This net worth calculator produces your personal balance sheet in one number — everything you own minus everything you owe — the scoreboard figure of long-term financial health.
Assets − Liabilities = Net Worth
That's the entire formula — the craft is in honest inputs: assets at resale value (what they'd fetch, not what you paid), every liability at its current balance, and consistency between snapshots. It pairs with the Debt-to-Income Calculator: DTI measures monthly cash-flow strain, net worth measures the accumulated result. Part of our Finance Calculators collection.
Worked Example (Verified)
- The defaults: assets = 350,000 + 45,000 + 18,000 + 7,000 + 15,000 = $435,000; liabilities = 265,000 + 12,000 + 3,000 = $280,000 → net worth $155,000
- Debt-to-asset ratio: 280,000 ÷ 435,000 = 64.4% — most of it mortgage, the normal shape for a mid-mortgage household
- Home equity: 350,000 − 265,000 = $85,000 (24% equity — just past the PMI threshold zone, for those tracking it)
- Notice what's not there: income. A high earner can have negative net worth and a modest earner a mighty one — spending, not salary, writes this number
Benchmarks, With the Obvious Warnings
- Federal Reserve survey medians (2022): under-35 households ≈ $39k; 35–44 ≈ $135k; 45–54 ≈ $247k; 55–64 ≈ $364k. Medians include non-homeowners and every life path — a compass, not a grade.
- The "millionaire next door" rule of thumb: target net worth ≈ (age × pre-tax income) ÷ 10 — a heuristic with famous exceptions in both directions.
- Liquidity matters separately: $155k mostly in home equity can't pay a sudden bill — net worth and emergency savings answer different questions.
- Track the delta, not the level: +$30k/year of net-worth growth beats any static comparison to strangers.
Related Tools
- Debt-to-Income Calculator — the monthly strain gauge
- Debt Payoff Calculator — shrink the liability column fastest
- Finance Calculators — the full collection
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate net worth?
Add everything you own at realistic current value (home, accounts, investments, vehicles), add everything you owe at current balances, subtract. The defaults here: $435,000 − $280,000 = $155,000.
Should I include my home and car?
Yes — at resale value, with their loans on the liability side. Use what the car would actually sell for this month (not the purchase price), and resist Zillow optimism for the house: a conservative value keeps the trend line honest.
Is a negative net worth bad?
It's common early in adult life (student debt front-loads the liability side) and only a problem if the trend is flat or worsening. The productive question is the quarterly change, which is why this snapshot habit — same fields, same valuations rules — beats any one impressive number.
Does net worth include retirement accounts?
Yes, at current balances. Strict after-tax accounting discounts them by the taxes due on withdrawal (a 401(k) dollar is worth ~$0.78 after a 22% bracket) — worth doing for precision, but consistency across snapshots matters more than the convention chosen.
How often should I calculate it?
Quarterly is the professional cadence — frequent enough to steer by, rare enough to ignore market noise. Many people do it on the first of Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct; the ritual matters more than the dates.
Is this net worth calculator free?
Yes — free, instant, and your figures never leave your browser.