How Much Life Insurance Does Clark Howard Recommend? 
I had to do a little research on this guy . Looks like he has a radio show talking about Financial Services and everything in between . With some digging , I found this statement on his website : Life insurance is meant to replace your income . My rule of thumb is to buy an amount equal to 10 times your annual salary . His website is : WEBSITELINK where I found the answer . On that note , realize he is saying `` a rule of thumb '' which I tend to agree with by the way if I am just casually talking to someone about Life Insurance and how much you need . I do prefer to get into specifics with your situation , which any agent/broker should do for you , to determine what you need to cover like your biggest deb , your mortgage to replacing income and for how long . A thought is to replace income to retirement age -LRB- age 65 , 70 , etc. -RRB- as at this time , you do not earn income any more . Hope this helps . Please consider talking to a local agent or feel free to reach out to me . 