Life insurance
Life
Term, whole life, and coverage tied to a mortgage or a business.
Life insurance is the one line where the right answer is usually the boring one: enough term to cover the mortgage, the income, and the years until the kids are grown.
It is also the easiest policy to put off. A short conversation now is cheaper than the same conversation in ten years, because the premium is set by your age and health on the day you apply.
The checklist
What gets confirmed on a life policy
Term length matched to the obligation
The term should outlast the mortgage and the youngest child's dependency, not end five years short of it.
Face amount against income replacement
Cover the debt, then the income the household would lose.
Beneficiaries reviewed
Out-of-date beneficiary designations override your will. Worth checking after any marriage, divorce, or birth.
Key person and buy-sell coverage
If a business does not survive losing one person, that is a life insurance problem.
Common questions
Life questions we get asked
Term or whole life?
For most families with a mortgage and children at home, term does the job for a fraction of the cost. Whole life has a place in estate and business planning. The honest answer depends on what the money is for.
How much life insurance do I actually need?
Start with the mortgage and any other debt, then add several years of income replacement. It is a fifteen-minute conversation, not a sales presentation.