Calculating your net worth: the only number that really matters

We all check our checking-account balance. But that number says almost nothing about your real situation. The only indicator that matters is your net worth.

The formula fits in one line

Net worth = everything you own − everything you owe.

On one side your assets, on the other your liabilities. The difference is what you'd truly be worth if you settled everything today.

What counts

On the assets side:

• The money in your accounts and savings
• Your investments: stocks, ETFs, retirement accounts
• Your crypto
• Your real estate: primary home, rentals

On the liabilities side:

• The outstanding balance of your mortgage
• Consumer loans and student loans
• Overdrafts and card balances

Add up the assets, subtract the liabilities: that's your net worth.

Why this is the number to track

An example: two people each have €2,000 in their account. The first has €30,000 in savings and no debt. The second has €10,000 in consumer credit. Same balance, opposite situations. Only net worth reveals it.

Tracking this number month after month shows whether you're really moving forward. A checking account rises and falls without telling you anything. A net worth that climbs, even slowly, is proof your efforts pay off.

Tracking it without a spreadsheet

Calculating it once by hand is doable. Keeping it up to date every month is where everyone gives up, because real estate, investments and crypto each live in their own corner.

That's exactly what the wealth view in Trya brings together: your accounts, savings, stocks and crypto tracked in one place, next to your budget. You see at a glance what you own, what you owe, and how it's evolving — without re-entering anything into a spreadsheet.

Your budget tells you where your money goes this month. Your net worth tells you whether you're building something over time. If you could track only one number, it would be this one.