Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A calculator and the ideas behind it: how many years of income to protect, major debts, education funding, and what coverage you already own.
The straightforward approach: estimate years of income (we'll explain), add the debts that matter most, add what education might cost, then subtract what you already have in place. Round to the nearest $5,000. The point isn't precision—it's a number large enough to protect your household for the years when it matters most.
Coverage estimate
Quick formula: (annual income × number of years) + debts + education costs − current coverage and savings, rounded to $5,000. This is a starting point for your thinking, not professional advice.
Why those inputs
Income years. Planners typically look at 10 to 20 years of income as the target period; the specific number depends on how long your family would need financial support after you. Families in La Puente with young children generally go with the longer end of that range because costs for childcare, housing, and school all peak at the same time.
Debts. The biggest one for most households is the mortgage. Insurance proceeds sufficient to pay it off keep the family home in reach as an option, rather than forcing a sale due to lost income.
Education. A ballpark figure per child, in today's costs. It's simpler to include it in your initial calculation than to buy another policy years from now.
What you have. Savings you could use, and group life coverage provided by an employer. Group coverage stops if the job ends, so many people don't count it fully.
Once you know how much you need, use the quote tool to compare prices for 10 through 30 years across all carriers. Many people buy a bit more than their calculation because the monthly cost difference is small at younger ages.