If I were to describe net worth in a picture, this would be it: The bucket represents a person's capacity for wealth.  The bigger the bucket, the better the person's ability at retaining wealth. The leaks represent living expenses.  These include food, transport, utilities, phone bill, internet bill, taxes etc.  Some leaks are pinholes; a few are bullet-size apertures. The hand pouring the glass of water represents income gained through labour, e.g. salary. Finally, the amount of water remaining in the bucket represents a person's net worth. Clearly, the current picture is not the ideal financial situation.  The hand has to keep pouring to fill the bucket with water.  Not topping up means a risk of running dry. Most of us dream of a big tap to fill the bucket, so that the hand does not have to work so hard, or even work ......