Net worth tracker spreadsheet: how to track your net worth every month

Updated 2026-10-20 · Plainsheet guides

A budget tells you what happened to your money this month. Net worth tells you where all those months have taken you. It's one number, what you own minus what you owe, and watching it change over time is one of the clearest ways to see whether your plan is working. This guide covers what to include, how to value it honestly, and how to set up a simple net worth tracker spreadsheet you'll actually keep updating.

The formula

Net worth = total assets − total liabilities

It can be negative, and for many people with student loans or a new mortgage, it is. That's fine. The direction matters more than the starting number.

What counts as an asset

• Cash: checking, savings, high-yield savings, cash on hand you actually track.
• Investments: brokerage accounts, index funds, stocks, bonds.
• Retirement accounts: 401(k), IRA, pension values if you get a statement, or the equivalents where you live.
• Property: your home's estimated market value, if you own one.
• Vehicles: a conservative resale value, not the price you paid.
• Other: money owed to you that you really expect to get, and business equity, valued carefully.

Leave out everyday belongings like furniture, electronics, and clothes. They're hard to value, rarely sell for much, and including them makes the number look better without meaning anything.

What counts as a liability

• Mortgage balance
• Car loans
• Student loans
• Credit card balances: the statement balance or the current balance, but always the same one
• Personal loans, buy-now-pay-later balances, medical debt
• Money you owe family, if you intend to pay it back

How to value things honestly

Pick a rule for each asset and stick to it. For your home, use a conservative estimate. Online estimates swing a lot, so some people use the purchase price plus a modest yearly adjustment, or subtract an estimated selling cost (around 6–8%). For vehicles, use a private-party value from a pricing guide. For investments, use the balance on the same day each month. Being consistent matters more than being precise.

How often to update

Monthly is the sweet spot. Weekly updates mostly show market noise and can tempt you into reactive decisions. Yearly updates are too far apart to stay motivated. Choose a fixed day, like the first weekend of the month, and give it 15 minutes.

Setting up the spreadsheet

The simplest layout is one row per account and one column per month.

1. Column A: account name. Column B: type (Asset or Liability). Column C: category (Cash, Investments, Retirement, Property, Debt).
2. Columns D onward: one column per month (Jan, Feb, Mar…).
3. Below the accounts, a Total assets row: =SUMIF($B$2:$B$30,"Asset",D2:D30)
4. A Total liabilities row: =SUMIF($B$2:$B$30,"Liability",D2:D30)
5. A Net worth row: assets minus liabilities.
6. A Change row: this month's net worth minus last month's.
7. A line chart of the Net worth row.

Enter debts as positive numbers in the liability rows so the formulas stay easy to read.

Reading the trend

Your monthly change comes from two forces: what you contribute (saving plus paying down debt) and what markets do (investment and property values). In the early years, contributions dominate. Later, market swings can be bigger than a whole month of saving. That's why one bad month means little. Look at the rolling 12-month change instead.

A useful extra row: Savings + debt paydown this month. If that number is steady while net worth jumps around, your plan is fine and the market is just being the market.

Milestones that motivate

• Net worth crosses from negative to zero. For people with student loans this is a real milestone.
• One month of expenses in cash, then three, then six.
• All consumer debt (cards, personal loans) at zero.
• Investments larger than your yearly expenses.

Common mistakes

• Counting your home at a hopeful price and ignoring selling costs.
• Leaving out a debt because it's uncomfortable, like a card you rarely use.
• Comparing your number to other people's. The only useful comparison is with yourself a year ago.
• Changing valuation methods halfway through, which breaks the trend.

Couples and shared finances

Add an Owner column (You, Partner, Joint). That way you can see individual and combined net worth without keeping two sheets. It helps a lot when you're planning big shared goals.

Template

The Plainsheet Net Worth Tracker 2027 ($7) uses exactly this layout: one row per account or debt, one column per month. Assets, liabilities, net worth, and month-over-month change are calculated for you, and there's a chart. Pair it with the debt payoff guide to speed up the liability side, and the free monthly budget to find more to save.

General information, not financial or investment advice.

FAQ

How often should I track my net worth?

Monthly works best for most people. It's often enough to stay motivated and to catch problems, without reacting to day-to-day market moves.

Should I include my house in my net worth?

Yes, at a conservative market value, with the mortgage as a liability. Some people subtract estimated selling costs to keep the number realistic.

Is it normal to have a negative net worth?

Yes, especially early in your career or with student loans or a new mortgage. What matters is that the trend moves upward over time.

Should I include my retirement accounts in net worth?

Yes, at their current balance. Some people also track a separate "accessible net worth" without retirement accounts, because that money usually can't be used before retirement age without penalties. Both numbers are useful: total net worth shows long-term progress, accessible net worth shows how much flexibility you have today.

What is a good net worth for my age?

There's no universal "good" number, because income, cost of living, student debt and family situation vary so much. A more useful question is whether your net worth is going up year over year, and whether your savings rate is enough for your own goals. Compare yourself with yourself 12 months ago, not with averages.

Should I track net worth in a spreadsheet or an app?

Apps that link to your accounts save time but can break, mislabel accounts or raise privacy concerns. A spreadsheet takes about 15 minutes a month, works with any bank or country, and you own the data. Many people find that typing the numbers in by hand also makes them pay more attention to them.

How do I value a car or other things that lose value?

Use a conservative private-sale value from a pricing guide, update it once or twice a year, and don't count it at what you paid. Cars usually lose value every year, so expect that line to shrink. That's normal and one reason net worth growth should come from savings and investments, not belongings.

← All guides