Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A tool and the thinking behind it: how many income years to replace, what debts matter, education costs, and what coverage already exists.
A common approach is to estimate what your income would have supported, then subtract what you already have in place. It does not need to be exact: term policies come in round numbers, and the goal is a figure that would keep things stable for the years that matter most.
Coverage estimate
Estimate = annual income × years of need + existing debts + education costs − savings and group coverage, rounded up to the nearest $5,000. This is a starting point, not professional advice.
Why those inputs
Income years. Most planners suggest ten to twenty years of replacement income; the right number depends on how long dependents would need support. Delano households with young children often pick the longer end because childcare, housing, and school costs overlap.
Debts. A mortgage is usually the biggest debt for families. Coverage large enough to clear it lets your family decide about the home based on what they want, not based on cash flow pressure.
Education. Budget some amount per child in today's dollars. Building it into your coverage now is simpler than adding another policy later.
What you have. Include savings you could tap and employer-provided group coverage. Note that group coverage usually ends when the job does, so many people count only a fraction of it.
Once you have a target amount, the quote tool lets you see what coverage at that level costs across 10 to 30 years. Buying more is often practical because the monthly difference is small at younger ages.