Key in your numbers to find out how much life insurance coverage you need to consider.

Financial Need Analysis

DIME-based estimate • California planning assumptions

Life Insurance Need Retirement Gap Emergency Fund

Income Replacement & One-Time Needs

Annual income to replace

$

Years to replace

Inflation

%

Expected net return

%

Final expenses

$

Mortgage / debts to pay off

$

College fund (total)

$

Existing Assets & Benefits

Savings / investments earmarked

$

Current life insurance

$

Annual survivor benefits (SS)

$

Other guaranteed survivor income

$

Reset Calculate Need

This calculator follows the DIME method—Debt, Income, Mortgage, Education—to estimate how much life insurance a California family should carry. It adds (1) outstanding debts and final expenses, (2) the present value of the income your household would need for a chosen number of years, (3) the remaining mortgage balance you want paid off, and (4) education funding for kids. Then it subtracts what you already have—savings/investments, existing life insurance, and any survivor benefits (e.g., Social Security)—to arrive at a clean coverage target (rounded to the nearest $1,000). The present-value math uses a real discount rate (expected return minus inflation), so you’re funding tomorrow’s needs with today’s dollars realistically.

This is an educational estimate. For final decisions, review with a licensed California agent/planner and consider health, insurability, and budget. If you’d like, I can load these exact numbers into the widget defaults for you.