Overview

Brooks, a seasoned financial advisor and former firefighter, created the Financial Fire Drill (FFD) program to prepare clients for unexpected life events through proactive planning. His mission, "peace of mind through preparedness," helps families confidently anticipate financial emergencies before they happen. However, discussing long-term care (LTC) has traditionally been challenging. Clients often struggle to understand their true needs, resulting in hesitation or delayed decisions.

Recently, Brooks integrated Waterlily, an AI-driven platform that provides personalized LTC forecasts, into his practice. The immediate impact has been transformative. Rather than relying on generalized statistics, Brooks can now show clients individualized projections of their LTC timelines and costs, making complex conversations simpler and more actionable. Within weeks, clients have gained newfound clarity and confidence, leading to expedited decision-making and deeper trust in Brooks’ recommendations.

Real-Life Impact: Uncovering Hidden LTC Value for a 72-Year-Old Client

A client in her early 70s with significant assets had previously purchased an LTC policy but did not fully understand its current value. Initially planning to allocate additional resources toward LTC, she was hesitant about making changes. Using Waterlily, Brooks quickly revealed that her existing coverage far exceeded her anticipated LTC needs.

Armed with these personalized insights, the client confidently shifted her resources toward legacy-focused strategies, enhancing her estate plan and family wealth transfer goals. Brooks noted that without Waterlily’s precise forecasts, this conversation would have been far less clear or persuasive, potentially leaving valuable assets underutilized.

Rapid, Insightful Client Engagement

The clarity provided by Waterlily’s tailored data has empowered clients to quickly grasp their LTC realities. Brooks emphasizes how these personalized insights help clients move decisively from confusion to action. For instance, a middle-aged executive holding excess cash for LTC contingencies gained confidence to reposition assets more effectively. Meanwhile, a younger couple benefited by understanding that immediate LTC insurance wasn't necessary yet, prompting them to proactively set aside funds for future planning instead.

Multiple additional households have chosen or are close to choosing LTC-funded strategies after seeing Waterlily’s forecasting, further validating the platform's impact.

Transforming LTC from Avoided Topic to Actionable Strategy

Brooks highlights Waterlily’s immediate, tangible value in demystifying LTC planning. Instead of vague industry averages, Waterlily’s detailed, personalized projections—such as local LTC costs, caregiving requirements, and anticipated timelines—have enabled smoother, more productive client conversations. The result? Clients feel informed, confident, and ready to take next steps without delay.

Moreover, this enhanced clarity supports more collaborative discussions with estate attorneys. Estate-planning collaborations are flourishing, as clients and attorneys alike respond positively to the clarity Waterlily provides. Clients appreciate how quickly they can visualize the financial impact of LTC events on their estate plans, facilitating smoother integration of LTC strategies into broader legacy planning efforts.

Streamlined Processes and Easier Conversations for Brooks

Brooks notes that Waterlily complements his Financial Fire Drill perfectly, making his work significantly easier. By visually illustrating potential LTC scenarios, the platform removes the friction from discussions that historically have been stressful or abstract. Brooks can now swiftly illustrate concrete scenarios, identify underutilized policies, and guide clients efficiently toward beneficial decisions. This streamlining accelerates decision-making and leads to deeper relationships built on trust and transparency.

Remarkably, Brooks reports hitting 70% of his annual production target already, attributing this jump to more confident LTC discussions fueled by Waterlily’s data. Considering he’s only been using Waterlily for a few weeks, Brooks finds these results “extraordinary”—a testament to how quickly Waterlily’s AI-powered tool can transform moribund or neglected conversations about long-term care.

Strengthened Relationships and Holistic Client Satisfaction

Waterlily’s approach has not only improved individual LTC decisions but has also significantly enhanced overall client satisfaction. By aligning LTC solutions clearly with broader financial goals, Brooks is fostering stronger, more trust-driven client relationships. Families appreciate how LTC planning ties directly into their broader financial goals, estate strategies, and peace of mind.

Brooks’ Perspective

For Brooks, the power of Waterlily is its ability to quickly transform complex LTC conversations into clear, actionable steps. The combination of FFD’s readiness principles and Waterlily’s precise, personalized data ensures clients understand exactly how LTC fits into their overall financial health. He emphasizes that the platform doesn’t replace his role but strengthens it—providing credible insights that engage clients immediately, simplify the advisory process, and enhance overall client satisfaction.

In just a short time, the integration of Waterlily into Brooks’ practice has reshaped how his clients think about and plan for LTC—turning uncertainty into clarity, inaction into confident planning, and improving the overall client experience.