Financial Inventory Calculator
A financial inventory is a single document listing everything you own, everything you owe, and where each item is actually held. You need one because a net worth number cannot be acted on: in a crisis, and at a death, the people involved need to know which accounts exist, what they are worth, and how quickly the money can be reached.
This calculator builds that balance sheet and then reads it back to you: net worth, months of liquid runway, debt ratios, how much you could reach inside 30 days, and how your investment balances split across taxable, tax-deferred and tax-free treatment. It is free, ungated, and there is no email step.
Nothing you type leaves this page.Every figure is calculated in your browser. No amount is sent to a server, logged, or stored anywhere except, if you choose, your own browser’s local storage on this device.
Build your personal balance sheet
Enter what you have in each category. The page opens with example figures for a household so you can see a finished result immediately; change any field, or clear them all and start from your own statements. Totals update as you type.
What you own
Cash and cash-equivalents you can reach in days.
Balances as of your latest statement.
Current market value, not what you paid.
Your share of any business you own.
Resale value, not replacement cost.
What you owe & your monthly context
Debt attached to a specific asset.
Debt with no collateral behind it.
Obligations that survive you or your business.
Used for the runway and ratio math only.
Your balance sheet
Asset composition
- Liquid4%
- Investments42%
- Property51%
- Business0%
- Other3%
How quickly you could reach it
- Reachable in ~30 days9%
- Retirement / rule-bound37%
- Illiquid54%
Tax treatment of investment balances
- Taxable12%
- Tax-deferred72%
- Tax-free16%
Bank cash and life insurance cash value are excluded from this split: bank balances are after-tax principal, and cash value depends on policy basis and modified endowment status.
What this reveals
- Your liquid accounts cover 5.9 months of stated expenses — between three and six months.
- Only 9% of your assets — $81,500 — sit in accounts you could normally draw on within 30 days without triggering retirement-account rules.
- 72% of your investment balances are tax-deferred. Withdrawals from those accounts are taxed as ordinary income, and required minimum distributions generally begin at age 73.
- Total debt is 217% of gross annual income. Note this is total balances against income, not the monthly payment-to-income ratio a lender calculates.
These are descriptions of the figures you entered. They are not investment, tax, or legal advice.
Private by design.Every number above is calculated in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server, and this page makes no network request with your figures. The optional saved copy lives in your browser’s local storage on this device only — use “Forget saved data” to delete it.
Want a second set of eyes on the picture above? A strategy call walks through your inventory line by line — no cost, no obligation.
Book a strategy callWhat belongs on a personal balance sheet, and what does not
A personal balance sheet records assets at what they would sell for today and liabilities at today’s payoff balance. If something has a resale or redemption value, it is an asset. If a creditor could make a claim for it, it is a liability. Everything else — income, monthly bills, money that does not yet exist as a balance — stays off the sheet.
Value assets at today’s number, not yesterday’s
The most common error on a homemade balance sheet is valuing property at its purchase price. Use current market value for real estate and private-party resale value for vehicles. Use net cash surrender value for a permanent life insurance policy, not the death benefit, and subtract any outstanding policy loan. For a business, record your ownership percentage and note where the number came from — a valuation from four years ago is a guess.
Retirement accounts go on at their full balance, but keep traditional and Roth on separate lines: the arithmetic treats them identically and their tax treatment does not match.
What to leave off
- Salary and other income. Income is a flow, not a balance. It belongs in a cash flow statement. This calculator collects annual income only so it can compute a ratio.
- Recurring bills.Next month’s mortgage payment is not a liability; the remaining mortgage balance is.
- A term life insurance death benefit. Term coverage has no cash value while you are living, so it is not an asset on your balance sheet. It still belongs in the inventory as a document your family must be able to find.
- Future Social Security or pension income. These are income streams, not account balances you own. Record where the benefit statement lives instead — the my Social Security account holds yours.
- Unvested equity compensation. Options and restricted stock you have not vested into are contingent. Note them separately rather than counting them as owned.
- Sentimental value. Estate work uses fair market value — what a willing buyer would pay. Furniture and clothing are worth a fraction of what they cost.
