Co-Founder, TermInsuranceBrokers.com, Goldenzweig Financial Group, Las Vegas, Nevada
There's no exact figure on how much coverage someone should have and we all have our own needs and cost tolerance.
A good way to figure out how much coverage you should have is by totalling up the debts and other expenses you want to have paid off in the event you passed away suddenly (e.g. mortgage, cars, kids college expenses, credit cards, other loans, etc.). Then determine the amount of income needed for your spouse and kids if you died - this is generally around 70% of current income amount - and multiply that by the number of years you want to make sure they're taken care of at that level (e.g. 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, etc.). If you have investment income or other sources of savings, the total amount of coverage needed may vary.
This is a good starting point and should help you create an approximated figure of how much coverage you should have in place. The number of years of coverage depends on the need (some may be 15 years, some 20, some 30, etc.). You should consult with an independent life insurance broker who can work with you on a personal level to determine how much coverage you should have to meet your goals and create a suitable structure for your budget.
In many cases, you will likely need a larger amount of coverage for the next few years and less coverage down the line. For example, you can structure your coverage to have $1,000,000 of coverage for the next 20 years and have it drop down to $500,000 for years 21-30. If you need coverage for more than 30 years (most do), you should consider supplementing the term insurance coverage with a permanent insurance policy (universal life or whole life).
I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for assistance with your coverage and if you have any other questions. Thanks very much.
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A good way to figure out how much coverage you should have is by totalling up the debts and other expenses you want to have paid off in the event you passed away suddenly (e.g. mortgage, cars, kids college expenses, credit cards, other loans, etc.). Then determine the amount of income needed for your spouse and kids if you died - this is generally around 70% of current income amount - and multiply that by the number of years you want to make sure they're taken care of at that level (e.g. 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, etc.). If you have investment income or other sources of savings, the total amount of coverage needed may vary.
This is a good starting point and should help you create an approximated figure of how much coverage you should have in place. The number of years of coverage depends on the need (some may be 15 years, some 20, some 30, etc.). You should consult with an independent life insurance broker who can work with you on a personal level to determine how much coverage you should have to meet your goals and create a suitable structure for your budget.
In many cases, you will likely need a larger amount of coverage for the next few years and less coverage down the line. For example, you can structure your coverage to have $1,000,000 of coverage for the next 20 years and have it drop down to $500,000 for years 21-30. If you need coverage for more than 30 years (most do), you should consider supplementing the term insurance coverage with a permanent insurance policy (universal life or whole life).
I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for assistance with your coverage and if you have any other questions. Thanks very much.