Net Worth Calculator

What this does

List what you own and what you owe. This gives your net worth, the share of your assets that is financed by debt, and a liquid figure that counts only what you could actually reach this month.

Why this one

It separates liquid net worth from total net worth. Someone with $300,000 of equity in a house and $400 in chequing has a healthy net worth and a real problem, and one number hides that from the other. Naming the largest asset and the largest liability does the same job: it tells you which single line the whole picture depends on.

The formula

net worth  =  everything you own  -  everything you owe
debt against assets  =  liabilities / assets
liquid net worth  =  cash and cash-like assets  -  liabilities

Published so you can check it. A calculator about money that will not show its working is asking to be trusted on the one thing you cannot verify.

Questions

Should I include my house?

Include it, at what it would realistically sell for, and include the mortgage against it. Then look at the liquid figure as well, because equity in a house you live in cannot pay a bill next week.

What about a car?

Include it at trade-in value rather than what you paid, and include the loan. A car is usually the asset that falls fastest while the loan against it does not.

Is a negative net worth bad?

It is common and often temporary. A recent graduate with student debt and a new arrival with a small loan and no assets both sit below zero, and both move up. The number that matters is the direction over a few years, not the sign today.