Where to find every number
Most of the work in a financial inventory is not arithmetic, it is retrieval. This table lists each category, what to include on the line, and the document or record that holds the number. Working down it in order is usually faster than hunting category by category.
| Category | What to include | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Checking, savings, money market | Current balance on every account, including accounts you rarely use | Latest monthly statement or the balance screen in your bank app |
| Certificates of deposit | Principal plus accrued interest, and the maturity date | CD confirmation or the bank's term deposit page |
| Life insurance cash value | Net cash surrender value, not the death benefit, and any outstanding policy loan | Annual policy statement, or the in-force illustration from the carrier |
| Taxable brokerage | Total account value and your cost basis if you track it | Brokerage monthly statement or year-end Form 1099-B |
| 401(k) / 403(b) | Vested balance, plus any outstanding plan loan as a liability | Plan provider portal or the quarterly participant statement |
| Traditional and Roth IRA | Account value, kept on separate lines because tax treatment differs | Custodian statement, or Form 5498 for the prior year's value |
| HSA and 529 | Account value and the named beneficiary | Plan administrator portal |
| Primary residence and other real estate | Current market value; note purchase price and date for basis | County assessor or recorder record for ownership and assessed value; a recent appraisal or broker price opinion for market value |
| Vehicles | Private-party resale value for each titled vehicle, boat, or trailer | Title document for the VIN; a used-vehicle pricing guide for value |
| Business interests | Your ownership percentage and the basis for the value you are using | Operating agreement or buy-sell agreement, K-1, and the most recent valuation |
| Personal property and collectibles | Resale value of items that would actually be sold, not replacement cost | Homeowner's insurance schedule of personal property; appraisals for scheduled items |
| Mortgage, home equity loan, HELOC | Current payoff balance, rate, and remaining term; the drawn balance on a HELOC | Servicer statement or the payoff quote in the loan portal |
| Auto and personal loans | Payoff balance and the lienholder named on the title | Lender statement or account portal |
| Credit cards | Statement balance on every card, including cards carried at zero | Card statement; a credit report confirms you have not missed an account |
| Student loans | Balance per loan, servicer, and whether the loan is federal or private | Servicer statement; the federal student aid portal for federal loans |
| Taxes owed | Balance due on any installment agreement, plus estimated tax not yet paid | IRS online account transcript and your state revenue department account |
Accounts you have forgotten are the reason the retrieval step matters. State treasurers hold abandoned accounts and uncashed cheques, searchable through the state programs indexed at unclaimed.org.
Why liquidity matters more than net worth in a crisis
Net worth answers “what am I worth?” Liquidity answers “what can I use this month?” Only the second question matters when income stops, a diagnosis arrives, or an estate has bills to pay before anything can be distributed. Two households with identical net worth can be in entirely different positions depending on where the money sits.
That is why this calculator splits your assets three ways rather than two. Cash, CDs, life insurance cash value and a taxable brokerage account are reachable inside about 30 days. Retirement accounts are reachable, but on the plan’s and the tax code’s terms: distributions before age 59½ are generally subject to an additional 10% tax on top of ordinary income tax unless an exception applies (IRS Topic no. 557). Real estate, a business interest and personal property are illiquid: a sale takes months and the price is unknown until someone pays it.
The liquidity ratio itself is simple — liquid assets divided by total monthly expenses, expressed in months. A household with $900,000 of net worth and three weeks of runway is a real and common shape, and the net worth line will never show it. Two related checks are worth making while you are here. Bank deposits are federally insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category (FDIC), so a large balance in one institution may exceed coverage. And a debt-to-income figure built from total balances, as this page calculates it, is not the monthly payment-based ratio a mortgage underwriter uses — the CFPB explains the lender version.
Taxable, tax-deferred and tax-free: the three buckets
Every dollar in an investment account sits in one of three tax buckets, and the bucket determines what the balance is actually worth to you. A balance sheet that adds them together overstates spendable wealth, sometimes badly. Here is what each one means, with the primary source for the rule.
Taxable
A regular brokerage account. You already paid tax on the money going in, and you owe tax on dividends, interest and realised gains along the way. Selling triggers a capital gain or loss based on your cost basis (IRS Topic no. 409). The offsetting advantage is access: there is no age rule and no penalty, which is why this page counts a taxable brokerage as reachable within 30 days.
