MINTWhat is net worth, and how do you calculate yours?
A simple way to see what you actually own after your debts, with a step-by-step method, worked examples and a free calculator.
Before we begin
Quick answer: your net worth is what you own minus what you owe. It is one of the simplest ways to see where you actually stand, because it looks past your salary and asks what you have built.
By the end, you should be able to:
- List your assets and your liabilities clearly.
- Calculate your net worth and understand what the number does and does not tell you.
- Track it over time and work out why it moved.
- Explain why income and net worth are not the same thing.
All the people and amounts below are made up for teaching.
You know how much you earn each month. But do you know how much you are worth financially? That is a different question, and a more useful one.
Step 1: list what you own (your assets)
An asset is something you own that has financial value. Go through these groups and write down what each is worth today.
| Group | Examples |
|---|---|
| Cash and mobile money | Cash at hand, mobile money wallets |
| Bank savings | Savings and current accounts, fixed deposits |
| Investments | Treasury bills, mutual funds and unit trusts, shares, a personal pension balance |
| Business assets | Stock, tools, equipment, a vehicle used only for the business |
| Property | Land, a house or a building you own |
| Vehicles | A car or motorbike |
| Other | Things you could sell, such as gold or electronics, and money owed to you that you expect to receive |
Some rules keep the number honest:
- Use today's value, not what you paid. The question is what you could realistically sell it for. A car bought for GHS 60,000 three years ago is worth less now.
- Be cautious. For property and business assets, choose a modest estimate rather than the best story.
- Count money owed to you only if you really expect it. A loan to a friend who may never repay is not a solid asset.
- Do not double count. If the same cedi sits in two places, count it once.
- Leave out future income. A salary you have not earned yet is not an asset today.
Step 2: list what you owe (your liabilities)
A liability is something you owe. Write down the balance you would need to pay today to clear it, not the monthly instalment.
- Bank, staff and microfinance loans
- Mobile and digital loans
- Credit purchases and hire purchase
- Money you owe family and friends
- Bills, fees or taxes that are already due and unpaid
Normal monthly bills, such as rent and electricity that you pay as they come, are expenses, not liabilities. Count a bill only when it is overdue.
Step 3: subtract
Assets minus liabilities equals your net worth.
Suppose you have GHS 20,000 in savings and investments, plus other assets worth GHS 80,000. You also owe GHS 30,000 in loans.
| GHS | |
|---|---|
| Savings and investments | 20,000 |
| Other assets | 80,000 |
| Total assets | 100,000 |
| Loans | 30,000 |
| Total liabilities | 30,000 |
| Net worth (100,000 − 30,000) | 70,000 |
You can work out your own number with the Net Worth Calculator.
Your net worth can be negative
If you owe more than you own, your net worth is negative. That does not mean you have failed. It is common:
- soon after taking a loan,
- at the start of a career,
- while building a business, when money goes in before it comes back out.
A negative number tells you where you are starting from. The useful part is whether it improves.
Read the number carefully
The total is only the start. Look at what it is made of.
- Liquid and fixed assets. Money in the bank, mobile money and investments is easier to use than land or a car. A person with GHS 70,000 mostly in property may find it harder to deal with a sudden bill than one with GHS 70,000 in savings.
- A second number. Many people also work out their net worth without property and vehicles. This shows what you have outside the things you cannot easily sell.
- The cost of your debts. A loan at a high interest rate quietly shrinks your net worth faster than one with a low rate. Know the rate on each debt. See the debt repayment calculator.
- Debts as a share of assets. If your debts are a large part of what you own, small drops in value can matter a lot.
Step 4: track it over time
One number is a snapshot. The picture comes from tracking it.
- Calculate it every three months, or monthly if you are paying down debt.
- Use the same list and the same method every time.
- Write the date and the number in the same place.
Here is how that might look for Kwesi, a fictional small trader:
| Date | Total assets | Total liabilities | Net worth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | GHS 37,500 | GHS 20,000 | GHS 17,500 |
| After 6 months | GHS 40,500 | GHS 17,000 | GHS 23,500 |
His net worth rose by GHS 6,000. Where did that come from?
| Reason | Effect |
|---|---|
| Savings grew from GHS 6,000 to GHS 9,500 | +3,500 |
| His motorbike lost value, from GHS 9,000 to GHS 8,500 | −500 |
| He repaid GHS 3,000 of his bank loan | +3,000 |
| Total change | +6,000 |
Seeing the sources tells you what to keep doing. Here, saving and repaying debt did the work, and the motorbike quietly lost value, as vehicles usually do.
Income tells you what comes in. Net worth tells you what you are building.
Look at two fictional people:
| Esi | Yaw | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly income | GHS 15,000 | GHS 5,000 |
| What they own | GHS 25,000 | GHS 120,000 |
| What they owe | GHS 60,000 | GHS 10,000 |
| Net worth | −GHS 35,000 | GHS 110,000 |
Esi earns three times as much, but she spends it and keeps borrowing. Yaw earns less, but over the years he has saved steadily and avoided debt, so he has built more. This is why a high income alone does not mean you are doing well.
