Smartie AI - Writing good questions

The single biggest lift in answer quality comes from giving Smartie the facts that change the answer. Most SMSF rules turn on a financial year, an age, a balance or a structure — leave those out and you get a general explanation instead of an answer to your actual problem.

Use this three-part shape:

Facts → Question → Output

The template

Five habits that improve every answer

1. Name the financial year. Caps, thresholds and reporting obligations are date-effective. "In 2026–27…" removes the ambiguity.
2. Give the numbers that drive the rule. Total super balance, age, transfer balance account usage, pension balances — whichever apply.
3. Say what you want back. "Explain the rule", "give me the steps", "draft a file note" and "list the risks" produce very different responses.
4. Ask one scenario at a time. Two unrelated questions in one message produce a shallower answer on both. Ask, then follow up.
5. Use follow-ups instead of rewriting. Smartie keeps the conversation context, so "and if the fund had two members?" works fine.

Privacy note — Describe scenarios using the facts that drive the technical answer — ages, balances, dates, structures — rather than client names or identifying details. You get the same quality of answer, and it's better practice.

Worked examples

Contributions

Weak: "How does the bring-forward rule work?"

Strong: "Member is 58 with a TSB of $1.68m at 30 June 2026. What non-concessional bring-forward is available in 2026–27, and what happens if her TSB moves above the threshold mid-period?"

Pensions

Weak: "What's the transfer balance cap?"

Strong: "Member commenced an account-based pension of $1.6m in 2021–22 and now wants to start a second pension. Walk me through the transfer balance account impact and what I need to report, and when."

Investment rules

Weak: "Can an SMSF borrow to buy property?"

Strong: "Fund wants to acquire commercial premises leased to the members' business using an LRBA. Set out the structuring requirements, the sole purpose and in-house asset issues, and where funds most often get this wrong."

Estate planning

Weak: "How do BDBNs work?"

Strong: "Member wants to leave her pension to her adult financially independent daughter and her spouse in unequal shares. Compare a BDBN against a reversionary pension — validity risks, TBC treatment and death benefit tax for each."

Fund taxation

Weak: "How does Division 296 work?"

Strong: "Member's TSB is $3.4m with a large unrealised gain on a single property. Explain how Division 296 applies, how the calculation treats the unrealised movement, and what I should be modelling for them now."

Asking for a specific output

Smartie responds well to being told the form you want. Useful phrasings:

• "Set this out as steps I can follow."
• "Draft this as a file note."
• "List the compliance risks in order of seriousness."
• "Show me the calculation."
• "Compare the two options in a table."
• "What documentation do I need, and in what order?"

After an answer, Smartie will often offer to draft the text for a client letter, file note, SoA extract or email — see Drafting emails, file notes and SoA extracts.

If the answer still isn't useful

Usually one of three things is missing: the financial year, a number the rule depends on, or a clear statement of what you want back. Add the missing piece as a follow-up rather than starting again. Troubleshooting and FAQs covers the rest.

Related articles

• Understanding a Smartie answer
• Using the Playbook
• Troubleshooting and FAQs