Calculating your net worth involves subtracting your liabilities from your assets. If you have more assets than liabilities, you have a positive net worth. Conversely, if you have more liabilities than assets, you have a negative net worth.
You can create your own net worth worksheet using popular programs (that you might already have) such as Microsoft Word (by creating a table) or Microsoft Excel. These programs can also perform the mathematical aspects of the calculation, thereby reducing the possibility of any math errors. An example net worth worksheet is shown in Figure 2.
Assets
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Current Value
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Liabilities
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Amount
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Cash & Cash Equivalents
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Secured Liabilities
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Certificates of deposit
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Auto loans
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Checking account
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Home equity line
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Money market account
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Margin loans
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Physical cash
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Mortgage
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Savings account
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Rental real estate mortgage
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Treasury bills
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Second home mortgage
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Investments
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Unsecured Liabilities
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Annuities
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Credit card debt
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Bonds
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Medical bills
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Life insurance cash value
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Personal loans
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Mutual funds
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Student loans
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Pensions
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Taxes due
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Retirement plans
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Other debt and bills
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Stocks
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Real Property
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Primary home
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Second home
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Rental properties
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Personal Property
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Boats
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Collectibles
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Household furnishings
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Jewelry
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Vehicles
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Total Assets
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Total Liabilities
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Total Assets
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- Total Liabilities
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Net Worth
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Figure 2 An example net worth worksheet.
OrganizationHaving organized records is extremely helpful and will help expedite the process of calculating your net worth. For example, if all of your important financial statements are kept in one file cabinet, you will be able to find the necessary information quickly. If your records are not organized, now is a good time to start. Create a "Net Worth" file in which you can keep this and future net worth statements for comparison. If you do not print out your statements and prefer to keep everything on your computer, create a "Net Worth" file on your computer. The bottom line is it’s going to be easier (and more fun) to calculate your net worth on a regular basis if you don’t have to hunt down every piece of information.
The processCalculating your net worth is a multistep process. Before beginning the calculation, decide if you want to calculate net worth individually (you) or jointly (you and your spouse/partner). Also, gather all of your financial statements (such as bank statements and credit card statements) for reference.
The first time you calculate your net worth may take the longest. Once you figure out the methodology and how to value your assets, however, the process will likely take less time. The following section shows how to figure your net worth using a step-by-step approach, starting with your assets:
AssetsCash and cash equivalents
Determine the amount of cash and cash equivalents that you have, including:
- Certificates of deposit
- Checking and savings accounts
- Money market accounts
- Physical cash
- Treasury bills
InvestmentsDetermine the current market value of your investments, including:
- Annuities
- Bonds
- Life insurance cash value
- Mutual funds
- Pensions
- Retirement plans – IRA, 401(k), 403(b), etc.
- Stocks
- Other investments
Real and personal propertyDetermine the current market value of your real and personal property. Remember, real property includes land and anything that is permanently attached to the land, such as a house. Personal property is everything else. Include:
- Boats
- Collectibles – antiques, art, coins, etc.
- Household furnishings
- Jewelry
- Primary residence
- Rental properties
- Vacation or second home
- Vehicles
Add cash/cash equivalents, investments, and real/personal property. The sum represents your
total assets.
Liabilities
Secured liabilitiesDetermine the amount of your secured liabilities, including:
- Automobile loan(s)
- Home equity loan
- Margin loans
- Mortgage
- Rental real estate mortgage
- Second mortgage
- Vacation/second home mortgage
Unsecured LabilitiesDetermine the amount of your unsecured liabilities, including:
- Credit card debt
- Medical bills
- Personal loans
- Student loans
- Taxes due
- Other debt and outstanding bills
Add secured liabilities and unsecured liabilities. The sum represents your total liabilities. Total assets – total liabilities. Subtract your total liabilities from your total assets. The difference is your net worth.