What can move your net worth up
There are only a few levers.
- Own more: save regularly, build your emergency fund, and choose investments you understand. See how much emergency savings you need and saving vs investing.
- Owe less: pay down costly debt first, and avoid new debt for things that lose value quickly.
- Plan your spending: a budget is what frees up money to do the first two. See how to make a budget that works.
- Protect what you have: an emergency fund stops one bad month from forcing you into debt.
- Mind inflation: a rise in net worth that is smaller than inflation may mean you are standing still. See the real return calculator.
Some things move without any action from you, for example the price of an investment, a property or a vehicle. That is why you look at the trend, not one reading.
Your turn: work it out
Ama has these assets: bank savings GHS 4,000, mobile money GHS 600, Treasury bills GHS 8,000 and business equipment she could sell for GHS 6,400. She owes a bank loan of GHS 9,000, a phone on credit of GHS 1,500 and GHS 500 to her sister. What is her net worth?
Show the worked answer
Assets: 4,000 + 600 + 8,000 + 6,400 = GHS 19,000. Liabilities: 9,000 + 1,500 + 500 = GHS 11,000. Net worth: 19,000 − 11,000 = GHS 8,000. Her debts are 11,000 / 19,000, about 58% of what she owns, so repaying the costliest debt first would help her number rise faster.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using the price you paid instead of today's value.
- Forgetting small debts, such as mobile loans or money owed to family.
- Counting money people owe you when you do not expect it back.
- Counting future income as if you already have it.
- Changing your method each time, so the numbers cannot be compared.
- Checking it every day, when values move around.
- Treating a negative number as a judgement on you, or comparing it with other people.
Your Monday money exercise
- Pick a date, such as this Monday.
- Gather your statements: bank and mobile money balances, investment statements and loan statements.
- List your assets with cautious, current values.
- List your liabilities with the balance needed to clear each one.
- Subtract, or use the Net Worth Calculator.
- Write the number down with today's date, somewhere safe.
- Set a reminder to repeat it in three months, and again at six.
Copy this table into a notebook or a note on your phone:
| Assets | GHS | Liabilities | GHS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and mobile money | Bank and staff loans | ||
| Bank savings | Mobile and digital loans | ||
| Treasury bills, funds, shares | Credit and hire purchase | ||
| Business assets | Owed to family and friends | ||
| Property | Overdue bills and taxes | ||
| Vehicle | Other debts | ||
| Other | |||
| Total assets | Total liabilities |
Net worth = total assets − total liabilities
The goal is not to impress anybody with the number. It is to make sure the number is moving in the right direction.
Risks to consider
- Your figures are estimates. Property, business assets and investments are only worth what a buyer will pay.
- Values can fall for reasons you cannot control. Your net worth can drop even when you do everything right.
- Keep your numbers private. Do not post them or share them with people who do not need them.
- Do not use the number to judge yourself. Use it to see direction and to decide your next step.
Key takeaway
Net worth is assets minus liabilities. Income shows what comes in, and net worth shows what you are building.
Calculate it today, write it down with the date, and check it again in three or six months. A negative number is a starting point, and the useful part is the direction it moves.
This is financial education, not personal financial advice. Speak to a licensed professional if you need advice on your own situation.
Check your understanding
Choose an answer to see why it works or what to reconsider. You can try every answer. Nothing is scored or saved.
Common questions
Should I include my house or land in my net worth?
Yes, if you own it, using a cautious estimate of what it could sell for. Many people also work out a second number without property and a vehicle, because those are harder to turn into cash.
Is a negative net worth bad?
It is not a verdict. It is common after taking a loan, early in a career, or when building a business. It tells you where you are starting from. What matters is whether it improves over time.
Do I include my SSNIT or pension savings?
Practice varies. Many people leave out pension entitlements they cannot use yet and list them separately. A personal pension balance you own can be counted if you wish. Choose a rule and keep it the same each time. See the pension lesson on this site.
How often should I calculate my net worth?
Every three months is a good rhythm for most people, and monthly if you are paying down debt. Checking daily is not useful, because values move around.
Are my rent and monthly bills liabilities?
Normal bills you pay as they come are expenses, not liabilities. Count a bill only if it is already due and unpaid.
Figures as of 19 October 2026. The people and amounts in the examples are made up for teaching.. Sources: Money Management International: how to create a personal balance sheet and find your net worth, Net worth (general definition), Bank of Ghana, National Pensions Regulatory Authority, Securities and Exchange Commission, Ghana
- How to make a budget that works
- Emergency funds: protection before growth
- Saving vs investing: what's the difference?
- What is net worth, and how do you calculate yours?