Life Insurance Needs for a Young Married Couple

Amy and Mack Holly from Rapid City, South Dakota, have been married for three years. They recently bought a home costing $212,000 using a $190,000 mortgage. They have no other debts. Mack earns $62,000 per year, and Amy earns $75,000. Each has a retirement plan valued at approximately $12,000. They recently received an offer in the mail from their mortgage lender for a mortgage life insurance policy of $190,000. Their only life insurance currently is a $22,000 cash-value survivorship joint life policy. They each would like to provide the other with support for at least five years if one of them should die.

1. Assuming $19,000 in final expenses and $20,000 allocated to help make mortgage payments, calculate the amount of life insurance they should purchase using the needs-based approach. Also assume that both Mack and Amy would replace 75 percent of their individual current income for five years. Use a 3 percent after-tax, after-inflation rate of return for your calculations. (Use Appendix B.) Do not round your intermediate calculations. Round your answers to the nearest dollar.

   Life insurance needed (Mack): $

   Life insurance needed (Amy): $

2. How would their needs change if Amy became pregnant?

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