Justine at ME Financial Services Ltd

08/06/2026

Happy Pride Month.

In case you didn't already know, my eldest daughter is trans. 🏳️‍🌈

Ari is 17 now and came out about three years ago.

A friend asked me recently how long it took me to process and was surprised that it only took me a few days to become pronoun compliant. There was an element of grief to be honest, the person I thought I knew didn't exist. However, I quickly realised that she's the same person she's always been - sweet, slightly awkward with an amazing sense of style. The hard bit was that natural teen withdrawal, when they start growing up and away from you.

Anyway, to get back to work. There are encouraging signs of acceptance in my industry - we recently had a new CRM which offers clients the option to use Mx for their title. Micro changes like this can mean the world to those of us that don't fall into standard boxes.

With regard to insuring yourself if you're trans you need to be prepared for underwriting.

Planned surgery can mean that your cover is postponed until it's completed.
Mental health history (obviously understandable) can affect terms that are offered
Hormone replacement therapy may be a consideration.
Then there are the normal factors - medical history, hobbies, employment.

People are still insurable and deserve the same advice and respect regardless of gender identity.

Photo of rainbow at the end of my road on Friday.

If any of this resonates, or you have questions about how this may affect you or your family, feel free to reach out.

29/05/2026

Looking back, did you feel uncomfortable about asking questions when you were a first time buyer?
I am still feeling a bit rough this week, so I did something simple for my social media content and copied all of my Google reviews into Copilot and asked it to summarise what clients actually say about working with me.
There was a very clear theme.
First-time buyers feel overwhelmed, worry about asking “silly questions” and do not know where to start.
Reading the feedback properly made me smile. These came up again and again:
✔️ Explained everything clearly
✔️ No question was too silly
✔️ Made the whole process feel easy
✔️ We would not have done it without her
I don't focus on interest rates when we're talking about your mortgage. You will get the best rate available to you and your situation. That part should be a given.
What matters to me is how you feel going through the process.
If something worries you, tell me.
If something does not make sense, that is exactly what I am here for.
If you or someone close to you is at the start of the journey and does not know where to begin, I am always happy to have a chat.
Feel free to message me or tag someone who might need a bit of guidance 💛

Failure to maintain repayments on your loan may result in the loss of your home.

ME Financial Services Ltd is an appointed representative of HL Partnership Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. ME Financial Services Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 11622710. The registered office is 435 Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull, England, B90 4AA.
There may be a fee for mortgage advice. The precise amount of the fee will depend upon your circumstances but will range from £100 to £600 and this will be discussed and agreed with you at the earliest opportunity
S

19/05/2026

Unlikely status symbols. This is mine. Last year was sub-par financially but this year things are looking better and this is my first treat to myself. Two years with no dishwasher! So a huge thanks to anyone that recommended my services, introduced me to a client, listened to me moan. Also sorry to my nails. Brighter days are coming. 😍 ###

18/05/2026

3am is a fantastic time of night. Mostly because that’s when your brain decides to bring up every ‘what if’ you’ve ever had.

There’s a reason sleep deprivation is used as a torture method.
Push it far enough and you get hallucinations. Psychosis. Complete mental breakdown.

For most of us, the outcomes the next day can be excess caffeine, grumpiness, zero attention span and deep regret for whatever life choices took us to 3am.

We all know the secrets of good sleep hygiene, no screens, magnesium, fresh air, reduced alcohol and caffeine consumption and yet we can all still find ourselves awake for no apparent reason. And that's when the what ifs come in.

What if something happened to me? or one of us? what if I couldn't work? What would happen to everyone relying on me?

I can't prevent 3am wake ups but I can help take some what ifs off the list.

What would you rather be thinking about at 3am, if you’re up anyway?

What do you do when it happens? I listen to Ed Reardon on iplayer. https://lnkd.in/eDpAVx6P.
Works about 65% of the time.

06/05/2026

This is the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Created by our Secretary Treasurer and Member of the Year and co creator of Music Club - James Blacklaws in recognition of me being 'at the top of the traffic lights'. Fairly gormy photo, nice dig at Stewart Warden, and an entirely believable quote from me 'it's not about the points for me, it's about the relationships and the referrals'. 😍. Everyone should try BNI once for lots of reasons. Here's one.

23/04/2026

Are you on Linkedin? are you 'good at it'? I'm on there a lot and am looking to get better, please follow me or message me on there or interact etc. Here's my latest post.

"How long is this going to take?” That was the question at the end of a client call yesterday. He’s a very busy man and came to me through a colleague. He’s interested in income protection and already has a policy in place, apparently. He doesn’t know what it covers, can’t find the paperwo...

20/04/2026

This is my favourite mug for tea. It's a good size. Visually appealing. Has my initial on it. I take about 20 minutes to make a cup of tea. No bag in mug with milk in my house. Tea is important. However if you'd like a chat over a cup of tea, I appreciate not everyone has that kind of free time and I'm happy to meet up anywhere convenient to both of us that can make a sub twenty minute cup of tea. I love a chat and a cup of tea, there's no charge for this service. Drop me a message to arrange.

13/04/2026

I noticed I picked up a couple of new followers over the weekend.
(Followers feels a bit strange if I’m honest — I’m not an influencer, I don’t have merch, and I rarely have a clue what I’m doing on social media 😅)
Anyway… hi 👋
I’m Justine Cook, a mortgage and protection adviser.
I’m based in Lutterworth, where I’ve spent about three quarters of my life, on and off. I have three kids, and I genuinely love what I do.
I’m approachable, non‑judgemental, a good listener, and it’s really important to me that my clients feel supported and understood throughout their journey — whether that’s:

first‑time buyers
remortgages
landlords
debt consolidation
adverse credit
personal insurances
or business protection

If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been around a while, thanks for sticking with me. And if you ever need mortgage or protection advice that’s calm, clear, and extremely human — that’s my thing.

10/04/2026

What's that saying about getting a professional in to do a job properly?

19/02/2026

Embarrassing Realisations.

It was only a couple of years ago I realised that it was possible to swim from America to Russia and vice versa.

My excuse for this ignorance is 1) never into Geography, sorry Geography fans and 2) the eurocentricity of the Gall-Peters projection, plainly showing these two mighty continents on opposite sides of the globe.

To be honest, I still find this very surprising.

Anyway, this shameful admission is why I feel it's safe to say that I don't judge people when they don't know things about insurance or mortgages that are commonplace knowledge in my world.

It is not embarrassing to have no idea about the risk insurers attach to a minor operation that you might be waiting for. And you are not supposed to know much a mortgage lender might be able to offer you based on your circumstances.

Luckily that's my job, which fortunately requires very little geographical expertise.

If you'd care to share an equally embarrassing realisation, this is a safe space xx