Complete noob - please help

[samstar]

Hi everyone,

I'm a complete noob who has just started reading up on Cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, LTC, etc.  I didn't know anything about these until a week ago - yes I'm REALLY that new to this.   I've been reading for a week now (and am still reading) and I believe that I now understand how blockchains work and the role of Cryptos in the process.  I'm also aware of what is required in terms of exchanges, wallets, etc in order to be able to invest / trade in these cryptocurrencies.

I'm looking to invest in Cryptos - specifically various different altcoins.  I have some questions which I would be very thankful if you would provide help on:

1.  Is there an exchange that deals in ALL of the altcoins/cryptos ?  Or do I have to open different accounts at different exchanges if I want to invest (or trade ) in, say, 20 or 30 different coins?  For example if I wanted to trade in Bitcoins or Ether I could open an account at Coinbase - but they don't trade in many alt coins.  Bittrex seem to deal with about 190 cryptos but since there are almost 1,000 cryptos out there, how / where can I trade in the rest?

2.  Similarly, is there any one wallet (soft or hard or online) where I can store my investments?  Something hard like trezor or ledger or most of the soft wallets don't seem to accept all cryptos so if I buy many different alt coins, ho / where do I store them that is very secure (2FA at least or multisig)?

3.  Which charting software (freely available) is recommended?  I know some exchanges provide very basic charts but I'd like to download something better that those.
 
I'd appreciate any help you can give.

[Wusolini]

1. Exchanges usually chose which coin to enlist (enlisted are popular, high trade volume etc. coins). I guess there is not universal one which lists them all. My favorite is bittrex and poloniex (both supports many coins). Just make one account on each and you have access to plenty coins. Quite popular is also shapeshift.
To find exchange for given altcoin go and search for ANN thread here on bitcointalk (where should be list of supported exchanges) or visit the coin home page.

2. I'm not aware of any wallet supporting all coins. Guess it's not even possible as the coins are appearing/disappearing all the time.
I have only wallets for main coins I deal with (BTC, ETH, LTC) and in case I need accept/send payment in other cryptos I would use exchange. Nevertheless it's not recommended to have too much value in exchanges due to risk of hack etc. (I bet you already know that).
Safest way is to make a dedicated device, install all the wallets you want and store your coins there.

EDIT I see you added another point so:
3. I'm using tabtrader on my android device and I'm satisfied.

[NeuroticFish]

3. There's no "best" (which is the best news site? no such thing), but I can give a couple of names.
I am on mobile so I can't give all exact links. Google will help with the exact links.

I prefer cryptrader, but sometimes it's just not working.
Bitcoinwisdom is great, worldcoinindex is not bad and coinmarketcap must be on every list


Edit: I've re-read your post, I don't know of "software" as in stand alone, I hope that those sites will help or maybe others know software too - in that case I may be interested too

[darkenedsoul]

Hi everyone,

I'm a complete noob who has just started reading up on Cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, LTC, etc.  I didn't know anything about these until a week ago - yes I'm REALLY that new to this.   I've been reading for a week now (and am still reading) and I believe that I now understand how blockchains work and the role of Cryptos in the process.  I'm also aware of what is required in terms of exchanges, wallets, etc in order to be able to invest / trade in these cryptocurrencies.

I'm looking to invest in Cryptos - specifically various different altcoins.  I have some questions which I would be very thankful if you would provide help on:

1.  Is there an exchange that deals in ALL of the altcoins/cryptos ?  Or do I have to open different accounts at different exchanges if I want to invest (or trade ) in, say, 20 or 30 different coins?  For example if I wanted to trade in Bitcoins or Ether I could open an account at Coinbase - but they don't trade in many alt coins.  Bittrex seem to deal with about 190 cryptos but since there are almost 1,000 cryptos out there, how / where can I trade in the rest?

2.  Similarly, is there any one wallet (soft or hard or online) where I can store my investments?  Something hard like trezor or ledger or most of the soft wallets don't seem to accept all cryptos so if I buy many different alt coins, ho / where do I store them that is very secure (2FA at least or multisig)?

3.  Which charting software (freely available) is recommended?  I know some exchanges provide very basic charts but I'd like to download something better that those.
 
I'd appreciate any help you can give.

