Budgeting a first paycheck: every AI model's reply, tested

Summarize this YouTube video from its transcript. Start with one sentence on what it's about, then the key points in order.

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So you just got your first real paycheck. Here's the plan I wish someone had given me. Step one, use the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of your take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt. Step two, before you invest a single dollar, build an emergency fund. Aim for three to six months of essential expenses, and keep it in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market. Step three, if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and throw everything extra at the card with the highest interest rate first. That's called the avalanche method, and it saves you the most money. Step four, if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match. It's free money. And step five, automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide. None of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.

How the YouTube summarizer's test inputs are scored, with every model's results on all five.

1. GPT-6 Luna

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   This video gives people receiving their first real paycheck a five-step plan for budgeting, saving, handling debt, and starting retirement contributions.
   
   - Use the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of take-home pay for needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent for wants, and 20 percent for savings and paying down debt.
   - Before investing, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses and keep it in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
   - If you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put extra money toward the card with the highest interest rate first; this is the avalanche method and saves the most money.
   - If your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match.
   - Automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide; the speaker says that in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
   
   Worth watching for: It adds nothing the summary misses.

   530 tokens in, 202 out · 2.0 s · $0.0001 · 1 message on Pro · answered by openai/gpt-6-luna via OpenAI · September 28, 2026

2. GLM 5.3 Flash

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   This video is a beginner's money plan for people who just started earning a paycheck, walking through five steps to manage it.
   
   - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule — 50 percent of take-home pay to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
   - Step two: before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
   - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first — the avalanche method, which saves the most money.
   - Step four: if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match, because it's free money.
   - Step five: automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
   - Closing note: none of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
   
   Worth watching for: nothing beyond the summary — it's a short, purely spoken list of steps with no demonstration, chart, or story.

   545 tokens in, 246 out · 1.2 s · $0.0002 · 1 message on Pro · answered by z-ai/glm-5.3-flash via Friendli · September 28, 2026

3. Claude Haiku 5.5

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   This video explains a five-step money plan for someone who has just received their first real paycheck.
   
   - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule, putting 50 percent of take-home pay toward needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent toward wants, and 20 percent toward savings and paying down debt.
   - Step two: before investing, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account rather than the stock market.
   - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put all extra money toward the card with the highest interest rate first, which the video calls the avalanche method and says saves the most money.
   - Step four: if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match, which the video calls free money.
   - Step five: automate all of these steps on payday so you never have to decide.
   
   The video closes by saying none of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
   
   Worth watching for: this transcript contains no demonstrations, charts, or stories beyond the stated plan, so the summary covers everything it says.

   732 tokens in, 351 out · 1.8 s · $0.0003 · 1 message on Pro · answered by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via Anthropic · October 7, 2026

4. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   This video lays out a five-step money plan for someone starting their first job and getting their first real paycheck, aimed at beginners who don't know where to start.
   
   - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule, with 50 percent of take-home pay going to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
   - Step two: before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account rather than the stock market.
   - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first, which is called the avalanche method and saves the most money.
   - Step four: if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match, since it's free money.
   - Step five: automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
   - The video notes none of this is exciting, but says in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
   
   Worth watching for: nothing beyond the summary, since the transcript is a spoken step list with no demonstration, chart or story described.

   562 tokens in, 343 out (85 of them reasoning) · 1.1 s · $0.0005 · 1 message on Pro · answered by deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash via Together · October 8, 2026

5. Gemini 3.8 Flash

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   This video outlines a five-step personal finance plan for people who have just received their first real paycheck.
   
   - Step one is to use the 50/30/20 rule, putting 50 percent of take-home pay toward needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent toward wants, and 20 percent toward savings and debt repayment.
   - Step two is to build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses in a high-yield savings account rather than the stock market before investing any money.
   - Step three is to tackle credit card debt using the avalanche method by paying the minimums on all cards and directing all extra money to the card with the highest interest rate.
   - Step four is to contribute enough to an employer retirement plan to receive the full match, which is free money.
   - Step five is to automate all of these transfers on payday so you never have to make the decision manually.
   
   Worth watching for: It adds nothing the summary misses.

   557 tokens in, 205 out · 1.7 s · $0.0006 · 1 message on Pro · answered by google/gemini-3.8-flash via Google AI Studio · September 28, 2026

6. GLM 5.3

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   This video is a beginner's personal finance guide for someone who just got their first paycheck, laying out a five-step money plan.
   
   - Use the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of take-home pay to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
   - Before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
   - If you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first — that's called the avalanche method, and it saves you the most money.
   - If your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match — it's free money.
   - Automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
   - None of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
   
   Worth watching for: nothing the summary misses — the advice is fully contained in the points above.

   545 tokens in, 225 out · 1.1 s · $0.0012 · 1 message on Pro · answered by z-ai/glm-5.3 via Friendli · September 28, 2026

7. GPT-6 Sol

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   This video gives people who’ve just received their first real paycheck a five-step plan for managing it.
   
