Are AI chatbots like ChatGPT or MS Copilot useful for topics related to FIRE?

[Golden Mean]

OK, can show me how a search will help make this clearer and add 'authority' to it.

These are the links I've used to better understand IC:

Invested Capital

Invested capital is the investment made by both shareholders and debtholders in a company. When a company needs capital to expand,

corporatefinanceinstitute.com

Invested Capital (IC)

Invested Capital (IC) is the financing raised by a company from debt and equity capital providers to fund its operations.

www.wallstreetprep.com

Cash and cash equivalents are excluded from net working capital (NWC) because those non-operating assets are not part of a company’s core operating activities that are necessary for a company’s operations to run.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4486058-return-on-invested-capital

Finally, non-operating assets are removed from the invested capital figure. This is most commonly cash and marketable securities, which will be listed in the current assets portion of the balance sheet. This adjustment makes sense because ROIC is focused on the return a company earns on its active investments. Inert cash sitting in a corporate bank account shouldn't be included in measuring capital allocation efficiency.

This pdf has some nice examples, as well as clear definitions: https://www.shareholderforum.com/returns/Library/20140604_Mauboussin-Callahan.pdf

And I'm not trying to argue the point, I'm just saying AI is like any tool, one always has to be cautious with it. But I've found it useful.

No worries, thanks.

But I did dig a bit, out of curiosity, and it sounds like they say subtract these from Invested Capital, because they are things to be paid off in the Calendar year, and you get no interest. That sounds a bit like me writing a check, even though it hasn't been cashed yet, I should not count that money as mine, it's spoken for.

Sorry, you lost me here. The point is, for example: 20B in cash isn't invested capital, it's a savings account and thus isn't part of the calculation as, far as I can tell.

And Investopedia (your source for some of this), I think, agrees:

Return on Invested Capital: What Is It, Formula and Calculation, and Example

Return on invested capital (ROIC) is a way to assess a company's efficiency at allocating the capital under its control to profitable investments.

www.investopedia.com

I did come across their description but I didn't find it as clear the one's above.