Net Worth Calculator

Income is what you earn. Net worth is what you keep. You can earn $200,000 a year and have zero — or negative — net worth, while someone earning $40,000 a year can build $500,000 of wealth through consistent saving and investing. The most accurate measure of financial health isn't your paycheck; it's the gap between what you own and what you owe.

Net worth = total assets − total liabilities. Assets include cash, investment accounts, retirement accounts, real estate at current market value, vehicles at resale value, and anything else you could convert to cash. Liabilities include mortgages, car loans, student loans, credit card balances, and any other debt obligations.

Average vs median net worth by age (US, Federal Reserve SCF): Under 35 — average $76,000, median $13,900. Ages 35–44 — average $436,000, median $91,300. Ages 45–54 — average $833,000, median $168,600. Ages 55–64 — average $1,175,000, median $213,100. Averages are skewed by ultra-wealthy households; medians are a more honest benchmark for most readers. A better personal target: Fidelity recommends 1x salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, and 10x by retirement.

Which assets to include — and which to skip. Include anything with a real resale market: investments, real estate (market value, not purchase price), vehicles (KBB value, not what you paid), valuable collections. Skip personal items like used clothing, furniture, and electronics — they have negligible resale value and aren't part of your wealth.

Cars depreciate; homes typically appreciate. A new car loses 20% of its value in year one and ~60% by year five. A home, depending on the market, typically appreciates 3–4% per year long-term. This is why two households with identical net worth but different asset mixes will diverge sharply over a decade — the car-heavy one shrinks while the home-and-investments one grows.

Tracking changes behavior. Calculating net worth monthly or quarterly creates awareness. You start noticing the patterns — the months you went backward, the months you leapt forward — and it quietly shifts your spending and saving decisions. Many people find watching the number grow more motivating than any budget app.

Five proven ways to increase net worth: (1) increase income through skills, side work, or job changes; (2) resist lifestyle inflation when income rises — bank the raises; (3) invest consistently in low-cost index funds; (4) eliminate high-interest debt aggressively; (5) buy appreciating assets (home, investments) instead of depreciating ones (luxury cars, gadgets).

Net worth is a journey, not a destination. Small consistent improvements — saving an extra $300 a month at 7% — compound to over $360,000 over 30 years. The best day to start tracking was 10 years ago. The second-best day is today.