The family with older children has some very unique risk factors that should be reviewed for life insurance needs, should the income for the family stop.  Life insurance can help with the replacement of that lost income or debt responsibilities for the family.  Life insurance is a contract for a future delivery of funds to meet a possible future risk that you feel is beyond the scope of your resources to properly deal with.   It has often been said that those depended on you may pay many times more for the cost of caring for their financial needs should they be left behind after your death to face those financial needs alone.  For most the cost of proper life insurance would be far less costly.