Taking a loan is a risky move, but the risk varies depending on the reason you're receiving the loan. I've had acquaintances with unstable jobs take an expensive car loan at a young age because they want to show off with their car; I've had others who wanted money in order to afford a vacation, and paying a loan with monthly instalments was their way to go. These two examples both show an awful approach. The only reason I'd be okay with taking a loan would be for investment purposes, such as repairing or renovating a property for personal use, renting, or selling.

Not exactly a loan, but one more use of credit cards is to pay for stuff you can't avoid, such as insurance, taxes, etc., in interest-free installments, making it more affordable to pay and usually earning cashback points depending on your card.

I've also noticed a trend of taking small, unnecessary loans of a few thousand euros from a few people in my surroundings. The majority of people are easily tricked into thinking that it's fine to pay a relatively small amount of money on a monthly basis and are carried away, not taking into account the accumulating interest or accruing payments. This is also common with credit cards, which are way more convenient and quicker than taking a loan. Credit cards are practically a form of borrowing money since you're basically going into debt in order to purchase something, making it look more affordable to conduct purchases with money you don't actually possess.

House rental is generally a complicated and controversial subject. It's usually cheaper than paying a loan, but it also depends on your country of residence. However, as the previous poster already mentioned, I'd rather pay more and deal with everything myself than have to chase my landlord for every single thing that's malfunctioning. I've had my fair share of landlords, and the majority of them were awfully unhelpful with maintenance issues and generally had unpleasant experiences. Despite all the concerns stated by other posters regarding maintenance and taxes, the feeling of owning your own personal space is unbeatable.

I've never heard of any of these, and although your effort is appreciated, the list will never be complete or functional since an abundance of fake exchanges pop up every single day. Users should avoid visiting exchanges promoted in Discord or Telegram groups. On top of that, there's a relatively new trend of fake exchanges claiming to have a higher sell price than trusted, valid ones and promoting people into depositing their coins there in order to claim arbitrage profits. Unfortunately, the exchanges are fake, and you'll end up losing your funds.

As Franky already mentioned, the ATH wasn't of sustainable value; it was a bubble bound to burst. It was unrealistic to speculate that Bitcoin would just keep gaining in value; it needs sustained growth, and that's what's happening right now. The bottom was at approximately $15,000; now we're back in our growth phase, and that's a recovery. Just because it's not the recovery many users anticipate, due to them taking into account the $69,000 ATH, doesn't mean we're not headed towards one. It's way too early to speculate on the future, but the halving is about a year from now.

I'm not actively purchasing bitcoin myself, but I receive a steady amount on a weekly basis through my signature campaign. Unfortunately, I don't have the budget now to keep buying, otherwise I would. I've stopped bothering about the market situation, not to mention that during a bear market you can accumulate more, so that's a huge plus that I don't mind at all.

I don't see the point in caring about the market situation during a full economic recession; nothing much is performing well now, and there's absolutely nothing we can do but wait it out. I'm in the red during the bear market, but with the first real bull run, I'll reach my DCA; I'm just a little off. 

As I've mentioned earlier, I'm saving both money in fiat and bitcoin, but the latter is much more meaningful since it's probable that it'll be worth more in the near future. Both are necessary. On the one hand, fiat currencies are always handy in our daily lives, whether we like it or not, while on the other, investments are a great way to increase your value. Fiat currencies are inevitable, but it's certainly best to diversify and at least attempt to invest some of your savings in Bitcoin or stocks. Personally, acquiring Bitcoin has been one of the best decisions I've ever made, without too much hassle, and despite the bear market, I'm just a little off my DCA.

Life doesn't have to revolve around making money; social media can be used in moderation for communication, information, and entertainment purposes. Unfortunately, it's not easy to contain yourself from overusing social media; I continuously catch myself killing way too much time on them. One of my largest regrets is not taking advantage of the free time I had during the Covid-19 quarantines. Free time was almost infinite, and I spent most of it watching TV series and movies when I could have started learning a new foreign language or taking up a hobby. The most productive thing I did was rejoin BitcoinTalk and cryptocurrencies, and I'm thankful for it.

