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My thoughts on Bitcoin reports

Bitcoin investor loses $2m

That is, if the reports in the media are true; it all depends on the real facts. 

An investor it is claimed lost $2m on the Bitcoin he had invested with FTX. We all know that this is a crypto exchange which went bust.

What we do not know is whether the $2m lost in this disaster or whether his original investment into Bitcoin was $100k, $200k, $500k, or $1m.

If his original investment was $500k then that is the amount of his true losses. 

I remember in 2022 when the Bitcoin halving took place, the newspaper report stated that Bitcoin investors lost half of their money. This was only true if an investor had bought Bitcoin during its previous peak. If I had sold my Bitcoin then I would have received more than my original investment. It all depends on when one had bought their Bitcoin.

Leaving all that aside, there are some lessons to be learned here; the main ones being:

1 Investing in Bitcoin in no substitute for your retirement fund

2 Do not invest in Bitcoin if the loss of your money will cause you considerable financial hardship

3 Diversify between different Bitcoin exchanges. That is coinbase, blockchain, and others which are available.

4 Do not invest in Bitcoin if you cannot stomach the thought of losing your money.

It is important to keep in mind that whenever there is a chance for capital gain, there is a chance for capital loss. Investors are betting on the chances that Bitcoin will rise in price. It is just a matter of understanding the risks when investing in Bitcoin.

There is no method of investing which will guarantee that you will not lose or that you will receive an x amount in return. Past performance is no guarantee that whatever happened in previous years will repeat itself in the future.

Have some spare cash to invest in Bitcoin and are prepared to lose it?

Then check out the coinbase, a well-established crypto-exchange. Coinbase makes it easy to buy and sell bitcoin. Check it out here:

https://coinbase.com/join/gochwv

 

Disclaimer: I may receive a small commission if you sign up for coinbase.

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Here are 6 ways to make Capital Gains

The article below is of the sole opinion of the writer and is not considered to be financial advice. If you require advice on a financial matter then consult your bank manager or other financial advisor. You may share this article or publish it to your own site or blog.

6 Ways to Make Capital Gains

Written by R. A. Stewart

There are basically two types of investment income. Capital Gains and Investment Income.

Investment income is income you receive from an asset, examples of investment income are interest on savings, rent from property, and dividends from shares.

Capital gains is the increased value of an asset; examples of capital gains is the increased value of property, shares, and other assets.

Some investments provide capital gains but no income; examples of these are precious metals such as gold, bitcoin, antiques and other collectable items.

Here are investments which provide Capital Gains:

The Sharemarket

The sharemarket offers excellent opportunities for capital gain. For most people, investing directly into the markets is not an option because the transaction fees once taken out for buying and selling shares make it not worth their while, however, there are plenty of managed funds investors with limited means can participate in. Sharesies in New Zealand  is one.  Investors can drip feed money into the markets with Sharesies and there is the option of investing in various funds or individual companies. Other similar types of platforms in New Zealand  are Investnow, Kernelwealth, and Hatch. These are not the only ones though. 

Your retirement scheme invests in managed (Mutual Funds) and they are also a form of Capital Gains. In New Zealand joining kiwisaver is a no brainer. KIwisaver is New Zealand’s retirement scheme.

Property

The property market has been a popular Captain Gains tool for a lot of investors using not only their money but other people’s money in the form of a loan. Income is gained from rents which pays for the mortgage. All related costs are the most popular form of capital gains and the easiest one for the novice investor to get their toe wet in the markets and learn as you go because there are several mutual funds which are available and the start up costs are minimal. In New Zealand Sharesies only costs $1 to get into which gives you the chance to invest in managed funds or individual companies. It is a great way for tax deduction. This type of investment can turn to custard such as wayward tenants. If you are prepared to take the risk then this investment may suit.

Your own home is a good source of Capital Gains if you intend to sell at some point.

Another way to get in on the property ladder is to purchase shares in property investment companies in the sharemarket. This can be done by investing in individual companies or managed funds which invest in property.

Compound Interest

You must have heard of compound interest; that is when you invest in fixed term accounts for x% interest. Instead of receiving your interest payments into your bank account you let them be added on to your principal and you earn interest on your principal and previous interest payments. This is called compounded interest. 

The increase to your capital is called “Capital Gains.”

Interest rates are very low at present (2020); in some instances lower than the inflation rate which makes this kind of investing less attractive. It is important therefore to do your due diligence and not be enticed by some finance company offering higher interest rates than normal, because with higher interest rates comes higher risk. These finance companies offering higher interest rates lend to higher risk types of borrowers. 

