Did you save, or did the market go up?

How to read the change in your net worth from one month to the next: separate your saving, what prices did and accounts you already had. With an example and a checklist to close each review.

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The month's change mixes three things.

If your net worth goes up €10,400 in a month, it doesn't mean you've earned €10,400. Part is what you saved, part is what prices did and part, perhaps, an account you already had and have just added. Separating them is the only way to know whether you're on track.

Made-up example · one month +€10,400
New saving What you put in
+€600
Market What prices did
−€200
An account you already had It isn't a gain: it corrects the inventory
+€10,000

The comparable change is +€400: you saved €600 and the market took away €200.

One date, the same balances, one note

Reviewing your net worth means reassessing what you own and owe using a consistent approach. Choosing the last day of each month helps you compare snapshots. This is an organisational routine; it does not require buying, selling or moving money.

1. Prepare your first snapshot

List your accounts, investments, properties, vehicles and debts. For each item, record its location, currency, balance and your share. You do not need to store banking passwords in your records. If an account is included in an aggregate balance, choose one level to avoid counting it twice.

Start with the net worth template

2. Update balances and debts on the same date

Check statements and record month-end balances. For credit cards, record the amount still owed; for loans, the outstanding principal. If you buy a fund using money from an account you already tracked, the money changes location: it is not new net worth.

Repaying €500 of principal from a tracked account reduces both your cash and your debt by €500. That movement alone does not increase net worth. Interest and fees are separate expenses.

3. Value assets without false precision

For listed assets, use the price on the chosen date and the quantity you own. For a home or vehicle, record an estimate and its source; if there is no new information, there is no need to invent a new price each month. For foreign currencies, convert balances consistently and retain the original currency.

Distinguish what you know from what you estimate. A figure from six months ago is not as current as today’s balance. The total is only as useful as the valuations behind it.

4. Explain the change before celebrating it

Fictional example: you started with €100,000. During the month, you added €600 of new savings and your investments fell by €200. You also found an existing €10,000 account that you had not included.

Your records now show €110,400, but the comparable change is €400: €600 saved minus €200 in valuation changes. The other €10,000 corrects the inventory. Calling this a 10.4% investment return would mix three different things.

For an individual investment, distinguish contributions from price changes. Across your whole net worth, a transfer between your own accounts does not create new savings. Add a note when entering an old account so you do not confuse it with progress that month.

5. Finish the review with a short checklist

  1. Is any account or debt missing? Is anything counted twice?
  2. Are dates, currencies and ownership percentages consistent?
  3. Can I explain large changes? Are they savings, valuation changes or a correction?
  4. Which figures are still old estimates? Leave a note for the next review.

How the app helps

The app keeps dated valuations and a history for each account. You update manual accounts with your balances; supported market assets are revalued using public sources. Balance separates savings, market changes and new accounts to help explain the month.

Understand how it works and its limits

Sources and scope

The examples are original and simplified: they do not include taxes or investment recommendations. Net worth is defined as assets minus debts; the following sources explain the distinction between principal and interest.

Nett

A figure today. A history over time.

In Nett you keep your accounts, update balances when they're due and see how your net worth changes month by month. Whatever is traded values itself. No bank connection, and no password.

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