Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A tool for calculating your needs plus the logic underlying it: duration of income support, debt repayment, educational funding, and existing protection.
A straightforward approach: total what your income would replace, subtract existing coverage you already have. The outcome doesn't have to be exact—term policies come in round-number amounts, and the target is enough to stabilize your household during the years when support matters most.
Coverage estimate
Calculation: (income × years) + debts + education costs − current assets, then round to the nearest $5,000. This serves as a starting framework, not personalized guidance.
Why those inputs
Income years. Financial professionals typically recommend coverage spanning 10 to 20 years; the appropriate duration reflects how long dependents will need money. In Napa, families with young kids frequently extend to the longer range because childcare, housing and education expenses tend to cluster in the same period.
Debts. A home loan typically represents the largest obligation. Having coverage to pay off your mortgage gives your family the choice to keep their home without financial pressure.
Education. Budget a baseline amount per dependent, calculated in current dollars. Including this now avoids needing to buy additional insurance later.
What you have. Funds in savings available for use, and any group life coverage from your employer. Bear in mind that employer-provided coverage typically ends when your employment ends, so many people count only a portion of it.
Once you've settled on an amount, use the quote tool to discover the monthly cost for 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30-year terms from every available carrier. Many people increase their initial estimate slightly because the monthly cost difference is modest when you're younger.