The total should approximate the amount of life insurance you need. Now that we have an idea of how much to buy we get to answer the question of what kind to buy. Here's where it gets tricky. It used to be that you bought a specific amount of insurance for a set period of time by paying a known premium. This is called 'term insurance'.
Term insurance is simple.
It's also the lowest cost insurance when you're young. But it does have some drawbacks. The first problem is that it will cost more to buy the same insurance as you get older. That only makes sense. Each year the odds go up that you'll die and your Dearly Beloved will collect from the insurance company.