Investment Research Agentic AI · Business Case

Your Numbers.
Your Real ROI.

Model your research team's specific scenario mix, analyst tiers, coverage universe, and HITL workflow. Solution cost shown in full — no hidden denominator.

Start Here — 8 Inputs

Pre-filled with industry benchmarks for a mid-size asset manager. Change any number and all results update instantly.

Firm Type Auto-fills volumes

Sets scenario volume and analyst tier defaults

Senior Analyst Rate ($/hr) Benchmark: $120

Base research, EDD, earnings notes, IC memos — typical range $100–$200/hr fully loaded depending on firm type and seniority

Junior Analyst Rate ($/hr) Benchmark: $75

Coverage monitoring, data gathering, earnings model maintenance

Portfolio Manager Rate ($/hr) Benchmark: $250

HITL sign-off, IC decisions, trade authorizations — typical range $300–$700/hr fully loaded at institutional funds

Compliance Officer Rate ($/hr) Benchmark: $180

REG FD, MiFID II gate clearance per note — typical range $150–$400/hr fully loaded

Fully-Loaded Multiplier Benchmark: 1.4×

Benefits, overhead, management, real estate

Y1 Benefit Ramp (%) Benchmark: 70%

% of full benefits realized in Year 1 — shadow mode + calibration take 4–9 months. Used for payback period only, not ROI.

Labor Usability Factor (%) Benchmark: 75%

% of freed analyst hours actually redeployable. Accounts for task fragmentation, coordination overhead, and scheduling gaps.

Monthly Research Note Volumes by Scenario Type

Pre-filled from your firm type — change any volume to match your actual output. The three research horizons map directly to CAIBots architecture. Note on timing: “Analyst hrs Before” reflects total workflow time including data retrieval, drafting, and review. “Analyst hrs After” reflects human review and certification time only — agent generation (9s for flash notes) is excluded from labor hours as it runs unattended.

— ▼

Scenario confidence tiers — High confidence: Earnings flash, SEC summaries, conviction monitoring (80–95% drafting time reduction) · Medium confidence: Initiation reports, M&A notes, rating changes (60–80% reduction) · Judgment-intensive: Activist situations, SELL initiations, litigation-sensitive work (40–60% reduction — human judgment dominates). All defaults reflect Expected deployment. Adjust individual rows for your specific workflow maturity.

Research Scenario	HITL Gate	Monthly Volume	Analyst hrs Before	PM hrs Before	Compliance hrs Before	API Cost/Note ($)	Analyst hrs After	PM hrs After	Compliance hrs After
Earnings Flash Note	AUTO-CLEAR	Benchmark: 20/mo	2.5 hrs	15 min	10 min	$0.02	Agent drafts · analyst validates	5–15 min review (maturity-dependent)	Auto-cleared
Conviction Drift Monitor	AUTO-CLEAR	Benchmark: 40/mo	45 min	5 min	—	$0.02	Agent monitors · auto-alert only	Auto-alert
Rating Change / Update	ANALYST SIGN-OFF	Benchmark: 15/mo	3.5 hrs	15 min	15 min	$0.02	Agent drafts · analyst reviews & certifies	15 min sign-off	10 min comp gate
Coverage Initiation	ANALYST SIGN-OFF	Benchmark: 4/mo	8.0 hrs	60 min	30 min	$0.04	Agent drafts · analyst reviews & certifies	Full IC sign-off	30 min comp gate
PM Ad Hoc Request	ANALYST SIGN-OFF	Benchmark: 10/mo	3.5 hrs	20 min	10 min	$0.03	Agent drafts · analyst validates	20 min sign-off	10 min
M&A Event-Driven Note	IC COMMITTEE	Benchmark: 3/mo	5.0 hrs	90 min	30 min	$0.03	Agent drafts · analyst reviews & certifies	IC committee retained	30 min
Macro / FOMC Portfolio Sweep	PM SIGN-OFF	Benchmark: 2/mo	6.0 hrs	2.0 hrs	30 min	$0.04	Agent drafts · analyst reviews	PM decision retained	30 min
Activist / 13D Alert	ANALYST SIGN-OFF	Benchmark: 2/mo	5.0 hrs	60 min	30 min	$0.04	Agent drafts · analyst reviews & certifies	Sign-off	30 min
Earnings Miss / Downgrade	ANALYST SIGN-OFF	Benchmark: 5/mo	2.5 hrs	30 min	15 min	$0.02	Agent drafts · analyst reviews & certifies	30 min sign-off	15 min
SELL / Short Thesis Initiation	IC COMMITTEE	Benchmark: 1/mo	5.0 hrs	2.0 hrs	60 min — legal review	$0.03	Agent drafts · analyst & legal review	IC retained — legal required	Retained — short protocol

