To reconcile net worth for the current year, which relationship is used?

• A. Total Net Worth This Year = Total Net Worth Previous Year + Net Income This Year (after tax, distributions)
• B. Total Net Worth This Year = Total Net Worth Previous Year − Net Income This Year
• C. Total Net Worth This Year = Total Assets − Total Liabilities
• D. Net Worth This Year = Net Income / 12

Answer: (A)

Net worth carries over from one year to the next and is affected by what happens during the year: earnings after tax increase equity, while distributions (withdrawals) reduce it. To reconcile, you take last year’s net worth and adjust it by the year’s activity. The appropriate relationship is ending net worth equals beginning net worth plus the year’s net income after tax, minus any distributions. This captures both the inflow from earnings and the outflow from distributions, showing how equity expands or contracts over the year. The other options don’t reflect this year-to-year adjustment: one states net worth as assets minus liabilities (the static definition, not the reconciliation), another would incorrectly subtract net income, and the last unrealistically divides net income to a monthly figure for net worth.