Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A calculator helping you figure out the right benefit, with guides on how many years to cover, which debts matter, education costs, and existing insurance.
Add up what your income currently covers for your family, subtract savings and any existing insurance you have, and round to the nearest $5,000. You don't need exact math—term coverage comes in round numbers anyway, and you want a figure that lets your household maintain stability if your income stops.
Coverage estimate
Estimate = (income per year × years needed) + debts + education goal − savings you have − group coverage, then round to $5,000. This is a starting point.
Why those inputs
Years of replacement income. The standard span is 10 to 20 years of your salary; pick based on how long your dependents need support. Families with young kids in Vista often go with 20 or 25 years because the major costs—daycare, housing, school—all happen in that window.
Liabilities. Most households' largest debt is their home loan. Having coverage to clear a mortgage keeps your family from losing the house to forced sale.
College or training costs. Budget per child for education in today's money. Adding it to your calculation now is easier than buying more insurance later.
What's already in place. Cash savings your family can tap, plus any life coverage from your job. Remember that employer coverage usually ends when you leave the job, so don't count all of it.
After you calculate a target amount, head to the quote tool to see what different term lengths cost across multiple companies. Most people buy modestly above their calculated need because the extra premium is usually affordable earlier in life.