Tax-deferred
Traditional 401(k), 403(b) and traditional IRA balances. Contributions generally went in pre-tax and nothing is taxed while it grows, but every dollar withdrawn is taxed as ordinary income (IRS Publication 590-B). Withdrawals are not optional forever, either: required minimum distributions generally begin at age 73, rising to 75 for savers born in 1960 or later (IRS RMD FAQs). A tax-deferred balance is a gross number with an unpaid bill attached.
Tax-free
Roth IRA, HSA and 529 balances, each tax-free under its own conditions. Qualified Roth distributions are not included in income (Publication 590-B). HSA distributions are tax-free when used for qualified medical expenses; used otherwise, they are includible in income and, before age 65, generally subject to an additional 20% tax (IRS Publication 969). Earnings in a 529 come out tax-free when used for qualified education expenses (IRS Topic no. 313). The calculator deliberately leaves bank cash and life insurance cash value out of this split: bank balances are after-tax principal whose interest is taxable, and the treatment of cash value depends on policy basis and whether the contract is a modified endowment contract.
What an estate settlement actually needs from this document
An executor needs locations and identifiers far more than valuations. The first job after a death is finding the assets, and an heir cannot query an institution they do not know exists. Add these columns to your own inventory even though the calculator above does not ask for them.
- Institution and account number for every line, plus a contact number.
- Beneficiary designations. Retirement accounts, life insurance and payable-on-death registrations pass to the named beneficiary outside the will. A will cannot override them, which is why a stale designation is one of the most expensive small errors in estate work.
- Title and deed locations, including the county where each property is recorded.
- Safe deposit box bank, box number, and where the key is.
- Professional contacts — attorney, accountant, insurance agent — who already know the file.
- Digital access. Where the password manager is and who is authorised to open it.
Valuations still matter for two reasons. A federal estate tax return is required when a gross estate exceeds the filing threshold for the year of death (IRS estate tax), and most inherited property takes a basis equal to its fair market value at the date of death (IRS Publication 551), so the date-of-death value determines what heirs owe if they later sell. Survivors should also contact the Social Security Administration about survivors benefits, which are not automatic.
How often to update your financial inventory
Once a year for the numbers, and immediately for the list. Balances drift predictably and a stale balance is a small error. A missing account is a different kind of failure, because nobody can look for something they do not know about.
Annual refresh: tax season is the natural moment, since statements, 1099s and year-end values are already assembled. Event-driven updates: buying or selling property, opening or closing any account, leaving a job and moving a retirement plan, taking on or paying off a loan, starting or selling a business, marriage, divorce, a birth, or a death. Each of those changes the list itself. Re-check beneficiary designations at the same time — they are the part of the inventory that most often still names a former spouse or a deceased parent.
Keep the document somewhere two people can reach. An inventory only your household’s record-keeper can open recreates the exact problem it was written to solve.
How this calculator works
Every output on this page comes from arithmetic you can check by hand. Nothing is modelled, projected, or assumed about growth, inflation, or returns.
Show the formulas and definitions
Net worth = total assets − total liabilities.
Liquidity ratio (months of runway) = liquid assets ÷ total monthly expenses. Liquid assets here means checking, savings, money market, CDs and life insurance cash value. If monthly expenses are blank or zero the figure shows as a dash rather than a number.
Debt-to-asset ratio = total liabilities ÷ total assets.
Debt-to-income ratio = total liability balances ÷ gross annual income. This is a balance-based ratio, not the monthly payment-based ratio used in mortgage underwriting.
Reachable in 30 days = liquid assets + taxable brokerage. CDs are included even though an early withdrawal may forfeit interest. Retirement / rule-bound = 401(k), 403(b), traditional IRA, Roth IRA, HSA and 529 balances: reachable, but governed by age, purpose and penalty rules. Illiquid = real estate, vehicles, business interests, personal property, collectibles and receivables.
Tax split covers investment balances only. Taxable = taxable brokerage. Tax-deferred = 401(k)/403(b) + traditional IRA. Tax-free = Roth IRA + HSA + 529. Bank cash and life insurance cash value are excluded, as explained above.
Home equity = primary residence value − mortgage − home equity loan or HELOC, floored at zero.