I am not saying that you should not invest your money in these companies but rather do your due diligence and at least diversify your portfolio rather than plonking all of your life savings into the one company.

Gold

This one is purely speculative but can be a good hedge against a downturn in the markets. The one drawback with gold is finding a place to store it. Another way to invest in gold is buying gold stocks in the sharemarket. Purchasing gold coins from auction sites such as Ebay and Trademe is another option. As with other investments it pays to do your homework and read all you can about gold and other precious metals. The following website provides information for those interested in gold:

 

Crypto Currency

Crypto currency such as Bitcoin and the like should be treated as speculative investments, therefore, only invest money in this if you can afford to lose it. What I am saying is use your discretionary income to purchase crypto currency. This type of investing can be a rollercoaster but one piece of advice which may be useful is to not just purchase all your crypto currency in one transaction but to do on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis so that there is a chance that you have made a purchase when the currency is low. It is called averaging.

Collectables/Antiques

Investing in collectables can give you a sense of satisfaction and profit when you intent to sell. You really have to know your stuff when dealing in antiques. Always remember, something is only worth what others are prepared to pay for. If someone is prepared to pay $1,000 for a painting at auction then that is what it is worth, however, if another painting is sold at auction for just $10, then that is it’s worth. The value of something is only a matter of opinion.

Recently (2020), some Banksie paintings sold for over $100,000 in New Zealand. The seller of the paintings paid a total of $500 for them in London (UK) some years earlier. It just shows how one’s eye for a bargain can be profitable.

For smaller items such as postage stamps, bank notes, beer labels, and so forth collectors can list their duplicates on auction websites to help fund their hobby.

 

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Crypto risks

Ways to do your dough on crypto investing

The advice to investors in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency is be aware of the risks and plan accordingly. A prudent investor is not going to invest their entire life savings into crypto, something a fool may do and this is not just because of the volatility of cryptocurrencies. There is more than one way of your money disappearing with crypto. 

Here they are:

1 Volatility

This is the most common way to lose your money. We all know about the volatility of cryptocurrencies. We also know that it is possible for the value of your Bitcoin to drop significantly. It is because of this that you should only use discretionary spending money for purchasing cryptocurrency. 

What is discretionary spending money?

This is money you have left over after paying for your living costs.

2 Password amnesia

Losing your password is another way you can lose your money in bitcoin. Crypto wallets tend to allow you to have a number of failed log in attempts before you are locked out of your wallet permanently. This happened to an Australian man who had 400k in his crypto wallet. He had tried everything he could to remember his password. After 8 failed log in attempts he was left with two. No news on whether he had used up his last two attempts.

3 Hacking

Hacking can be a problem for websites and its users. Your email address can be hacked and if that happens your crypto will be exposed. It will pay to have a two step authentication system. That is you log in as normal with your email address and password. You are then sent a text and asked to type in the code which you received by text message.

4 Fraud or other circumstances

2022 saw the collapse of crypto exchanges FTX. The man behind FTX was arrested on suspicion of fraud. Blockfi also ran into difficulties but it is not known what its circumstances were. 

Bitcoin is not a substitute for your retirement fund. It needs to be treated separately and only with money you can fully afford to lose.

There are over 100 crypto exchanges and it is likely that others will suffer the same fate as FTX and Blockfi for various reasons. 

Scam warning

Here is a warning which you should take note of. I know someone who deposited $3,000 into his  bank account and the following day the money just simply vanished from his account. He alerted his bank. They found that his personal bank account was linked to his debit card which he gave to an overseas website to purchase goods. However, this site was hacked which provided those responsible with easy access to his money. I told him that he should have deposited the money into an account which is not linked to internet banking.

There was a happy ending as the bank paid him $3,000 for his loss.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

This article is of the opinion of the writer and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances. Feel free to share this article. You may use it as content for your blog/site or ebook.

Have some spare cash to invest in Bitcoin?

Then check out the coinbase, a well-established crypto-exchange. Coinbase makes it easy to buy and sell bitcoin. Check it out here:

https://coinbase.com/join/gochwv

www.robertastewart.com

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“Is Bitcoin right for me?”

