As we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of digital connection, it’s clear that remote work has transformed the way we approach our professional lives. Personally, I’ve found working from home to be both a blessing and a curse, and I’m sure many of you can relate. 🤝

The blessing? I’ve felt more empowered and productive than ever before. The flexibility to structure my day, the absence of a daily commute, and the comfort of a self-designed space have all contributed to increased efficiency. But here’s the catch: While my productivity has increased, I’ve noticed a downside — a subtle shift in my ability to communicate effectively.

When I enter social experiences like conferences or industry meet-ups, I’ve found that it is harder to “find my groove”. Throughout my career, my success has been propelled by my knack for simplifying intricate concepts and my enthusiasm for narrating compelling stories about brands, products, and technology. However, as my daily dialogues shift from broad subjects and ideas to specialized internal matters, I’m faced with the challenge of articulating my industry expertise, personal narrative, and career achievements with the same ‘Bruno Mars’ finesse.

It seems that I am not the only one facing this obstacle, and I believe it’s something we should all reflect upon. As we embrace remote work, how can we ensure we don’t lose our essential communication skills? What can we do to bridge the gap between virtual and in-person interactions?

Here are a few questions to consider:

1️⃣ 💪 vs 🗣️

How can we strike a balance between the productivity gains of remote work and the need for effective face-to-face communication?

2️⃣ 🏡 💬

What strategies can we employ to sharpen our verbal communication skills in a remote work environment?

3️⃣ 📈 💼

How might this shift in communication affect our career growth and opportunities in the long run?

For many of us, these are real concerns and opportunities as we adapt to a new era of occupations in an increasingly digital world. I believe that being open to discussing these questions can help us learn from each other’s experiences.

What are your thoughts on this? How have you navigated the challenges of remote work, and what strategies have you found helpful in maintaining your communication skills?

Boring legal disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. This is for educational purposes only, not financial advice.

Before you buy bitcoin, you should understand these key things. Bitcoin isn’t a stock or a company; it is a currency just like USD or YEN. Because it is a currency, you don’t need to buy one whole bitcoin to start investing. You can buy fractions of bitcoins, just like you can have fractions of a hundred dollar bill.

You are ready to buy Bitcoin once you can answer these questions:

• What is Bitcoin?
• What is the Blockchain? (the basics)
• What is inflation?
• Why are you buying bitcoin?

If you struggle to answer any of these, I recommend checking out my earlier blog on Bitcoin for beginners. Check it out here!

To make a profit from Bitcoin (BTC), you must hold your investment long-term. This means keeping it for months or years, not day trading.

One of the worst things you could do as a bitcoin investor is buying some bitcoin and selling in a panic as soon as you see the value drop. There’s a name for this type of investor — paper hands. Don’t have paper hands, have diamond hands! 💎 🙌

Another key piece of knowledge, a hard truth, Bitcoin is highly volatile (not necessarily a bad thing). The price per coin can increase by $1,000 in a day and drop by $2,000 the next minute. Despite this volatility, it is volatile it has been volatile in an upwards direction for several years.

Bitcoin is not disappearing anytime soon, just like the internet is not going anywhere. It is a currency that holds its value and has been in use for over a decade. The banking systems do not want to lose their power over your money and will do anything to convince you that Bitcoin is a fad that will disappear any second now. If you’re ready to declare independence from a banking system designed to leave you in debt and take control of your finances, you are ready for Bitcoin.

As always, before deciding to spend your money, follow the cardinal rules of investing:

1. Don’t invest in something you don’t understand.
2. Don’t invest money you can’t afford to lose.

(stonks do not always go up)

Without further ado, here are the 5 steps to buy bitcoin:

1. Research
2. Choose a wallet/storage
3. Verify your identity (usually a photo of your driver’s license)
4. Depositing fiat funds (such as USD, EUR, PESO, etc.) — wire transfer or otherwise
5. Buy your coins

Step 1: Research

Decide which coin you are going to buy. I recommend sticking with Bitcoin if you are new to crypto since Bitcoin is the most used, secure, and reliable cryptocurrency at this time.

Cryptocurrency is to a website as Blockchain is to the internet.

In other words, pretend it’s 2009 — Bitcoin is Google, and anything else is Yahoo or Ask Jeeves. You could take your chance investing in any other dot com, but you’re probably better off with Google.

