or biased sources.”

Bottom line: If you wouldn’t post the information live on your Facebook or Instagram page, don’t give it to a chatbot. And don’t trust anything an AI chat tells you blindly.

AI can still be useful in understanding your financial situation

With that said, given the accessibility of AI chatbots, there are some smart ways to use these platforms.

“AI can be helpful as an educational starting point for homeowners,” Grizely says. “It can explain terms and help them prepare questions to ask or a checklist of things to review.”

For instance, if you’re just starting on your retirement savings journey and need to understand the difference between a Roth IRA and a Traditional IRA, an AI chatbot should be able to provide you with an adequate understanding.

Additionally, an AI chatbot could help you with down payment math, explaining how long it would take you to save a certain amount of dollars based on your saving strategy.

But again, make sure to never share any personal information with these platforms, and before you make a significant financial decision, it’s good to seek out professional help.