Years ago my parents tried to explain life insurance to me.  I remember that discussion as boring and not pertaining to me.  I was not going to die at 25 and I had no kids, so what was the point?  Now, though, I wish I had listened and been smart enough to lock in some life insurance rates back then.

Now that I do have kids and I understand more the importance of making sure they are taken care of financially and can pay my bills should something happen to me, I am in the market to protect them.  And while I think that college funds and such are vital to be able to put three kids through college, I am starting to understand that life insurance is just as important!

As I shop I am confronted with one question.  How do I know how much I need?  I have three young daughters so I know I need to be able to split it up and help them pay things if something happens to me.  But how much?  Luckily, the above calculator can help!

In addition, I have to decide when it is time to talk to my kids about life insurance, how much I have and how it works should something happen.  Now, my kids are really little.  But the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that kids as young as teenagers might be able to understand what a policy is, why I have it and how it affects them.  In fact, there are a lot of great articles on How to Talk to Kids About Life Insurance out there that I can reference.

What about you?  Do you have life insurance?  How did you decide how much you needed and do you talk to your kids about it?  As a mom to young ones, I would love to hear your opinions!

**This is a Guest Post by Genworth Financial.  All writings and opinions are my own.  Please see my Disclosure statement for more information.**