Sue and Tom Wright are assistant professors at the local university. They each take home about $42,000 per year after taxes. Sue is 37 years of age, and Tom is 35. Their two children, Mike and Karen, are 11 and 9.

Were either one to die, they estimate that the remaining family members would need about 75% of the present combined take-home pay to retain their current standard of living while the children are still dependent. This does not include an extra $400/month in child-care expenses that would be required in a single-parent household. They estimate that survivors' benefits would total about $1,200 per month in child support.

Both Tom and Sue are knowledgeable investors. In the past, average after-tax returns on their investment portfolio have exceeded the rate of inflation by about 3%.

If Sue Wright was to die today, how much would the Wrights need in the family maintenance fund? Use the "needs approach" and explain the reasons behind your calculations.

Suppose the Wrights found that both Tom and Sue had a life insurance protection gap of $50,000. Present the steps in sequence how Wrights should proceed to search for protection to close that gap?