Each example below was run through the calculator on this page when the site was built, so the numbers match what you see when you enter the same inputs.
A homeowner mid-mortgage
Checking & cash: $5,000.00 · Savings & CDs: $12,000.00 · Investments & retirement: $45,000.00 · Home value: $320,000.00 · Cars & other vehicles: $18,000.00 · Other assets: $4,000.00 · Mortgage balance: $210,000.00 · Auto & other loans: $9,500.00 · Credit card debt: $3,000.00 · Student loans: $15,000.00 · Other debt: $2,000.00
Net worth
$164,500
Assets of $404,000 minus liabilities of $239,500.
Total assets: $404,000 · Total debt: $239,500 · Debt-to-asset ratio: 59.3%
Assets total $404,000 against debts of $239,500, for a net worth of $164,500 - the home and its mortgage dominate both sides.
A renter in the early years
Checking & cash: $2,000.00 · Savings & CDs: $8,000.00 · Investments & retirement: $15,000.00 · Home value: $0.00 · Cars & other vehicles: $12,000.00 · Other assets: $1,500.00 · Mortgage balance: $0.00 · Auto & other loans: $7,000.00 · Credit card debt: $4,000.00 · Student loans: $25,000.00 · Other debt: $0.00
Net worth
$2,500
Assets of $38,500 minus liabilities of $36,000.
Total assets: $38,500 · Total debt: $36,000 · Debt-to-asset ratio: 93.5%
Assets of $38,500 against debts of $36,000 leaves a thin but positive net worth of $2,500 - the student and auto loans nearly cancel the savings.
A negative net worth is printed honestly
Checking & cash: $500.00 · Savings & CDs: $1,000.00 · Investments & retirement: $2,000.00 · Home value: $0.00 · Cars & other vehicles: $8,000.00 · Other assets: $0.00 · Mortgage balance: $0.00 · Auto & other loans: $10,000.00 · Credit card debt: $6,000.00 · Student loans: $12,000.00 · Other debt: $3,000.00
Net worth
-$19,500
Liabilities of $31,000 exceed assets of $11,500.
Total assets: $11,500 · Total debt: $31,000 · Debt-to-asset ratio: 269.6%
Assets of $11,500 against $31,000 of debt gives −$19,500, shown as a negative number rather than rounded to zero.
Retired, mostly in the market
Checking & cash: $25,000.00 · Savings & CDs: $30,000.00 · Investments & retirement: $480,000.00 · Home value: $360,000.00 · Cars & other vehicles: $15,000.00 · Other assets: $0.00 · Mortgage balance: $0.00 · Auto & other loans: $0.00 · Credit card debt: $800.00 · Student loans: $0.00 · Other debt: $0.00
Net worth
$909,200
Assets of $910,000 minus liabilities of $800.
Total assets: $910,000 · Total debt: $800 · Debt-to-asset ratio: 0.1%
Almost no debt, so net worth is nearly all assets - $910,000 against $800, which is what the near-zero debt-to-asset ratio expresses.
Checking everything is optional
Checking & cash: $10,000.00 · Savings & CDs: $10,000.00 · Investments & retirement: $0.00 · Home value: $0.00 · Cars & other vehicles: $0.00 · Other assets: $0.00 · Mortgage balance: $0.00 · Auto & other loans: $0.00 · Credit card debt: $0.00 · Student loans: $0.00 · Other debt: $0.00
Net worth
$20,000
Assets of $20,000 minus liabilities of $0.
Total assets: $20,000 · Total debt: $0 · Debt-to-asset ratio: 0%
A partial ledger is still a valid one: two lines filled in, everything else zero, net worth $20,000. The zeros are your choice, not a requirement to own a home.
Danfio