Coverage Universe Expansion

Analyst capacity freed by AI can be redeployed into expanded ticker coverage — directly monetizable as improved alpha generation capacity

— ▼

Current Coverage Universe (tickers) Benchmark: 60

Analyst FTE Team Size Benchmark: 5

Annual Alpha Value per New Ticker ($) Benchmark: $150K

Conservative: est. annual alpha value from one additional covered ticker — marginal return on monitoring a previously uncovered position. Set to $0 to exclude from model entirely.

Attribution to CAIBots (%) Benchmark: 35%

% of coverage gain directly attributable to freed capacity

Coverage expansion value is speculative and attribution is difficult to isolate. This is included for completeness but should be clearly flagged when presenting to a CIO or CFO. Adjust attribution to 0% if conservative modeling is required.

Response Time Economics — Pre-Market Edge

Draft generated in under 10 seconds; total assisted workflow approximately 10–20 minutes depending on analyst review requirements. The cost of being late on an earnings call is not zero.

— ▼

Earnings Events / Month Benchmark: 15

Current Delay Before Note Published (hrs) Benchmark: 2.5

Avg Position Size Affected ($M) Benchmark: $8M

Avg position where flash note triggers a re-evaluation

Estimated Slippage Cost per Delayed Trade (bps) Benchmark: 8 bps

Market impact + opportunity cost per delayed execution

Attribution to Research Delay (%) Benchmark: 30%

% of slippage attributable to research timing (vs. execution)

Timing value is highly dependent on strategy type. Market-neutral and long-term funds may discount this to near zero. High-turnover and event-driven strategies may weight it higher. Use 0% attribution if this does not reflect your investment process.

Regulatory Compliance Value — REG FD, MiFID II, SR 11-7

Probability-weighted fine avoidance + exam prep labor saving + audit trail production cost reduction

— ▼

Regulatory fine avoidance is probability-weighted. Adjust the probability of examination finding to match your institution's actual regulatory risk profile.

Probability of SEC / FINRA Finding (%/yr) Benchmark: 8%

Avg Fine Value if REG FD Finding ($) Benchmark: $1.5M

Risk Reduction from Audit Trail (%) Benchmark: 25%

Annual Compliance Exam Prep Hours Benchmark: 400

Exam Prep Rate — Unloaded ($/hr) Benchmark: $140

Loaded multiplier applied automatically above

Exam Prep Reduction from CAIBots (%) Benchmark: 35%

Annual MRM / SR 11-7 Validation Cost ($) Benchmark: $75K

Cost you bear without CAIBots to self-document model governance

MRM Cost Reduction via CAIBots (%) Benchmark: 60%

Solution Cost — Full Stack, No Hidden Denominators

Platform fee + Claude API + data integrations + implementation. This is the denominator most ROI tools conceal.

— ▼

Firm AUM Tier Drives platform fee

Analyst Seat Count 5 seats base

Data Integration Tier

Bloomberg / FactSet Existing Cost (annual $)

Enter only if CAIBots replaces a separate research data tool

Regulatory Package REG FD · MiFID II · SR 11-7

Contract Term Discount

Implementation (3-yr amortized, $/yr)

Benchmark: $55K one-time ÷ 3 years = $18.3K/yr

SR 11-7 Independent Model Validation ($/yr)

Optional: $50K–$200K if required by your MRM framework — often CAIBots documentation satisfies this

The Claude API cost per research note is $0.02–$0.04 regardless of note complexity. For a team producing 100 notes/month, annual API cost is approximately $24–$48. This is included automatically from your Section 01 volumes.

