Why Net Worth Is the Only Number That Matters
Income gets all the attention. But net worth is what actually matters.
The Income Illusion
We're obsessed with income. "How much do you make?" is the question everyone wants answered (but is too polite to ask).
But income doesn't tell the full story.
Consider two people:
Alex: Makes $200,000/year
- Credit card debt: $25,000
- Car loan: $45,000
- Student loans: $80,000
- Savings: $2,000
- Net worth: -$148,000
Jordan: Makes $65,000/year
- No debt
- Emergency fund: $15,000
- Investments: $50,000
- Net worth: +$65,000
Who's actually doing better financially?
What Net Worth Tells You
Your net worth (assets minus debts) reveals:
- Your real financial position — Not what you earn, but what you've kept
- Your progress over time — Is that number going up?
- Your financial security — Could you weather a storm?
Income is like speed. Net worth is like distance traveled.
The Wealth Formula
Building wealth is simple (not easy, but simple):
Spend less than you earn → Invest the difference → Repeat for years
Your net worth is the scorecard for this formula.
Tracking Net Worth in Ant Finance
This is exactly why we built Ant Finance. Your dashboard shows:
- Your total net worth (the big number)
- How it's changed over time
- What's helping (assets) vs. hurting (debts)
Check it regularly. Not obsessively — weekly or monthly is fine. But keep that number moving up.
The Milestones That Matter
- $0 — Crossing from negative to positive (huge!)
- $10,000 — Meaningful cushion
- $100,000 — Compound interest really starts working
- $1,000,000 — Financial independence territory
What milestone are you working toward?
Interested in tracking your net worth? Get started with Ant Finance →