Protection

Life Insurance Needs

Skip the rule-of-thumb "10× salary" guesses. Add up what your family actually needs to be OK if you're not around — income, debts, kids, college, final expenses.

Build your number

Each line adds to your total recommended coverage.

Income replacement

Annual income

Years of income to replace % of income survivors actually need

Discount rate (real return)

%/yr

Debts to clear

Mortgage

Other debts (CC, auto, student)

Children & education

Number of children Annual cost per child until 18

Avg years of support remaining College fund per child

Final expenses & existing coverage

Funeral / end-of-life expenses

Liquid savings & investments already available

Existing life insurance coverage

Recommended coverage

Coverage you need

—

Income replacement

—

Debt payoff

—

Children's costs

—

Final expenses

—

Less: assets & existing coverage

—

Cross-check vs rules of thumb

7× income (low end)

—

10× income (high end)

—

Itemized math is more accurate than multiples — but if your itemized number falls between 7× and 10× income, you're in the typical range.

Keep going

College Savings

Plan college funding while you're around — and make sure it's covered if you're not.

Long-term goals→

Net Worth

The assets & debts that feed into your insurance need — keep them in sync.

Big picture→