Start with dated balances in USD
Choose an individual or household scope and one valuation date. Collect bank, retirement-plan, brokerage, and loan statements. Use your ownership share for joint property and a consistent share of the associated debt. This personal record does not decide legal responsibility for a joint loan.
The US calculator starts in USD. Convert foreign balances yourself using a documented rate for the valuation date. Keep account numbers and login details out of holding names.
Use vested 401(k) and current IRA balances
The IRS describes a 401(k) as individual accounts funded through employee contributions and possible employer contributions. Vesting means ownership. Your own contributions are vested; employer contributions can follow the plan’s vesting schedule. For this balance sheet, use the current vested balance shown by the plan, not an unvested employer amount.
Count traditional and Roth IRA account values once. Keep other account-based retirement plans, such as a 403(b), in the separate other-retirement field. A pension promise or Social Security forecast is future income, not a current investment account balance; this calculator does not assign it a capital value.
These are current account values before any future withdrawal taxes or penalties. Two equally sized traditional and Roth accounts need not provide the same after-tax spending amount. The calculator does not estimate that difference or recommend withdrawals.
Keep brokerage totals and employer shares separate
A taxable brokerage account can contain cash, funds, bonds, and shares. Choose the whole account value or its individual holdings. Do not add the account’s cash again to bank savings, or its funds again as separate investments.
Use the separate employer-share field only for shares you own and still hold outside an account total already entered. Leave unvested awards outside this method. Check that shares sold or withheld are no longer in the balance. A rollover or transfer must not appear in both the old and new account totals.
Enter gross property value and outstanding debts
Use a supportable current estimate for your property share. Enter the remaining mortgage separately. A home worth $300,000 with a $180,000 mortgage contributes $120,000 to net worth; entering $120,000 of home equity and subtracting the mortgage again would be wrong.
Include amounts actually owed on home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), student loans, cards, and other loans. An unused credit limit and a monthly payment are not debt balances. Use the current student-loan balance; this method does not assume future forgiveness. Keep vehicles at a realistic resale estimate and record their finance debt separately.
A complete synthetic USD example
The following balances use one ownership scope and valuation date. All figures are synthetic. Retirement and property are included in total net worth even though they may not be available for immediate spending.
| Balance | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash and savings | $20,000 |
| Vested 401(k) | $100,000 |
| IRAs | $30,000 |
| Taxable brokerage | $50,000 |
| Property, before mortgage | $300,000 |
| Total assets | $500,000 |
| Mortgage | $180,000 |
| Student loans | $20,000 |
| Credit card debt | $5,000 |
| Total liabilities | $205,000 |
| Net worth: assets minus liabilities | $295,000 |
Keep the method with the record
Keep the same account scope, currency, and valuation method at the next review. Record estimates and access restrictions in your working notes or worksheet. Missing months should stay unrecorded. A change in net worth can include saving, debt reduction, transfers, or new estimates; it is not automatically an investment return.
Review before confirming a calculator import. It adds new holdings rather than matching existing ones. Mixed brokerage totals use Other Asset in the journal; you can split them into more specific categories later. Financial records stay in this browser, so keep a private backup. This guide is general education, not financial, legal, or tax advice.
Sources and scope
These are general explanations and product instructions, not personal investment, tax, or debt advice. The examples are synthetic. Product instructions describe the current app.
- Investor.gov: Figure Out Your Finances
- IRS: 401(k) plans
- IRS: Individual retirement arrangements (IRAs)
- IRS: Retirement topics — Vesting
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