Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A calculator, plus the logic: years of income, outstanding debts, education costs, and existing assets.
A standard approach: sum what your earnings support, then deduct what you already have in place. It doesn't have to be exact; term insurance is priced in round increments, and the aim is a total amount sufficient to sustain your household through the critical years.
Coverage estimate
(Income × Years) + Debts + Education − What You Have, rounded to the nearest $5,000. This is a starting point only, not a recommendation.
Why those inputs
Income years. The typical recommendation spans ten to twenty years, determined by how long your family will depend on your income. Santee families with young children frequently select the upper range because childcare, schooling and housing expenses converge during peak years.
Debts. A home loan represents the heaviest obligation for most households. Choosing a benefit that would retire it gives your family the freedom to stay or move without financial pressure forcing the choice.
Education. Set aside a rough per-child figure in current dollars. Including it now is simpler than purchasing additional coverage later.
What you have. Liquid savings and employer-provided group life. Group coverage frequently expires upon job departure, so many include only a portion in their calculation.
Once you've calculated your target, the quote tool displays costs for coverage levels spanning 10 to 30 years across all carriers. Many people choose coverage exceeding their estimate because the added premium is modest when you're young.