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Home | Insurance Education | Insurance Needs Calculator | Life Insurance Calculator

How much life insurance do you need?

How much life insurance do you need? Enter your current assets, expenses, income and let us determine how much life insurance you need. You can also adjust the inflation rate and your expected rate of return to see how these variables can impact your insurance needs. Press the report button to see a year by year breakdown of your family's future income and expenses.

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Definitions

Current life insurance coverage
Total amount of life insurance coverage you currently have for yourself.

Years for insurance income to last
Number of years your spouse will need to use your insurance proceeds to provide for living expenses and income.

Inflation rate
What you expect for the average long-term inflation rate. This has been calculated by the Consumer Price Index from 1925 to 2002 to be 3.1%. Your total expenses are increased by this rate for each year you require income. The income you would receive from your life insurance policy is used to cover any shortfalls between your expected income from all sources and your expenses.

Return on investments
The annual rate of return for your investments. The actual rate of return is largely dependant on the type of investments you select. The actual rate of return is largely dependant on the type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December 2003, the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.7% per year. During this period, the highest 12-month return was 64%, and the lowest was -39%. Savings accounts at a bank pay as little as 1% or less. It is important to remember that future rates of return can't be predicted with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return are subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your investment.

Income tax
This is your income tax rate. Changing this rate only affects your interest income from your investments. All other income and expenses should be entered on an after tax basis.

Cash and savings
Total you have in cash, checking accounts, savings accounts or other accounts that can be used to help cover expenses.

Home equity
Total amount of equity in your home that you are willing to use toward your living expenses. Only include the home equity that you consider available to use toward your living expenses. For example, the equity you would make available by selling your home and moving into a smaller one.

Investments
Total value of all investments that you are willing to use toward your living expenses.

Other
Any other assets that you