Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A calculator plus the logic behind each component: income years, debts, education and current protections.
The most straightforward method sums what your income would need to cover, then subtracts existing protections. It is not exact, nor does it need to be: term coverage comes in round-number increments, and the objective is an amount that sustains your household through the critical years.
Coverage estimate
Estimate = income × years + debts + education − what you already have, rounded to the nearest $5,000. Use this as your starting reference, not as financial counsel.
Why those inputs
Income years. Ten to twenty years of income is the standard range planners apply; the right span for you depends on how long dependents need support. Families with young children in Santee often lean toward the longer end because childcare, housing and school expenses cluster during those years.
Debts. A mortgage typically represents the largest debt for families. Coverage equal to the mortgage balance lets heirs choose whether to keep the home without money pressure.
Education. Set aside a rough per-child amount in today's money. Adding it now is simpler than buying more coverage later.
What you have. Savings available for expenses, plus group coverage from your employer. Group coverage typically ends with employment, so many count only a portion of it.
Once you settle on a target amount, the quote tool displays what different terms (10 to 30 years) cost from each carrier. Buying above the estimate is popular because the monthly cost increase is modest when you're younger.