Each entry in the boxes is a common money-related phrase. Unlike a traditional letter links puzzle, the connected letters from one entry to the next are not the same letter, but instead are all mappings from a shared alphabetic cipher (consistent with the directionality of the arrows). Thus, any boxes in the same entry that have the same arrow type and direction attached to it are also the same letter. All pairs of letters that are present between two entries that are a mapping in the shared cipher are given arrows. The graduate puzzle provided the initials of each word, and the undergraduate version provided every letter that was not linked.
The entries are formed by the trigrams provided on the second page, with each stylized letter being the enciphering of the letter actually in the entry. Additionally, the trigrams in an entry are in order of the whole number accompanying the trigram. Working between the diagram and the trigrams, solvers can populate the following entries:
As the trigrams are assigned, solvers should notice that all trigrams within an entry have the same letter encrypted (first of each trigram, middle of each trigram, or last of each trigram). The entries consist of the trigrams as follows (along with the mappings they provide):
| 1.03 NRA | 2.04 QDP | 3.05 JOT | 4.06 ICT | 5.07 TON | F→N, U→Q, R→J, E→I, I→T | |
| FRA | UDP | ROT | ECT | ION | ||
| 1.02 LOU | 2.03 KEH | 3.04 VLD | 4.06 TNC | 5.07 UME | H→L, S→K, O→V, I→T | |
| HOU | SEH | OLD | INC | OME | ||
| 1.04 YON | 2.05 PHL | 3.07 CBI | 4.08 ZLS | M→Y, T→P, Y→C, L→Z | ||
| MON | THL | YBI | LLS | |||
| 1.00 QNI | 2.00 PED | 3.00 KTA | 4.02 PES | 5.03 FOL | 6.04 ZAR | U→Q, T→P, S→K, D→F, L→Z |
| UNI | TED | STA | TES | DOL | LAR | |
| 1.00 JET | 2.00 TRE | 3.00 YEN | 4.01 PPL | 5.02 SNS | R→J, I→R, M→Y, T→P, A→S | |
| RET | IRE | MEN | TPL | ANS | ||
| 1.01 FID | 2.02 EJA | 3.04 LJE | 4.05 SIR | 5.06 VIN | 6.07 OPE | E→I, R→J, T→P |
| FED | ERA | LRE | SER | VEN | OTE | |
| 1.03 IXT | 2.04 EJE | 3.05 SPR | 4.07 APE | N→X, R→J, T→P | ||
| INT | ERE | STR | ATE | |||
| 1.02 PTG | 2.03 GCB | 3.05 AXK | I→T, Y→C, N→X | |||
| PIG | GYB | ANK | ||||
| 1.04 DSY | 2.05 TJA | 3.06 DIR | A→S, R→J, E→I | |||
| DAY | TRA | DER | ||||
| 1.00 PJO | 2.02 FTT | 3.03 MSR | 4.04 GTN | R→J, I→T, A→S | ||
| PRO | FIT | MAR | GIN | |||
| 1.01 CLE | 2.02 COI | 3.03 NAA | 4.04 CMO | 5.06 UXT | H→L, K→O, G→A, C→M, N→X | |
| CHE | CKI | NGA | CCO | UNT | ||
| 1.02 POM | 2.03 KEP | 3.04 CHS | 4.05 NGI | C→M, T→P, A→S, E→I | ||
| POC | KET | CHA | NGE | |||
| 1.02 CAR | 2.04 ITS | 3.05 LGS | 4.06 INK | P→R, A→S, S→K | ||
| CAP | ITA | LGA | INS | |||
| 1.01 SAN | 2.02 ETC | 3.03 DER | 4.05 OST | 5.06 TBU | 6.07 XEK | F→N, Y→C, P→R, I→T, O→V, S→K |
| SAF | ETY | DEP | OSI | TBO | XES | |
| 1.00 ADW | 2.00 USP | 3.00 ABZ | 4.01 EMV | 5.02 RTA | 6.03 AGI | J→W, T→P, L→Z, O→V, G→A, E→I |
| ADJ | UST | ABL | EMO | RTG | AGE |