Answer to the question  “Is Bitcoin right for me?”
It all depends on what the money is going to be used for. Bitcoin is not
the place to invest savings which are for a house deposit or vehicle.
Bitcoin is not a substitute for your country’s retirement scheme.
Because of its volatility only discretionary spending money should be
used for buying bitcoin. What is discretionary spending money? It is
money that you can fully afford to lose. Some examples of
discretionary spending are money which is used for betting on horse
races or lotto, money used for dining out, and holidays. If you have
debts then any discretionary spending money you have should be
used to reduce that debt. Less debt also means less interest you
have to pay to service that debt.
The other factor to consider when deciding whether bitcoin is right for
you is your risk profile. If you have little tolerance for risk then bitcoin
is not for you. Life is too short for you to be constantly losing sleep
over how your bitcoin investment is doing.
In a nutshell, the only money which should be used for purchasing
cryptocurrency is money which you can fully afford to lose. And then
maybe, you will get a good night’s sleep.
Thinking about giving cryptocurrency a go? Here is something which
may interest you

https://coinbase.com/join/gochwv

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Will Bitcoin recover?

Will Bitcoin recover?

That is a question  nobody knows  the answer to. I think anyone who claims otherwise is really deceiving themselves. The problem with predicting what may happen with the movement of bitcoin is its short history which is insufficient data to make an informed prediction. Unlike the share market which has a long history. Financial experts can look at what has happened in the share market and tell you how quickly or slowly the market has recovered after a crash. When we concern ourselves with Bitcoin we are heading into unknown territory.

There are some financial analysts who are game enough to make a prediction on which direction bitcoin will go. Some are even predicting that the price of bitcoin will reach 75,000-100,000 by the end of 2022. Whether this is pie in the sky stuff we will find out; it all depends on who you listen to. As always, look at a person’s credentials before considering taking anyone’s advice. How well do they know the world of cryptocurrency?

Bitcoin has lost two thirds of its value since it reached its record high of $68,000 US last November. Ethereum is worth just a quarter of its record high of $4700 US.

Investors have been looking for alternatives to cryptocurrency in favor of less volatile investments.

Will bitcoin recover?

One expert says it could take a few months or a few years to recover. Another expert says he expects short term volatility and long term growth.

One reason for the downward spiral of cryptocurrencies has been the involvement of institutions which are sensitive to the availability of capital. This has been the major factor in the correlation between Bitcoin and equities.

Cryptocurrencies have not been helped by bad publicity which have had the same effect as bad publicity has on the share market.

Another expert who showed graphs explained that Bitcoin doubled in price the following year after it halved in price and says recovery is not expected before 2023. He says that he expected the next peak in Bitcoin to be after 2024. The next peak is expected to be in November/December 2025 if previous high/low/high patterns continue.

Bitcoin may have a short history but patterns are still emerging which investors can consider when deciding whether to invest in Bitcoin. The important thing to remember is that you should use only your discretionary spending money for purchasing cryptocurrency.

Another thing you should keep in mind is that when there is an opportunity to make a capital gain whether that be from cryptocurrency, gold, or the share market then there is also the chance of a capital loss.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

The article is of the writer’s own opinion and experience and may not necessarily be applicable to your own circumstances. If you require qualified financial advice see your financial advisor or bank manager. Feel free to share this article. You may use the article as content for your ebook or website. Check out my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

If you are still keen on having a go with bitcoin then  check out this site:

https://blockfi.com/?ref=9dc42263

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Crypto-scams on the rise

Crypto-scams on the rise

Written by R. A. Stewart

A newspaper article appearing in the Christchurch press headlined, “Cyber-scams cost Kiwis $3.7m highlighted the dangers posed by those who are investing in online share market, crypto, or NFT platforms. The $3.7m refers to the amount lost to these types of scams in just the first three months of the year.

The sudden rise in popularity of NFT’s (non-fungible tokens) is a contributing factor in the rise of scams.

Cryptocurrency scams are increasing according to the article but not to the same extent as those scams relating to NFTs.

NFTs are unregulated and expensive and payment was difficult to reverse. 

The fear of missing out has created a demand for crypto and NFTs which has resulted in many investors investing in something which promised a great return only for it to be just a scam.

The article gave this great advice which really is applicable to all kinds of investments whether it is online or offline and that is to do your due diligence. 

As far as cryptocurrency goes, due diligence means searching the name of the investment with the words “scam alert”, or searching the FMA warning and alerts page.

Another important thing is to not feel pressured in anything. If you are told to invest within a short time or you will miss out then don’t bother because the promoters of such a scheme are only trying to take advantage of the “Fear of missing out,” mentality in you.

