I like your statement about setting a plan.  Many people neglect this, and just figure that they'll hodl through any bear market.  What they don't realize is that this market is volitile and full of new businesses, and many will not survive long-term.  I'm convinced that the only way to really succeed is to have a well developed plan and follow through.

Forget about looking at ICO rating agencies.  You can use them for someone's opinion, but do your own research.  Make sure you understand blockchain and what it's capable of.  Then you can spot projects with poor use cases. 

Yes.  I agree that telegram groups can offer insight.  But no one can accurately and consistently tell you which way the market will go.  The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to recognize the overall trend.  It's hard to miss.  Then act accordingly.  I don't trade at the tops and bottoms, but rather within each trend and ALWAYS protect my earnings.  My personal opinion again, but it's better to miss a pump than lose money.  This way, it's possible to grow portfolio value consistently and steadily over time.  But if you take a huge loss, it's game over in some cases. 

To make an educated guess about what a crypto project is worth, you can look at similar projects that are more established.  But don't look at token price, since some projects issue more tokens than others.  Compare the market caps instead.  However, remember that it is impossible to accurately predict a token's future price.  There are too many market conditions and variables. 

I have learned some valuable lessons from trading that I would like to share.  These are my personal thoughts and not trading or financial advice.

1.  I learned that no one can accurately and consistently predict the market.  There are many gurus out there, giving out predictions like candy.  Some have large followings and paid groups.  It gives people a sense of comfort to seek advice and predictions from these people.  But in the end, it's important to remember that no one knows what is going to happen.  

2.  I have learned that protecting my money is the number one priority.  Many people develop a sense of attachment to certain tokens.  They will lock them away in cold storage, and HODL no matter what happens.  But remember that even the most solid tokens will bleed heavily during a massive market correction.  Many people with "strong hands" HODL all the way to the bottom, where they eventually sell and get REKT.  Remember that not everything will rebound.  In the real world, 9 out of 10 traditional new businesses will fail within 5 years.  Why would crypto, which is based upon brand new technology, be any different?  This is why I believe in setting stop losses.  Even if the token bounces after I sell, at least I have protected my earnings and I can continue to trade another day.

3.  The trend is my friend.  When Bitcoin starts trading at lower highs and lower lows, that is the sign of a possible bear market.  At that point, I convert back into fiat and wait.  I don't try to catch falling knives, which means buy crypto as prices are falling.   I patiently wait until the market hits the bottom.  But how do I know what the bottom is?  I don't.  I wait for Bitcoin to show a reversal and solid uptrend, higher highs and higher lows, building solid support levels before I start to invest again. When I start investing, I carefully dollar cost average in.  

4.  By selling during a downtrend and buying during an uptrend, I make consistent profits.  I don't have to know where the tops and bottoms are.  And even if I make a mistake and sell my crypto too early, only to watch them rebound and moon, I have still protected my money.  Then I get back on the train and continue the ride upward.  I may suffer a little FOMO, but nothing is really lost.  

That's my personal strategy.  It's important to remember that everyone on crypto Twitter is looking out for their own investments.  They will encourage you to HODL when the ship is sinking because they don't want their bags to lose value.  But I always look out for myself first, and never get attached to tokens.

Again, this is my personal strategy and not trading advice.  What have you learned from trading?

Yes, there are other ways to use cryptocurrencies other than trading.  If you're only buying to transfer money, and not holding as an investment, there is little risk.  But we need easier ways to exchange cryptocurrencies and Fiat.  Most people don't want to bother with all of the KYC requirements to open a Coinbase or Kraken account.  The only other option is for major retailers to accept cryptocurrencies.

Good point.  It's easy to talk about crypto when we were in a bull market.  But the crypto market is extremely volitile.  If someone asks, I will tell then about Blockchain technology.  However, I'm never going to encourage anyone to invest ever again, even if the market is soaring.  Lesson learned. 

I'm someone who loves to share.  When I discovered blockchain technology a while ago, I wanted to tell everyone.  I didn't stop with my friends and family.  I told colleagues at work, my doctor, and just about anyone who would listen.  Some who got in early made money and were very happy.  But others waited until after seeing the massive bull run to invest, and bought at the top.  Now I keep my mouth shut because I can't control how people invest.  Even though blockchain will change the world, there are still good and bad investments.  How about you?  Do you encourage others to invest in crypto?

I agree that advice from knowledgeable influencers can provide a starting point for deeper research.  And when it comes to research, I think that people need to understand blockchain technology.  There are many projects with use cases that are not realistic, and we need to be able to recognize them. 

I think that the cryptocurrency market us unique, because many investors don't understand blockchain technology.  So they rely upon experts on YouTube, Twitter, and Telegram for information, analysis, and advice.  As a result, we have the phenomenon of crypto influencers.  Some are reputable, like Carter Thomas of Coin Mastery, but others are not.  What's your opinion on Crypto influencers?  Are they good for this market and the cryptocurrency movement?  Do you take advice from them?  And who's good to follow?

The way that I see it, Bitcoin has to explode to twice it's all time high at some point.  If cryptocurrencies expand in adoption, Bitcoin's market cap is bound to grow.  This technology is here to stay.

Of all the competitors, I think that EOS has the best likelihood of stealing massive market share from Ethereum.  In addition to having an incredible community of supporters and listing on major exchanges, EOS has deep funding for development.  They have an army of developers, so I think they will achieve their vision.

Ethereum is facing a lot of competition from platforms like EOS, NEM, NXT, Lisk, Waves, NEO, Stratis, Chainlink, DragonChain and others.  The playing field is very competitive, but Ethereum has a clear advantage in usage and community.  Do you think these other projects stand a chance?  If so, which ones?

I can't believe that anyone would ever take them seriously again.  The only people that are interested would be those still hanging onto Bitconnect tokens. 

I hate to burst your bubble, but $100 will not build you a passive daily income anytime soon.  You could earn passive income from masternodes, but they're not cheap.  Either way, good luck. 

Nope.  It won't work.  By the time you realize which cryptocurrencies the whales are pumping or dumping, it's too late.  The only way to get a piece of their action is to become a whale insider yourself. 

You make a good point about regulations.  In order for large institutional investors to enter the crypto market, government regulations are needed to pave the way.  So regulations may suppress the market short-term, but provide the means for long-term growth.  Thanks for your thoughts. 

The bull market from March to July last year was insane.  Given the size of the current crypto market cap, I don't think it's possible to repeat.  However, I feel positive that we're going to have an incredible year once things turn around. 

One of the best examples is with South Korea, which is back peddling on talk about banning cryptocurrencies.  After spreading FUD that was a catalyst for the market downturn, they've changed their mind.  I'll bet there were insiders, waiting to buy cheap crypto.   

Since I have been trading, every correction has been followed by new all time highs for most cryptocurrencies.  If this trend continues, many of us trading today will become wealthy.  On the other hand, given the growing trend of new government regulations, this may be the beginning of a long winter.  Where do you think we're headed in 2018?