A net worth tracker that shows direction, not drama.

What the number is

Add up everything you own that has a clear money value: cash, savings, investments, a property or vehicle if you want to include them. Subtract everything you owe: credit cards, loans, a mortgage. What is left is your net worth. It can be negative, especially early in life or after a big loan, and that is a starting point rather than a verdict.

The figure on its own matters less than the line. A net worth of 8,000 that was 5,000 six months ago is good news. A net worth of 50,000 that has been flat for two years is worth a look.

How Vaulta tracks it

You add accounts by hand, in any country, on the Free plan. Each account has a balance and a type. Vaulta records a snapshot of your net worth each day you open the app, and draws the change over time. If you open the app twice a month, you get a line with twenty-four points over a year. If you open it daily, you get a denser picture.

On Pro and Premium, optional read-only bank linking through Salt Edge can keep balances up to date in Germany, Spain, Singapore, Australia, India, the UAE, Mexico and Brazil. Pro supports up to 3 linked accounts and Premium up to 8. Anything not linked stays manual.

Investments you log yourself are priced with simulated data. That is clearly labelled, and it means the investment part of your net worth is only as accurate as the numbers you type. If you want exact figures, update the holdings by hand from your broker's statement.

Working it out yourself first

If you want to see the arithmetic before using any app, try the net worth calculator. It runs in your browser, stores nothing and adds up assets and liabilities in a few seconds. The Journal explains what net worth really tells you and how to read it without fooling yourself.

A routine that works

Pick one day a month, for instance the first Sunday. Update balances, check the net worth screen, and write down one sentence about what changed. That is the whole habit. It takes about five minutes and replaces the vague unease of not knowing with an actual figure.

Here is a labelled example of how a change reads. Suppose in January the figure is 12,400 and in April it is 13,900. That is up 1,500. If you saved 1,200 over those months, the other 300 came from markets or other movements. You can see at a glance whether progress came from your habits or from luck.

Things to be careful about

Do not include assets you could not realistically sell, or value a home at a number you hope for rather than one you could get. Be honest about debts. A tracker that flatters you is worse than none.

Also remember what a net worth figure ignores: your income, your expenses and your plans. It is a compass, not a scoreboard.

Common questions about the figure

Should a pension count? Many people include it, many keep it separate, and both are reasonable as long as you stay consistent. Should the house count? If you include it, include the mortgage too. What if it goes down? A fall in a month where markets dropped is information about markets, not about you. Look at the trend over six or twelve months before reacting, and compare it with how much you actually saved in that time.