Assets: name, type, current value
Every asset needs a name you will recognise next year, a type (cash, equity, debt instrument, gold, property, retirement), and a current value. Invested value is optional but useful for “am I up?” on mutual funds and stocks.
In India, split retirement (PPF, EPF, NPS) from market investments. Gold and real estate should not sit under “other” if they are a large share of wealth.
Liabilities: outstanding, not EMI
A liability row is outstanding principal. EMI belongs in expenses or a calendar of money events — use the loan EMI calculator to estimate it from amount, rate, and tenure. Mixing them double-counts cash leaving the house and understates debt reduction when you prepay.
Credit cards are liabilities for the statement balance you actually carry, not the limit. Informal family loans count if you intend to repay them.
Why one tracker beats two apps
Brokerage apps show assets. Lender apps show loans. Neither shows the household. Tracking assets and liabilities together is how you see whether a new SIP is real progress or just offsetting a growing card balance.
CapitalMap is built around that pair, then adds goals and expenses. The same rows sync to Google Sheets so you can audit them outside the app.
Allocation only after the lists are complete
Pie charts of “stocks vs cash” are misleading if property and EPF are missing. Finish the inventory, then look at allocation. Otherwise you will overweight whatever is easiest to screenshot.
Revisit types when life changes: a home purchase moves cash into property and adds a liability the same month. The tracker should show both legs of that trade.
A simple weekly habit
You do not need to retouch every row weekly. Touch cash and cards often; touch EPF, property, and gold monthly or when you have a new statement. Consistency beats precision to the rupee.
If a row has not been updated in 90 days, treat its value as stale. CapitalMap’s dashboard is only as current as the last edit you saved to the Vault.