I was actually one of those who believed that the current bull run would be short lived, but till now I've been proven wrong. I was anticipating that the market would eventually fall back to lower levels, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon. Bitcoin seems to be moving towards the $25,000 mark, and $30,000 should be just around the corner within the next few months.

I'm honestly a little bit disappointed because I was planning to purchase BNB and also preferred the bear market in order to accumulate more Bitcoin. I've set a goal to acquire at least 0.25 BTC until the end of the year, and the previous bear market was setting the ideal conditions for it to happen.

Success certainly isn't determined by one parameter but by a combination of factors, such as effort, luck, opportunities, etc. However, luck can play a vital role in your path because you may be struck with an unexpected opportunity, such as a job offer, but luck alone will rarely take you very far. Even if you're lucky enough to win the lottery, you'll need to possess a combination of characteristics in order to continue being rich.

Although if you're lucky enough to be born into a wealthy family, chances are that your life will be much easier compared to the average person, which is a completely different story. You'll have many more open doors and opportunities, and earning money when you already have money is far easier.

Unfortunately, there isn't a straightforward answer to your question; it depends on a variety of parameters, such as your current living costs, country of residence, and so on. First and foremost, are you getting insurance benefits and stamps (for a pension) from your current occupation? If yes, that's another parameter you'll have to take into account. Moreover, how stable is your passive income and from where does it derive? If it's coming from real estate, such as renting properties, chances are that you'll be able to have a passive income for your entire lifetime. Bear in mind that your current way of making money may not be viable in the next 20–30 years. I could be completely wrong, but you haven't specified what exactly you do.

Although you mention that you truly despise working at your current job, I'd quit, take a small break from working, and start looking for something that is at least part-time in order to have an extra source of income and the working benefits I mentioned earlier.

Unfortunately, it's one of the major concerns when you're in a long-term relationship at a relatively young age. A few other users suggested that you could possibly take the loan in your name and practically own the house yourself, but that wouldn't look too good as a couple, to be honest. A few others also suggested what you claimed: taking the loan together under two different names since we're not legally bound, but I don't think that's possible here; you have to be married or engaged to have a joint loan. I could be wrong, but loans are a completely different story between the USA and Europe.

It took me a while to realize that the euro has recovered this much; I actually saw it a day or two ago and I had completely forgotten about this thread. Still, it's way lower than it used to be a few years ago, when it was usually ranging between $1.18 and $1.20 per euro, but it's still an improvement for the market. I was actually worried and frustrated when the euro went as low as $0.98/EUR, and it did get me thinking for the worse. Fortunately, it seems that the crisis has been averted, although it could have been a great earning opportunity for those who were willing to take the risk of exchanging currencies back and forth.

Certainly, the answer is never black and white; both options always have advantages and disadvantages. However, I don't understand how the money I'd use to pay the bank can be invested since that amount of money will be spent on rent. In some cases, the monthly payment may not even exceed the average rent. Moreover, if I spend my whole life paying rent, in a few years I will have paid the equivalent of buying a house myself. Owning a property may come with stress and other issues, but you're comfortable knowing that the house is yours and you can do whatever you please.

I'd say both. Personally, I'm someone who is decent at managing my finances and has always saved money in order to have purchasing power at any moment and because I like having money at hand. I do the exact same thing with Bitcoin: I save every bit I receive. Although I believe that because Bitcoin is perceived as a valuable asset that is likely to be worth more in the future, it may encourage saving for some people who aren't as capable of saving money in fiat currencies.

Excuse me for not replying sooner but I had a terrible stomach yesterday and I'm now recovering, I'll try to summarise as much as I can.
I've had such a tough time dealing with landlords in the past that there are times that I'd prefer if I could repair stuff at my own expense rather than deal with them. I've had landlords prohibit pets (a cat in my case), not repair stuff that broke due to old age, or even break inside my house when I'm away. Certainly, both options have benefits and drawbacks, but in my opinion, owning gives you some peace of mind knowing that you can do any modifications as you please without having anyone over your shoulder.
Exactly, we've spent over €25,000 in the past few years that we could have added another €25,000-€35,000 and bought a semi-decent apartment that I could either sell in the future or rent if I no longer want to live in it.
You're right, I forgot to add the average salary here and have only mentioned on a previous reply, the average salary here is about €700-€800, with the minimum being at €620.

