Free tool · your numbers stay on your device
How much life insurance is enough?
Start with DIME: your debts, the income to replace, the mortgage, and education costs. Add them up and you have a starting-point number. Bring that number to a conversation with an agent. It is the beginning of the discussion, not the answer.
Free consultation. No obligation to enroll.
- DIME method, explained
- A starting point, not a sales pitch
- Everything runs on your device
- From a licensed NC agent
Credit cards, car loans, everything except the mortgage.
The income your family would lose.
Until the kids are grown is a common yardstick.
What is still owed on the home loan.
College or training costs you want covered.
- Starting-point coverage
- $935,000
- Income replacement
- $650,00010 years
| Letter | Means | Your number |
|---|---|---|
| D | Debts, mortgage excluded | $15,000 |
| I | Income replacement | $650,000 |
| M | Mortgage balance | $220,000 |
| E | Education costs | $50,000 |
The math, in plain English
D is debt: everything owed except the mortgage. I is income: yearly income times the years your family needs it. M is mortgage: the balance still owed. E is education: future school costs you want covered.
The four numbers add up to one starting point. It is deliberately simple. The gaps stay visible: existing savings, a working spouse, current policies, and final expenses are not in the sum.
The number also says nothing about the type of coverage. Term covers a set number of years for less. Permanent lasts a lifetime for more. Which fits is a conversation, not a calculation.
Christian BrinkleyNC Life & Health · Greensboro, NC
Have your starting number? Let us talk it through
I am a licensed insurance agent (NC Life & Health) in Greensboro. A free 20-minute call turns your DIME number into a real plan for your family.
Free consultation in person or by phone. It’s me who answers. Calls and appointments 9am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday, Eastern time.
Questions go directly to Christian Brinkley in Greensboro, NC at (919) 408-6671. They are not sold to other agents.