Hype runs rampant in the cryptocurrency space. You may find some niche coins that make grandiose claims about the purpose they serve and the returns you can make. However, with a bit of research, you’ll find it’s not a wise investment option.

Besides googling information about different crypto coins, CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko are great resources. These sites list all available cryptocurrencies, prices, and detailed information about each one.

Step 2: Choose a wallet/storage

Storage generally falls into two categories: third-party custodians or local storage. In this article, I will cover how to buy crypto through a trusted custodian vs. holding crypto in a self-managed hardware wallet for simplicity’s sake. If you are interested in the extra security and privacy that a hardware wallet allows, please check out this video: Hardware Wallets Explained

• When choosing a trading app to buy Bitcoin through, consider the reputation and reviews. What are people saying about the app?
• Next, consider if there are any benefits like interest. Some wallets give you up to 10% APY! Imagine if your savings account did that?

Back in the 50s, our parents and grandparents could put money away and expect that savings to increase. Due to inflation, money left in savings today loses value faster than it can gain a measly APY of .4%. Because of severe inflation (which is under-reported), no one can raise a family, buy a house, and retire on a minimum wage job anymore!

Learn more about the ominous state of US inflation here: Inflation Explained Simply

Currently, I earn 6% APY with Blockfi. That means if you put $1000 into BTC, with Blockfi’s 6% APY, you’re making $60 of passive income per year. However, this doesn’t include the compound interest calculated daily. Let’s run this through a compound interest calculator and see what we make in five years…

An initial investment of $1,000 with compound interest calculated daily over five years will net you a total of $350, just from letting your money sit there! This is assuming you never invest more than your initial $1,000. On top of $60 x 5 (years), you are making an additional $50 from the compounding interest.

After ten years, your $1,000 becomes $1,823.

Check out this compound interest calculator to see how much you could make with 6% APY.

Having tested several different crypto Exchanges/Wallets, here are some of my favorites:

Blockfi

• Earn $10 in BTC when you trade $100 or more (using my code)
• Earn 6% APY on 0–2.5 bitcoins (interest calculated daily, paid out every month)
• Earn 3% APY on additional bitcoin above 2.5
• Phone app available

Click here to download

Code: 469481

(This is one my of main choices for storing crypto)

Square Cash

• Get up to $15 when you join using my code
• Most simple bitcoin wallet to use (my grandma uses this)
• Free debit card with rewards like 10% bitcoin back, $5 off DoorDash, or 15% off Shake Shack ( I made $100 in 3 months through bitcoin rewards)
• Ability to buy cryptocurrencies and stock
• Phone app available

Click here to download

Code: XHVSRKZ

Robinhood

• Get one free stock
• Fastest purchasing (some applications are microseconds slower, and the price for bitcoin can change by the second)
• Low fees (for purchasing stocks)
• Ability to buy cryptocurrencies and stocks
• Phone app available

Click here to download and get free stock

Coinbase

• Earn $25 in BTC when you trade $100 min.
• Earn free crypto by watching short 2–4 minute videos
• Phone app available

Click here to download

Code: torres_st87

I recommend downloading Coinbase even if you don’t invest with them, simply because you can earn free crypto coins by watching educational videos. I’ve made $50 so far!

Voyager

• Earn $25 in BTC when you trade $100 min.
• Earn 6.25% APY when you hold a minimum balance of 0.010000 BTC
• Low transaction fees (sending and receiving cryptocurrency)
• Phone app available

Click here to download

Code: 2DA601

Please note: this article was written in April 2021, some of these offers may change over time

Lastly, when deciding which application to purchase Bitcoin from, make sure you can move your coins around. Since owning crypto is like owning the key to access your money, you can actually move the key around. Some people choose to hold their digital keys (crypto coins) in a hardware wallet. This could be compared to storing your credit card information in autofill vs your wallet.

One way offers more security, but one offers more accessibility.

A hardware wallet is a high-security wallet, usually a USB drive or other physical device. This device enables you to store bitcoin or other crypto coin funds offline. You connect it to your computer when you need to manage your funds.

