Two people both earn 40 triệu/month. The first lives in a rented home, rides a motorbike, but has 500 triệu in savings and investments. The second drives a financed car, lives in an apartment with an outstanding mortgage, and carries tens of millions in credit card debt. Who is wealthier? The answer doesn't lie in their salary or what's visible — it lies in a number few people calculate: net worth.
What is net worth?
Net worth is the amount of money left if you sold everything you own and paid off all your debts:
> Net worth = Total assets − Total debts
This is the most honest measure of financial health, because it doesn't care how much you earn, but how much you keep. Salary is the flow; net worth is the water level remaining in the reservoir.
How to calculate it in 15 minutes
Step 1 — List your assets (things with monetary value):
- Cash, account balances, savings deposits
- Investment value: stocks, fund certificates, bonds
- Gold, foreign currency
- Real estate (at current actual selling price)
- Vehicles (at resale value, not purchase price)
- Money others owe you (that can realistically be collected)
Step 2 — List your debts (what you currently owe):
- Outstanding home loan, car loan balance
- Credit card balance, consumer loans
- Loans from relatives, other debts
Step 3 — Subtract debts from assets. The result can be positive or negative — and that's completely normal in the early stages.
Example illustration
| Assets | Amount | Debts | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposits | 120 triệu | Home loan (outstanding) | 800 triệu |
| Fund certificates | 80 triệu | Car loan (outstanding) | 150 triệu |
| Apartment (market price) | 1,900 triệu | Credit card | 20 triệu |
| Motorbike | 30 triệu | ||
| Total assets | 2,130 triệu | Total debts | 970 triệu |
→ Net worth = 2,130 − 970 = 1,160 triệu đồng.
A negative number isn't scary — a stagnant number is
Young people who just bought a home often have negative net worth, and that's perfectly fine. What matters isn't today's number, but the trend over time. A net worth that increases steadily quarter after quarter shows you're heading in the right direction — even if you started from negative. Conversely, high earners whose net worth stays flat year after year are showing signs that money is "flowing through their hands" rather than staying put.
Make it a tracking habit
- Measure quarterly (once every 3 months is sufficient). Record it in a simple file to see the trend line.
- Focus on two levers: increase assets (save and invest consistently) and reduce debt (prioritize paying off high-interest debt). Every action pushes the number upward.
- Don't count depreciating items as wealth-building assets: vehicles and phones lose value over time. They still belong in your calculation, but don't mistake them for things that make you wealthy.
- Compare with yourself last quarter, not with others. This is your own race.
Want to track your net worth and growth rate over time? Use [Sirifin's savings goal calculator](/vi/calculators/savings-goal), or ask the [AI advisor](/vi/ai-advisor) to learn whether you should prioritize increasing assets or reducing debt first in your situation.
Content is for informational and financial education purposes, not investment advice.