Analysis Results Live

Annual Benefits

Analyst labor saving — all scenariosHigh confidence · loaded rate × hrs freed × usability factor

—

Portfolio manager labor savingHigh confidence · PM sign-off time freed

—

Compliance officer labor savingHigh confidence · REG FD gate time freed per note

—

Coverage universe expansion (attributed)Medium confidence

—

STRATEGICResponse time / pre-market edge (attributed)Low-medium confidence — excluded from headline ROI

—

Regulatory risk reduction (probability-weighted)Low-medium confidence

—

MRM / SR 11-7 documentation savingMedium confidence

—

Total Benefits (core + strategic)

—

Annual Solution Cost

Base platform fee (AUM tier)

—

Analyst seat uplift

—

Regulatory package uplift

—

Term discount applied

—

Claude API (from Section 01 volumes)

—

Data integration

—

Implementation (amortized)

—

SR 11-7 model validation

—

Less: data feed replacement

—

Total Annual Solution Cost

—

Cost/note manual (weighted avg)—

Cost/note with CAIBots (platform ÷ volume)—

Analyst hours freed / yr (research-only)—

Total compliance hours freed (all staff)—

Coverage expansion potential (tickers)—

Labor Saving by Research Scenario (Annual)

Benefit Composition

Sensitivity Analysis

Risk-Adjusted

—

Risk-adjusted: −20% volume · 70% of benchmark savings · +15% cost · 60% Y1 ramp · conservative analyst review times

Expected · Core ROI Only

—

Expected: inputs as entered · benchmark workflow assumptions · standard deployment timeline

Mature Deployment

—

Mature deployment: +20% volume · full benchmark savings · base cost · 80% Y1 ramp · experienced analyst team

Important Limitations — Read Before Presenting to CIO / CFO

This calculator models efficiency gains and partial strategic value. The following real value components are not calculated and must be assessed with your investment leadership team:

Alpha generation improvement — freed analyst time redeployed to deeper fundamental research (qualitative, not modeled here)
Decision velocity: Faster research delivery may improve decision timeliness — earlier earnings reaction, earlier portfolio adjustment, better execution price. This benefit is excluded from the financial model because attribution requires your actual position sizing and trading data. Set Section 03 attribution to 0% if your strategy does not depend on research speed.
Client retention value of faster, more consistent research delivery to portfolio managers
New capabilities with no current cost equivalent: simultaneous 7-agent parallel execution, real-time perpetual conviction monitoring across full coverage universe, 300+ source sentiment NLP — this type of monitoring does not exist in most firms at any headcount level
SR 11-7 independent model validation: $50K–$200K if required — not included unless entered in Section 05
Time-to-benefit: shadow mode and analyst calibration mean full benefits may not be realized until Month 4–9
Workforce transition: this model does not recommend headcount reduction — freed hours are assumed redeployed to higher-value research activities
Error and rework reduction: AI reduces repetitive formatting errors, copy/paste mistakes, missed regulatory citations, and inconsistent templates. These quality improvements have real value — estimated rework rates of 5–15% on manual research outputs — but are not modeled here as they are difficult to quantify without your historical data. Consider them upside to the labor saving shown.

Illustrative. Actual results vary by firm type, note volume, coverage universe, analyst workflow, and investment process. Not a performance guarantee. Benchmark figures derived from industry surveys and client pilots.

