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Danny Lee

Resending: LiveFrugaLee Monthly Newsletter #11, May 2025

Published 9 months ago • 3 min read

Issue #11: May 2025

Congratulations to this month's sponsored giveaway winners:
Jiin S., Rebecca N., James K., and Pat C.

Life

I'm going to keep this short this month. I know they've been a little long lately, and most people only want to see who won the gift cards :P

It's been a lot of kids activities this month, from soccer to baseball to piano and birthday parties. Two of my kids have late May birthdays, so we'll have a couple more celebrations.

Let's jump right into the newsletter.

Personal Finance

Keep Your Money Liquid and Safe If You're Planning To Buy Real Estate

Don't tie up your money in CDs if you're planning to buy real estate. HYSAs (high yield savings accounts) are fine, but I'm still a big fan of VMFXX (Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund) for those who use Vanguard. It's currently paying 4.21% with little to no risk. It's also where Vanguard will keep your uninvested cash (settlement fund).

If you keep money in CDs, you will probably earn a similar interest rate, but you will have to pay an early withdrawal penalty if you need the money right away.

My favorite Vanguard ETFs/Mutual Funds

If you use Vanguard, my favorite ETFs/mutual funds are VTI/VTSAX (total stock market) and VOO/VFIAX (S&P 500) and maybe a small allocation to VXUS/VTIAX (international). These are great for investing long-term, but don't keep your money here if you need it to buy a house soon. Keep it somewhere safe like VMFXX (if you have Vanguard).

Real Estate

Northern Virginia Market Slowly Shifting as Inventory Rises

As inventory slowly rises across Northern Virginia, buyers are facing less or even no competition and are being a lot more selective when making offers on homes. Sellers are seeing an increasing amount of listings pop up around them, and price reductions have become more common.

In years past, I've seen a slowdown in activity around mid-June as the school year ends. It seems to be happening a bit earlier this year. With reduced buyer activity and an increase in listings, the market is starting to become more balanced. Some may even say we are moving towards a buyer's market already.

If you are looking to buy and you are a veteran, keep your eyes open for listings with assumable loans. They aren't common, but they are continually popping up. For investors and non-veterans, about 1-2% in this area can be assumed by non-veterans if the seller is willing to give up their entitlement.

Travel

Travel to Hawaii! You Won't Regret It

Hawaii still remains my favorite place in the world to travel to. I went there once for my honeymoon in 2012 and again in 2020 with my wife, kids, and my parents.

If traveling to all the national parks is on your bucket list, there are two National Parks in Hawaii: Haleakala National Park on Maui and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island (aka Big Island).

In terms of islands, I've been to Oahu (where Honolulu and Pearl Harbor are), Maui (home to Haleakala and Road to Hana), and Big Island (Kona coffee and Hilo on the east side).

My favorite island was Big Island on my honeymoon, but I think Maui has become my favorite after having kids.

If you're planning a trip to Hawaii, check out this blog post I wrote in 2020 after spending two weeks in Hawaii. I ran a marathon (Revel Kulia Race Report) down a volcano during that trip, and my wife did the half marathon.

Some of my favorite things to do in Hawaii are: eat poke, go snorkeling, hang out at the beaches, go to the national parks. You can also take a coffee tour in Kona, hike through a bamboo forest in Haleakala, and drive the Road to Hana (kids/wife may get motion sickness) in Maui.

Hawaii is home to black, green, and red sand beaches. You can walk or swim up right next to sea turtles and snorkel right above tropical fish.

If you've never been to Hawaii, I would highly recommend it. It lived up to all my expectations and more.

Pro tip: Did you know that your child can get a free National Park Pass if they're in 4th grade through the Every Kid Outdoors program?

Sponsored Giveaway

Sponsored by Sylvia Bae, CrossCountry Mortgage

This month's giveaway is four $25 Amazon Gift Cards.

There are currently 122 subscribers, and there have now been 44 winners.

Congratulations to this month's winners!

Jiin S.

Rebecca N.

James K.

Pat C.

If you're one of this month's winners, you should be receiving your prize soon. Thanks for subscribing! Please let me know if you do not get it.

Please share with your friends and family if you think they'd be interested in my content.

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This newsletter is intended for informational purposes and should not be considered legal or financial advice.

Danny Lee

Realtor, Blogger, and Travel Advisor

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