A phishing scam is the most reported scam. It is when you receive an email from someone posing as a trusted site or business in order to gain your personal details. They ask for your log in details and use it to gain access to your accounts. Different strategies may be used and one is when you receive an email asking you to verify your account. When you register for a site you are asked to verify it within 24 hours of joining. If you receive an email asking you to verify your account months after you registered then be wary and do not click on the link provided.

It is also a good idea when registering with a crypto or NFT site to use an email address which is different from your personal one and certainly do not use the same one you would normally use for your banking or online auctions.

As far as banking goes; do not use your main debit card for crypto trading but rather a separate one because of the risks of hacking. Even with all of your own due diligence, there is also the possibility that the crypto exchange website with all of your banking details will get hacked and that is out of your control. It is up to each investor to do their own homework and take responsibility for their own decisions. That way you have only yourself to blame if you lose your money.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Feel free to share this article. You may use this article as content for your website or ebook. Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this article is not intended as financial advice but rather the opinion and experience of the writer. Caution is advised when investing in cryptocurrency or NFTs.

www.robertastewart.com

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How high will bitcoin go?

How high will bitcoin go?

That is the question on the minds of many speculators who either have money tied up in bitcoin or are contemplating purchasing bitcoin, perhaps for the first time.

I am reluctant to use the word “investing” when writing about bitcoin because bitcoin can be volatile with its ups and downs not unlike a rollercoaster. 

There are predictions on which direction bitcoin is heading but I think you have to realize that this is based on opinions rather than fact. Past performance is no guarantee of the future and something is only worth what others are prepared to pay for.

Then there is the question of what credentials does the person making predictions have. What is their track record? Do they own bitcoin themselves?

There is a lot of advice out there from various people and much of the advice is just opinions and we all know that opinions can be wrong. 

It is really up to individuals to make up their own minds and USE ONLY DISCRETIONARY SPENDING MONEY TO PURCHASE BITCOIN.

Investors need to keep their eye on the ball and not be lured in any scheme with promises of quick riches. If something seems too good to be true then it almost certainly is.

Ready to take the next step? Sign up here:

https://blockfi.com/?ref=9dc42263

www.robertastewart.com

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Do you have discretionary income to invest?

Do you have discretionary income to invest?

Why not invest it in Bitcoin?

You may not get rich and you may lose it all but then again your money could double, treble, quadruple in value and even more in a short time.

That is the exciting part about bitcoin.

No one knows how high it may go…

If you had bought $100 worth of bitcoin 10 years ago you would now be a millionaire.

but…

bitcoin is volatile therefore, one should only purchase bitcoin with discretionary spending money.

What is discretionary spending money?

That is anything left over after paying your fixed costs such as rates, rent, taxes, power, holidays, etc.

In other words, purchase cryptocurrency with money you can afford to lose.

Ready to take the next step?

Ready to invest in bitcoin? 

https://yazing.com/deals/blockfi/robertalan

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The Risks of Bitcoin

INTRODUCTION

There are risks with bitcoin that investors need to be aware of in order to manage them. They may be out of the control of investors but at least there are steps one can to in order to minimize the risk. The risks will not be eliminated but at least you can mitigate them to a certain extent.

The Risks of Bitcoin that investors need to be aware of

Risk one-The volatility of bitcoin

Everyone knows how volatile bitcoin is and those who invest in this will see the value of this cryptocurrency fluctuate quite dramatically. Unless you can cope with the rises and falls of bitcoin then investing in bitcoin is not for you. There is little to be gained if the loss of your capital is going to cause you to lose sleep. I cannot stress enough the importance of using your discretionary spending money to play the cryptocurrency market. 

What is discretionary spending?

It is money which is spent on travel, eating out, entertainment, hobbies and sports. 

You would never spend the rent money or money which has been set aside for your retirement on entertainment such as a day out at the races so you should not use that money for playing the cryptocurrency market either.

Risk two-Hacking

A company called “Cryptopia ” which was an online bitcoin trading platform held funds invested in Bitcoin. It was hacked into and all those with bitcoin invested with cryptopia lost their money. There were some sad stories concerning the large amount of money lost by some individuals. 

It has to be repeated that you should never play cryptocurrency money with funds you cannot afford to lose or to place too many eggs in the one basket as many of these investors appear to have done.

The other thing I have to add is that the actual amount of money lost by cryptopia investors is likely to be grossly inflated due to the rising price of bitcoin. If someone invested $1,000 in bitcoin and this rose to $10,000 in a few years only for them to lose the lot. It will go on record that this person has lost 10k when in actual fact, it was just 1k they lost.

