Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A tool and the logic driving it: years of income replacement, outstanding debts, education, and current assets.
A common starting point: calculate what your future earnings would have covered, then deduct existing resources. Precision is unnecessary; term coverage is purchased in round figures, and your target is simply enough to sustain your household through the critical years.
Coverage estimate
Rough estimate: (income × years) + debts + education costs − existing assets, rounded to the nearest $5,000. This is a starting point only, not guidance.
Why those inputs
Income years. Ten to twenty years spans the typical planning horizon; your pick hinges on how long your dependents need your income. La Verne families with young kids frequently opt for the full term since schooling, childcare, and housing expenses cluster in those years.
Debts. For most families, a mortgage is the biggest liability. A death benefit sufficient to pay it off allows survivors to remain in the home by choice, not necessity.
Education. Budget a basic amount per child in current dollars. Including it now beats purchasing extra coverage afterward.
What you have. Savings available to draw on, and employer group policies. Since group coverage typically stops at job change, people often count only a fraction of it.
Once you know your target amount, visit the quote tool to see costs across 10 to 30-year terms from all carriers. Many choose slightly more coverage than their estimate, as the added monthly cost is modest early on.