Should I invest in bitcoins?

If you are into investments and Cryptocurrencies, I’m sure you have come across Bitcoins. And perhaps you have the same question as mine which is: Should I invest in bitcoins? Is Bitcoin a good investment?

More than a year ago, I started investing in the Philippine Stock Market and I am so glad I did. This is because I see how my hard-earned money is working harder for me. But since I am an investor, not a trader, I find this to be really boring. Unlike traders, especially day traders, I buy shares of stocks only once or sometimes twice a month and forget about it until it’s time to add some shares again.

“Good investing is boring.” – Geroge Soros

And because I got bored, I started looking into other investments and investment vehicles to make my money grow. That’s when I heard and read about Bitcoins and how it is said to be a better option than stocks. I am not surprised that even in the Facebook groups about stocks of which I am a member; they were flooded with posts and queries about Bitcoins.

So in this article, I will be sharing with you what I learned about Bitcoins. Hopefully, it will answer your questions like: Is Bitcoin a good investment? What are the risks of investing in bitcoins? Should you invest in Bitcoins?

Bitcoins and the Financial Crisis of 2008

Bitcoin was created in 2009 by a certain Satoshi Nakamoto as a new method to overthrow the way we pay for things online. Nakamoto thought there were certain problems with existing payment systems and wanted to address them. But rather than trying to design a new one, he created Bitcoin.

Why was there a need to create Bitcoin? It all started with the “Financial Crisis of 2008.” The said crisis brought out the inherent shortcomings of banks and other financial institutions. In the USA, banks started to give out risky loans to people to attract customers. But because of the inability of the people to pay back the money, many banks collapsed and filed for bankruptcy.

Financial Crisis

Some banks invested the people’s money in various opportunities but these investments did not pay off, resulting in the loss of all the money that the people had entrusted to them for safe-keeping. So what the government did was asked the central bank to print more money.

Although printing more money has helped the country’s economy, the downside is that the value of money that was already in circulation decreases. The 2008 financial crisis was global; whatever happened in the USA also affected the world. As a result, people everywhere would have to work for the rest of their lives to earn money so that the decrease in the value of money doesn’t affect them too much.

“Whenever the government spends more money than it earns, the value of our money goes down.”

After the crisis, people started to demand a currency that would not be controlled by a central authority. Satoshi Nakamoto decided it was time for a new monetary system and created Bitcoin.

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the first-ever DIGITAL CURRENCY to run on a DECENTRALIZED DATABASE.

So first, Bitcoin is a currency. Just like the Dollar, Pound or Peso, you can exchange your money into Bitcoin, and Bitcoin into other currencies. Secondly, it is digital, the same way that your money in your online bank accounts, in your credit cards or in stock investment portfolios are all digital.

But just because something is digital doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Today, we live in a world where we can purchase digital and physical products by just typing in our credit card details.

But what makes Bitcoin special is that it operates on a decentralized database. Before we define what decentralization means, let us first look at what is a centralized database.

“Bitcoin is the first-ever DIGITAL CURRENCY to run on a DECENTRALIZED DATABASE.”

Banks operate on a centralized database, which means when you deposit your money to a bank (the database), you’re gonna have to trust the person (or system) that they will properly track all the money and transactions given.

However, you don’t have any guarantee that you will get your money back. You may have your deposit slip but if you lose it or if the teller (or system) steals your money, you are literally at the mercy of the bank because it runs on a centralized database.

At the end of the day, the power to decide the truth about what really happened falls under just one person or institution and the consumer just has to trust the system.

Decentralization on the other hand means that instead of having all the records of transactions in just one single database, it would be spread across entirely many databases, and will not be controlled or owned by one single person or group.

You can Never Fake a Bitcoin.

Because Bitcoin operates on a decentralized database, verification isn’t controlled by one single person, group, or institution. Also, any transaction can be publicly verified and validated by anyone, and no record can ever be faked or altered once verified by the decentralized network. That’s why you can never “fake” a Bitcoin

Since its inception, every Bitcoin transaction can be tracked in a publicly verifiable database. It means each Bitcoin or its fraction can be traced back to the owner and to where it went next. Consequently, all future transactions with Bitcoin are being tracked and verified by the same decentralized database.

So to create a fake Bitcoin, you will have to fake all the transactions since its inception in 2009. And as time progresses, faking a Bitcoin transaction is next to impossible because to do this, you would have to beat the processing power of the entire network. And even if you can create a fake transaction, the network is sure to reject and void it within just 10 minutes.

How does Bitcoin Work?

As defined earlier, Bitcoin is the first digital currency that operates on a decentralized database. But in order to understand how Bitcoin works, we must first understand how currency works.

Currencies like the dollar or peso function primarily as a “medium of exchange,” which means they are accepted as a means of paying for goods and services. However, Bitcoin is not yet accepted as a medium of exchange, as there are a limited number of people and establishments who are accepting Bitcoin as payment.

Bitcoin is a digital currency

If that’s the case, why would anyone be interested in Bitcoins? Because Bitcoin was designed to be the “perfect money.” For you to send and receive Bitcoins, all you need to have is a “Bitcoin Wallet,” an app that can be downloaded into your computer or mobile phone. One good thing about Bitcoin is that you don’t even need to give your name, email, contact number or any valid identification to start using it.

Bitcoin acts exactly like digital cash and it is by design, superior to any digital money when it comes to portability. As of last month, (February 2018), some noteworthy companies accepting Bitcoin are Microsoft, Expedia, and Shopify. But little by little, more and more companies are starting to accept Bitcoin as payment.

