The Wealth Aggregation Checklist
TLDR
Most finance apps track spending. This checklist covers every account type a high earner should aggregate into a single net worth view, from RSUs to real estate equity.
Why Wealth Aggregation Beats Budgeting for High Earners
If you earn above $150K, your financial picture is not a checking account and a credit card. You have brokerage accounts, retirement plans across multiple employers, equity compensation, maybe rental property, maybe crypto. The budgeting-first apps were built for a different problem. They answer “where did my $5,000 go this month?” when the real question is “what is my total net worth, and is it growing?”
Wealth aggregation is the practice of pulling every financial account into one view. Not to categorize transactions. To see the full picture: liquid assets, illiquid assets, vested and unvested equity, retirement accounts, debt, and the net number that actually matters.
This checklist walks through every account type you should connect, what data to pull from each one, and how to build a review process that catches problems before they become expensive.
Retirement Accounts
Start here because these are usually the largest balances that people track the least often.
401(k) accounts. If you have changed jobs more than once, you likely have orphaned 401(k) accounts sitting with former employers. Each one needs to be in your aggregator. Check the vesting schedule on your current employer match. Unvested employer contributions are not your money yet, and your net worth tracker should reflect that.
Traditional and Roth IRAs. Track contribution limits and conversion activity. If you are doing backdoor Roth conversions, your aggregator needs to show the traditional IRA balance to confirm it is zeroed out after conversion. A leftover balance means you triggered the pro-rata rule, and that has real tax consequences.
SEP-IRA or Solo 401(k). If you have any self-employment income, even consulting on the side, you may have a separate retirement account. These get forgotten. Add them.
HSA (Health Savings Account). After age 65, an HSA functions like a traditional IRA for non-medical expenses. If you are investing your HSA balance (not just spending it on copays), it belongs in your wealth view. Many people leave HSA funds in cash, not realizing the invested balance can compound for decades.
403(b) and 457 plans. Government and nonprofit employees accumulate significant balances here. 457 plans have no early withdrawal penalty, which changes their role in early retirement planning. Your dashboard should distinguish these from standard 401(k) accounts.
The Wealth Aggregation Checklist
Every account type you should track, how to connect them, what your dashboard should show, and the blind spots that cost high earners real money.
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