   - Step one: Use the 50/30/20 rule—50 percent of take-home pay for needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent for wants, and 20 percent for savings and paying down debt.
   - Step two: Before investing, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
   - Step three: If you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first. This is the avalanche method.
   - Step four: If your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match.
   - Step five: Automate all of it on payday so you don’t have to decide each time.
   - The speaker says these steps aren’t exciting, but they can put you in a completely different place in a year.
   
   Worth watching for: The transcript describes no demonstration, chart or story that the summary misses.

   530 tokens in, 221 out · 1.9 s · $0.0016 · 1 message on Pro · answered by openai/gpt-6-sol via OpenAI · September 28, 2026

8. GPT-6.1 Sol

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   The video gives a five-step money-management plan for someone who has just received their first real paycheck.
   
   - Step one: Use the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
   - Step two: Before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund covering three to six months of essential expenses. Keep it in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
   - Step three: If you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first. This is the avalanche method, which the video says saves you the most money.
   - Step four: If your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match. The video calls it “free money.”
   - Step five: Automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
   - The closing message: None of this is exciting, but in a year you’ll be in a completely different place.
   
   Worth watching for: It adds nothing the summary misses.

   530 tokens in, 237 out · 3.8 s · $0.0017 · 1 message on Pro · answered by openai/gpt-6.1-sol via OpenAI · September 29, 2026

9. Claude Haiku 4.5

   Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

   This video gives a five-step financial plan for someone who just received their first real paycheck, intended for young adults starting their financial journey.
   
   Key points in order:
   
   - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule where 50 percent of take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt
   
   - Step two: before investing any money, build an emergency fund aiming for three to six months of essential expenses and keep it in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market
   
   - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and throw everything extra at the card with the highest interest rate first, which is called the avalanche method and saves the most money
   
   - Step four: if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match because it's free money
   
   - Step five: automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide
   
   Worth watching for: it adds nothing the summary misses; the transcript contains the complete advice presented.

   560 tokens in, 239 out · 2.5 s · $0.0018 · 1 message on Pro · answered by anthropic/claude-haiku-4.5 via Anthropic · September 28, 2026

10. Kimi K3

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video lays out a five-step money plan for someone who just got their first real paycheck.
    
    - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule — 50 percent of take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two: before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
    - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and throw everything extra at the card with the highest interest rate first — the avalanche method, which saves the most money.
    - Step four: if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match, because it's free money.
    - Step five: automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
    - The closing point: none of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
    
    Worth watching for: adds nothing the summary misses — the transcript covers the full plan.

    616 tokens in, 245 out (8 of them reasoning) · 9.1 s · $0.0028 · 1 message on Pro · answered by moonshotai/kimi-k3 via Wafer · September 28, 2026

11. DeepSeek V4 Pro

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video lays out a five-step money plan for someone who just got their first real paycheck, aimed at new earners who want a simple starting strategy.  
    - Step one, use the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of your take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.  
    - Step two, before you invest a single dollar, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.  
    - Step three, if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and throw everything extra at the card with the highest interest rate first; that is the avalanche method and it saves you the most money.  
    - Step four, if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match, because it is free money.  
    - Step five, automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.  
    Worth watching for: adds nothing the summary misses.

    536 tokens in, 660 out (437 of them reasoning) · 7.3 s · $0.0029 · 1 message on Pro · answered by deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro-0813 via Wafer · October 8, 2026

12. Claude Sonnet 5

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video is about is a basic personal-finance plan for someone who just started earning a paycheck and wants a simple system to manage it.
    
    - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule — 50 percent of take-home pay to needs (rent, groceries), 30 percent to wants, 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two: before investing anything, build an emergency fund covering three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
    - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put all extra money toward the card with the highest interest rate first — the "avalanche method" — which saves the most money.
    - Step four: if your employer offers a retirement match, contribute at least enough to get the full match, since it's free money.
    - Step five: automate all of this on payday so you never have to make the decision each time.
    - The video closes by saying none of this is exciting, but following it for a year will put you in a completely different financial place.
    
    Worth watching for: nothing beyond this summary — it's a short spoken list of steps with no demonstration, chart, or additional detail.

    730 tokens in, 359 out · 4.6 s · $0.0051 · 1 message on Pro · answered by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 via Anthropic · September 28, 2026

13. Claude Sonnet 5.5

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video is a five-step money plan for someone who has just received their first real paycheck.
    
    - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule. 50 percent of take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two: before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account rather than the stock market.
    - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first. This is called the avalanche method, and it saves you the most money.
    - Step four: if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match, which the speaker calls free money.
    - Step five: automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
    - The speaker closes by saying none of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
    
    Worth watching for: nothing the summary misses, as the transcript is a straightforward spoken list of the five steps with no demonstration or chart mentioned.

