Let’s talk about… net worth

You might associate the term ‘net worth’ with the rich celebrities topping the Forbes list, but everyone has a net worth and it’s really easy to find out yours.

Your net worth is simply your total assets minus the total amount of debt you have.

Your assets include things like:

• Any savings you hold
• The value of any stock you have purchased
• The value of your property
• The value of your vehicle

Your debts include:

• Outstanding credit card balances
• Personal loans
• Mortgage
• Vehicle finance

Once you’ve done this and totalled up your assets and debt, simply subtract the debt total from your assets and you’re left with your net worth. You might do nothing with your net worth figure once you’ve worked it out, but it can be interesting to know and see how you compare to the likes of Elon Musk and Ed Sheeran!

Here is an example…

Elaine is 35 years old. She owns a house worth £220,000 and owes £90k on the mortgage. She owns a 4-year-old car worth £6,000. She also has £8,000 in savings, £1,000 in credit card balances, £40k in a pension scheme and £7,000 in personal loans.

Elaine’s total net worth is £176,000 (£274,000 – £98,000)

Generally, the higher your net worth, the better your financial position is. If you’ve worked out your net worth and would like to improve it over time, we suggest looking at your budget. This will help you to work out if you could be saving, or using spare cash to clear any existing debts you have. Our budget planner is a great tool to help you work out your disposable income and can highlight any areas you may be overspending each month.