Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A formula and the reasoning: the income years to replace, debts to clear, education to fund, and assets you have in place.
Add together what your income currently supports and subtract what you already have in place. It won't be perfect, and perfection isn't necessary: life insurance policies come in increments, and the goal is simply a sum that would keep your household on track through the years that matter most.
Coverage estimate
Estimate = salary × replacement years + debts + college costs − savings and employer coverage, rounded to $5,000 increments. It's a starting point only, not a recommendation.
Why those inputs
Income replacement period. Advisors typically suggest ten to twenty years of income; the right length depends on your dependents' ages and needs. Families with younger children in Turlock may lean toward the longer duration since costs for care, housing, and schools cluster in those same years.
Liabilities and loans. For most households, a home mortgage is the single largest debt. Protection sufficient to pay off the mortgage gives your family the freedom to decide their next steps, rather than being forced by financial pressure.
Schooling. Set aside a rough per-child amount in today's dollars. Including education costs now keeps you from needing to add another policy down the road.
What you already have. Cash reserves available and employer-provided group insurance both count. Keep in mind that employer coverage typically stops when employment ends, so consider using only a fraction of your group benefit in the calculation.
Once you've settled on a target amount, the quote tool will show what that coverage costs for 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years with each available carrier. Most people find that buying slightly more than their baseline estimate makes sense because the extra monthly cost stays small when you're younger.