Some applications give you crypto “exposure” but do not actually allow you to move or hold your crypto keys. They will allow you to sell your crypto for profit, but never actually hold the access. If you wanted to move your coins to a hardware wallet, this would be an issue.

If you’re interested in using a hardware wallet, I recommend checking out Ledger

Step 3: Verify your identity

After deciding which app you’ll be using to buy and store your crypto, you need to create your log-in details and verify your identity. This process usually requires a photo of the front and back of a valid ID and yourself.

The confirmation typically takes 1–3 days.

Step 4: Deposit funds

When you are verified, you’ll be able to connect your bank to your account and add funds. This process is more straightforward with some applications than others. Square cash is one of the most simple to deposit funds. On the other hand, Blockfi involves slightly more work but has a higher reward in the form of interest.

Step 5: Purchase Bitcoin

Once your funds have been deposited, you’re ready to buy Bitcoin!

These apps are pretty simple to download and set up, but if you run into any issues, below are video walkthrough links to help you through the process of buying your first Bitcoin on each of the platforms listed above.

Blockfi

Square Cash

Robinhood

Coinbase

Voyager

Should I wait to buy bitcoin?

In early December 2020, bitcoin was $18k per coin. My husband and I saw the opportunity and suggested many of our friends buy ASAP. The majority of people said, “Eh. I’ll wait till the price goes down.” Later that month, it was $27k per coin. In January 2021, it reached $40k. The moral of the story, no one can predict prices in the future, but Bitcoin is not slowing down for anyone. Buy now and hold on for dear life. (HODL)

Earn FREE Bitcoin

Here are some ways to earn Bitcoin (and other cryptos) for free!

These are all tools I have tried, I wouldn’t make a recommendation unless I had first-hand experience making money with it. 😉

Lolli

• Earn up to 3-27% bitcoin back on purchases from places like Gap, Sephora, Expedia, Groupon, Old Navy, and more!
• Lolli can be downloaded as a browser extension or an app.
• Earn $10 in free bitcoin when you use my code and shop

Square Cash Debit Card

When you sign up for square cash, opt-in for their free debit card. You simply load the card with money and use it like a regular debit card.

• Get $15 when you sign up with my code: XHVSRKZ
• Earn 10% back in bitcoin

Sign-up bonuses

• With the codes in Step 2, you can earn up to $25 of free bitcoin when you buy your first $100 of crypto

Twitter

On Twitter, a number of high-profile investors and Crypto apps run free crypto contests. If you follow them, you might come across a contest and win! Be wary of scams asking for personal information. The only information someone needs to send you BTC is the wallet address, not a password.

Here’s what I and a few friends won from Cash’s last contest!

I just got what they did there with the emojis… 🐝🍵🌊, get it? Bee tea sea 😂

Here are some trusted Twitter pages that host giveaways:

@CashApp

@Blockfi

@GoingParabolic

Bitcoin is for people who are tired of being in debt to maintain a basic standard of living.

Bitcoin is for people who don’t trust big banks have their best interests in mind.

Bitcoin is for people who are tired of their savings being depleted.

Bitcoin is for people who want the option to retire.

I hope this has been helpful to walk you through the simple steps to buy bitcoin. Buying bitcoin is a major step towards financial security and I wish you luck in your journey to freedom from inflation. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you have about crypto!

Follow me on Twitter for crypto memes and education @Kayto_Han

To learn more about inflation and how it’s depleting your savings account, click here

Understanding inflation is a crucial part of understanding how money works and making money work for you.

Your future is worth protecting

If you’re totally new to Bitcoin and feel overwhelmed by everything, that’s valid. It’s a rabbit hole! Hopefully, my explanations of some fundamental concepts can help you understand more about money, inflation, and why we need Bitcoin.

To learn more about Bitcoin, check out my previous blog –> I want to learn about Bitcoin, but I don’t know where to start!

Learning about crypto opens a whole world to learn about how money works, understanding wealth inequality, and more. If you’re reading this, you’re probably already aware that something isn’t quite right with the current financial systems. Perhaps you have personally experienced system failure through debt or a savings account that doesn’t seem to go any direction but down. By reading this article, you’ll be closer to understanding how we got into this economic situation and what you can do to protect your financial future.

Whether you know it or not, inflation is affecting you right now. Every dollar you make, save, and spend is affected by inflation, but what does that mean?

