Net Worth Over Time plots what you own minus what you owe.
net worth = assets − liabilities
It's the one number that captures whether you're actually getting ahead. A month of disciplined budgeting that added $400.00 to savings while adding $600.00 to a credit card was not a good month, and this is the report that says so.
Which accounts count, and with which sign
Sign is determined by account type, so the types have to be right.
| Type | Counts as | Sign |
|---|---|---|
| Checking, savings, cash | Asset | Face value |
| Investment, other | Asset | Face value |
| Credit card | Liability | Subtracted |
| Loan | Liability | Subtracted |
| Mortgage | Liability | Subtracted |
Both on-budget and off-budget accounts are included. Net worth is about everything you have and owe, not just the money you budget — so investments and mortgages count here even though they're excluded from your budget.
Where the balances come from
Manual accounts use the sum of their transactions up to the end of each period. This produces a true historical series: correct a transaction from March and March's net worth changes with it.
Connected accounts use the most recent real balance the bank reported for that period.
Balances are always derived, never a frozen snapshot — which is why the line moves when you fix history.
The one caveat worth knowing
An account left as type other is counted as an asset. If it's really a liability, your net worth is overstated by twice its balance.
The report flags accounts still typed other for exactly this reason. If you see that flag, set
proper types on the account's detail page and re-run.
This is the single most common cause of a net-worth figure that looks wrong.
Why it might look wrong
A sudden jump or drop. Usually an account type, as above. Otherwise check for an opening balance entered with the wrong sign — a credit card you owe on should have a negative opening balance.
It's lower than you expect. Often correct and unwelcome: card balances and loans are being counted where a cash-only view ignored them. That is the report doing its job.
A loan balance looks too small. If the loan came from a YNAB import, its balance may undercount — YNAB doesn't export accrued interest. See why YNAB loan balances need confirming.
It doesn't match a bank's app. Check the range end date, and whether every account you hold actually exists in Earmarkr. Net worth only knows about accounts you've added.
Reading it
Look at the slope, not the value. The absolute number depends on things you can't change quickly — a mortgage, a student loan. The direction over six months is the part your budgeting affects.
Paying down debt raises net worth exactly as much as saving the same amount. The debt payoff plan and a savings goal move this line identically.