Every division is guarded: a zero or blank denominator returns a dash, never a NaN or an infinite result. Entries are treated as positive amounts and capped to keep the arithmetic finite.
Frequently asked questions
What should be in a financial inventory?
A financial inventory lists every asset, every liability, and where each one is held. Assets: checking, savings, money market and CD balances, life insurance cash value, taxable brokerage accounts, 401(k) and 403(b) plans, traditional and Roth IRAs, HSAs, 529 plans, your home and any other real estate, vehicles, business ownership, and valuable personal property. Liabilities: mortgage, home equity loan or HELOC, auto loans, credit cards, personal loans, student loans, medical debt, business debt, and taxes owed. For each line, record the institution, the account or loan number, and how to reach it, because the location is the part your family cannot reconstruct on their own.
Does net worth include your home?
Yes. Net worth includes your home at its current market value, and the mortgage balance is subtracted as a liability. The difference between the two is your home equity. Many people track a second figure, liquid net worth, which excludes the residence entirely, because equity in the home you live in cannot be spent without selling, refinancing, or borrowing against the property.
Should I include my 401(k) in my net worth?
Yes. A 401(k) is an asset you own, so its balance belongs in your net worth. It is worth flagging separately, though, because the balance is pre-tax. Withdrawals from a traditional 401(k) are taxed as ordinary income, and a distribution before age 59 and a half is generally subject to an additional 10% tax unless an exception applies. A $200,000 balance is not $200,000 of spendable money.
How often should I update a financial inventory?
A full refresh once a year is the common cadence, usually alongside tax filing when statements are already in front of you. Update it immediately after any event that changes the list itself rather than just the balances: buying or selling property, opening or closing an account, changing jobs and moving a retirement plan, taking on a new loan, marriage, divorce, a birth, or a death in the family. Balances drift; the list of accounts is what goes stale in a way that matters.
What do my heirs actually need from a financial inventory?
They need to find things, not to know your net worth. The useful version lists each institution, the account or policy number, whether the account has a named beneficiary or a payable-on-death designation, where the deed and title documents are kept, who holds the will, the location of any safe deposit box and its key, and a contact for the attorney, accountant, or agent who already knows the file. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance pass outside the will, so recording them prevents an executor from assuming probate controls assets it does not.
What is the liquidity ratio on a personal balance sheet?
The liquidity ratio divides your liquid assets by your total monthly expenses, and the result is expressed in months. If you hold $30,000 in cash and cash equivalents and spend $6,000 a month, the ratio is five months of runway. It measures how long you could cover expenses without income and without selling property or tapping a retirement account. It is a different question from net worth, and a high net worth does not guarantee a high liquidity ratio.
Is a financial inventory the same as a net worth statement?
No. A net worth statement is arithmetic: assets minus liabilities. A financial inventory is the underlying document that makes the arithmetic possible and makes it useful to someone else, because it records where each account is held, its identifying number, its beneficiary designation, and how to access it. Every financial inventory produces a net worth figure. A net worth figure on its own tells your family nothing about where to look.
Is this financial inventory calculator private?
Yes. All calculation happens in your browser using JavaScript on the page. No figure you type is transmitted to a server, and the page makes no network request containing your data. If you use the optional save feature, the values are written to your browser's local storage on that device only and can be deleted with the Forget saved data button. Closing the tab without saving leaves nothing behind.
Assumptions, limitations and disclaimer
- The calculator uses only the figures you enter. It applies no growth rate, no inflation adjustment and no return assumption, and it does not project anything forward.
- It does not estimate the tax you would owe on a withdrawal. The tax split shows where balances sit, not what they would net after tax.
- Property, vehicle and business values are your estimates. A market value is not a sale price, and an illiquid asset produces no cash until a buyer completes a purchase.
- The debt-to-income figure divides total balances by gross income and is not a lender’s qualification ratio.
- Tax rules cited are federal and current as published by the IRS at the pages linked above. State treatment differs, and thresholds and ages change. Confirm anything you intend to act on.
- The page opens with example figures for illustration. They are not typical, recommended or benchmark values.
This is an estimate, not tax or legal advice. The results above are an informational illustration based on figures you supplied. They are not a quote, not an offer of insurance, and not a substitute for advice from a qualified tax professional or attorney about your own situation.