How much life insurance is enough?

Life insurance is personal. No one answer will be appropriate for everyone. At The Slocum Agency Inc. in Warwick, RI, we treat each customer as an individual with individual needs. As independent agents, we can offer more choices and, by getting to know you, we can make sure that you get exactly what you need at a price you can afford to pay. 

To answer the question of how much life insurance is enough, you have to understand what life insurance does and what it can do for those who survive you. Many factors go into making the decision about how much life insurance to buy and at what time in your life. 

Life insurance isn’t really about you. While some policies do have a cash value and thus are a way to save, that is not why most people purchase life insurance. Most insurance is purchased to protect the people who count on you. 

When you are young, most likely no one is dependent on your income. You may have a few bills, but you have minimal requirements for life insurance. If you get some as a benefit of your employment, it is likely enough to cover any debt you have.

Once you have a wife and children, a mortgage, and looming college, you need to think a lot more seriously about exactly how much life insurance you need. You need approximately seven to ten years of your income in life insurance to keep your family supported without you. Of course, you need to be able to afford that amount of insurance and that requires a serious discussion with your independent insurance agent. 

At The Slocum Agency Inc. in Warwick, RI, making sure that our customers are satisfied with the products we have to offer is our main goal. If you are ready to discuss your life insurance, we are ready to help.