Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A calculator plus the reasoning: income years, debts, education and what you've already set aside.
The standard approach: tally your income obligations and subtract existing resources. It's approximate by design—term amounts round to nice numbers, and you're aiming to sustain a household, not calculate to the penny.
Coverage estimate
Estimate = income × years + debts + school bills − current assets, rounded to $5,000. Beginning point, not guidance.
Why those inputs
Years of income. Ten to twenty years is typical; your number depends on how long dependents will draw income. Families with young kids in San Jose often lean toward the longer span because costs for care, housing and schools bunch together.
Debts. A mortgage tops the list for most households. If coverage erases it, survivors keep the house and keep control of their future.
Schooling. A ballpark per-child sum in current dollars. Adding it now is simpler than wrapping a second policy later.
What you own. Money in the bank and employer coverage. Employer plans typically lapse when employment ends, so most people count a portion only.
Once you know your number, the quote tool shows what that coverage runs for 10 to 30 years from each carrier. Most people buy somewhat more than their estimate because monthly costs are modest when you're younger.