First ask yourself: What is money?

It’s a way to store value and an accounting method. In economic terms, money and currency are technically different things. While money is a thing of value, like wheat or cows, not everyone will accept wheat or cows in exchange for their goods or services. That is why currency, representative money, was created. Instead of trading raw goods today, the potential value is stored in paper bills which are supposed to represent a valuable commodity like gold or silver.

When you turn your energy and time into work, you get paid in currency instead of wheat or tacos, right? Much easier to carry and trade for the goods and services you want.

Second ask yourself: What backs the dollar? What makes it more than paper?

Well, it used to be gold. Once upon a time, each piece of U.S. currency could be exchanged for its equivalent gold value.

However, this has not been the case since the 1970s, when Richard Nixon officially cut the tie between USD and gold. No more gold standard. So what backs the dollar? The short answer — nothing.

Basically, the dollar is something we accept as having value, but it doesn’t really. The term for a currency backed only by the government and no valuable commodity is called fiat currency. Every fiat currency in the recorded history of humans has failed.

Here is the quick and messy reason the world still accepts the U.S. dollar despite its inherent lack of value…

During the World Wars, the U.S. supplied allies with aid and got paid in gold. By 1944, the United States had become the world’s largest holder of gold and was doing well economically. After WWII, 44 nations came to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to work together to rebuild the international economic system that had been decimated.

During this time, the U.S. dollar was strong and reliable because we had the gold to back it. The currency (papers & coins) represented gold in the vault. The world knew we had the gold in the bank to give our paper money some meaning. This is how the USD became the global reserve currency. Instead of gold reserves, other countries began accumulating reserves of U.S. dollars.

However, from the 1950s to 2021, the amount of gold in U.S. vaults has significantly decreased. In fact, there is no official reporting of total gold in banks… but what we do know is that there is more gold ownership through paper (bonds, funds, futures) than exists in the world.

How does that work out? It doesn’t. If the gold isn’t in your hand, you don’t own it. If everyone with a certificate of gold ownership cashed in now, there would not be enough gold to meet demand.

(Maybe that’s why the United States has outlawed its own citizens from owning gold not once, but twice!)

Even if we wanted to go back to the gold standard, the U.S. does not have the gold to back as much currency as it has created.

And so, no sane country can say, “ Your money is worth nothing. We won’t take it!” because chances are the value of their currency is directly related to the value of the dollar. In short — it’s a stalemate.

Third, ask yourself: Where does “money” come from?

Simple answer: The Federal Reserve prints it off a machine, like Monopoly money.

When the government needs to pay for things like war, social security, govt. salaries, stimulus, infrastructure, or even something they may not tell us about, they print it and settle the debt. This doesn’t actually solve the problem; it simply gives us a little more time before facing an even worse situation.

Every time the federal reserve prints money without increasing the amount of gold in reserves, each dollar that exists becomes worth less.

Eh voila, there you have it — inflation.

Candy was 5¢ in the 50s; the reason we’ve added two zeros and then some is because of inflation. Money is worth less, and everything is getting more expensive, yikes!

Economists and governments talk about inflation as if it’s normal and expected, but the truth is that it’s not necessary for a healthy economy. It’s the result of poor money management by elite financial systems that want to make you feel like money is “too complex” for you to understand, so don’t ask too many questions and definitely don’t start looking for alternatives!

In November 2020, Citibank revealed a senior analyst predicted Bitcoin could potentially hit a high of $318,000 by December 2021, calling it “21st-century gold.”

What’s the problem?

People used to save money from their hourly jobs and could expect it to increase in value. The whole “back in my day bought a house by age 23” narrative isn’t quite so common these days. Saving money is practically pointless because the rate of inflation decreases the value of USD much faster than a bank giving you a measly .1% APY.

The ultra-rich will always find ways to make money, but the economy depends on a strong middle class with upward mobility. The middle class is dying because people now have to go into debt just to have a basic standard of living.

To put it in perspective, the top 10% of wealthy families own 76% of the wealth in the US, while the bottom 50% own just 1% of the wealth.

What enables people to become rich? Do they work at jobs that pay them million-dollar checks biweekly? No. They become rich by buying and owning assets (real estate, investments, gold, inventory, etc.) that go up in value. The middle class comparatively doesn’t hold many investable assets.

