Love That Lasts: Why Valentine’s Day Is the Right Time to Revisit Life Insurance
“It also does something most strategies can’t. It shows up exactly when it’s needed most.”
Valentine’s Day tends to spotlight romance. Flowers. Cards. Grand gestures. But in the financial world, love shows up differently. It shows up as foresight. Protection. And decisions made before they’re urgent.
For advisors and families alike, Valentine’s Day creates a natural opening to talk about protection, not from a fear-based lens, but from a planning one. Because real love is proactive, not reactive.
At Watermark, we see life insurance not as a product discussion, but as a planning conversation. One that connects emotion to strategy and legacy to protection.
Why Life Insurance Still Matters in Modern Planning
Today’s clients aren’t asking, “Do I need life insurance?”
They’re asking, “How does this fit into everything else I’m building?”
When designed intentionally, life insurance becomes one of the most versatile tools in the planning toolkit. It supports income protection, legacy goals, tax efficiency, and long-term flexibility, all while providing certainty in an uncertain world.
It also does something most strategies can’t. It shows up exactly when it’s needed most.
That’s not generic protection. That’s planning with purpose.
From Coverage to Strategy: A Real Client Scenario
One recent case highlights how life insurance is evolving beyond traditional use cases and into multi-generational strategy.
The Planning Objective: A grandparent wanted to create a meaningful financial foundation for their grandchildren without relying solely on traditional savings vehicles. The goals were clear:
Support future opportunities like education, home ownership, or business ventures
Maintain control over how and when funds could be accessed
Avoid rigid structures and penalties common in conventional plans
Build a solution designed for long-term growth and tax efficiency
This wasn’t about gifting for today. It was about designing flexibility for tomorrow.
The Strategy Implemented
A permanent life insurance policy was structured on the grandchild, with the grandparent retaining ownership and control.
Why this mattered:
Cash value accumulated on a tax-deferred basis
Funds could be accessed for multiple life events, not just education
Ownership allowed the grandparent to guide decision-making over time
Future ownership transfer remained an option, not a requirement
Instead of locking money into a single-purpose account, the client built a dynamic financial asset that could adapt as life evolved.
The Outcome: Planning That Scales Across Generations
The result was not just coverage. It was a long-term framework.
A growing financial resource with tax advantages
Control retained until the next generation is ready
Permanent protection that doesn’t expire or reset
A balanced blend of growth, access, and security
What started as a planning conversation became a legacy strategy designed to support opportunity, protection, and continuity across generations.
Why Advisors Are Reframing Life Insurance Conversations
Permanent life insurance stands apart because it does more than one job:
Flexible: Supports changing goals across different life stages
Tax-aware: Offers tax-deferred growth and strategic access
Enduring: Designed to last, even as plans evolve
When positioned correctly, life insurance is no longer a “just in case” solution. It’s an intentional planning asset.
A New Take on Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s Day, make it about guidance. Helping clients protect what they’re building and who they’re building it for is one of the most powerful expressions of care an advisor can offer. Let’s turn intention into protection and protection into lasting impact. Because the strongest form of love isn’t spontaneous. It’s strategic.