1. No, each exchange has their own criteria for adding coins.. some are more exclusive than others Example- Poloniex.

2. Best practice is to always store your coin in an encrypted official wallet for a coin, and to make a backup of the wallet.dat file. Storing your coins on exchanges, or on 3rd party wallets can lead to issues. I have a ledger nano S, love it. For coins I can't put on there, or that are PoS based, I keep them in their official wallet.

3. Cryptrader is a great place to start. 

[|Bitkoin|]

Hi everyone,

I'm a complete noob who has just started reading up on Cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, LTC, etc.  I didn't know anything about these until a week ago - yes I'm REALLY that new to this.   I've been reading for a week now (and am still reading) and I believe that I now understand how blockchains work and the role of Cryptos in the process.  I'm also aware of what is required in terms of exchanges, wallets, etc in order to be able to invest / trade in these cryptocurrencies.

I'm looking to invest in Cryptos - specifically various different altcoins.  I have some questions which I would be very thankful if you would provide help on:

1.  Is there an exchange that deals in ALL of the altcoins/cryptos ?  Or do I have to open different accounts at different exchanges if I want to invest (or trade ) in, say, 20 or 30 different coins?  For example if I wanted to trade in Bitcoins or Ether I could open an account at Coinbase - but they don't trade in many alt coins.  Bittrex seem to deal with about 190 cryptos but since there are almost 1,000 cryptos out there, how / where can I trade in the rest?

2.  Similarly, is there any one wallet (soft or hard or online) where I can store my investments?  Something hard like trezor or ledger or most of the soft wallets don't seem to accept all cryptos so if I buy many different alt coins, ho / where do I store them that is very secure (2FA at least or multisig)?

3.  Which charting software (freely available) is recommended?  I know some exchanges provide very basic charts but I'd like to download something better that those.
 
I'd appreciate any help you can give.

Welcome to the crypto community.

1. Nope. There used to be an exchange called Cryptsy, which offered the ability to trade almost all cryptos, but it closed a couple years ago and stole everyone's coins. Now there is a big class-action lawsuit against them. You would need to open an account with the different exchanges to trade all of the available coins.

2. Again, no. You must download the respective clients for each coin, or find an online wallet for each one.

3. I don't know a specific software you can download for free (especially a free one that would not contain any sort of malicious virus/torjan to steal your coins). My best recommendation would be https://coinmarketcap.com which offers detailed charts for almost every coin out there.

[poptok1]

Hi. Most of your questions where answered pretty accurately. However one issue is left unaddressed.
It is the fact of you being a newbie, which is absolutely fine in itself.
You have to answer yourself for this question: am I ready to operate on multiple platforms, without making horrible mistakes resulting in my money loss? Are you aware that storing 3-4 blockchains would require you to have at least 1TB drive? Each wallet uses a lot of CPU power while syncing so they have to be executed separately and it takes a lot of time, when you starting from scratch. Even lightweight wallets can and will sync for hours, making your PC useless, basically...not to mention BTC possible fork incoming.
I think its better to start slow, with just one coin and good understanding of the subject.
Make sure you know what you are doing, and do it the right way, for your own sake.
Of course everything is up to you "world belongs to brave men" so cheers and good luck.

[faimloup]

2.  Similarly, is there any one wallet (soft or hard or online) where I can store my investments?  Something hard like trezor or ledger or most of the soft wallets don't seem to accept all cryptos so if I buy many different alt coins, ho / where do I store them that is very secure (2FA at least or multisig)?

If you are starting slow it is best to get a multi-currency wallet. Something like Lykke, Jaxx.io, or Exodus.io are user-friendly polished wallets but are not so fully featured/high powered.

[Mindin]

Hi. Most of your questions where answered pretty accurately. However one issue is left unaddressed.
It is the fact of you being a newbie, which is absolutely fine in itself.
You have to answer yourself for this question: am I ready to operate on multiple platforms, without making horrible mistakes resulting in my money loss? Are you aware that storing 3-4 blockchains would require you to have at least 1TB drive? Each wallet uses a lot of CPU power while syncing so they have to be executed separately and it takes a lot of time, when you starting from scratch. Even lightweight wallets can and will sync for hours, making your PC useless, basically...not to mention BTC possible fork incoming.
I think its better to start slow, with just one coin and good understanding of the subject.
Make sure you know what you are doing, and do it the right way, for your own sake.
Of course everything is up to you "world belongs to brave men" so cheers and good luck.

As a newbie start off with a new coin, that way you don't have to download a huge blockchain that takes half a day to download.