Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A tool for estimating coverage: walk through income duration, debts, education funding, and existing policies to find your target.
The typical approach: tally what your income would support, subtract coverage already held, and round the result. Exactness is unnecessary; term policies come in round figures, and the goal is stability during the years that count.
Coverage estimate
Formula: income × years + debts + education − existing coverage, rounded to the nearest $5,000. Use it as a benchmark only.
Why those inputs
Income duration. Planners typically recommend ten to twenty years; pick based on how long survivors need your income. Sunnyvale families with young children often select the higher end because childcare, housing and schooling costs concentrate during these same years.
Outstanding debt. A mortgage is the biggest for most households. Enough coverage to settle it allows survivors to stay or leave as they choose, rather than being forced by finances.
Schooling costs. Budget roughly per child in current dollars. Including education funding now avoids buying a second policy later.
Existing coverage. Count liquid savings and employer group coverage. Group policies often terminate with employment, so most households count only a fraction.
Once you have your target, the quote tool reveals carrier pricing for your amount across 10 to 30 years. Opting for slightly more coverage is typical because the monthly premium increase is modest at younger ages.