Is Bitcoin a Good Investment?

Should you and I invest in Bitcoins? In order to answer these questions, let us compare Bitcoin with other investments like the stock market in terms of risks and returns.

In August 2011, the (first) price of Bitcoin was only US$0.06. Five years later in August 2015, one Bitcoin was already US$260, which is a whopping 433200% return on investment. Then in January 2017, Bitcoin was $985. But by the end of the year (December 2017), it was already at $17500. That’s a 1676% return!

Based on this, Bitcoin can be considered a good investment. But before you dive in, you should know that while Bitcoin has been increasing in value over time, there have also been a lot of huge drops throughout.

To compare, the worst years ever in the US and Philippine Stock Markets based on a 30-year history was a drop of 52.7% in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) in 1931 and 55% in the Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEI) in the year 1990 & in the 2008 crisis. But with Bitcoin, drops of more than 50% happen on a regular basis.

Bitcoin Price Drops
Source: Pinoy Money Academy

This simply means that Bitcoin should be treated as an extremely high-risk, high-reward investment. Yes, the gains are potentially high but the investor could also potentially lose all their investments.

Conclusion

Should you and I invest in Bitcoins? Only if we can afford to lose our investments. I’d say Bitcoin is for people who:

  • are debt-free.
  • have health and life insurance.
  • have 6 months to 1 year worth of emergency funds.
  • have savings and investments for their children’s educational fund and their retirement.

Financial stability

Anyone who doesn’t have a solid financial foundation yet should not invest in Bitcoins. Instead, you must focus on building your financial foundation so that in the future you can afford to take risks and speculative investments like Bitcoin.

If you are already investing in Bitcoins, please do share your experience in the comment section below.


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14 thoughts on “Should I Invest in Bitcoins?”

  1. Every day is another opportunity to set up a good plan, you might have been facing financial difficulties and you want to put an end to it. But putting an end to it is not just saying, it’s not just working hard, it is all about working smart, you don’t wait for tomorrow; you get prepared for it.

    All I’m saying is, don’t wait for tomorrow to invest in Bitcoin. The earlier you start, the better.

    1. Hello Ronald,

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Bitcoins. It sure has given some clarity on whether people will invest in Bitcoins or not. And just like any other investments, the earlier we start the better, that is if we have the available funds. Because I don’t recommend putting your hard-earned money into something risky without being prepared.

      As I said in my post, one needs to take care of the more important things first (getting out of debt, having insurance, etc.) before diving in.

      Thank you once again, Ronald.

  2. Thank you so much for this post. You have made bitcoins and how they work easily understood.

    I was If I am honest a bit confused by it but now know what I am letting myself in for. Knowing where to invest is hard so really appreciate this review.

    With Grace and Gratitude
    Karen

    1. Hello Karen, thanks for visiting.

      Like you, I also had no idea how Bitcoins work. And because I didn’t know much about it, I was scared to even try investing in them. I read many people talk about it in their blogs but they make it sound so complicated and in effect difficult to understand. I thought they were speaking a different kind of language that only the witty could understand.

      So I decided to dig deeper so I can share it to others in a way that is easily understood. I’m glad you now know what Bitcoin is about.

  3. Without exaggeration that was the best explanation I have ever read on Bitcoin. Your ability to start with the simple, AND KEEP IT SIMPLE is amazing.
    The practical advice is wonderfully honest as well. Clearly I should not be a bitcoin investor at this time.
    Thank you so much!
    CT

    1. Hey CT,

      I started to get fascinated with Bitcoins mid of last year because everybody was talking and fussing about it. However, I had no idea what Bitcoin was and what was driving people’s curiosity toward it. I was hoping at that time that somebody could explain all about it to me in simpler terms.

      So when I finally came to understand what Bitcoin is all about and if it is a good investment, I wanted to share it with others in a way that is simple to understand. So I’m really glad that my post has served its purpose.

  4. Very fair into recommending not to invest in Bitcoin without a solid financial foundation. I’ve got less knowledge about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. All I know is that its price fluctuation is very much volatile, hence, as you said, a very high risk, yet high reward investment. Up until now, I and my brother are measuring that risk factors. This article is very informative, thus helpful for someone like me looking for more information. Thank you for this!

    1. That’s right! Bitcoin prices fluctuate a lot; it’s very volatile. But I believe that just like the stock market, it will continue to increase over time despite some huge drops along the way. I consider Bitcoin to be a good investment for anyone who has some cash to spare because I’m not sure if you are aware, but we are heading into a cashless society and Bitcoin seems to be the perfect digital money.

  5. Hi Alice, I have tried for awhile to understand the concept of Bitcoin and have to admit that it eludes me. I honestly don’t know how it works but I’m very glad that I read your article. You provided me with background information that I was not aware of and It appears to be a good investment to follow if you consider the growth that you have pointed out.

    I’m going to take your advice though and rather focus my attention on building a solid financial foundation. Better to leave the heavy-lifting to the tough guys.

    All the best,

    Brian

    1. Hey Brian,

      Bitcoin is a good investment if you have some cash to spare. Rather than letting your money sit in the bank to earn very little interest, why not invest in Bitcoins to get bigger returns. But just like any other investments, you must go for the long term to have a better chance of growing your money.

      I want to invest in Bitcoins but I’ll do that at a later time because right now my focus is the stock market.

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