In an economic crisis, the government tries to “help” by printing more bills, which causes inflation. This causes asset prices to skyrocket! Since most assets are owned by the ultra-wealthy, their net worth increases significantly, while everyone else is left unable to afford to invest their money because they have to spend it all just to get by. This was not the case decades ago when investment assets were much cheaper and more accessible to our parents or grandparents. Back when a 401k meant something…

Inflation enforces the wealth gap.

The rich get richer and they didn’t have to lift a finger, the government did the work for them.

About 22% of all US dollars were created in 2020 alone.

Now that’s A LOT of inflation!

To top it off…

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the CPI (Consumer Price Index) monthly by calculating the weighted-average price of a broad selection of goods and services. Toothpaste, jackets, apples, plane tickets, hair cuts…. The percentage of inflation is the difference between those measurements.

However, items included in the CPI changes over the years (convenient…) and do not include costs such as out-of-pocket medical expenses, real estate, insurance, income tax, sales tax, social security taxes, environmental factors such as water quality & education, investment vehicles like stocks and bonds (EVEN MORE CONVENIENT…)

The rate of inflation as reported by the BLS in February 2021 is 1.7%; If you include the regular daily/monthly/yearly living expenses that are excluded from their estimations, the number moves closer to over 10%.

I don’t know about you, but insurance and taxes aren’t optional for me. At this point, you might be thinking: each dollar I earn is worth less and less, my wage has hardly moved, and prices are going up; why don’t they count those things towards my basic living expenses?

Hopefully, by now you agree, inflation is a problem.

Check out this real-world example of a country on top, toppling:

Argentina began the 20th century as one of the wealthiest countries in the world. By the 21st century, their economy was in severe decline. In 1998–2002, during an economic crisis, the Argentinian government turned their money printing machines on high to “solve” the debt crisis.

The result? The peso’s value shifted so dramatically that people had to run through grocery stores buying necessities as quickly as possible. From the time they stepped into the store to check out, the prices had already increased.

People didn’t want to keep their hard-earned money in a currency that would continue to deteriorate; they wanted to store value by saving and someday retire or make large purchases. So they began converting their cash into USD (and Bitcoin) since it held value better.

What happens when the world reserve currency, USD, is losing its value? It’s Argentina in the making… 📉

Here’s where Bitcoin comes in.

Bitcoin solves the issue of inflation and secrecy behind money. There are 21 million bitcoins that can ever exist and each Bitcoin can be broken down to a decimal of .00000001. Like a hundred dollar bill can be broken into change.

Scarcity is what makes money valuable, and Bitcoin can never be inflated. No government can hide the accurate amount of value in the Bitcoin economy, and they certainly can’t print more to balance debts and pay for miscellaneous wars. Everyone can know exactly how much money is in circulation at all times.

Bitcoin cannot be counterfeited. No one person, government, group of computer programmers or billionaire controls Bitcoin, not even the original creator by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

Digital Gold

One hundred years ago, an ounce of gold could buy you a nice suit, pants, and shoes. Today an ounce of gold can buy the same thing as it has retained value, unlike the US dollar. 👀

Bitcoin is the digital age’s ounce of gold.

While gold is difficult to secure and transfer. Bitcoin offers the ability to store digital gold safer than Fort Knox without a fortress and guards. By buying Bitcoin, you turn your worthless US dollars into a currency that will retain its value like gold (but better).

It may appear that the price of Bitcoin is rising, but here’s a better way to think of it: Bitcoin holds its value, while the USD is losing value rapidly.

Young people today are born and raised in a debt-based economy, so it’s easy to assume debt and struggle as a normal state of finances, but it absolutely isn’t. We can return to a sound money economy where people can buy a house and raise a family on minimum wage. We don’t have to settle for unpayable loans and depleted savings. We can do what Argentina did, but instead of USD, buy Bitcoin.

Stop letting your money be inflated. Take control of your finances and let your monthly savings grow!

To learn more on “What is Money?” check out this video by the School of Block

First, let’s take a moment to appreciate your bravery in approaching a subject that can be intimidating and feel overwhelming.

Next, let’s make something clear — no one fully understands bitcoin, just as no one could fully understand what the invention of the car meant for the world.

