[wincrasher]

Depends on the price for the policy - being young, your rate should be low. Because it's fixed on a long term , the rate may be locking in inflation.

General rule of thumb is 10X salary of major breadwinner. Remember, the purpose of insurance is not to enrich anyone. It is to provide stability in a time of crisis and help get thru it.

You don't want your family to end up homeless if you get hit by a truck while buying a hotdog. Figure how much, if you had a couple of kids and a mortgage to keep your family on track until your wife can find a new, less accident prone man to replace you.

In the case you are descibing - $2 million - is 22 years salary for you, and 32 years for her. Of course you may strike it rich in a few years and have a much higher income. Then again, if you are making alot and saving alot, you may not need insurance at all. You have to balance these decisions based on the premium amount. In another sense, every dollar you are spending on life insurance is another dollar you are not putting in a college savings fund for your future rugrats.