in other words you are telling him to escape one scam and run towards another (ICO).
as for masternodes, they are super risky because first of all you have to store a large amount of cryptocurrency in an online wallet that could be hacked. then there is the fact that you are buying a large amount of an altcoin and we know how altcoins get dumped hard. that dump can easily eat through your profit and your capital at the same time.
An ICO is a type of distribution not a scam. Scammers can use ICO's to scam people yes. Not every ICO is a scam. Obviously masternodes are super risky. You think making money is safe??
Well, first of all, you don't store your crypto on an online wallet it stays in your own wallet. Yes you buy a large amount of an altcoin we making money not pocket change. It also keeps the riff-raff out.
If you have 0.5 BTC, it is best to keep it on air-gapped pc for several years and you will find better results than investing.
Did I say shitcoin? Not every ICO is a shitcoin.