04/29/2026
$500,000 sounds like a lot… until you do the math.
As we all know, Eric Dane recently passed away from ALS. Despite his success and fame, after his death, friends organized a GoFundMe for his daughters. As of now, it’s raised just under $500,000 from more than 4,000 generous donations.
It’s a beautiful example of community showing up in a time of loss.
But it also highlights something we don’t talk about enough.
Even $500,000—while incredibly meaningful—can go quickly for a family.
If a parent is earning $100,000 per year, that amount replaces roughly five years of income. Five years to grieve, adjust, and somehow figure out how to keep life moving forward. Five years before questions like “How do we pay for college?” or “What does our long-term future look like now?” become very real.
For many of the families I work with, that timeline isn’t nearly long enough.
Here’s the part that often gets overlooked:
Parents are worth more than they think.
Not just emotionally—but financially.
A simple way to think about it:
Your value to your family is your income multiplied by the number of years you have left to work.
That number is often much larger than people expect.
And yet, many families are underprotected—without realizing it.
To put it in perspective:
A healthy 35-year-old woman can often qualify for $500,000 of term life insurance for around $17-$32/month.
(Assuming excellent to average health and a 20 year term policy. Source: Term4Sale. Premiums and eligibility vary based on health and underwriting.)
This isn’t about fear.
It’s about giving your family time.
Time to grieve without financial pressure.
Time to make thoughtful decisions instead of rushed ones.
Time to maintain stability during one of life’s hardest transitions.
Because while we can’t control what happens, we can control how prepared our families are if it does.
If you’ve been putting this off, consider this your reminder:
You’re worth more than you think—and your family is counting on that value lasting longer than five years.