Back in the early 1900s, people used to tell car drivers, “You’re crazy! Why don’t you ride a horse or a carriage? It’s much easier. Cars can’t balance on the road as good as a horse! Where will you get gas? Horses can eat grass that grows anywhere. If you run out of gas, you’ll be stranded.”

(Keep in mind, their roads were made of dirt or cobblestone, there were very few gas stations available, and no one expected that to change.)

Sure, car manufacturers and drivers could understand a car’s engine, but they couldn’t tell doubters what the future held; they just knew the technology was revolutionary. Who could have predicted that a complex series of interstate roadways would be constructed one day? From the asphalt that covered dirt roads, new inventions would spring up. Skateboards, scooters, motorcycles, different sports and entertainment that rely on roads, a public transportation system that would make commuting an option for everyone, and more!

“The internet will fail.”

This was a common headline in the 1990s. Over twenty years later, I’m not sure I’m convinced…

When you approach the topic of Bitcoin, it helps to look at it from the perspective of a new technology that will someday be old. It will take time to fully understand what it is and how to use it since it’s new at the moment. Please have patience with yourself; as you spend more time immersed in the topic, you’ll start to grasp it more and more.

Bitcoin is digital money.

Bitcoin runs on blockchain technology.

Blockchain keeps electronics records of transactions.

An analogy could be that blockchain is the internet, and Bitcoin is a website.

If you want to understand Bitcoin, first, you must understand money and what blockchain accomplishes. Here, I have collected a list of free resources to help you learn the basics of Bitcoin, blockchain, and how “money” works.

In a nutshell, blockchain is a system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or cheat the system. A blockchain is a digital record of transactions that is copied and distributed across a network of computer systems on the blockchain. By distributing the record of transactions through an unlimited number of computer systems that can freely choose to participate, everyone in the world has a ledger of existing money in circulation. This is in opposition to a central bank authority’s current system, which tells you simply what money you have.

Why this matters

Currently, when Lisa sends money from her bank to Bobs, the numbers in the accounts change. -$5 from Lisa, +$5 to Bob. Bob can expect to go to his bank and cash out $5. Although a bank tracks how much money each person has, it does not actually have all the cash-on-hand. In fact, if everyone at this moment wanted to take their money out of the bank, we’d find ourselves in a USA circa 1930s situation— not enough cash to go around. This means the central banks have more money recorded in their books than exists in circulation. In the words of scooby— ruh roh!

On top of that, the currency issued (USD) is not backed by any valuable commodity, it’s just paper.

In 1973, under president Richard Nixon the United States left the gold standard, turning US currency into a fiat currency. Every fiat currency in recorded history has ultimately failed.

Bitcoin Learning Resources:

Videos— under 20 minutes

What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin Explained Simply for Dummies — 99Bitcoins

Blockchain in 7 minutes — Simplilearn

School of Block— Ledger

Blockchain Revolution — TED talks explaining Bitcoin and real-world use

Articles— under 20 minutes

Why Bitcoin Matters — Mark Andreessen

Getting Started with Bitcoin — bitcoin.org

Meltem Demirors on Bitcoin, NFTs, and angel investing (article) — Meltem is an executive at Coinshare, a digital asset investment firm with $4B in assets

Documentaries: 60–90 minutes

“Gold & Dollar” sets the stage for the post-economic crisis world we live in how and why we are facing issues like inflation. They explain in plain English what “money” is, why it simply isn’t possible to raise a family on minimum wage anymore and why young people today are in a never-ending cycle of debt.
When you find out it’s by design, you might be just as infuriated as I am. Watching this made me so upset; it moved me to action. After realizing Bitcoin could be used as a weapon to fight economic inequality, I was hooked.

“The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin” follows Daniel, a 35-year-old programmer from Pittsburgh, living with his wife and three boys. When he first discovered Bitcoin in 2011, it became his obsession. He realized the potential of this technology to change the world. The documentary shows the progression of Bitcoin from a niche programming hobby to a growing international monetary system used by millions of people and all the bumps along the way.

Check them out here:

• Gold & Dollar: How Money Became Worthless | Currencies Explained — Documentary on World Currencies
• The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin — 2014 documentary following the rise of Bitcoin

Did you know BTC was $850 per coin in 2014?

