This page does not say “inflation wiped out X% of your policy.” LIMRA did not publish a 2026 Barometer number that quantifies erosion of in-force face amounts. What follows is labeled context from separate public series, not a calculation of your contract.
Context, not a haircut of your policy
- Prices: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U U.S. city average, annual average 236.736 (2014) → 313.689 (2024) — about +32.5%.
- New policies sold: ACLI Life Insurers Fact Book 2025, Chapter 7 (NAIC data): average new individual face $168,000 (2014) → $209,000 (2024). Individual in-force face grew about 1.8% a year over that decade. New average sizes and in-force growth have not automatically tracked CPI.
- Owners: 18% of owners say they don’t have enough coverage (2026 Insurance Barometer Study, LIMRA and Life Happens).
Those three facts sit next to each other. They do not multiply into “your death benefit lost 32%.” Face amounts on existing policies are generally fixed dollars. Prices are not.
What the family would actually use the money for
The 2026 Insurance Barometer Study, LIMRA and Life Happens, reports:
- 47% of American adults would have trouble paying living expenses within six months of a primary wage earner’s death.
- Only 29% say they would remain financially secure for more than two years.
- 54% say their family would rely on life insurance if a primary wage earner passed away unexpectedly.
- Top reasons people own coverage include burial and final expenses (57%), replacing lost wages (27%), and helping pay off a mortgage (21%).
Those are reasons — not a formula. A review compares the face amount on the page to the job: final expenses, a period of income, a mortgage, or a combination. If the job grew and the number did not, that is the conversation.
Keep, convert, or apply are different answers
Inflation pressure does not mean “apply today.” It may mean the current policy still fits. It may mean a conversion feature on a term contract is worth understanding before a new application. It may mean a new application is the cleaner path — with the underwriting record that comes with it.
Do not drop a policy in force until a replacement, if any, is actually in force. Sequencing is part of the review.
A confidential 15-minute annual review with Gregory M. Sloan, CLU®, ChFC®, Licensed Insurance Representative. Not an application. Not a quote engine.
Fifteen minutes. Current declarations page. Who depends on the check. Whether the number still does the job.
Call 800.365.TERM (800-365-8376)
Information only. This page is not tax, legal, or investment advice.
Source: 2026 Insurance Barometer Study, LIMRA and Life Happens. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U U.S. city average, annual average. ACLI Life Insurers Fact Book 2025, Chapter 7, from NAIC data.