About

A mortgage repayment figure doesn’t tell you how different ways of using your money will compare over time. Putting more towards a deposit reduces the amount you borrow, but also leaves less to save or invest. Understanding the effect means looking at both together.

Bricks & Pence is being built to make that comparison easier to see. The aim is to bring the mortgage and the money held elsewhere into the same calculation, so you can explore how choices about your home affect your finances over a period you choose.

I’m Sam, and I began building the calculator when I couldn’t find one that showed this clearly enough for my own decision. Bricks & Pence will make that work available to others facing similar questions.

How it will work

You’ll be able to compare scenarios using your own figures, whether you’re considering a different deposit or mortgage term, and follow what happens to the mortgage alongside any savings or investments. The assumptions will be available to inspect and change, so you can see what the result depends on.

An assumed investment return, for example, can help illustrate a comparison without telling you what an investment will actually earn. Bricks & Pence will explain the calculations and their limits without giving personal financial advice.

Where things are now

While the full calculator is in development, you can try a short interactive introduction showing how a deposit affects the mortgage and the money left over.