Net Worth Calculator

Companion guide: How to Calculate Your Net Worth (And Why It Matters)

How to Use the Net Worth Calculator

Add up everything you own. Then subtract everything you owe. That's your net worth.

The calculator walks you through it category by category so you don't forget anything. Bank accounts, retirement funds, your house, your car — those go on the asset side. Mortgage balance, student loans, credit card debt, that money you owe your cousin — liability side.

You get a total for each, a visual breakdown showing where your wealth (or debt) is concentrated, and one number at the bottom that basically sums up your entire financial life. It can be a tough number to look at. It can also be incredibly motivating.

What Is Net Worth?

Assets minus liabilities. That's it.

If you've got $185,000 in assets and $127,000 in debt, your net worth is $58,000. Simple on paper, surprisingly hard for most people to actually calculate because they've never sat down and tallied it all up in one place.

Here's why this number matters more than your salary: someone pulling in $190,000 a year but carrying huge debt and saving nothing could easily have a lower net worth than a teacher making $52,000 who's been quietly investing for fifteen years. Income is what flows through your hands. Net worth is what you've managed to hold onto.

Negative net worth? It is more common than you'd think. Fresh out of college with $80,000 in student loans and a 2014 Honda Civic to your name? You're underwater. That is normal. The trajectory is what matters.

What to Include in Your Calculation

Assets

• Cash and bank accounts — checking, savings, money market, the $300 in your Venmo balance (yes, count it)
• Investment accounts — brokerage accounts, individual stocks, bonds, ETFs, crypto if you've got it
• Retirement — 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA, pension, whatever your employer offers
• Real estate — what your home would actually sell for today, not what you paid or what Zillow said two years ago
• Vehicles — current resale value, which is probably less than you think
• Everything else — business equity, life insurance cash value, that coin collection your dad swears is worth $15,000

Liabilities

• Mortgage balance — what's left on the loan, not the original amount
• Car loans
• Student loans — federal, private, all of them
• Credit card balances — the full amount, not the minimum payment
• Other stuff — personal loans, medical debt, back taxes, anything you owe anyone

Net Worth Benchmarks by Age

Look, everyone's path is different. But if you want rough guideposts based on what financial researchers have found:

• Age 25: Anywhere from negative to maybe $20,000 (student loans dominate here)
• Age 30: $47,000 to $95,000
• Age 35: $120,000 to $230,000
• Age 40: $240,000 to $475,000
• Age 50: $510,000 to $950,000
• Age 60: $980,000 to $1,800,000

The old rule of thumb says you should have one year's salary saved by 30 and roughly 10-12x your salary by retirement. That's aspirational for a lot of people, and that is fine. Direction matters more than position.

How to Increase Your Net Worth

• Bump your savings rate by even 1-2% a year. Barely noticeable month to month. Enormous over a decade.
• Attack high-interest debt like it personally offended you. Every dollar of 22% credit card interest you eliminate is basically a 22% return on your money.
• Keep investing through downturns. I know it's scary when the market drops. Buy anyway. That's when things are on sale.
• Resist lifestyle inflation. Got a raise? Great. Don't immediately upgrade your apartment and your car and your wardrobe. Funnel at least half the raise into savings.
• Find a side income stream if you can — freelancing, rental property, whatever fits your life
• Check your net worth every quarter. Not obsessively. Just enough to see the trend line and catch any red flags.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I calculate my net worth?

Quarterly works well. Monthly if you're in aggressive payoff or savings mode. More often than that and you'll drive yourself nuts watching daily market fluctuations move the number around.

Should I include my home in my net worth?

Yes — but be honest about the value. List the realistic market price as an asset and your remaining mortgage as a liability. Don't bank on appreciation that hasn't happened yet.

What if my net worth is negative?

Join the club. Tons of people in their twenties and early thirties are in the red thanks to student loans. The play is simple: build a small emergency fund, demolish the high-interest debt first, and start saving. Your net worth will cross zero faster than you expect once you're focused on it.

Does net worth include income?

Nope. Net worth is a snapshot — what you own minus what you owe at this moment. Income is the flow. Obviously higher income gives you more opportunity to build net worth, but only if you actually keep some of it.