Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A calculator and the thinking behind it: years of income, debts, education, and what you already have.
The most common way is to add what your income would have covered and subtract what's already in place. It's not exact, and it doesn't need to be: term coverage comes in round numbers, and the goal is an amount that keeps your household stable during the years when it counts most.
Coverage estimate
Estimated need = (annual income × years needed) + outstanding debts + education costs − existing coverage (rounded to nearest $5,000). Think of it as a starting place, not professional guidance.
Why those inputs
Income years. Ten to twenty years of income is what most planners use; you pick based on how long your dependents need support. In Anaheim, a household with young children often goes for the longer end since childcare, housing, and school expenses peak at the same time.
Debts. A mortgage is the biggest one for most families. If your coverage would pay it off, your survivors get to decide their next move instead of having money push them out.
Education. A reasonable amount per child, in today's dollars. It's simpler to add it now than to get another policy later on.
What you have. Cash in the bank that could be used, and group coverage from an employer. Group coverage usually goes away when the job does, so most people count just part of it.
Once you have a number, the quote tool shows what that amount costs for 10 to 30 years with each carrier. Some people buy slightly more than the estimate because the monthly cost difference is small when you're younger.