Perfect questions. Let's answer them. This module is orientation only—no installation, no terminal commands, no coding. You're building mental models and confidence here.
Key Terms (You'll See These Often)
These aren't abstract coding exercises. These are four projects you'll build across Modules 2-3 as a financial consultant—real tools to automate work, save time, and create client-ready deliverables.
Module 3. Build a web-based calculator with inputs for initial investment, monthly contribution, years, and interest rate. Claude generates the full HTML/CSS/JavaScript for you.
Why it matters: Embed it on your website or use live in client meetings to model scenarios—no Excel needed.
Module 3 (Extension). Upload a CSV of client holdings and ask Claude to create an HTML page with a pie chart, top 10 holdings table, and YTD performance summary.
Why it matters: Turn raw data into client-ready visuals in minutes, not hours of Excel formatting.
Module 4 (Context Engineering). Create a reusable branded template for quarterly reports with sections for executive summary, market commentary, and portfolio performance.
Why it matters: Consistent, professional reports without wrestling Word templates—Claude remembers your brand style via CLAUDE.md.
Module 5 (Automation). An automated workflow: prep checklist → talking points → follow-up email draft. Three outputs from one prompt chain.
Why it matters: Automate the entire client meeting lifecycle—never forget a step, scale your practice without scaling hours.
"I wrote a prompt like I was briefing an analyst. Claude wrote an entire calculator—slider, output, pretty chart—in about 30 seconds. I just reviewed it, approved, and suddenly I had a live tool on my screen. I felt like I had unlocked a superpower."
That's the promise of Module 3. You'll get there.
Claude Code is offered via subscription with plan tiers. At time of writing, edits inside the IDE experience are not billed per token; confirm latest pricing on Anthropic’s pricing page. API‑level token costs apply when you use the API directly. See the Module 2: Usage & Costs section for a simple token cost estimator.
For individuals who want local editing with review/approve diffs and seamless auth.
For small teams: seats, usage visibility, and shared policies for safe collaboration.
Admin controls, compliance support, advanced security, and enterprise provisioning.
[Link: See official plans & pricing]
💡 Try the interactive cost calculator below to estimate your usage
Estimate the cost of using cloud-based AI models (like Claude, GPT-4, Gemini) for generating or editing code. This teaches you how token pricing works and how to optimize your prompts.
👈 Enter your values and click Calculate
1500 input, 2000 output, 1 call
3000 input, 5000 output, 3 calls
2500 input, 4000 output, 5 calls
Before we touch the Terminal, let's build the right mental model. This is the single most important concept for non-coders to grasp.
This diagram shows how your computer organizes files—like drawers in a filing cabinet.
Use this as a mental model for the IDE’s file navigator: drawers, folders, and documents. Claude Code understands your project root inside VS Code and proposes diffs within that workspace.
This is a preview of next module's workflow so your mental model is clear. No action needed yet.
In Module 2, you'll install and run this flow for real. Today's goal is simply to understand each step.
No. Claude Code never changes a file without your explicit approval. Every edit shows a "diff" (before/after preview). You click Approve or Reject. Think of it like Track Changes in Word—you're always in control.
No. You'll write prompts in plain English like you're briefing an analyst: "Create a calculator with sliders for investment, rate, and years." Claude generates the code. You review it visually (no reading code required) and approve.
Module 2 has step-by-step screenshots. Module 3 has video walkthroughs. Each FAQ section addresses common errors. If something doesn't work, the error message usually tells you exactly what to fix—and Claude can help explain it.
Since you haven't installed anything yet, this is a simulator to show you what a successful setup will look like in Module 2. Click to see what "success" means.
Before moving to Module 2 (installation), ask yourself:
If you answered "yes" to all three, you're ready. Module 2 will guide you through every installation step with screenshots.
You understand how your computer organizes files (paths, not places), how to navigate using Terminal commands, and that it's a safe environment for the tasks we'll be doing.
In Module 2, we will use these new terminal skills to do the one-time installation of Claude Code and run our first, real value-creating command.
Continue to Module 2: The Real Installation