Hi Everyone, hope all is well.
I have just established my HODLing career in crypto currency and wanted to share some steps I took to get started. One thing I quickly learned is that cryptocurrency is a MINEFIELD for newbies. There are so many ways we can get caught out and subject to eye-watering fees, scams and pitfalls.
I joined this game only 2 weeks ago due to FOMO as part of current surge in BTC value, so I'm still very much a newbie myself. Nevertheless, I've learned some valuable lessons. In many ways, ignorance is bliss.... as I will explain below. I think there is a rollercoaster ride ahead of us but I'm a true believer that the endgame is to hold on to Bitcoin for dear life for the next 5-10 years. I believe it will be a valuable asset despite the immediate future being volatile and uncertain.
The first trick is to not overwhelm yourself. You only really need to know the basics; go on YouTube and watch a couple of "summary" videos on Satoshi's White Paper. It will summarise the key points of Bitcoin. The other trick is to only bite off what you can chew. Binance exchange looks fun right? You want to trade crypto right? WRONG - leave it, don't bother, you DO NOT know what you are doing. It's unnecessary anxiety.
So if you want to HODL, here are my suggested steps:
1)You need a hardware wallet. Do not leave crypto in an online wallet, you are subject to theft and scams. Visit
https://trezor.io and order your Trezor. It's a self-explanatory process once you're on the website. Trezor offers almost all services now. You can buy crypto direct from wallet at modest rates. I tried to buy crypto on various other platforms and it just overcomplicated things for me.
2) set up your hardware wallet when it arrives. It's dead easy. This isn't a how-to message for how to set up Trezor. Seriously, just follow the instructions when it arrives.
3) Keep your Trezor recovery seeds somewhere safe. The recovery seeds are literally just a series of randomly generated words that you write down on a pice of paper. Key thing to remember is if you loose the recovery seeds, you will never see your crypto ever again. Keep them safe and out of harms way. Never disclose the location of your recovery seed. Never reveal it to anyone ever.
4) Buy crypto direct from Trezor wallet. I suggest using dollar-cost average approach, i.e. once a month, plug in your Trezor and buy as much crypto as you can afford to lose. Repeat this every month. For example, I log in after pay day every month and buy £50 worth of BTC. YouTube "dollar cost average" for more info - it's a cheap and low-risk model for HODLing.
5) Download an app called "CoinGecko" if you want to track the price of BTC and other crypto. It's a nice addition but not essential
6) If someone DMs you on Telegram, Whastapp, or even drops you an email - DO NOT engage with them. Ever.
7) Trezor is currently developing a "sell" feature so we can exchange crypto to Fiat currency and send to bank account. The feature is not available yet. Since the endgame is to HODL for 5-10 years, don't bother trying to send crypto to an exchange and convert to fiat currency. It's honestly not worth it (my option only). I will just wait until Trezor have released this function in the wallet.
Hope this helps.
Happy HODLing x