Assets minus liabilities, the one number that describes a household’s finances. List items as "label, amount" per line on each side — accounts, funds, property on one side; mortgages, loans, credit-card balances on the other.
The debt-to-asset ratio comes along: below 50% is comfortable, above that and the balance sheet is doing most of its work with other people’s money.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as an asset?
Anything with a market value you could realistically sell: deposits, funds, stocks, property, a car (at resale value, not purchase price). Personal-use items worth little resell are usually left out.
How often should I compute it?
Quarterly is plenty — the number moves with markets, and tracking it daily turns investing into anxiety.
中文说明
资产减负债，一个数字概括家庭财务。两边逐行列 "名称, 金额"——一边是存款、基金、房产，另一边是房贷、车贷、信用卡。
顺带算出资产负债率：低于 50% 算稳健，再高就是在大量借别人的钱做事了。
常见问题
什么算资产？
任何有市价、现实可变现的东西：存款、基金、股票、房产、汽车（按残值而非购入价）。几乎卖不掉的私人物品通常不计。
多久算一次？
每季度足够——数字随市场波动，天天盯只会徒增焦虑。