completely new and need help please...

[franky1]

Wow that's very helpful, thank you everyone for typing all of that out!  I guess I should have researched this better before trying to just dive in.  I appreciate everyone taking the time to explain all of this to me!

last advice.
anyone saying you can download a program that will increase your bitcoin holdings. or offers you a double your money. stay away. these days you need a special device to create new bitcoin by being part of another mechanism of bitcoins security.

apart from:
buying bitcoins from a legit service. (like you did via circle)
selling a product for bitcoin
working (job/starting a business) in exchange for a bitcoin wage,
which are other ways to legitimately get more bitcoin (just like any currency), anything else is just a scam.

dont be fooled by any of these get rich schemes suggesting you can get bitcoin for no effort.

[riverron]

Wow that's very helpful, thank you everyone for typing all of that out!  I guess I should have researched this better before trying to just dive in.  I appreciate everyone taking the time to explain all of this to me!

last advice.
anyone saying you can download a program that will increase your bitcoin holdings. or offers you a double your money. stay away. these days you need a special device to create new bitcoin by being part of another mechanism of bitcoins security.

apart from:
buying bitcoins from a legit service. (like you did via circle)
selling a product for bitcoin
working (job/starting a business) in exchange for a bitcoin wage,
which are other ways to legitimately get more bitcoin (just like any currency), anything else is just a scam.

dont be fooled by any of these get rich schemes suggesting you can get bitcoin for no effort.

Got it.  Thanks again!

[cjmoles]

Wow that's very helpful, thank you everyone for typing all of that out!  I guess I should have researched this better before trying to just dive in.  I appreciate everyone taking the time to explain all of this to me!

last advice.
anyone saying you can download a program that will increase your bitcoin holdings. or offers you a double your money. stay away. these days you need a special device to create new bitcoin by being part of another mechanism of bitcoins security.

apart from:
buying bitcoins from a legit service. (like you did via circle)
selling a product for bitcoin
working (job/starting a business) in exchange for a bitcoin wage,
which are other ways to legitimately get more bitcoin (just like any currency), anything else is just a scam.

dont be fooled by any of these get rich schemes suggesting you can get bitcoin for no effort.

Got it.  Thanks again!

Welcome to the community!  We all started somewhere.  Many of us have made our own mistakes and have learned from them.  Be careful....avoid the investments that are too good to be true---no matter how convincing they might be!  And, watch out for the altcoin markets....while there are some good investment opportunities, most are very volatile and full of deceptive people.

[AGD]

You can control your coins in Bitcoin core without needing to wait for the sync. It is not easy and you should test it (testnet or another wallet with small amounts) until you know what you are doing.

I can't give you a complete tutorial, but try searching by keywords. For more security you can use a Linux LiveCD btw.

(No need for an internet connection)
1. Encrypt and backup your wallet.dat (multiple backups is better and NEVER EVER FORGET YOUR ENCRYPTION PASSWORD)
2. Open Bitcoin Core Console (no need to be syncing. )
3. Export private keys (This is pretty complicated for beginners, but done in a few seconds by someone that is experienced. You will need help here or test it until you are safe)
4. Install Electrum wallet ( https://electrum.org/#download )
5. Import Private Keys from your Bitcoin Core wallet
6. Now you need to be online to let Electrum sync, which needs a minute or so.
7. Spend your Bitcoins.

Good luck

edit: To understand the main concept of Bitcoin I would recommend this one for beginners:
Bitcoin 101 - Quindecillions & The Amazing Math Of Bitcoin's Private Keys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZloHVKk7DHk

[Mastsetad]

You can use multibit hd or electrum for faster usage. You can try online wallets like coinbase and xapo. But you must know this; online wallets is not secure 100%. Dont use online wallets for big amounts.

Online wallets like Xapo or coinbase are never recommended for holding big amount of bitcoins as they are online wallets where all your coins are under control of their own services, while using electrum would be good as it also works like bitcoin core but it does not require you to download all the blockchain in order to sync the data.