So yesterday I got a message from my mom asking me about Bitcoin. This is how the discussion went:
Mom: "Rei, do you know this place called Bit Coin? Apparently you can invest with them and turn R1500 into R17000 in 6 months. Apparently it's very popular."
Me: "It's a currency (like dollars, francs, rands), except it's digital. You don't have physical banknotes and coins. The gain/loss you make from it is similar to exchange rates e.g. today BTC 1 = R74 000"
Mom: "So what use is it to me if I can't withdraw it?"
Me: "Well you can use it and pay for things like you do with your debit card. You can also exchange your Bitcoin for another currency, and just withdraw that."
Mom: "OK, because the housemaid convinced me to give her R1500 to invest. She says I'll have R17000 in 6 months. So it's not a scam?"
Me: "It's not a scam. But it's high risk. You can certainly make money, but you can also lose money. Historically in the last 6 months Bitcoin grew 350%. So with a R1500 you would have had R5700. I think R17k is a bit optimistic."
Mom: "What do you mean lose money? If you earn interest on it, doesn't your investment just grow?"
Me: "It's forex mom. E.g. if tomorrow you buy R1000 worth of Swiss franc, and the Rand drops 10% in value, and you exchange it back to Rands you'll only get R900."
Mom: "Thank you for answering my questions. Glad it's not a scam."
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What do you think? Did my explanation do BTC justice?
Keep in mind my mom is 75.