What is a good net worth for my age?
A widely cited benchmark (Fidelity) is (age × annual income) ÷ 2 by age 35, and 2× income by 40 — so a 35-year-old earning $80,000 would target about $160,000 including home equity minus debts. Benchmarks are guides, not grades: savings rate matters more than any single snapshot.
Example: age 35, $80,000 income → benchmark ≈ $160,000 net worth.
What counts toward net worth
Net worth is everything you own minus everything you owe. Assets include bank balances, retirement and brokerage accounts, home and other property at market value, vehicles, and valuables. Liabilities include the mortgage, car loans, credit card balances, student debt, and anything else you owe. Leave out everyday checking float you consider spent, and be honest with values — the trend matters more than the total.
Reading the debt-to-asset ratio
This ratio divides what you owe by what you own. Under 30% suggests debts are a modest slice of your holdings; above 50% means more than half of everything you have is spoken for by creditors, which leaves little room for a shock. A rising ratio is not always bad — a fresh mortgage raises it while building an asset — but a falling ratio over the years is the usual sign of healthy progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should my home be included in net worth?
Yes, at its market value with the mortgage as a matching liability. Many people also track net worth excluding the home, since you have to live somewhere and home equity is hard to spend.
Can net worth be negative?
Yes — it simply means debts exceed assets. It is common early in a career or after a big purchase, and it becomes a problem only if the trend is not heading upward.