Cashlyn Finance

Your Friendly Assistant Cashlyn!

Inspiration

As college students who have recently started managing our finances, we often felt lost in understanding where our money was going and how to improve our spending habits. The only advice we could rely on came from a few trusted individuals, but beyond that, there weren’t many resources that felt approachable or tailored to our needs. Reading articles and watching videos didn’t provide the personalized guidance we were looking for, and the idea of consulting a professional seemed overwhelming. That’s when we realized the need for something more interactive, engaging, and easy to access. Inspired by our own struggles, we created Cashlyn Finance, a live AI-powered financial consultant designed to make financial literacy simple and actionable. Our goal was to create something that we, and people like us, would actually want to use—an interactive platform that feels like talking to a knowledgeable and trusted advisor.

What it does

Cashlyn Finance is an online AI agent built to transform the way people, especially young adults, learn about and manage their finances. It combines cutting-edge AI technology with an interactive 3D experience to make financial literacy engaging and accessible. At its core, Cashlyn provides personalized financial guidance by walking users through common questions and concerns using a decision tree built from extensive market research. It also analyzes real-time bank account data to provide spending recommendations and uses an ARIMA model to detect anomalies in spending habits, alerting users to potential issues. To make the experience even more impactful, Cashlyn generates detailed, easy-to-understand reports with interactive charts summarizing the user’s financial journey. The centerpiece of the platform is a GLB 3D model that offers a unique, immersive experience, making financial management feel less daunting and more approachable.

How we built it

We started with a clear vision of creating a tool that was both highly functional and engaging. Our first step was system design, where we mapped out the layout and user flow to ensure the platform was intuitive and easy to use. Next, we developed a GLB 3D model to serve as the interactive face of the AI agent, creating a dynamic and immersive experience for users. The decision tree was built based on market research and surveys to address the most common financial questions and pain points. For the backend, we fine-tuned a Generative Language-Based (GLB) AI model using five years of anonymized financial data to ensure accurate and reliable responses. We also implemented an ARIMA model to analyze real-time bank account data and detect unusual spending patterns, giving users proactive insights. Finally, we designed detailed visual reports and interactive charts to present data in a way that is both visually appealing and easy to understand.

Challenges we ran into

Integrating the GLB 3D model with real-time data analysis and AI recommendations was a significant technical challenge. Ensuring the model felt interactive and responsive required multiple iterations. Another hurdle was handling financial data securely while maintaining user trust and privacy, as we wanted the platform to be as safe as it is effective. Training and fine-tuning the ARIMA model for anomaly detection without compromising speed or accuracy also required significant effort. Finally, building an engaging and intuitive decision tree that effectively guides users through financial topics demanded extensive research and careful design.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re incredibly proud of creating a platform that feels like a genuine solution to a problem we personally faced. The GLB 3D model adds an element of fun and engagement, making financial literacy approachable for users who might otherwise avoid it. Successfully integrating real-time data analysis and anomaly detection ensures that users receive timely, actionable insights. The detailed reports and interactive charts we designed make complex financial data easy to understand, and seeing how it all comes together to provide a seamless user experience is something we’re really proud of.

What we learned

This project taught us the power of combining technical innovation with user-centric design. We learned how to fine-tune AI models to balance sophistication with simplicity, ensuring the platform remains accessible to all users. Working with the GLB 3D model was a new challenge, and we gained valuable insights into how interactivity can enhance user engagement. Additionally, we learned a lot about financial behavior and how to translate market research into practical tools for everyday use. Most importantly, we realized the value of addressing real-world problems through creative and collaborative approaches.

What’s next for Cashlyn Finance

We’re excited about the future of Cashlyn Finance. Our next steps include enhancing the GLB 3D model to make interactions even more dynamic and lifelike. We also plan to develop a mobile app to increase accessibility and include features like real-time notifications for spending insights. Gamifying financial literacy is another idea we’re exploring to make the learning process more fun and rewarding. We aim to expand the platform’s capabilities to include advanced tools for investment advice, debt management, and retirement planning. Partnering with financial institutions and educators to refine the system and reach a wider audience is also on our roadmap. Our ultimate goal is to make Cashlyn Finance a trusted companion for anyone looking to improve their financial health.