Savings and investment accounts
Some accounts don’t just hold money, they earn on it: a savings account that pays interest, a GIC or term deposit, or an investment account where your bank picks the funds. This page shows how to track them so their balance matches your statement and your net worth stays right, without making your income look bigger than it was.
If you choose the stocks or ETFs yourself, use an investment portfolio instead (the Portfolios section in the sidebar). A portfolio tracks each holding and its price for you.
Create the account
Section titled “Create the account”Create a manual account for it. Pick Saving account or Investment as the Account Category. The category only sets the icon and label, so pick whichever reads better to you. For Initial balance, enter the value from your latest statement.
Record what happens to it
Section titled “Record what happens to it”| What happens | How to record it | Counts as income or spending? |
|---|---|---|
| You move money in from another account | A transfer | No |
| You take money out to another account | A transfer | No |
| Interest or a dividend is paid | An income in Interests, dividends | Yes, income |
| The bank charges a fee | An expense in Charges, Fees | Yes, spending |
| The value goes up or down | Adjust balance → Set to balance | No |
Interests, dividends is under Income and Charges, Fees is under Financial expenses in the categories you start with.
Contributions and withdrawals
Section titled “Contributions and withdrawals”Moving money from your checking account into the savings or investment account isn’t spending, so record it as a transfer. Both balances change, and your income and spending stay the same. If the money comes from an account you don’t track in MoneyMatter, use an Out of Wallet transfer.
Interest and dividends
Section titled “Interest and dividends”Interest and dividends are money you earned, so record them as an income on this account. They count in your income and in your Savings Rate.
If your bank reinvests dividends inside a fund and your statement doesn’t list them separately, skip this step. They’re already part of the fund’s value, and the next balance update picks them up.
Changes in value
Section titled “Changes in value”Investments go up and down without any money moving. To bring the account in line with your statement, use Set to balance:
- Open the account.
- Click the balance, or click the ⋮ button (Account actions) and choose Adjust balance.
- Keep Set to balance and type the value from your statement in New balance.
- Click Confirm.
The difference is recorded as a balance adjustment. It changes the account’s balance, its balance history and your net worth, but it’s left out of income and spending. A 300 EUR market gain raises your net worth by 300 EUR without counting as 300 EUR of income.
A monthly routine
Section titled “A monthly routine”When your statement arrives:
- Record any contributions or withdrawals as transfers, if you haven’t already.
- Add the interest, dividends and fees the statement lists.
- Use Set to balance with the statement’s closing value.
For example, your investment account shows 10,000 EUR in MoneyMatter. This month you moved 200 EUR in from checking and received a 15 EUR dividend, so it now shows 10,215 EUR. Your statement says 10,480 EUR. Set the balance to 10,480, and the 265 EUR difference is recorded as a gain that changes your net worth but not your income.
Good to know
Section titled “Good to know”- Accounts connected to your bank take their balance from the bank, so they stay up to date on their own. Adjust balance isn’t available for them.
- Your net worth includes these accounts like any other account, unless you turn on Exclude from statistics.
- Fixed-term deposits like GICs work the same way. Add the interest when it’s paid, or once at maturity if that’s when your bank pays it.