Your net worth is the total value of your assets minus the total balance of your debts. Beyond Payday adds up the current value of every asset you track, subtracts every debt, and skips a few kinds of accounts that would distort the number.
How it works
- Add up your assets. Every enabled asset counts at its current value — bank accounts, investment and retirement accounts, real estate, vehicles, and everything else on the Assets (opens in a new tab) page.
- Leave out a few asset types:
- What a life insurance policy pays when someone dies (its coverage amount) is never counted. Only the cash surrender value of Whole Life, Universal Life, Variable Universal Life and Indexed Universal Life policies counts, at the value you enter, from October 5, 2026. Term Life has no cash value, so it adds $0.
- A 529 College Account counts only if it's owned by you or your spouse. Unowned 529s and 529s owned by a child are excluded.
- Assets and debts that belong directly to a business are excluded. If you own a business, its value reaches your net worth through its business equity asset.
- Subtract your debts. Every enabled debt on the Debts (opens in a new tab) page is subtracted at its current balance.
- The result is your net worth. It can be negative if you owe more than you own.
An HSA counts when it's owned by you, your spouse, or the household as a whole.
An example with real numbers
| Item | Value | Counted? |
|---|---|---|
| Checking account | $6,000 | Yes |
| 401(k) | $85,000 | Yes |
| Home | $350,000 | Yes |
| Term life policy (pays $500,000, cash value $0) | $0 | Yes, as $0 |
| Whole life policy (cash value) | $20,000 | Yes |
| Child's 529 | $12,000 | No |
| Mortgage | −$240,000 | Yes |
| Car loan | −$15,000 | Yes |
Net worth = $6,000 + $85,000 + $350,000 + $20,000 − $240,000 − $15,000 = $206,000. The $500,000 the term policy would pay is not part of it.
Assumptions and limits
- Values are only as current as what you enter. Beyond Payday uses each asset's current value and each debt's current balance — it doesn't estimate market changes on its own.
- A disabled asset or debt is left out entirely.
- The dashboard's Breakdown selector doesn't change net worth. It always shows today's total.
- The October 5, 2026 marker. Net worth began counting permanent life cash surrender value that day. If you have a permanent life policy and your chart has points before and after that day, the net worth history chart shows a dashed line and the label "Life insurance cash value counted from Oct 5, 2026". A step up there is the change in what counts, not new money.
- Old policy amounts were cleaned up. Where a permanent life policy's value held what it pays out, that amount moved to the coverage field, and old policy history that mixed the two was corrected. If your cash surrender value is blank, enter it on the policy.
- Your household's net worth history comes from Snapshots. Each asset and debt also keeps its own balance history — open it from the trend line under it on the Assets or Debts page.
FAQ
Does life insurance count toward my net worth? Only the cash surrender value of a permanent policy (Whole Life, Universal Life, Variable Universal Life or Indexed Universal Life) counts, after any loan against it, from October 5, 2026. What a policy pays when someone dies never counts, and Term Life has no cash value, so it adds $0.
Why does my net worth chart step up on October 5, 2026? Net worth started counting the cash surrender value of permanent life policies that day. Earlier points on the chart did not include it, so the chart marks the date. Your policy's own history was also cleaned up so old balances no longer look like a death benefit.
Do business assets count? Assets and debts that belong directly to a business are left out. Your ownership stake shows up through the business equity asset instead.
Why doesn't a 529 account show up in my net worth? A 529 only counts when it's owned by you or your spouse. Unowned 529s and 529s owned by a child are left out.
FAQ
Does life insurance count toward my net worth?
Only the cash surrender value of a permanent policy (Whole Life, Universal Life, Variable Universal Life or Indexed Universal Life) counts, after any loan against it, from October 5, 2026. What a policy pays when someone dies (its coverage amount) never counts. Term Life has no cash value, so it adds $0.
Why does my net worth chart step up on October 5, 2026?
Net worth started counting the cash surrender value of permanent life policies that day. Earlier points on the chart did not include it, so the chart marks the date. Your policy's own history was also cleaned up so old balances no longer look like a death benefit.
Do business assets count?
Assets and debts that belong directly to a business are left out. Your ownership stake shows up through the business equity asset instead.
Why doesn't a 529 account show up in my net worth?
A 529 only counts when it's owned by you or your spouse. Unowned 529s and 529s owned by a child are left out.