Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A calculator and the logic that drives it: the years your income is essential, any debts to address, education costs, and what you've already put aside.
A widely-used approach is to total the years of income your family would need and remove what you already have saved. This does not have to be exact, nor should it be: term policies come in round increments, and the real target is an amount that maintains your household's standard of living through the critical years.
Coverage estimate
Estimate = (income × years) + debts + education − existing savings and coverage, then round to the nearest $5,000. This is a helpful framework, not personalized guidance.
Why those inputs
Years of income. Most professionals suggest ten to twenty years of earnings; the right amount depends on when your dependents become self-reliant. A household in the South Bay with young kids often picks the longer end because childcare, rent, and school bills all come due at the same time.
Debts. For most households, a mortgage is the largest. Having coverage that could pay it off gives your family the option to remain in their home without money pressure.
Education. A ballpark figure per child using current costs. Building it in now is simpler than layering another policy on top later.
What you have in place. Liquid savings and any group policy from your employer. Since employer coverage often stops when employment does, most people include only part of it in their tally.
Once you settle on an amount, the quote tool displays what each carrier charges for that benefit across 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years. It's typical to purchase a bit more than your estimate because the cost per month is usually modest when you're younger.