The maths is compelling: a non-smoking 30-year-old insures 300 000 € for the price of two coffees a month. It is the cheapest large protection on the German market — precisely because it contains nothing but protection.
Term Life: Who Needs It and How Much
Pure death-benefit cover: a large sum for a small premium. Needed when others depend on your income — pointless for singles without debt.
✓ Verified: 18/07/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
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Max recommends:
A non-smoking 30-year-old insures 300 000 € for about the price of two coffees a month. The cheapest large protection on the market — precisely because it contains nothing but protection.
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Lea recommends:
Take the sum as 3–5 annual net incomes or the mortgage balance, the term until the youngest child is grown or the loan ends. Not lifelong: once the kids are grown and the loan is gone, the cover is no longer needed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We are not married — does my partner get anything? ▾
Yes: you name any beneficiary freely. Crucial for unmarried couples — under inheritance law the partner would otherwise get nothing.
How does this differ from whole-life insurance? ▾
Term life is pure protection, the whole premium goes to risk, hence cheap. The capital variant mixes insurance with opaque saving, costs multiples and almost never pays off. The classic mistake.
What sum insured makes sense? ▾
Rule of thumb: 3 to 5 times annual gross income plus outstanding loans, above all the mortgage. The goal is that survivors clear debts and manage a few years without your income — not lifelong provision.