Deborah Cook Financial Planner

03/28/2026

If you'd like to participate in emerging markets, what are your options?

What are your options for investing in emerging markets?

03/27/2026

🚗 Have you heard that you’ll be able to drive from Germany to Denmark?

The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, located under the Baltic Sea, will be the world's longest immersed tunnel, spanning 11 miles, and is being built from concrete sections that each weigh as much as 10 Eiffel Towers.

Here's what makes this project remarkable:
◾ Engineers are floating 73,000-ton prefabricated sections out to sea, then sinking them into a trench on the ocean floor with precision down to half an inch.
◾ The tunnel sits up to 130 feet underwater, designed with seals built to last 120 years.
◾ What's currently a 45-minute ferry becomes a 10-minute drive or 7-minute train ride.
◾ The journey from Copenhagen to Hamburg drops to 2.5 hours by train, fundamentally changing how Northern Europe is connected.
◾ A total of 89 massive sections will be laid end to end, carrying both road traffic and electrified rail lines.

For clients who love Scandinavia or have family across Europe, this reshapes what's accessible on a single trip.

Worth sharing as projects like this are reshaping how we travel and what’s doable!

03/26/2026

Ever Googled someone and found their home address, phone number, and maybe even email sitting in plain sight?

Identity protection is essential for helping to safeguard financial accounts and credit, which is why it matters. 🔒

If you’re interested, here are some tips to help you remove personal information from Google Search results.

🌐 Use “Results about you” to locate results with contact details, and set alerts for new matches.

🌐 Submit a removal request for personal contact info like home address, phone number, or email.

🌐 Provide the exact page URLs that contain the information. Google reviews each URL submitted.

This is a simple, high-impact privacy step. For additional protection, pair it with strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and regular credit monitoring. You can’t be too careful.

03/24/2026

Did you know the typical first-time homebuyer is now 40?

That is why more parents are stepping in, nearly 80 percent of Gen Z homeowners say they received family financial help.

If you are considering helping an adult child buy a home, the key question is usually not “should we help,” it’s “how do we structure it?”

Before money moves, pressure test four things:

➡️ Gift, loan, or shared ownership? Each has different implications.
➡️ Protect your strategy. Help them without creating pressure on your own liquidity and goals.
➡️ Protect the family. Prepare such that you’re protected if life changes or the home is sold.
➡️ Keep it fair. Think ahead about sibling dynamics and future gifts.

Most families are surprised by how many options exist and how different the outcomes can be.

If you have done this, what worked best in your situation?

See more on our website here: https://www.soundfinancialsolutionsnc.com/blog

03/23/2026

Turning to coaches for advice is a smart thing to do. We'd like to be one of those coaches.

Coaches have helped you your whole life, in ways big and small. We'd like to be one of them.

03/21/2026

April 15 is only 25 days away! Just a friendly reminder that Tax Day is just around the corner. While many may have their ducks in a row, tax-wise, today is a good time to connect with your tax professionals to confirm you've met all the deadlines or make any necessary arrangements!

03/21/2026

\$100 not spent is more like \$143. Intrigued?

One way to find money is to examine your current spending habits and eliminate money wasters.

03/19/2026

Ever paid a credit card off, then wondered why the credit score barely moved, or even dipped?

Here are 5 tips that might help raise your score—do you check all the boxes?

✔️ Payment history is the biggest factor; one missed payment can outweigh a lot of “good behavior.”

✔️ Credit utilization can change quickly; a common guideline is less than 30 percent, and top scores tend to be in the single digits.

✔️ Paying more than once a month can be beneficial, especially if you pay before the statement closes.

✔️ A credit limit increase can lower utilization quickly, as long as spending stays flat.

✔️ An authorized user setup can help, even without using the card, when added to a well-managed account.

When borrowing is on the horizon, aligning credit moves with the broader financial strategy may help.

See more on our website here: https://www.soundfinancialsolutionsnc.com/blog

03/18/2026

We get asked this question a lot: “Can I deduct home office expenses as a self-employed business owner?”

As we always say, please consult your tax, legal, or accounting professional to confirm what’s appropriate for your situation.

Generally, the answer is like most things: It depends.

At a very high level, here are some guidelines we’ve learned when working with tax professionals:

👍 What typically qualifies
A specific area used exclusively and regularly for business, often as the principal place of business or a place to meet clients.

❓ What sometimes counts as an expense
A business shares costs such as rent or mortgage interest, utilities, insurance, and certain maintenance or repairs associated with the workspace.

👎 What usually does NOT qualify
A space that is also used personally, and expenses tied to parts of the home that are not part of the business use area.

Because the details matter, maintaining good records and having a quick conversation with a tax professional can help determine what applies and keep decisions aligned with the broader financial strategy.

See more on our website here: https://www.soundfinancialsolutionsnc.com/blog

03/17/2026

St. Patrick’s Day is a good reminder that luck is not a strategy. ☘️

The best outcomes usually come from consistent decisions, good habits, and a strategy that gets reviewed.

Wishing a happy St. Patrick’s Day to clients, partners, and friends.

03/16/2026

Missed your first chance to sign up for Medicare during the initial enrollment period? The General Enrollment Period runs each year from January 1 to March 31.

This window is for people who didn’t enroll when they were first eligible. If that’s you, now’s the time to take a closer look.

For full details on eligibility and enrollment, visit Medicare.gov.

03/16/2026

Buying a home may be your largest financial commitment. Which loan is best for your situation?

When selecting a mortgage, one of the most critical choices is between a fixed or variable interest-rate mortgage.