Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
Review your coverage goals plus the logic behind each: protection period, financial obligations, schooling support, and coverage you currently have in place.
Take what your work earned and subtract what you already have protected. Precision isn't necessary: people choose coverage in $5,000 steps, and the goal is sufficient protection during the years that matter.
Coverage estimate
Sum = (what you earn per year × years of support needed) + total debts + future school costs − coverage you currently own, rounded to the closest $5,000. Treat this as a first approximation, not guidance.
Why those inputs
Income years. Ten to twenty years is what most financial experts suggest; the right choice depends on how many years dependents would need money. In Watsonville especially, families raising small children commonly select longer terms due to overlapping costs for child support, schools and housing.
Debts. A home loan is typically the largest debt. Sufficient coverage to pay down the mortgage gives the surviving family choices rather than forcing them into financial necessity.
Education. Plan for per-child expenses in current dollars. It's more efficient to include this now than to purchase extra insurance later.
Current protection. This means liquid savings and coverage offered by your job. Since job-provided plans end when work ends, several people only include a fraction.
Pick an amount and use our quoting tool to see pricing across multiple years with various companies. Opting for slightly more is quite typical because the added cost is minimal when you're younger.