How it works
Here is how a careful producer works. The Check works the same way.
Map the household
Who earns the money. Who counts on it. What the family owes. How long money must last. No product talk yet.
Size the need
Add debts and income years. Add the mortgage and school costs. Then subtract what you have. The gap is the number that matters.
Match the kind. Check the details.
The need points to a kind. Coverage may last set years. Coverage may last a lifetime. Some families blend both kinds. Your answers flag details that fit your case. Think policy loans and fast funding.
The math, worked once
Meet a made-up family: two parents, two kids.
Their DIME lines
Debts, not counting the mortgage: $10,000. Income: $50,000 x 5 = $250,000. Mortgage still owed: $150,000. School costs ahead: $40,000. Minus savings and coverage: $30,000.
The gap
Add the lines up. Then subtract the $30,000. The gap is $420,000. Producers call that the working number. Your numbers will differ. The steps stay the same.
Worked again, with no mortgage: Maya rents.
Her DIME lines
Maya is made up. She rents with her partner. Their toddler is 2. Debts: $7,000. Income: $58,000 x 10 = $580,000. Mortgage still owed: $0. School costs ahead: $25,000. Minus savings: $6,000.
Her gap
Add the lines up. Then subtract the $6,000. Her gap is $606,000. Renting took out one line. It did not touch the other three. See her math worked in full.
How this math works
The calculator's formula, in one line: debts + (your pay × the years it must last) + (partner pay × its years) + mortgage + school costs − savings − coverage you already have = your gap. A gap below $0 shows as $0.
Blank money boxes count as $0: pay, partner pay, debts, mortgage, savings, and coverage you have. Blank years count as 10. Blank partner years use your years. Years count up to 60.
Blank school costs, with a kid count typed, get a marked guess: $100,000 a kid. The kid count counts up to 20. With no kid count, blank school costs count as $0. The result shows the guess's own note: four years of public college runs about $120,000 (College Board).
When pay is part of the run, final costs of $10,000 are filled in as a marked guess. You can change it. Its source sits in the result: the middle funeral with burial cost $8,300 in 2023 (NFDA). With no pay in the run, the final-cost and school guesses stay off.
The result shows the gap two ways: from your numbers alone, and with the marked guesses added. The math is plain addition and multiplication. No interest, discounting, tax, or inflation adjustment is applied. Dollars are rounded to whole dollars.
Same numbers in, same number out, every time. Last checked against the calculator's own code: November 3, 2026.
What the numbers don't tell you
Social Security may pay survivor benefits to a family. This math counts none of them. With them, a real need could be lower.
A partner may go back to work, or earn more later. This math counts none of that future pay.
Prices rise over time. These are today's dollars. No rise is added.
Health can change. Coverage is priced on health today. Later, it can cost more. Or it may not be offered at all.
We name the limits out loud. A starting size, not the whole picture.
Plain questions, answered in full
Five questions get their own pages now. Each one answers in full, on the page.
How much life insurance do I need?
The DIME method, worked twice with real-shaped numbers.
What is term life insurance?
Set years, a level price, no cash value. The plain facts.
Do stay-at-home parents need life insurance?
The job is unpaid. It is not worthless. One family's numbers.
What happens if you die without life insurance?
The mortgage, the debts, and the house, step by step.
How much does life insurance cost?
Survey averages with their sources. Not quotes.
Three situations get their own pages too. Each one works its math in the open.
Do renters need life insurance?
Renting removes one line of the math. It does not remove the math.
Life insurance when one income carries the family
One paycheck pays every bill. The gap, worked in the open.
Does Washington have an estate tax?
Yes. The line sits at $3 million per person. Most families owe none.
Six more questions get their own pages too.
What is a beneficiary?
The person named to get the money. The form beats the will.
Term or whole life: which kind fits?
Set years at the least cost, or coverage for life. The side by side.
What does convertible term mean?
Term with a switch to life-long coverage. Mind the deadline.
How long should term life insurance last?
Until the need ends. The counts, worked as a timeline.
Do I need life insurance if I have it through work?
A start, sized in years of pay. It ends with the job.
How do I buy life insurance?
The steps off this site, in order. Plus the questions to ask an agent.
