DESCRIPTION Net worth is the sum of all your assets, including both financial and non-financial ones, less any debts you may have.
Main Points
The value of all of your assets minus all of your liabilities is your net worth.
For individuals, homes, businesses, industries, and public bodies like cities or nations, net worth can be calculated.
A person’s net worth gives them a general idea of their financial situation and can be used to gauge their long-term success toward their financial objectives.
A company’s net worth is sometimes referred to as its shareholder equity.
Examples and Definitions of Net Worth
The sum of a person’s assets minus their total obligations is their net worth. It is possible for net worth to be either positive or negative. A person has a negative net worth, for instance, if their debts exceed their assets combined. One method of evaluating financial health is to compute net worth.
Anything with worth that a person or an entity holds is considered an asset. It could contain:
- Amounts in cash or in forms of money like life insurance
- investments like bonds or stocks
- Automobiles, jewels, collectibles, real estate, and other physical assets
- For a business, inventory or equipment
Financial commitments or debt are defined as liabilities. This might comprise:
- Mortgage
- Loans for a car or education
- Balance on a credit card
- Receipts to be made (for a business)
If a couple owns two automobiles for $15,000 apiece, a home worth $300,000, and $100,000 in checking, savings, and retirement accounts, their assets come to $430,000. (Let’s assume they don’t have any life insurance policies, expensive jewelry, furniture, or other illiquid assets.)
Their obligations total $115,000 if they owe $100,000 on their mortgage loan, $10,000 in auto loans, and $5,000 in credit card debt. As a result, their net worth is determined by deducting $315,000 from their total assets, or $430,000, to equal $115,000 in liabilities.
The Function of Net Worth
Knowing your net worth is crucial because it serves as a useful indicator of your financial situation. When compared year to year, net worth can demonstrate if a person or business is improving their financial situation.
Once you have determined your net worth, you may create a strategy to gradually raise it. This can be accomplished by increasing your savings, reducing your debt, increasing your investments, or observing a growth in the value of an item, such as a home.
Note
One of the key factors in determining net worth is the value of your house. By entering your address into an online home value estimator, requesting a local real estate agent to conduct a comparative market analysis, or employing a qualified appraiser, you can obtain an estimate of its current value.
Net worth is determined to assist you in tracking your progress toward boosting your net worth from year to year rather than to compare your financial health to that of others. As long as your assets will last for the duration of your full life expectancy, your retirement spending plan may allow your net worth to decline year over year. 2
A lot of information will need to be gathered in order to calculate your net worth at first, but if you keep it all in a safe location, it should be simpler in the future.
Varieties of net worth
A home, business, industry, or governmental body like a city, state, or nation can all have their net worth determined. The term “shareholder equity” is frequently used to refer to a company’s net worth. It is the total value of the assets that shareholders will own after all debts and liabilities of the company have been settled.
For many of the same reasons that households do, businesses and governmental entities routinely calculate their net worth: to assess financial health, to determine when actions should be taken to improve financial health, and to track progress in improving financial health. A continually profitable business will probably see steady growth in its net worth, which is frequently followed by an increase in its stock price.
What Household Net Worth Means
People can use net worth as a tool to evaluate their financial situation and create objectives for the future. Growing your net worth is good as you become older. For young people who may be managing educational loans, auto loans, and daily living expenditures while earning a starting wage in their chosen career, a negative net worth is not cause for alarm.
Aiming for the “correct” net worth is impossible. There are available national averages that you can compare your financial condition against. The Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances estimates that in 2019, the median net worth of all American families was $121,700.
Assessing progress and making financial decisions can both benefit from net worth monitoring. One can raise their net worth by reducing or eliminating debt, but it’s crucial to keep in mind that a great personal finance plan frequently incorporates both investing and paying off debt at the same time.