    732 tokens in, 359 out · 2.8 s · $0.0054 · 1 message on Pro · answered by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5.5 via Anthropic · September 28, 2026

14. Mistral Large 4

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video gives a five-step financial plan for someone who just got their first real paycheck, covering budgeting, emergency savings, debt repayment, retirement contributions, and automation.
    
    - Step one, use the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of your take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two, before you invest a single dollar, build an emergency fund. Aim for three to six months of essential expenses, and keep it in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
    - Step three, if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and throw everything extra at the card with the highest interest rate first. That's called the avalanche method, and it saves you the most money.
    - Step four, if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match. It's free money.
    - Step five, automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
    - None of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
    
    Worth watching for: it adds nothing the summary misses.

    545 tokens in, 2,751 out (2,739 of them reasoning) · 20.8 s · $0.0061 · 1 message on Pro · answered by mistralai/mistral-large-4-0 via Mistral · October 9, 2026

15. Grok 4.7

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video is a five-step money plan for someone who just got their first real paycheck.
    - Step one, use the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of your take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two, before you invest a single dollar, build an emergency fund. Aim for three to six months of essential expenses, and keep it in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
    - Step three, if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and throw everything extra at the card with the highest interest rate first. That's called the avalanche method, and it saves you the most money.
    - Step four, if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match. It's free money.
    - Step five, automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
    - None of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
    Worth watching for: it adds nothing the summary misses.

    1,764 tokens in, 801 out (575 of them reasoning) · 9.0 s · $0.0066 · 1 message on Pro · answered by x-ai/grok-4.7 via xAI · October 2, 2026

16. Gemini 3.1 Pro

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video outlines a step-by-step financial plan for people who just received their first real paycheck.
    
    - Step one is to use the 50/30/20 rule, dedicating 50 percent of your take-home pay to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two, before investing a single dollar, is to build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
    - Step three is to tackle credit card debt using the avalanche method, which means paying the minimum on every card and throwing everything extra at the card with the highest interest rate first to save the most money.
    - Step four is to contribute at least enough to your retirement account to get the full match if your employer offers one, as it counts as free money.
    - Step five is to automate all of these actions on payday so you never have to decide to do them.
    
    Worth watching for: The video adds nothing the summary misses.

    557 tokens in, 1,103 out (878 of them reasoning) · 9.4 s · $0.0072 · 1 message on Pro · answered by google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview via Google AI Studio · September 28, 2026

17. GPT-6 Astra

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    The video gives a five-step money plan for someone who has just received their first real paycheck.
    
    - Step one: Use the 50/30/20 rule: 50 percent of take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two: Before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund covering three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
    - Step three: If you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first. This is the avalanche method, which the speaker says saves you the most money.
    - Step four: If your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match—the speaker calls it free money.
    - Step five: Automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide. The speaker says the plan isn’t exciting, but in a year you’ll be in a completely different place.
    
    Worth watching for: Nothing in the provided transcript adds anything the summary misses.

    530 tokens in, 235 out · 3.7 s · $0.0085 · 1 message on Pro · answered by openai/gpt-6-astra via OpenAI · September 28, 2026

18. Claude Opus 5.5

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video lays out a five-step money plan for someone who has just received their first real paycheck.
    
    - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule. 50 percent of take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two: before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund of three to six months of essential expenses, kept in a high-yield savings account rather than the stock market.
    - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first. This is the avalanche method, which the speaker says saves the most money.
    - Step four: if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match. The speaker calls it "free money."
    - Step five: automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
    - The speaker admits none of this is exciting but says that in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
    
    Worth watching for: nothing the summary misses. The transcript is a short spoken checklist with no demonstrations, charts or stories.

    732 tokens in, 422 out (67 of them reasoning) · 3.9 s · $0.0121 · 1 message on Pro · answered by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 via Google · September 28, 2026

19. Claude Fable 5.1

    Passed: Stated all 5 facts with the section.

    This video lays out a five-step plan for managing your first real paycheck, aimed at people who are just starting to earn a salary and want a simple starting point.
    
    - Step one: use the 50/30/20 rule. 50 percent of take-home pay goes to needs like rent and groceries, 30 percent to wants, and 20 percent to savings and paying down debt.
    - Step two: before investing a single dollar, build an emergency fund. Aim for three to six months of essential expenses and keep it in a high-yield savings account, not the stock market.
    - Step three: if you have credit card debt, pay the minimum on every card and put everything extra toward the card with the highest interest rate first. This is called the avalanche method, and the speaker says it saves you the most money.
    - Step four: if your employer matches retirement contributions, contribute at least enough to get the full match, which the speaker calls free money.
    - Step five: automate all of it on payday so you never have to decide.
    - Closing note: none of this is exciting, but in a year you'll be in a completely different place.
    
    Worth watching for: nothing beyond the summary; the video is a spoken list with no demonstrations, charts or stories.

    732 tokens in, 375 out · 5.0 s · $0.0279 · 1 message on Pro · answered by anthropic/claude-fable-5.1 via Google · September 28, 2026

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