Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A tool plus the thinking behind it: income years, debts, education, and what you already have.
The standard approach: tally what your paycheck could have provided, then subtract existing assets. It's not exact, but it doesn't need to be. Term coverage comes in round numbers, and the goal is enough to keep the household stable through the hardest years.
Coverage estimate
Coverage = (annual income × years) + debts + schooling − savings and group plan, rounded to the nearest $5,000. This is a starting point only.
Why those inputs
Income years. Between ten and twenty years is the range most use. How long your dependents need support is the deciding factor. In the South Bay, families with young kids often go longer because housing, childcare and school costs all peak together.
Debts. Mortgage is typically the largest. Coverage that clears it lets the family choose whether to stay without being forced by cash pressure.
Education. A per-child amount in today's cost. It's easier to include now than to buy more insurance later.
What you have. Cash set aside for emergencies and employer coverage. Remember that job coverage usually ends when employment does, so many count only part of it.
Once you have a figure in mind, the quote tool shows prices for 10–30 years from every carrier. Many choose slightly more than the estimate because the extra monthly cost is small at younger ages.