If you're new here, you may want to learn what this site is about. I encourage you to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Most financial calculators require you to enter a lot of numbers, after which they spit out more numbers in return. What if you’re not a numbers person? The BBC offers a financial healthcheck tool that uses plain English to help evaluate your money situation.

Our financial healthcheck will give you some tips for a healthier financial lifestyle — now and in the future. It will only take a few minutes. There’s no need to dig out bank statements or old insurance policies. Just answer a few simple questions and we’ll make some suggestions based on what you tell us. Everything you tell us is confidential.

The financial healthcheck asks for your age, marital status, job, and current savings, but in abstract terms. For example, one question asks, “How far does your money stretch?” Possible answers include:

  • “Not a problem. We can mostly afford what we want and often have money left over.”
  • “We can mostly afford what we need, but there’s not much left over.”
  • “We struggle to make ends meet.”

After a short series of questions, the tool offers financial tips based to your responses. Though this tool is geared toward citizens of the UK, anyone can use it.

[BBC: Financial healthcheck]