How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

Enough to protect your family –

and your assets.

How much life insurance do you need? This question requires careful consideration. First, ask yourself:
"If I died tomorrow, how much money would my family need?"

Life insurance reduces risk and provides security for yourself and your family's future. To know how much insurance you need, you'll need to consider your lifestyle and what the possible risks that could affect it. When calculating how much life insurance you need, consider the following:

• Estate Expenses
• Funeral Expenses
• Mortgage
• Loans and Debts
• Replacing Annual Income (number of years?)
• Children's education
• Resources available at death: Savings, Stocks, Mutual Funds, Retirement Funds, Life Insurance, and Other Assets

When you think of insurance, the first that comes to mind is auto and home insurance. Replacement of these assets in the event of damage can be very costly. Most people hold auto and home insurance policies.

Life insurance is essential to many families, giving extra security if the unthinkable should happen. The loss of a breadwinner is devastating enough, without having the added stress of worrying about how to cover the bills and mortgage.

Other types of insurance are equally important. Life events such as illness, accidental injury, loss of employment income, or a death in the family can affect family security. Yet these potential risks to your lifestyle can be reduced by the right insurance planning.

Changes in lifestyle also determine the types and amount of insurance you need. The amount of life insurance that you have will likely change throughout your life, depending on your life circumstances. Some of these changes might be getting married, starting a family, changing jobs or preparing for unexpected events.

Should you have Term, Universal Life, and Permanent Life Insurance? More information on the three types of life insurance . . .

To meet modern trends, life insurance providers also offer to act as an investment vehicle, building up a sum of extra equity over the lifetime of the policy. This can be withdrawn or borrowed against, and usually offers a tax-free sum on retirement or death.

Deciding on an amount of life insurance you should have requires careful consideration. A Financial Advisor can help you determine just how much insurance you need based on your age, your income, family circumstances and obligations, assets owned, and debts owed.