How to Use the Net Worth Calculator
Knowing your net worth is always good information to have. Calculating it, however, can be confusing. Our calculator for net worth can help with that! Start by inputting the rate at which your assets grow or shrink annually. Then, input the rate at which your liabilities will grow or shrink annually.
You will then need to input the worth of all your assets. For example, your real estate, investments such as savings accounts, mutual funds or retirement savings, personal property, and cash. The same goes for your liabilities. This could be auto loans, student loans, mortgages, etc.
Once you input all of your information, the calculator will show your projected net worth for the next ten years in a graph. Above the calculator, you will be able to see a detailed report.
Net Worth Calculator in Action
Essentially, the calculator takes your assets minus your liabilities for your current value. Then, the calculator calculates your future net worth using the percentage of growth you supplied. The information the calculator provides will help you plan for the long-term, financially.
What is Net Worth?
Some people look at a person’s net worth as the value of that person. In reality, it is the value of their assets once you subtract their liabilities. An asset is anything you own that has value, such as real estate, life insurance or investments. A liability is anything that you owe, such as credit card debt, personal loans, or a mortgage.
Net worth can be used to show the value of an individual’s assets, as well as a company’s, government’s or even a country’s.
Net worth in regards to a company or business is often simply referred to as equity. For an individual, it is their economic position. A person who has a high net worth is called a high-net-worth individual. It can help people understand their financial standing and can help them plan for the future.
Governments and countries are often legally required to keep track of it and be transparent about the number. This helps show residents what the financial standing of their area is.
How Do You Calculate Net Worth?
To calculate net worth, you need to subtract a person or corporation’s liabilities from their assets. A person or corporation could have a million dollars in cash, but if they owe half a million, their assets are technically half a million.
Using our calculator for this ensures that your number is as accurate as can be. If you want to skip the calculator and work through the numbers yourself, here’s what you can do.
Start off by writing down the value of all of your assets (we’ll go over specific examples in the next section). Then, write down the value of all of your debt. Subtracting the total value of your debt from your assets will give you your current net worth. If it is a negative number, you owe more than you have.
To calculate how (or if) this number will grow, you need a growth percentage. Estimate a percentage of how much you think your assets will grow or shrink in a year. For example, if your only savings are $1000, and you earn a 15% interest rate on them, 15% will be your annual growth rate.
Then, estimate a percentage of how much you think your debt will grow every year. If your debt is stable, the number would be 0%. Thus, you can take your current net worth and multiply it by that 15% we discussed earlier, for example. The new number will be your net worth for the following year.
What are Assets and Liabilities?
An asset is anything that you own that has value to it, such as your life insurance policy. If you owe something to someone, that is a liability, such as any debt on your credit cards. If you are still confused about what is considered an asset and what is considered a liability, here is a specific list of both.
Assets
- Real estate (any property you own).
- Vehicles (cars, motorcycles, boats, private jets, etc.).
- Jewelry.
- Valuable household items (paintings, china, expensive machinery or office equipment, electronics, etc.).
- Registered retirement accounts.
- Stocks.
- Bonds.
- Mutual funds.
- The value of your life insurance.
- The value of your savings accounts and chequing accounts.
- Any savings you have in cash.
Liabilities
- Your home’s mortgage or any other mortgage in your name.
- Bank debt.
- Any taxes you owe still.
- Auto loans.
- Credit card debt.
- Student loans.
- Any other loans, such as personal loans, debt consolidation, etc.
If you own any of these things with a spouse or partner, you will have to that into account when you calculate your final number. You could calculate your own separately for things that solely belong to you and have a joint number as well for your joint property.
The Bottom Line
Knowing your net worth is a great way to help plan for your future financially. One of the best ways to do this is by using our calculator. It will allow you to input any asset, such as life insurance, or liability, such as credit cards, you have.
The calculator will not only show you your current value, but your value for the next ten years based on the growth percentage you input. This will help you at least loosely plan your savings and finances for the next ten years.
Our calculator is quite detailed, as it will also offer a report of its findings that you can print. This will give you something to refer back to throughout the years to see if your finances are on track. As the calculator is free to use, what’s the harm in trying it? If you don’t have exact numbers, you can input an estimate as well to get an estimated value.
INCOME.ca is here for all your financial needs. We can also help you calculate your savings, home budget, retirement planning, and more. Head to our calculator page or contact us section for more info!