The pair of sequential words provide the following mappings:
| FRAUD PROTECTION and HOUSEHOLD INCOME | F→N, A→S, E→I, C→M |
| HOUSEHOLD INCOME and MONTHLY BILLS | H→L, E→I, I→T, C→M, M→Y |
| MONTHLY BILLS and UNITED STATES DOLLAR | H→L, B→U, I→T |
| UNITED STATES DOLLAR and RETIREMENT PLANS | I→T, T→P, E→I, A→S |
| RETIREMENT PLANS and FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE | I→T, P→R, A→S |
| FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE and INTEREST RATE | F→N, E→I, A→S |
| INTEREST RATE and PIGGY BANK | T→P, E→I, S→K |
| PIGGY BANK and DAY TRADER | P→R, I→T, G→A |
| DAY TRADER and PROFIT MARGIN | D→F, T→P, E→I |
| PROFIT MARGIN and CHECKING ACCOUNT | F→N, I→T, G→A |
| CHECKING ACCOUNT and POCKET CHANGE | K→O, I→T, G→A, T→P |
| POCKET CHANGE and CAPITAL GAINS | E→I, T→P, H→L, A→S, G→A |
| CAPITAL GAINS and SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES | A→S, E→I, T→P, G→A, N→X |
| SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES and ADJUSTABLE MORTGAGE | A→S, P→R, I→T, B→U, X→D |
Between the enciphered letters in the trigrams and the cipher mappings from the diagram, the given template for the cipher can be filled out as follows:
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| S | U | M | F | I | N | A | L | T | W | O | Z | Y | X | V | R | J | K | P | Q | D | C |
Although the cipher is not completely determinable from the entries and trigrams, the beginning is, and it spells the clue phrase SUM FINAL TWO. Since the whole number in each trigram value was used for ordering, "final two" refers to the two digits after the decimal point. Each entry's values add up to a number from 1 to 26, which stand in for letters. However, the letters are enciphered and the cipher from before must be used to decipher them to a final answer:
| Entry | Cryptocurrency Values | Sum | As Letter | Deciphered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRAUD PROTECTION | 1.03, 2.04, 3.05, 4.06, 5.07 | 25 | Y | M |
| HOUSEHOLD INCOME | 1.02, 2.03, 3.04, 4.06, 5.07 | 22 | V | O |
| MONTHLY BILLS | 1.04, 2.05, 3.07, 4.08 | 24 | X | N |
| UNITED STATES DOLLAR | 1.00, 2.00, 3.00, 4.02, 5.03, 6.04 | 9 | I | E |
| RETIREMENT PLANS | 1.00, 2.00, 3.00, 4.01, 5.02 | 3 | C | Y |
| FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE | 1.01, 2.02, 3.04, 4.05, 5.06, 6.07 | 25 | Y | M |
| INTEREST RATE | 1.03, 2.04, 3.05, 4.07 | 19 | S | A |
| PIGGY BANK | 1.02, 2.03, 3.05 | 10 | J | R |
| DAY TRADER | 1.04, 2.05, 3.06 | 15 | O | K |
| PROFIT MARGIN | 1.00, 2.02, 3.03, 4.04 | 9 | I | E |
| CHECKING ACCOUNT | 1.01, 2.02, 3.03, 4.04, 5.06 | 16 | P | T |
| POCKET CHANGE | 1.02, 2.03, 3.04, 4.05 | 14 | N | F |
| CAPITAL GAINS | 1.02, 2.04, 3.05, 4.06 | 17 | Q | U |
| SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES | 1.01, 2.02, 3.03, 4.05, 5.06, 6.07 | 24 | X | N |
| ADJUSTABLE MORTGAGE | 1.00, 2.00, 3.00, 4.01, 5.02, 6.03 | 6 | F | D |
In order, this spells the solution MONEY MARKET FUND.