If you are viewing this online and would like to participate in the AI Bootcamp, opt in to the bootcamp mailing list (you can opt out at any time). Participation is open to MOI members and paid Latticework subscribers.

A note before we begin: This is the first lesson in a four-week experiment. I am doing every lesson alongside you, on the same tools, with the same constraints. Some days will land cleanly. Some will lead to dead ends and need rework. We’ll figure out what works, together.

Let’s launch into our first lesson.

We start with one of the most important insights in the entire bootcamp: learning when an AI model is being fluent versus when it is being right.

Every limit or hallucination in your future idea engine traces back to how large language models (LLMs) read and write text. If we understand tokens and context windows, we avoid the most expensive mistakes. If we do not, confident-sounding fabrications about earnings, ratios, quoted language, or filing dates can quietly corrupt an investment thesis.

Read more

This is the only AI bootcamp-related email you will receive unless you opt in to the bootcamp mailing list. Participation in the bootcamp is open to MOI members and paid Latticework subscribers. Everything that follows is a description of the program. If it’s not for you, no further action is needed.

I’ve been working on an AI-powered system to help generate investment ideas in line with my own approach: value-oriented, quality-tilted, with room for special situations and small-caps. The tools available are capable, but the instructions for using them are scattered, and there isn’t much guidance aimed at investors who are sophisticated but haven’t written a line of code.

Rather than wait until I’ve worked it all out, I’d like to share the process as I go and invite interested members to learn alongside me. I will be completing every lesson on the same day you do, with the same constraints.

Bootcamp overview

Four weeks. Sixteen lessons, with two buffer days built in. Each lesson is about 30 minutes of focused work that ends with one tangible deliverable, plus optional “Go deeper” content (podcasts, videos, papers) for those who want to spend more time on a topic. By the last day, the goal is to have a personal investment-idea engine that runs on your schedule, screens with your criteria, and delivers ideas in your preferred format.

This is not a polished syllabus. Some lessons will land well. Some will lead to dead ends and require rework. We’ll iterate here on Latticework, share what’s working, and improve the curriculum in real time as we go.

Cohort starts Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Final lesson is Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Buffer/catch-up days: Monday, May 25 and Thursday, May 28.

Why I’m doing it this way

Active investing using AI tools well is a real edge, but only for investors who learn to use them in a way that respects their own philosophy. Generic AI advice produces generic ideas. We don’t want generic ideas.

The best way to learn is to build. Every lesson produces something concrete. Reader replies and Latticework comments will sharpen the curriculum as we go, so use the comment function under each daily post to ask questions and share your experiences.

Bloomberg terminal not needed. The bootcamp uses two paid subscriptions (Claude and Perplexity) and (mostly) free APIs. Total cost: about $40 per month. (If you already have access to expensive data APIs, you can certainly use them.)

What you’ll build

Four phases:

Days 1–3 — Foundations. How AI models actually think. Prompt patterns that outperform 90% of casual prompting. Setting up your stack.

Days 4–7 — The data layer. Mastering EDGAR, FRED, and FMP. Where investors get clean, free, reliable data, and how to pull it on demand.

Days 8–11 — Perplexity & Claude as research partners. Spaces, Projects, connectors, memory, sub-agents, scheduled research, and wide screening.

Days 12–16 — Build & ship your idea engine. Using Claude Code (a terminal pair-programmer for non-coders) to build real screeners and analyzers in plain English. Design, build, schedule, refine.

Every lesson includes a “Make it yours” callout, i.e., how to flex the same machinery to fit your philosophy. High-ROE only? Owner-operator small caps? Special situations and spin-offs? Macro-driven cyclicals? The default examples are in the MOI tradition (value, quality, special situations), but the engine you build is yours.

What you’ll need

Two paid subscriptions (~$40/month total):

• Perplexity Pro (~$20/mo): access to Computer, Spaces, connectors

• Claude Pro (~$20/mo): includes Claude Code in the terminal

Both are month-to-month. If either one isn’t earning its keep in your workflow, cancel it. We’re recommending them because the free tiers don’t include Claude Code or Perplexity Computer in their full form, and we’d rather have you working with capable tools than bumping into rate limits.

Optional paid API: FMP (Financial Modeling Prep) — the free tier is enough to complete every lesson, but most members will want a paid plan (~$15–30/mo depending on tier) once they’re running screeners and pulling fundamentals at scale. Same monthly-cancel logic applies.

Free accounts: GitHub, FRED, SEC EDGAR (no account needed).

Not required: Coding or statistics background.

The community

Discussion happens through Latticework comments and email replies. Most of the lasting value of any joint learning project is the people you do it with, and Latticework is where that conversation will live.

If there is sufficient “critical mass” and interest in interacting further, we may launch a “Chat” here on Substack or even on Discord.

Privacy

Your screeners, write-ups, and capstone outputs are private by default.

The bootcamp uses a separate mailing list, so participation in the bootcamp will not affect your other Latticework list subscriptions.

How to join

This is a Latticework subscriber benefit.

If you’re already a paid subscriber, click below to join the bootcamp list (click the button, then toggle on the “AI bootcamp for non-technical investors” list). You’ll get the Day 1 post in your inbox on Tuesday, May 5.

If you’re not yet a Latticework subscriber, subscribe here and then opt into the bootcamp list.

Join the Latticework AI Bootcamp

A note on transparency: I’ll share what works and what doesn’t as I build this system alongside you. Some lessons will land cleanly; others will need revision based on what we learn. Hopefully, by the end of the month, you’ll have a working investment tool tailored to your philosophy.

See you Tuesday.

— John