Based in Redmond, Washington
I live and work in Redmond. Everything here is online, written for Washington families: Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish, Issaquah, Woodinville, Seattle, and the rest of the state.
The license, step by step:
- Fingerprints — passed November 3, 2026.
- State review — the Washington insurance office (OIC) is reviewing the application now.
- License active — not yet.
This page will say so when it lands.
Washington family? See the one state rule.
Common questions
What is the Clearline Check?
The Check has 5 plain questions. It sits on the home page. Your answers point to a kind. They show how size is set. They flag what could leave a gap. Answers stay in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent.
What is the difference between term life and whole life insurance?
Term life covers set years, then ends. It costs the least. It pays a large amount. Whole life lasts your whole life. It builds cash value. It costs more. Full detail sits in the side by side answer below.
How do producers decide how much coverage a family needs?
Most use a method called DIME. DIME adds debts and income years. It adds the mortgage and school costs. Then it takes off savings and coverage. What is left is the working number.
What happens to my student debt if I die?
Federal student loans end when you die. Your family tells the loan servicer. They send a death certificate. The loan is then canceled. No one else must pay it. Private loans vary by lender. Some lenders cancel the loan. Some do not. A cosigner can still owe. The lender can ask your estate to pay. Read your loan papers. Ask your servicer what yours says.
What kinds of life insurance are there, side by side?
Term life lasts set years, then ends. Most terms run 20 or 30 years. It costs the least per dollar. So families can buy big coverage cheaply. It builds no cash value. When the term ends, coverage ends. Buying again later costs much more. It fits big needs that end. Convertible term starts as term life. It can switch to life-long coverage later. No new health checks are needed. Your health class carries over. The switch has a hard deadline. Miss it and you lose the switch. Costs rise after the switch. It fits families with unsettled plans. Whole life lasts your whole life. It lasts while you pay premiums. It builds cash value as you pay. The growth follows a set plan. It costs much more than term. Cash value grows slowly at first. A loan cuts what your family gets. It fits needs that never end. Guaranteed universal life lasts for life. It puts less weight on cash value. Cash value stays small by design. It costs less than whole life. It costs more than term life. Pay late and the guarantee can break. Missed payments can end the coverage. It fits life-long needs on tight budgets. Many families blend both kinds. Term covers the big, short needs. Life-long coverage holds the rest. The blend keeps total cost down. Two policies mean two bills to track. It fits families with both need kinds.
Are online quote sites safe, or do they just take my data?
Some quote sites sell your phone and email. Then many agents call at once. The site asks for contact details first. It shows no price until you share. It will not say who gets your details. A safer site shows real numbers first. It lets you read before you share. This site asks for no contact details. It saves nothing you type. Your answers stay in your browser.
How do I start, and what do I ask an agent?
Ask your job what coverage it gives. Work coverage is often one or two times your pay. Write that number down. Then run the Check on this site. It shows your kind and size gap. Take that page to a licensed agent. Ask these questions. How did you size my coverage? What kind fits my need, and why? What does it cost each month? What happens if I change jobs? Can I keep this if I leave work? Write the answers down before you sign.
Is this advice for my family?
No. This site is general education only. It explains how life insurance works. It is not insurance advice. It is not tax or legal advice. It is not a recommendation. A licensed producer can advise you. That person should know your health, budget, and coverage. I sell no insurance here.
Who is behind Clearline Family?
I am William Litner, FCAS. My license is in progress; the next answer, “What we don’t do,” spells out what that means. This site does no legal work. Your family hires a licensed attorney. That attorney does wills and trusts.
What we don't do
Nothing is sold here yet. My license is in progress. In progress means I cannot sell coverage yet: fingerprints come first, then the state insurance office (OIC) reviews the application, then the license turns active, and meanwhile your Check result works with any licensed agent or insurer today. This page will say so when it lands. This site gives no personal advice. No carrier or policy is named here. There are no quotes here. This is not a quote engine. Your answers are not collected. They stay in your browser. They are never saved, sent, or shared.
Our guarantees
No email or signup is needed. You still get your full result. We never sell or share your information. The Check collects none of it. No ads. No paid placements. No company pays to be named here.
Want the version that fits your household?
Five plain questions. About 2 minutes. Answers stay in your browser.