MONEY SIMPLIFIED — Saturday Edition · May 16, 2026
5 QUESTIONS YOUR BANK WON'T ANSWER — WE WILL
Your bank has all your financial data. Your mortgage lender knows exactly what you're paying. Your savings provider knows your rate.
None of them will tell you if you're getting a good deal.
So we built the tools to figure it out yourself. Free. No signup needed. Plain English.
QUESTION 1 — Is my mortgage rate actually good?
Most people accept whatever rate their bank offers, sign the paperwork, and never think about it again. But mortgage rates vary enormously — and sitting on the wrong one could be costing you hundreds of pounds a month.
UK averages right now:
2-year fixed: 5.14%
Standard variable rate: ~8%
If you're sitting on an SVR without realising it, you could be overpaying £200+ a month. Our Rate Checker tells you exactly where you stand in seconds.
QUESTION 2 — What is my money actually worth?
Inflation is at 3.8%. That sounds abstract until you do the maths.
£10,000 sitting in cash today will only buy what £6,887 buys right now — in just 10 years. That's £3,113 quietly disappearing without you spending a penny.
Our Inflation Calculator shows you exactly what your money is worth over 1, 5, 10 or 30 years — with a year-by-year breakdown.
QUESTION 3 — Could I afford a better life somewhere else?
London is 54% more expensive than Lisbon. 39% more expensive than Dubai on rent. And 107% more expensive than Kraków overall.
That £50,000 salary in London is worth the equivalent of £32,500 in Lisbon — because everything costs less.
Our Cost of Living Comparison lets you compare any two cities across rent, groceries, transport, eating out and more. 20 cities. Salary equivalent included.
QUESTION 4 — How is the market actually feeling right now?
Every financial headline uses words like "bullish", "bearish", "risk-off sentiment." Most people have no idea what any of it means.
Our Market Mood Score gives you a single number from 0 to 100. Right now it's sitting at 3. In plain English: people are panicking.
No jargon. Just one number.
QUESTION 5 — What does a pint of beer cost in Oslo?
A pint of beer in Oslo costs £9.80. The same pint in Ho Chi Minh City costs £0.60. That's a 16x difference.
A flat white in Zurich: £7.40. In Budapest: £1.20. Weekly groceries in Oslo: £95. In Ho Chi Minh City: £15.
Our Global Price Check lets you compare 9 everyday items across 21 cities — ranked cheapest to most expensive.
All 10 tools are free. No signup required for most of them. No ads. No jargon.
The full list is at simplemarket.app — tap the More button at the bottom to see everything.
That's it for this week. If you found one of these tools useful — forward this to one person who'd appreciate it. That's the best way to help Money Simplified grow.
See you next week. 👋
— Joseph
📩 moneysimplified.uk | 📱 simplemarket.app | 𝕏 @simplified1554
⚠️ Nothing here is financial advice. All tools are for informational purposes only.
