Fix the date and the scope

Net worth is the total value of assets minus liabilities evaluated on the same date. The SEC Investor.gov guide explains listing what you own and what you owe separately, then subtracting. Its definition is useful for personal records; U.S. guidance is not presented here as another country’s tax or legal rule. Net worth is a snapshot, distinct from monthly income, expenses, and cash available immediately.

A blank worksheet to copy

The worksheet and example below are original explanations, not a reproduced institutional form or statutory financial statement. Fill them in privately without publishing account numbers or identifying information.

  • Snapshot date: ____ / currency: ____ / individual or household scope: ____
  • Asset row: item ____ / value ____ / balance or price date ____ / evidence ____ / overlap with another row ____
  • Liability row: item ____ / outstanding balance ____ / date ____ / evidence ____ / already deducted elsewhere ____
  • Total assets A: ____ / total liabilities L: ____ / net worth A − L: ____
  • Estimates and excluded items: ____ / changes in scope since the previous snapshot: ____

Use balances for deposits, dated valuations for investments, and remaining balances for loans. For rarely traded assets, record the estimate method and date. Mark unknown values as unconfirmed rather than assuming zero. Record shared ownership and your share consistently.

Filled fictional example: amounts in KRW 10,000

This is a calculation exercise, not a real person’s financial record. Assume a snapshot date of 2026-09-30, KRW as the currency, and an individual scope.

  • Assets: bank deposits 2,000 / entire brokerage account 3,000 / refundable rental deposit 10,000. A = 15,000.
  • Liabilities: outstanding loan used for the rental deposit 6,000 / unpaid card balance 100. L = 6,100.
  • Net worth = 15,000 − 6,100 = 8,900, or KRW 89 million.
  • Liabilities divided by assets = 6,100 ÷ 15,000 ≈ 40.7%. This is a calculation, not a safety grade or recommended ratio.

Assume the brokerage total already includes securities worth 2,500 and cash of 500. Adding that cash again as a separate asset overstates assets and net worth by 500, or KRW 5 million. Use one consistent inclusion method across accounts.

Double-counting checklist

  • Did you add both an account total and the securities or cash inside it? Use the total or its components, not both.
  • Did you list property after subtracting its loan, then subtract the loan again? This worksheet records gross asset value and outstanding debt separately.
  • Did you net off a refundable rental deposit against its financing loan and omit both? Record the receivable asset and debt separately. A deposit you must repay to someone else has a different role.
  • Did you deduct a card balance twice because it also appears in a future spending plan? A cash-flow plan and a dated balance snapshot serve different purposes.
  • Did you include a joint account or asset in both an individual list and a household subtotal? Fix the aggregation scope first.

What the result cannot tell you

Positive net worth including deposits and investments does not ensure enough immediately available cash. Estimated property or vehicle values can differ from sale proceeds, and transaction costs and taxes are separate considerations. This tool does not determine investment choices or borrowing eligibility. When comparing dates, distinguish saving, repayment, valuation changes, and scope changes. Treating every valuation gain as saving would obscure what changed.

Source and original explanation

The worksheet, amounts, brokerage-cash example, and checklist are original fictional explanations. They are not collected or measured financial data. External institutional forms, text, and images are not reproduced. Individual tax, legal, and investment decisions are outside this general recordkeeping tool’s scope.