Net worth calculator
Everything you own minus everything you owe, split into what is liquid today and what is locked in property or retirement.
Net worth
$435,500
56% of your assets are financed by debt
- Assets
- $1,000,000
- Debts
- $564,500
- Liquid, spendable today
- $75,000
| Cash | $15,000 |
|---|---|
| Investments | $60,000 |
| Retirement | $120,000 |
| Property | $780,000 |
| Other | $25,000 |
| Mortgage | -$520,000 |
| Student loans | -$18,000 |
| Car loans | -$22,000 |
| Credit cards | -$4,500.00 |
| Net worth | $435,500 |
- Retirement balances are pre-tax — the spendable figure is lower than shown.
A net worth of $435,500 here is 55% financed by debt, and only $75,000 of it could be spent this week.
How this is calculated
How this is calculated
Assets minus liabilities
Every asset at what it would sell for today, every debt at its current payoff balance. The debt-to-asset ratio is the more useful number over time: net worth can rise purely because a house was revalued.
net worth = assets − liabilitiesLiquid is not the same as large
Cash and shares can be spent within days. Property takes months and costs 3–6% to sell. Retirement accounts are usually inaccessible for decades and are quoted pre-tax, so their spendable value is lower than the balance shown.
Worked example: A household with a mortgage and a car loan
| Assets | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Mortgage | $520,000 |
| Other debts | $44,500 |
| Net worth | $435,500 |
|---|---|
| Liquid | $75,000 |
| Debt to assets | 56% |
Three quarters of the assets are the house and the retirement account. A cash-flow shock is met by the $75,000, not the $435,500.
What this assumes
- Assets are valued at what they would sell for today.
- Retirement balances are shown pre-tax.
- Selling costs on property are excluded.
- Future income and pensions are not assets here.
Where this commonly goes wrong
- Counting a car at its purchase price rather than resale overstates net worth by thousands from the first year.
- Pre-tax retirement balances are not spendable dollars — at a 30% marginal rate a $120,000 balance is nearer $84,000 in hand.
- Rising property prices flatter net worth without changing anything you can spend; the debt-to-asset ratio does not move the same way.
Questions
What should I include in net worth?
Everything with a resale value and every balance you owe: cash, investments, retirement accounts, property, vehicles, mortgage, student and car loans, credit cards. Leave out future income and anything you could not sell.
How do I value my house?
Use a conservative recent comparable sale, not an automated estimate at its highest. Then remember that selling costs 3–6% in agent fees and taxes, so the equity you could actually realise is lower than the figure here.
Should I include my pension or superannuation?
Yes, as an asset — it is real money you own. Just treat it separately from liquid assets when planning, because it is usually inaccessible until a preservation age and taxed on the way out.
Is a negative net worth normal?
It is common in the years just after study or a first mortgage, when the debt is fresh and the asset has not appreciated. What matters is the direction over a year, not the sign in any one month.
How often should I check this?
Quarterly is enough. Monthly turns market noise into a mood, and the categories that move meaningfully — mortgage balance, retirement contributions — move on a quarterly rhythm anyway.
Why track debt-to-assets as well?
Because net worth can rise entirely from a property revaluation while your actual position is unchanged. The ratio of what you owe against what you own tells you how much of your balance sheet is borrowed, which is what a rate rise acts on.
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Sources
This calculator does arithmetic on the figures you enter. It does not account for tax, fees, or your personal circumstances.
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