Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that you can buy, sell and exchange directly, without an intermediary like a bank. Bitcoinβs creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, originally described the need for βan electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust.β Each and every Bitcoin transaction thatβs ever been made exists on a public ledger accessible to everyone, making transactions hard to reverse and difficult to fake. Thatβs by design: Core to their decentralized nature, Bitcoins arenβt backed by the government or any issuing institution, and thereβs nothing to guarantee their value besides the proof baked in the heart of the system. βThe reason why itβs worth money is simply because we, as people, decided it has valueβsame as gold,β says Anton Mozgovoy, co-founder & CEO of digital financial service company Holyheld.
Should You Buy Bitcoin?
In general, many financial experts support their clientsβ desire to buy cryptocurrency, but they donβt recommend it unless clients express interest. βThe biggest concern for us is if someone wants to invest in crypto and the investment they choose doesnβt do well, and then all of a sudden they canβt send their kids to college,β says Ian Harvey, a certified financial planner (CFP) in New York City. βThen it wasnβt worth the risk.β The speculative nature of cryptocurrency leads some planners to recommend it for clientsβ βsideβ investments. βSome call it a Vegas account,β says Scott Hammel, a CFP in Dallas. βLetβs keep this away from our real long-term perspective, make sure it doesnβt become too large a portion of your portfolio.β In a very real sense, Bitcoin is like a single stock, and advisors wouldnβt recommend putting a sizable part of your portfolio into any one company. At most, planners suggest putting no more than 1% to 10% into Bitcoin if youβre passionate about it. βIf it was one stock, you would never allocate any significant portion of your portfolio to it,β Hammel says.