Today, 03/20/21, one bitcoin is worth $59,000.

Articles: 2–4 hours

• Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System — Satoshi Nakamoto

“A technical description, the Bitcoin white paper was the first document to outline the principles of a cryptographically secured, trustless, peer-to-peer electronic payment system that was fundamentally designed to be transparent and censorship-resistant, as well as put financial control back in the hands of the individual. At that time, the world was gripped by a financial crisis catalyzed by excessive speculation in the financial markets and banks risking millions of dollars worth of depositors’ money. ”— coindesk

• Cryptopedia — Gemini

“Cryptopedia is a platform designed to facilitate that understanding by providing free, high-quality crypto education to the world.” — Gemini

Books: 1–3 days

• Digital Gold — Nathaniel Popper
• The Internet of Money — Andreas Antonopolous
• The Bitcoin Standard — Saifedean Ammous

Depending on your learning style, I highly recommend listening to these via audiobooks. I finished digital gold in 2 days while being able to listen and go about my life.

Digital Gold by Nathanial Popper had me on the edge of my seat. You’ll recognize some of the names from the documentary “The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin.” Digital Gold gives you the history of Bitcoin development that was evolving right under our noses while folks were barely learning how to email and visit a website. As with any new monetary system, there are bumps along the way. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and folks didn’t switch from bartering corn to exchanging gold overnight. To understand the future of Bitcoin, dig into its origins.

The Internet of Money by Andreas Antonopolous is a collection of speeches Andreas has given on Bitcoin. He uses fascinating and hysterical analogies that further clarify Bitcoin in a less technical and relatable way. A great casual listen in the car or making a grilled cheese!

The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous This book goes deeper into economic history and theory, explaining how many monetary systems we have today developed over the course of history. As audible describes,” The Bitcoin Standard analyzes the historical context to the rise of bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it to grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implications.”

Course: 1–4 weeks

• Bitcoin for Everybody — A free course certification on Bitcoin basics from the Saylor Academy
• 7 Day Bitcoin Crash Course — One email a day, a short and educational crash course offered by 99bitcoins

After spending months absorbing every bit of bitcoin information that I could and having already set up my Bitcoin wallet to purchase Bitcoin, I decided to go one step further when I came across this course offered by the Saylor Academy.

I completed this course and earned a certificate for general Bitcoin knowledge. After my self-education, some parts of this course felt repetitive, but it definitely filled gaps of knowledge such as economic principles and wallet security.

This 5 unit course is totally free. By completing all the units, along with passing the final exam, you will earn a certificate that you can add to LinkedIn!

Here’s an example of what you’ll learn in Unit 4

For Bitcoin memes & knowledge follow on Twitter:

@Melt_Dem

@michael_saylor

@APompliano

@Kayto_Han

In Michael Saylor’s tweets he often answers questions or provides context to accusations by legacy financial systems

One common misunderstanding about Bitcoin is its environmental impact. The current media trend is to accuse Bitcoin of excessive energy use, by saying, “Bitcoin’s total electricity consumption is above the Netherlands!” To that I respond with this meme:

Let’s set things straight — I’m not trying to “sell you Bitcoin.”

Imagine the year is 1995, the internet is barely taking off. Amazon, Yahoo, eBay, and Internet Explorer all launch. Hardly anyone knew what a website was, much less an email. The few who did learn about the internet and even had minimal participation are extremely wealthy today.

If I had a penny for every time someone said, “I wish I bought Amazon stock years ago!”

I’m not trying to sell you Bitcoin. No, I’m some nerd telling you, you might regret not learning about the internet — I mean, Bitcoin sooner!

In closing, I hope these resources can help you start somewhere.

Crypto is overwhelming, and you’re not alone. Many people are just starting their journey into the unknown. Nine months ago, I couldn’t tell you what a bitcoin was. Fast forward to today, I’ve made a significant amount of USD off my crypto investments. Now that I understand that this currency could change peoples’ lives, I want to tell the world! I believe we rise together, in the case of Bitcoin, it’s 1000% true.

Please share this with anyone you know who is new to Bitcoin and ready to learn more! 😀

I want to learn about Bitcoin, but I don’t know where to start! was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.