What a crypto executive wishes investors knew before buying bitcoin

Bitcoin is prone to major valuation swings as whales — the term for large institutional investors — buy and sell massive quantities. New investors should go in with clear eyes and brace themselves for major dips and spikes.

Traidman says that anyone considering buying bitcoin should get familiar with its movements so as to not get scared into selling their holdings if they see a drop soon after they buy.

“[When bitcoin broke] $50,000, a bunch of new people bought in, and then you had savvy whales who took their winnings and caused a pullback,” he explains. “And then some spooked investors sold, and the whales bought back in [at a lower price].”

New investors should strive to be unfazed when they see major movements, whether they’re positive or negative, Traidman says.

“Be aware that if you put in X amount of money, there will be a time when you open your wallet and are down 30%,” he says. “There will also be a time when you’re up 2x.”

One of the most important things a new crypto investor can do is know their goals. Too often, Traidman says, new investors get enamored by quick increases in the value of their holdings and decide to see if it goes up any more. Instead, they should sell if they hit their targets.

“When you have a situation where your money is up 2x or 3x, you’ll think that it was too easy,” he says. “Stick to your guns and don’t get greedy. If your goal is 2x [growth], and you hit that, sell it and be thankful that you hit your number.”

He adds that new investors often get caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations of the coin. A better strategy, Traidman argues, would be to “buy, hold and forget about it” for at least a year.

“If you look at it every day, it can be nerve-wracking,” he says. “We crypto crazy people do that, but I don’t think it’s the right move for the average casual investor.”

One of the biggest mistakes Traidman sees new investors making is trying to wait to buy bitcoin at the cheapest price possible, only to get upset if it goes even lower after they make their purchase.

To avoid this, Traidman advises new investors to use the dollar-cost average strategy — buying a little bit of bitcoin every day at a wider range of prices — to build their holdings over time.

“Don’t just go in and buy $5,000 worth of bitcoin,” he says, adding that it is more helpful psychologically to not have a single price at which you bought bitcoin that your brain fixates on.

He adds that there’s no amount of bitcoin a person can buy that makes it a good or bad investment, and that investors should only buy as much as they’re comfortable losing if its value were to drop.