A budget needs planned, actual, and extra
One savings total can hide whether the plan worked or whether unrelated extra contributions inflated the number.
Topic
personal finance.
3 field notes, newest first.
Compare complete periods, not whatever today has finished
Two equal, completed time windows give a clearer trend than comparing a partial current period with a full previous one.
Do not count moving money as making money
Transfers between your own savings or investment accounts should not inflate income, spending, or new savings.