The 5 Numbers Every Adult Should Know About Their Money

Most financial advice is either too complicated or too vague. There are exactly five numbers that tell you almost everything about your financial health. Here's what they are, why they matter, and how to find yours in the next 10 minutes — with a quick calculator embedded for each.

1. Your net worth

Net worth = everything you own minus everything you owe. Checking accounts, investments, retirement funds, and real estate are assets; mortgage, student loans, car loans, and credit cards are liabilities. Income is not net worth — net worth is the only number that accounts for everything at once. Get yours with the free Net Worth Calculator.

2. Your savings rate

Savings rate = (amount saved or invested ÷ take-home pay) × 100. At the same income and returns, a 25% savings rate builds wealth five times faster than a 5% rate — no stock pick comes close to that multiplier. Count 401(k) contributions, Roth IRA, brokerage, and savings; don't count debt payments.

3. Your monthly burn rate

Burn rate = monthly income minus monthly savings — everything you spend, with no category bookkeeping to lie to yourself with. Divide your liquid savings by your burn rate and you get your months of runway: your actual emergency fund coverage.

4. Your debt-to-income ratio

DTI = (total monthly debt payments ÷ gross monthly income) × 100. Under 20% is excellent, 20–36% manageable, 36–50% heavy, over 50% is the danger zone where most lenders won't extend new credit. Watch it fall with the Debt Payoff Calculator.

5. Your portfolio drift

Drift = how far your current allocation has wandered from your target. If your 80/20 stock/bond target has become 88/12 after a good year, you're taking more risk than you chose. Rebalance on a calendar, at a drift threshold (5% is common), or by directing new contributions to underweight assets.

Track all five in one place

Violet Codex tracks every one of these — net worth dashboard, savings rate, budget builder, debt manager with amortization, and an allocation rebalancing calculator — encrypted on your own Windows PC. One-time $67 license, no subscriptions, no bank logins.

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