Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A simple calculator walks through the four pieces: income years, debts, education, and what you already have.
The simple formula: your income times years of support, plus debts, plus education costs, minus savings and current coverage, rounded to the nearest $50,000. The math is approximate since coverage is sold in round amounts, and the goal is simply to keep your household secure during your earning years.
Coverage estimate
Quick formula: income × years + debts + education costs − existing savings and coverage = a ballpark. Round to the nearest $50,000. This is a starting point, not personalized advice.
Why those inputs
Income years. Most planning uses 10 to 20 years of income as the protection window. The right choice depends on how long your dependents would need financial support. Families in Pleasant Hill with young children often lean toward 20 or 25 years because housing costs, childcare, and school expenses all peak in the same years.
Debts. For most families, mortgage debt is the largest obligation. Coverage sufficient to pay off your mortgage lets your family make decisions freely rather than forcing a sale.
Education. Budget a round amount per child in today's dollars. It is easier to include it now than to buy an additional policy years later.
What you have. Savings available for emergencies, plus any group life coverage from your job. Group coverage ends if the job ends, so many people count half of it or none.
When you have a coverage goal in mind, use the quote tool to see what that amount costs for terms ranging from 10 to 30 years across all carriers. People frequently buy more than their target amount because monthly rates are quite reasonable in younger years.