I completed the net worth exercise on Monday. I valued my accounts, short-term liabilities, and material goods quite easily. This morning, something new crossed the net worth radar. I ran a business while in college, selling bottled beverages from my dorm refrigerator. It started out as a way to recoup the cost of the fridge and raise a little cash to cover my laundry expenses. It turned into a way for me to test my sales skills. When I graduated, I attempted to sell the business's assets (fridge and inventory) and its brand. There were no takers. Today, someone wanted to buy the brand and my advertising copy skills. I created some unique print ads and a few emails every semester. I thought these things fun and they always netted a few sales. Apparently, to this buyer, my advertising copy was the valuable part of the business.

We'll see what happens, but I think this underscores Monday's lesson: my net worth has less to do with cash than I think.