Key Default Assumptions — Investment Research

Assumption	Default	Range	Source / Basis
Analyst usability / realization factor	75%	60%–85%	Slider in Section 01; reflects that not all freed hours convert to productive research time
Year 1 benefit ramp	70%	50%–85%	Shadow mode + calibration: 4–9 months before full deployment; affects payback/IRR only
Coverage expansion redeployment	25% of freed hrs	10%–40%	Conservative: most freed time goes to deeper analysis on existing coverage, not new tickers
Alpha / coverage attribution	User-defined	0%–50%	Excluded from Core ROI — speculative; shown separately as upside; verify with your PM team
Response time / pre-market value	User-defined	Strategy-dependent	Excluded from Core ROI — attribution-dependent; requires your actual position sizing data
Core ROI definition	Labor + compliance	Fixed	Conservative headline: excludes all alpha/coverage/timing upside; most defensible to CIO/CFO
Implementation cost amortization	3-yr straight-line	2–5 years	Based on $55K one-time cost; adjust implCost field for your actual contract
WACC (NPV discount rate)	8%	6%–12%	Typical asset manager WACC; adjustable via slider
Technology time vs. workflow time: Agent generation takes 9–15 seconds (unattended). Total assisted workflow time — including data validation, human review, certification, and publishing — is 10–20 minutes for flash notes and 45–90 minutes for initiations. The labor hours modeled above reflect human workflow time only, not generation time. This is the number that matters for staffing and capacity planning.

Apply This Model to My Firm →

Legal Disclaimer & Material Assumptions

For informational and illustrative purposes only. This calculator generates forward-looking financial estimates based solely on the inputs you provide. It does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, legal advice, or a binding commercial commitment. CAIBots makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of outputs generated by this tool.

Actual results will vary. Projected savings, ROI, payback periods, IRR, and NPV are estimates derived from user-supplied inputs and publicly available industry benchmarks. They are not guarantees of future performance. Realized benefits depend on actual transaction volumes, staffing levels, integration complexity, regulatory environment, model validation timelines, and organizational factors not fully captured by any calculator.

Financial methodology. ROI = (Net Annual Benefit − Total Annual Cost) ÷ Total Annual Cost. All performance percentages are rounded to the nearest whole or half percent. Unrounded figures should not be presented as empirically derived precision. Payback via cumulative monthly cash-flow simulation; Year 1 benefit ramp default 70% (adjustable). IRR uses Newton-Raphson iteration on a 5-year cash-flow series: Year 0 = one-time implementation cost only; recurring platform and API fees deducted from each future year. IRR figures for SaaS models are directional — a small one-time Y0 capex relative to large recurring savings produces high percentages. Compare to your internal hurdle rate; do not interpret absolute value. 3-Year NPV discounted at 8% WACC (adjustable). Nominal USD; no inflation adjustment.

Sensitivity scenarios. Risk-Adjusted: −20% volume · 70% of benchmark savings · +15% cost · 60% Year 1 ramp. Mature Deployment: +20% volume · 100% benchmark savings · base cost · 80% Year 1 ramp. These parameters are identical across all CAIBots ROI calculators to enable consistent cross-product comparison.

Benchmark sources. Default inputs derived from the following investment research industry sources: Analyst labor rates — CFA Institute / Greenwich Associates annual buy-side compensation surveys; Robert Half / Selby Jennings asset management salary benchmarks (2024–2025). Research note volumes and workflow hours — Burton-Taylor International Consulting buy-side research productivity studies; Coalition Greenwich research workflow efficiency benchmarks; AIMA “Charting the Course: Lessons from AI Leaders in Alternative Investments” (2025). Compliance labor and regulatory risk — SEC enforcement action statistics (annual); FINRA Rule 2241 analyst certification compliance cost surveys; Deloitte / PwC MiFID II implementation cost benchmarks for asset managers. Transaction cost and slippage — TABB Group institutional equity transaction cost analysis; Virtu Financial / ITG market impact studies for event-driven equity strategies. SR 11-7 model risk management — Federal Reserve SR 11-7 supervisory guidance; OFR model risk management cost surveys for buy-side institutions. Platform cost benchmarks — Gartner Magic Quadrant for AI-augmented analytics platforms; Forrester Total Economic Impact methodology for enterprise AI deployments. CAIBots observational data — aggregated and anonymized workflow timing, note volume, and HITL gate frequency data from CAIBots architecture deployments and shadow-run engagements. All defaults are directional benchmarks. CAIBots strongly recommends replacing every default with your institution’s own volume, compensation, and workflow data before presenting results to executive leadership, investment committees, boards, or procurement committees. Results generated from benchmark defaults alone should not be represented as firm-specific projections.

Your Numbers.Your Real ROI.

Your Numbers.
Your Real ROI.