Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A tool and the reasoning behind it: income years, debts, education costs and existing protection.
The common approach: add what your household income could support, subtract existing resources, round to a neat five-thousand-dollar increment. It's not meant to be exact—term amounts are sold in round numbers, and the goal is steadying the household for years that matter most.
Coverage estimate
Start with: annual income times years of support, plus debts and education costs, subtract current savings and workplace group coverage, rounded up to fifty-thousand-dollar increment. This is a rough starting point only, not professional guidance.
Why those inputs
Income years. Planners commonly suggest ten to twenty years of income; the right span depends on how long dependents need cash flow. A Menlo Park family with young children often picks the longer end since childcare, housing and schools cost peak simultaneously.
Debts. The biggest debt for most households is the mortgage. Having enough coverage to eliminate it lets survivors pick their path forward rather than being pushed by monthly payments.
Education. Set aside a rough amount per child in current dollars. Working this in now beats adding another policy down the road.
What you already have. Available savings and workplace group life insurance. Group coverage stops when employment ends, so many include just a fraction of it in their count.
Once you have a target amount, the quote tool will show monthly costs for 10 through 30 years from each carrier. Buying modestly above your estimate is routine because the monthly payment difference is minimal when you're younger.