Anonymous wrote:Our financial planner recommends it for sahp. If the sahp dies, you would suddenly have major child care expenses as well as possible house cleaning, therapy for grieving children, etc.

That is true, but there are other costs that will go down. For example, there is one less mouth to feed, fewer cars and clothes needed, and one less person to save for retirement. It's extremely unlikely that childcare costs exceed the full savings and consumption of the spouse. Morose, but true.

I admit that it may be useful to offset the net present value of the spouse's earnings if she indeed does plan to go back to work and the surviving family wants to maintain a lifestyle commensurate with two working parents. But there's also the prospect of the surviving spouse remarrying a wage earner, rendering this point somewhat moot.

Why do you need life insurance? It is used to replace an earner's labor income in the event of the earner's death. You have no labor income. Don't waste your money.