I'll summarize because quoting every single post is a little tiring. We've been together for about 4.5 years, and we've lived together for more than 3 of those years. I'm not trying to imply that renting is a complete waste of money; you're paying to have a house to live in, but the end result is zero gains in terms of property gains. In a few more years of renting, I will have spent the equivalent of buying an apartment; thus, in some ways, it looks like a waste of money.

The general rule applies that if you can't afford something, don't buy it, but a loan for an apartment would approximately cost €300–€400 per month, which is about the same cost as the rent I'm paying now, but over a payment period of over 20 years.

I also support Fivestar4ever's opinion that Bitcoin made those who invested early extremely rich in a period of a few years. However, I don't believe that's the case now. I read the complete article and find it extremely exaggerated. It's claiming that as little as 0.001 BTC can make you in the top 50%, while any amount over 0.1 BTC will make you in the top 1%. I find it completely doubtful that such an amount of BTC could be changed live. It can certainly assist your financial situation, but it won't change your life completely. If that's the case, I'll be in the top 1% in just a few years, probably not.

The minimum wage is at €620, with an average of €700–€800; thus, a rent of €400 is prohibitive if you're planning to live by yourself. Even a couple may struggle. With this upcoming loan program that I mentioned, the monthly payments are actually a little cheaper or approximately the same as renting.
Certainly, there's no direct answer to the question, but yes, the general rule is to avoid renting if possible. I'm generally quite handy when it comes to house repairs; I'd be able to repair a few things that may occur, but it doesn't apply to costly appliances such as a fridge or an oven.
Definitely, both options have their benefits and drawbacks, but some of those you mentioned apply to both renting and buying. For instance, at least in my case, finding a house near the center is a huge issue for two reasons: higher rent costs and a lack of parking spaces. However, the largest issue with a loan is commitment, whereas in renting, you can practically leave whenever you want.

If you're young and haven't inherited a property from your ancestors, chances are that you're forced to rent. Personally, I've been renting for over 6 years and have been living with my girlfriend for the last 4, sharing rent and utilities. Overall, we've both spent over €25,000 together, and after spending all this money, you're practically left with nothing and may be subject to looking for a new house at any moment.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is between €300 and €400 at best; thus, I was thinking that taking a loan is as costly as paying rent per month, but after 15-20 years, you end up with a house. My main concerns are the following: First, if you're in a long-term relationship like myself, you can never be 100% sure that you'll be with that person in 20 or 30 years from now, which might prevent you from opting for a loan. Secondly, you need to be certain that the location or city of the property to be bought is convenient for future job offers and so on. Thirdly, because a loan is a many-year commitment, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to afford the monthly payment 15 years from now.

On top of that, finding the ideal house as a renter is almost impossible; there's a lack of housing, and rents are extremely expensive and unreasonable at the same time. We had a difficult time finding a house recently, and it's far from ideal. There is now a new government-funded loan program that is about to start, funding up to 75% of the loan interest-free while the rest is funded by private banks and is subject to a relatively low interest rate. This led me to think about taking a loan and purchasing an average two-bedroom apartment, but I have the concerns that I voiced earlier.

Bitcoin is undoubtedly the first option for the majority of the forum members, since we're anticipating great returns in the upcoming years. Ethereum is a great alternative; however, I personally prefer BNB for the simple reason that it has great staking capabilities. There's a huge variety of vaults and smart contracts on platforms such as Beefy or even Binance's liquidity mining section. On top of that, Binance offers a cashback of up to 8% per transaction using their debit card; 8% is completely unrealistic due to the massive amount of BNB it requires you to own, but 3% requires 10 BNB, which is achievable. I know that it's not the greatest reason, but it accumulates since I use card payments a lot.