Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! I'm back home in Raleigh for a few days between trips so I'll give an update on what we're up to. We just returned from Europe where we spent two and a half weeks in late July and early August cruising around the British Isles, Ireland, Isle of Man, and northern Europe. We also had a full day in London before our cruise to explore the city. The itinerary for our July/August cruise had some overlap with our June British Isles cruise...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! This is a bonus edition covering the last TWO months. Many readers reached out to me to find out where the May update went. The truth is I was way too busy with a series of back to back to back cruises around the world. I only had a few days in Raleigh between each cruise, so I had to focus on other things while in town. In May we flew to the west coast and took an 11 night cruise to Alaska. After that, we flew home for a few days. At...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! We spent most of April at home enjoying the springtime flora and fauna. But we also managed to squeeze in a week in the Caribbean on board the Holland America Rotterdam cruise ship. Right now we are just a few days away from commencing a six week period of busy travel that brings us to the west coast of the USA, then Alaska, Europe, and at the end of June, back to the Caribbean. We'll be back home for a few days here and there but mo...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! We have enjoyed almost a full month back at home in Raleigh since our last vacation but we're about to hit the high seas again in a couple of days. We also managed to take a short mini-vacation in the middle of March with all of our kids. Our family visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina for two days during a nice and warm weekend. Overall, March was a busy month for me between preparing my own taxes and planning a bunch of tr...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! This month's update is a little later than usual since I've been on vacation during the first part of March. We got home a few days ago and I'm finally catching up on things around the house. Our last cruise was actually two week-long cruises back to back on the MSC Seascape sailing out of Miami. We had perfect weather that let us explore some new islands or new parts of the islands we've already been to in the past. Now we get to ...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! The new year is in full swing and off to a good start so far. We just got home from an 11 night cruise to Mexico out of San Francisco. And in two weeks we will set sail again for two weeks in the warm Caribbean waters. While I'm at home for a few weeks at a time, it's always a scramble to take care of chores around the house, take care of some car maintenance, and keep an eye on my financials. It's not all productivity - we're also b...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! Christmas and New Years celebrations are drifting away in the rearview mirror as we round the corner into 2025. We've enjoyed the winter holidays being at home with the really cold weather holding off until this week. Next weekend, we set out for another cruise for the remainder of January. We'll be visiting several new ports along the way so it's going to be a nice change of scenery compared to our normal Caribbean cruises. While ...| Root of Good
After a busy travel season from April to November, where we spent five months on vacation, it's time for a break. A vacation from vacationing (ha ha ha!). I have a growing to-do list of deferred maintenance tasks around the house to keep me busy over the holidays. On top of that, I need to tackle the ordinary end of year financial and administrative chores such as tax optimizing, financial recordkeeping, and enrolling in an ACA health insurance plan. December and January won't be all work a...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! We are at home in Raleigh for a brief stay before we head back out for another two week cruise for most of the rest of November. This is the busiest stretch of travel we've ever had. The last time we were at home for the entire month was nine months ago in February. It's almost like our home in Raleigh is our vacation home and we just stop in for a couple weeks here and there before heading out the door again. We're enjoying the co...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! We just got back to Raleigh after a two week cruise to Alaska during the last half of September. Alaska really exceeded expectations with its natural beauty and landscapes. After a busy summer, we have an equally busy fall travel season as well. We have a couple more days in Raleigh and then we head to the Caribbean for another roughly two week cruise. Weather permitting, of course. Right now I'm playing the travel agent trying to ke...| Root of Good
Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! After spending over two months exploring Poland this summer, we have enjoyed the past month of relaxation at our home in Raleigh now that we are back. As this post goes live, we are mere days away from setting off for a two week cruise to Alaska to finish out the month of September. October and November will be similarly busy with a lengthy cruise scheduled for each of those months. Then we have the Thanksgiving and Christmas holid...| Root of Good
I want to tell you a story about accessing tax-deferred funds in an IRA or 401k before age 59.5 without paying a penalty. But first I'm going full out White Fang on you. A trapped animal will do just about anything to get free. When you get caught, normal rules of comportment and demeanor are sloughed off to make room for the demands of the primordial will to live. It's all about survival. Adrenaline rushing, pumping through arteries and veins, clouding the judgment and dulling the pain, the ...| Root of Good
