How Much Life Insurance Do I Need In Retirement? 
I have helped many people purchase substantial amount of life insurance in their retirement years . Here are some examples . One gentleman used it to maximize his pension distribution . When he retired , he took the distribution option from his pension plan that gave him the highest monthly income . However , because he chose that option , the distribution would last for his life only . It would not be passed on to his wife , should he predecease her . So , he took out life insurance to pick up the difference . When he passed away , the pension distribution stopped , but the life insurance benefit was paid so that his wife could continue to receive money . She was able to maintain her quality-of-life . Another gentleman was technically retired , but decided to start a business . He had many contacts , some ready capital , and time . Thats a good start for any entrepreneur :-RRB- Nonetheless , he did need a bank loan to jumpstart the enterprise . The bank required a life insurance policy to a indemnify the debt . So he purchased one . A couple were both retired , and heavily involved in volunteer work . There were a number of charitable organizations close to their heart . They wanted these causes to remain viable long into the future . So they purchased life insurance policies for the benefit of these charities . Yet another couple had a sizable estate . When they both passed on , Uncle Sam would come in and demand a huge amount of estate taxes to be paid . They had accumulated a number of business and personal assets , and there was no way they wanted their children to liquidate these just to pay the taxman . So they bought life insurance to take care of the tax obligation , and were able to pass on the assets intact to their heirs . I have met a number of retired couples who bought life insurance for the benefit of their adult children . Unfortunately , these children had become divorced and ended up back in the nest , at least temporarily . Once again , they had become financially dependent on their parents . Mom and Dad then took out policies to make sure that should their children tragically lose them , money would still be available to help to them get back on to their own two feet . And you thought your days of owning life insurance were over , didnt you ? :-RRB- 