Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
A tool plus the thinking behind it: years of income, outstanding debts, what schooling might cost, and what you already have set aside.
Add everything your income would have covered and remove anything already in place. This math is rough, and it doesn't have to be perfect: term life is sold in round dollar amounts anyway, and your real goal is a number that steadies your household for the critical years.
Coverage estimate
Start with: income × years of coverage + outstanding debts + kids' schooling − savings and group coverage, rounded up to $5,000. This is a starting point, not advice.
Why those inputs
Years of wage replacement. Financial advisors typically suggest ten to twenty years; the exact amount depends on when your dependents become self-sufficient. A Camarillo family with young children usually opts for the longer span since schooling, childcare, and a place to live all cost the most during the same window.
Loans and balances. Your largest debt is probably your home. A payout large enough to eliminate the mortgage gives survivors the option to stay without financial pressure forcing them elsewhere.
Schooling. Set aside an amount per child in today's dollars. It's quicker to account for education now than to add another policy down the road.
What's already yours. Bank accounts that could be spent down, and employer-provided coverage. Employer plans typically end if you leave the job, so many people count only part of it.
Once you have your target number, head to the quote tool to see what that amount runs for different terms from 10 to 30 years. Most people choose a bit more than their estimate because the premium jump is tiny at younger ages.