Risk three-Lost passwords

An Australian man is locked out of his bitcoin wallet because he cannot even remember his password. The website where he has his bitcoin will lock him out of his wallet permanently if he has made ten failed login attempts. He has made eight. He has over 300k in his bitcoin wallet. 

The lesson here is to write down your password and keep it locked away in a safe place. 

The other piece of advice is to diversify your portfolio so that if something goes horribly wrong you will not lose too much in one hit.

Risk four-Government controls

Governments have the ability to ban crypto trading; China has done just that. Several agencies in China have joined forces to ban what they describe as “illegal” cryptocurrency activity. This is not to say other countries will follow suit but it just illustrates a point that governments do have the power to do this.

Risk five-Taxation

Two things in life are certain, death and taxes. You can be sure that at some point the taxman will want a piece of your bitcoin pie. Whether it be in the form of a Capital Gains Tax or the increased value of bitcoin. It should be remembered that if you are being taxed on the Capital Gains of your bitcoin then it may be possible to claim tax back on any capital losses. A good accountant will be able to advise you here.

Whatever form of capital gains you are investing in it should always be remembered that when there is the opportunity for capital gains there is also the possibility of capital loss. Investing in cryptocurrency is risky therefore, it cannot be stressed enough that the money you invest in bitcoin must be money you can afford to lose.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

You are welcome to use this article as content for your ebook or website. More articles by R.A.Stewart can be found at www.robertastewart.com

Ready to invest in bitcoin? Check this out:

https://yazing.com/deals/blockfi/robertalan

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BITCOIN IS AN EXCITING INVESTMENT

INTRODUCTION

Investing in cryptocurrency can be exciting and lucrative but it pays to exercise some common sense strategies if you are going to participate in this form of investment; one which can be classed as pure speculation. 

Investing in Cryptocurrency?

Be sensible and follow all of the basic rules of investing. A few people have got burnt fingers by not following some of the most basic common sense rules which apply to all forms of investing. I have made a list of the main ones to consider. Here they are.

Number one: Invest only discretionary money in Cryptocurrency

The money you are using to purchase Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the like must be money you can fully afford to lose. It must be discretionary spending money. You wouldn’t go to the races or the betting shop with your retirement fund and use that to gamble with. Cryptocurrency investing has to be treated in the same way. It is highly volatile. The number one rule is to purchase cryptocurrency with money you can fully afford to lose using only your discretionary spending money.

What is discretionary spending money?

That is up to an individual’s own priorities and personal circumstances. One person may consider money set aside for a holiday to the islands as discretionary spending but someone else may not want to risk that money in Bitcoin.

Number two: Assess the risk 

As with any investment it is important to assess the risk. It is no secret that Bitcoin is volatile but if you abide by rule number one then there will be little or no change in your financial situation if the cryptocurrency market takes a tumble. Market volatility is not the only risk investors in some countries have to face. China imposed a blanket ban on all crypto transactions in order to stop all cryptocurrency related activities.

Number three: Don’t get greedy

Greed gets the better of a lot of investors. They see the value of their Bitcoin skyrocket and decide to use money which they should not be speculating with for purchasing more Bitcoin. Having some form of exposure to the cryptocurrency market adds an exciting string to your financial bow but don’t try to get rich quick by diverting all of your money to Bitcoin and ignoring other forms of investment.

Number four: Diversify

Spreading your risk helps minimize the risk of losing all your money in one go. Several investors lost all of their money in one major financial hit during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis when companies they invested their life savings with went under. They invested all of their eggs into one basket.

What has this got to do with investing in Bitcoin? Hacking is a danger with Bitcoin therefore having money spread among different platforms will reduce your chances of this happening.

Number five: Use different platforms

Hacking is a possibility which can see your cryptocurrency disappear. It is a good idea to invest your cryptocurrency among different platforms such as blockchain, binanance, blockfi. etc. That way if one of these platforms gets hacked you won’t lose everything in one go.

Number six: Find a safe place to store your password

This is important because many of these cryptocurrency trading websites will only allow you a certain number of wrong passwords and after that you will be permanently locked out of the site.

You wouldn’t want this happening to you. 

There are several things which can go wrong in the crypto-market but with careful planning you can mitigate the risks. Ready to take the next step and invest in Bitcoin? Check out this cryptocurrency platform here:

https://yazing.com/deals/blockfi/robertalan