Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A computational tool plus the thinking behind it: years of wages, major debts, education funding, and what you've already arranged.
The standard approach is total potential income support minus existing resources. The result doesn't need perfect precision: term coverage comes in standard amounts, and the goal is enough to keep your family stable through the critical years.
Coverage estimate
Calculation: (annual income × years covered) + major debts + education expenses − existing resources, rounded to the nearest $5,000. This is a starting estimate, not personalized guidance.
Why those inputs
Income years. Planners usually suggest ten to twenty years of income replacement; what works best depends on how long your dependents need support. In Milpitas, households with younger children frequently pick the longer range because costs for childcare, housing and school coincide.
Loans and mortgages. The largest debt for most households is a home loan. Coverage that settles the mortgage keeps survivors with choices instead of financial pressure.
School costs. A rough estimate per child in today's money. It's faster to include it here than to purchase another policy later.
Your reserves. Liquid savings available for living costs and employment benefits through your company. Most group policies end when employment ends, so treating the entire group benefit as permanent often overstates your real safety net.
Once you know the right amount, the quote tool reveals what different terms and coverage levels cost across carriers. Purchasing more than your estimate is typical; at younger ages the per-month increase is small.