How to Get the Most Out of Warren, PoliStock’s AI Financial Consultant
Every PoliStock account comes with access to Warren — an AI financial consultant built directly into the app. Warren is not a generic chatbot. It has access to PoliStock’s database of 16,000+ analyzed market events, current alerts, and your connected portfolio. That context makes it significantly more useful than a general-purpose AI when the question is about markets, events, and specific stocks.
But like any tool, Warren is only as useful as the questions you ask. Vague questions get vague answers. Specific questions with context get genuinely useful analysis.
This guide covers how to use Warren effectively.
What Warren Can Do
Historical context lookup: Warren can look up how past events similar to a current situation have affected stocks and sectors. When a new event alert fires, you can ask Warren: “Has this type of event affected this sector before, and what has happened to stock prices after?” You get actual data from the events database, not a generic response.
Portfolio-specific analysis (Pro): With a connected portfolio, Warren can analyze which of your specific holdings are most exposed to a current event. Rather than giving general information about a sector, it can tell you which of the stocks you actually own might be most affected.
Market mechanics explanation: Warren can explain how specific types of events typically move markets. If you receive an alert about an SEC 8-K filing and are not sure what the implications are, you can ask Warren to explain what 8-K filings are, why they matter, and what the specific disclosure in this alert might mean for the company.
Scenario analysis: You can describe a situation and ask Warren to walk through the likely implications. “If the Federal Reserve announces a larger-than-expected rate increase, which of my holdings would typically be most affected?” Warren can reason through second and third-order effects.
Investment concept education: Warren can explain investing concepts, terminology, and strategies. If you’re new to a specific type of event or investing approach, Warren is a patient teacher.
Free Tier vs. Pro: Warren’s Capabilities
Free tier Warren:
- Can answer general questions about investing concepts
- Can discuss events you see in your feed at a surface level
- Useful for learning, getting context, and understanding terminology
Pro tier Warren ($4.99/month):
- Full access to the 16,000+ analyzed historical events database for detailed historical precedent lookups
- Portfolio-specific analysis based on your connected holdings
- Detailed stock impact reports for current events
- More thorough responses to complex multi-part questions
If you are making investment decisions based on current events, the Pro tier Warren is meaningfully more useful.
How to Ask Warren Better Questions
The quality of Warren’s responses is directly related to the specificity and context of your questions.
From Vague to Specific: Examples
Vague: “Is Apple a good investment?” Better: “Apple is facing antitrust scrutiny over the App Store. Looking at historical cases where major tech companies faced antitrust investigations, how have their stocks typically performed during the investigation period vs. after resolution?”
Vague: “What should I do about energy stocks?” Better: “I hold positions in ExxonMobil and Chevron. New tariff proposals on oil imports were just announced. Historically, how have major domestic oil companies performed when import tariffs are implemented, and what’s typically the market reaction timeline?”
Vague: “Will this regulation hurt pharma?” Better: “The Senate just passed a committee vote on drug pricing reform similar to what was in the Inflation Reduction Act. Last time drug pricing legislation advanced this far in Congress, what happened to large-cap pharma stocks vs. generic drug manufacturers? I own JNJ and PFE.”
Vague: “Should I be worried about the election?” Better: “My portfolio is about 40% energy sector, 30% tech, and 30% healthcare. Looking at recent election cycles with significant policy contrast between candidates, which of these sectors typically sees the most volatility in the 3-6 months before election day?”
The pattern: include the specific asset or sector, the specific event type, and ask for historical precedents rather than predictions.
Using Warren After an Alert Fires
The most high-value use of Warren is immediately after you receive a significant alert. Here is a workflow:
1. Read the alert What happened? Which sources reported it? Which stocks are flagged as potentially affected?
2. Ask Warren for historical context “This is an alert about [event type] affecting [sector/company]. What has typically happened to related stocks in the 24-48 hours after this type of event, and what about over the following weeks?”
3. Ask about your specific holdings “I hold [stock A] and [stock B]. Which of these is more exposed to this type of event, and why?”
4. Ask about second-order effects “If [company] is affected negatively by this announcement, what other companies in the supply chain or sector might also see an impact?”
5. Decide and act (or wait) Warren’s analysis informs your view — it does not make decisions for you. Use the context to either decide on a response or decide explicitly to wait for more information.
Questions Warren Handles Well
- “What happened to [sector] stocks the last 3 times [event type] occurred?”
- “How does [regulatory agency] typically signal major decisions before they are announced?”
- “Explain what an SEC 8-K filing means and what this specific disclosure implies”
- “Which of my current holdings have historically been most sensitive to [event category]?”
- “What is the typical timeline between [event type] being announced and market prices fully adjusting?”
- “I’m seeing an alert about [topic]. Can you give me context on how significant this might be?”
- “What sectors historically benefit from [policy type], and which are hurt?”
Questions Warren Cannot Reliably Answer
- “Will [stock] go up or down tomorrow?” — No one can reliably answer this. Warren cannot either.
- “What is the exact fair value of [company]?” — Valuation requires judgment calls Warren cannot make for you.
- “Should I sell all my holdings before [event]?” — Portfolio decisions depend on your full financial picture, which Warren does not have.
- “What is going to happen with the [specific political situation]?” — Predicting political outcomes is beyond what any AI can do reliably.
Warren gives you better information and context. You make the decisions.
Warren in Your Daily Workflow
Morning check: Review overnight alerts, then ask Warren: “What are the most significant events that came in overnight, and which of my holdings might be most affected today?”
Pre-market: For major pre-market developments, ask: “This announcement came out before market open. Based on historical reactions to similar announcements, what should I watch for at open?”
After market close: “Several alerts fired today. Looking back, which had the most significant market impact and what was the timeline of the market reaction?”
Weekly review: “This week had [summary of significant events]. Looking at my portfolio, are there any developing situations that might have longer-term impact over the next weeks or months?”
Getting Better Over Time
The more you use Warren, the better you understand both its capabilities and your own knowledge gaps. Pay attention to:
- Types of questions that produce particularly useful answers (those are worth repeating)
- Areas where Warren’s historical data is particularly relevant to your portfolio
- Questions you find yourself asking repeatedly (those might be worth building into a regular workflow)
Warren is available directly in the PoliStock app on both mobile and desktop. Start a conversation from any event alert by tapping “Ask Warren,” or open a free-form chat from the main Warren tab.
Questions about the platform? Reach the team at contact@polistock.app.