Worked example (Nairobi salaried professional, 2026)
A 32-year-old Nairobi professional, three years into a KES 180,000-net role, might look like this:
- Assets: M-PESA balance KES 40,000, bank current KES 120,000, SACCO deposits KES 350,000, MMF (CIC / Sanlam) KES 220,000, employer pension vested KES 480,000, second-hand Vitz KES 750,000, laptop / gear KES 90,000. Total assets: KES 2,050,000.
- Liabilities: SACCO loan outstanding KES 210,000, car loan outstanding KES 480,000, KCB M-PESA outstanding KES 15,000, Fuliza rolling KES 3,000. Total liabilities: KES 708,000.
- Net worth: KES 1,342,000. If last quarter was KES 1,225,000, the KES 117,000 delta over 90 days is the honest signal of whether the choices are compounding, not the payslip.
How it is calculated
Net worth = total assets, total liabilities. Assets use realistic resale value today (not purchase price, not insured value). Liabilities use current outstanding principal (not the original loan amount). We do not apply any discount factor to future pension or other locked-up assets; use the latest vested statement value directly.
Why track net worth
Net worth is the single best one-number summary of your financial situation. Income measures cash flow but not wealth, savings rate measures behaviour but not outcome, net worth measures outcome over time. Plot it quarterly and you see whether your choices compound positively.
How to value each line item
- Cash and M-PESA: current balance
- Savings: bank account balances plus SACCO front-office balance
- Investments: market value of NSE shares, money market fund balance, treasury bill face value
- Property: realistic resale value (not what you paid, not what you hope it sells for, the price you would actually accept today)
- Vehicles: realistic second-hand value, not insured value
- Loans: outstanding principal, not original amount
- Credit cards / mobile loans: current balance owed, including any Fuliza outstanding
What to do with the result
A negative net worth means you owe more than you own, common in early career and during a mortgage. Track the trend, not the absolute number. If net worth is rising over a 12-month period, your behaviour is working.