Why Net Worth Is the Most Important Financial Number
Monthly income and spending tell you about cash flow — what's moving. Net worth tells you about wealth — what you've built. A high earner who spends everything has a net worth barely above zero. A modest earner who saves and invests consistently can build significant wealth over time.
Net worth is the scoreboard for long-term financial progress. Tracking it regularly — even just monthly — keeps you connected to the bigger picture beyond the daily noise of transactions.
The median net worth of U.S. households is $192,700, but the average is $1.06 million — a gap driven by concentrated wealth at the top. Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (2022) — Source
What Goes Into Net Worth
Before picking an app, understand what you need to track:
Assets:
- Checking and savings accounts
- Investment accounts (401k, IRA, taxable brokerage)
- Real estate equity (home value minus mortgage balance)
- Vehicle values
- Business equity
- Cash value life insurance
Liabilities:
- Mortgage balance
- Auto loans
- Student loans
- Credit card balances
- Personal loans
- Medical debt
The best apps connect to as many of these automatically as possible, with clean manual entry for the rest.
The Best Net Worth Tracking Apps
Empower — Best Free Net Worth Tracker
Empower (formerly Personal Capital) was built around this use case. The free tier connects all account types — bank, investment, mortgage, credit card — and shows your net worth over time with clean visualizations. The investment analysis features are best in class for a free tool.
What's excellent: Investment performance breakdown, fee analysis, retirement planning projections. What's less excellent: The budgeting and spending features are secondary to the investment focus. Price: Free (wealth management tier starts at 0.49% AUM for accounts over $1M).
Empower users connect an average of 8.4 accounts to track net worth across all financial institutions. Source: Empower (2023) — Source
Monarch Money — Best All-Around Net Worth App
Monarch includes net worth tracking alongside budgeting and goals. The net worth view shows assets and liabilities broken out clearly, with timeline visualization. It's not as deep on investment analysis as Empower, but it's the better app if you want net worth alongside daily financial management.
What's excellent: Integration with budgeting, household sharing, clean timeline view. What's less excellent: Investment analysis less sophisticated than Empower. Price: $14.99/month.
Copilot — Good but Not the Focus
Copilot shows net worth, but it's not the core use case. The investment sync is there, but if net worth tracking is your primary need, Empower or Monarch are better choices.
Avenue — Best for Net Worth Interpretation
Avenue tracks net worth across all your accounts, but the differentiator is what happens with that data. Most apps show you your net worth. Avenue tells you what's moving it, what the trends mean, and what you could do to accelerate it.
Did your net worth drop this month? Avenue can tell you whether it was market performance, spending, or a one-time event — and what the trajectory looks like.
Households that track net worth monthly are 60% more likely to report feeling financially secure. Source: CFPB Financial Wellbeing Survey (2023) — Source
Spreadsheet (Honorable Mention)
A well-built Google Sheet updated monthly is a legitimate net worth tracking tool, especially for people with simple financial structures. The limitation is manual entry and the lack of any analytical intelligence.
What Actually Moves Your Net Worth
Understanding the drivers of net worth change helps you use a tracking app more effectively:
- Income minus spending — the cash flow delta
- Investment returns — market-driven, outside your direct control
- Debt paydown — each mortgage payment builds equity
- Major purchases — cars depreciate; home equity may appreciate
The best apps let you filter net worth changes by category, so you know whether a bad month was market noise or actual overspending.
The Bottom Line
Start with Empower if you want free and investment-focused. Move to Monarch Money if you want net worth alongside budgeting. Choose Avenue if you want an app that doesn't just show your net worth but tells you what it means.
See also: Best Financial Planning Apps, Finance Apps Comparison, and the Best Finance Apps hub.