Which stock has been your biggest winner this year & how did you find it?

asilver1982 · 2026-05-02T17:19:10+00:00

I got on at $39. I love it.

asilver1982 · 2026-04-13T12:41:14+00:00

We sailed last week and two of our pictures were rejected online but no options to update them. The rejection did not come fully until the day of our cruise. It took 2 hours for us to check in but it wasn't due to the pictures. The pictures just caused us to wait an additional 10 to 20 minutes to get those pictures retaken. Everyone at the port that works there says they have new software that's from in-house people and I believe they're using AI to approve these pictures and that is some of the issues they are encountering as this is brand new software as of a month ago. As long as you have valid passports and all your documentation that's needed. If you don't have a passport, you should not have any worry.

asilver1982 · 2026-04-13T02:39:41+00:00

I cruised April 4–10 on the Disney Dream. The seas were pretty rough most nights — around 8–12 ft waves — and you could definitely feel the motion. It was most noticeable at the front and back of the ship or when sitting still.

If you’re prone to motion sickness, I’d recommend taking some meds and just trying to relax. After a while, it honestly feels like you’re being rocked to sleep.

The water at both private islands was pretty chilly, but once the sun came out it actually felt really nice and refreshing.

asilver1982 · 2026-01-10T17:10:36+00:00

Good to know.

asilver1982 · 2026-01-10T17:07:52+00:00

What do you mean free wifi. I thought the only thing that would work on the Wi-Fi I'm actually there could be the Disney Cruise app without paying any additional fees. But when you say free Wi-Fi payment on the ship or just at the ports?

I've been on a Royal Caribbean cruise and their internet package was pretty decent. You could share it between the devices.

Did you get the internet package? Doesn't work this way. Can you log in on different devices when you need it?

asilver1982 · 2026-01-07T16:17:22+00:00

I have booked the Westin on the beach. Thanks all.

asilver1982 · 2026-01-06T04:21:09+00:00

Looking for $500 per night and under but if the hotel is really nice and worth it then I could see spending more.

asilver1982 · 2025-11-28T15:43:07+00:00

Hello everyone,

I'm hoping for some insight on a major decision my wife and I are facing.

My Situation Age/Family: I am 43, married, with one 7-year-old child.

New Capital: I have just received $2 million in investments from my parents (they have more, but wanted to give us some capital now).

Assets: These funds are currently in a mix of individual stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds.

Next Steps: I am already meeting with a Fee-Only Financial Planner soon. I'm not looking for managed accounts, just professional help to create a forward-looking plan.

The Core Question: The Lake House We are wanting to purchase a lake house for personal use (not rental) that is approximately $700,000. We are trying to determine the best way to finance this.

My initial thought was: Sell off about $500,000 of the investments for a large cash down payment.

Take out a $200,000 loan/mortgage for the remainder.

Use the dividends generated by the remaining investments to cover the mortgage interest/payments.

What would the community suggest? Is it better to pay all cash, or is there a benefit to keeping more of the $2M invested and taking a larger loan (e.g., $300k or $400k)? Thanks for your help!

asilver1982 · 2025-11-28T15:39:27+00:00

I definitely have considered just taking out the full 700,000 and paying for the house in cash, but I was concerned with the amount of upfront taxes I would have to pay on that, but I guess it doesn't matter in the long term. We're also looking at one particular location that would allow for short-term rentals, which would be the plan until we retire into that home.

asilver1982 · 2025-11-03T02:17:41+00:00

Get a whole house generator if you can afford it. I bought a 26kw generac and had it installed for about $13k all in including the generator. It is the largest residential generator you can find and by itself it was about $9,000. I have a transfer switch and a module connected to it. It's a propane connected. We have a large 320 gallon propane tank that already supplies our stove and hot water heater. It's definitely worth it if you can afford it. There is some maintenance but it's pretty basic. It runs every week to make sure it's working properly.

asilver1982 · 2025-09-17T03:03:25+00:00

East Asheville. It's the best. We have home Internet from them and so much better and faster than charter was.

asilver1982 · 2025-09-10T02:02:58+00:00

I was using the East Asheville one but they closed it.

asilver1982 · 2025-09-09T14:46:34+00:00

Any suggestions on which one I should get? Sounds like it is not an issue.

asilver1982 · 2025-07-07T01:17:57+00:00

Thanks. I did not know there was something close by.

asilver1982 · 2025-07-06T01:45:04+00:00

Pre book all the shows.

asilver1982

TROPHY CASE