Buy Buy Buy or Sell Sell Sell?

[Bluedrem]

To some persons there are some amount they are not supposed to invest with so until they have that amount, they don't think it is necessary but that wrong because what is required of us to invest in Bitcoin is our discreationary income and it can be any amount whether small or big so I don't see it as a good decision for anyone to underestimate the power of consistency, for me, I see short term investment in Bitcoin as trading, Bitcoin investment is for a long-term, it is not where people come to pack money, it is a slow and steady movement for us to achieve our goals.

Yes, I have come to realize that long-term investment in Bitcoin requires discretionary income. When I first started investing in Bitcoin, I didn't have any emergency funds and sometimes I would add some money from my emergency fund to invest in Bitcoin, but eventually I couldn't sustain my portfolio, meaning I had to sell it.

Since then, I thought that to make my investment long-term, I should use the money that I would have used even if I didn't have the money. Since then, I basically started using discretionary income and have been investing in Bitcoin in DCA mode for the past two years. Honestly, now I don't have to look at my Bitcoin portfolio for any need.

[samadam007]

Could there be any difference between learning little about Bitcoin and having a basic knowledge of Bitcoin and of course with a discretionary income so you can start your Bitcoin investment? You guys are just saying the same thing if you ask me because learning little about bitcoin is more like not getting in to something that you completely have zero knowledge about which is the same thing as having a basic knowledge of something before getting started and that which we have always being talking about for anyone to get started with a discretionary income.

It has been discussed repeatedly here that it is not right to make basic knowledge a requirement for beginners at the beginning of investing. Because if you present basic knowledge as a mandatory condition to someone who wants to start on the first day, then there is a possibility that he will not start trying to find basic knowledge. Although we know that by starting, one can learn about Bitcoin well through practical experience. But whenever you tell him to learn basic knowledge first, when he tries to learn without starting, he will never be able to learn from practical experience. There is a huge difference between learning by research and learning from practical experience. And if someone wants to start Bitcoin, what he needs is discretionary income. If someone has discretionary income, he can start. Because of course, after starting, there will be enough good time to learn.

As far starting of bitcoin investment is concerned having a basic knowledge isn't a requirement as per getting started but rather the ability to be able to figure out the availability of discretionary income to start with. I believe with common sense a beginner can be able to figure there way on the things that they need in other to get started. Therefore, basic knowledge shouldn't be a prequisite for anyone that wants to start investing in bitcoin but rather discretionary income.

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

[Son Of Blockchain (SOB)]

As far starting of bitcoin investment is concerned having a basic knowledge isn't a requirement as per getting started but rather the ability to be able to figure out the availability of discretionary income to start with. I believe with common sense a beginner can be able to figure there way on the things that they need in other to get started. Therefore, basic knowledge shouldn't be a prequisite for anyone that wants to start investing in bitcoin but rather discretionary income.

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

Understanding Bitcoin to an extent is very important for an investor but that's not the requirement to start up Bitcoin investment, someone sensible should know that the discretionary fund is what is used for an investment that's volatile, whether Bitcoin or not then once the person figure out how to buy it then he can practically understand it better as time goes.
 Many people waste their time trying to know everything about Bitcoin before starting, all in the name of understanding the basics of the investment but it's not necessary to know it all before starting cause Bitcoin is as a volatile asset would give investors several opportunities of buying it cheaply that someone taking time to understand it better could miss.

[Showlove01]

Could there be any difference between learning little about Bitcoin and having a basic knowledge of Bitcoin and of course with a discretionary income so you can start your Bitcoin investment? You guys are just saying the same thing if you ask me because learning little about bitcoin is more like not getting in to something that you completely have zero knowledge about which is the same thing as having a basic knowledge of something before getting started and that which we have always being talking about for anyone to get started with a discretionary income.

It has been discussed repeatedly here that it is not right to make basic knowledge a requirement for beginners at the beginning of investing. Because if you present basic knowledge as a mandatory condition to someone who wants to start on the first day, then there is a possibility that he will not start trying to find basic knowledge. Although we know that by starting, one can learn about Bitcoin well through practical experience. But whenever you tell him to learn basic knowledge first, when he tries to learn without starting, he will never be able to learn from practical experience. There is a huge difference between learning by research and learning from practical experience. And if someone wants to start Bitcoin, what he needs is discretionary income. If someone has discretionary income, he can start. Because of course, after starting, there will be enough good time to learn.

As far starting of bitcoin investment is concerned having a basic knowledge isn't a requirement as per getting started but rather the ability to be able to figure out the availability of discretionary income to start with. I believe with common sense a beginner can be able to figure there way on the things that they need in other to get started. Therefore, basic knowledge shouldn't be a prequisite for anyone that wants to start investing in bitcoin but rather discretionary income.

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

Sometimes some people will not understand how important basic knowledge is till they make a mistake that they would have easily prevent from happening simply because the knowhow is not there, anyone who is ignoring the basic knowledge thinking they can made away with it or bypass it will definitely be stranded and frustrated someday. i know how important basic knowledge is and how it has helped me in my journey to accumulate and hold bitcoin and it was when i started with the basic knowledge i also realized someone can actually start accumulating without waiting to gather every information about bitcoin because it is not compulsory.

[Primark]

Could there be any difference between learning little about Bitcoin and having a basic knowledge of Bitcoin and of course with a discretionary income so you can start your Bitcoin investment? You guys are just saying the same thing if you ask me because learning little about bitcoin is more like not getting in to something that you completely have zero knowledge about which is the same thing as having a basic knowledge of something before getting started and that which we have always being talking about for anyone to get started with a discretionary income.

It has been discussed repeatedly here that it is not right to make basic knowledge a requirement for beginners at the beginning of investing. Because if you present basic knowledge as a mandatory condition to someone who wants to start on the first day, then there is a possibility that he will not start trying to find basic knowledge. Although we know that by starting, one can learn about Bitcoin well through practical experience. But whenever you tell him to learn basic knowledge first, when he tries to learn without starting, he will never be able to learn from practical experience. There is a huge difference between learning by research and learning from practical experience. And if someone wants to start Bitcoin, what he needs is discretionary income. If someone has discretionary income, he can start. Because of course, after starting, there will be enough good time to learn.

As far starting of bitcoin investment is concerned having a basic knowledge isn't a requirement as per getting started but rather the ability to be able to figure out the availability of discretionary income to start with. I believe with common sense a beginner can be able to figure there way on the things that they need in other to get started. Therefore, basic knowledge shouldn't be a prequisite for anyone that wants to start investing in bitcoin but rather discretionary income.

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

Sometimes some people will not understand how important basic knowledge is till they make a mistake that they would have easily prevent from happening simply because the knowhow is not there, anyone who is ignoring the basic knowledge thinking they can made away with it or bypass it will definitely be stranded and frustrated someday. i know how important basic knowledge is and how it has helped me in my journey to accumulate and hold bitcoin and it was when i started with the basic knowledge i also realized someone can actually start accumulating without waiting to gather every information about bitcoin because it is not compulsory.

To start Bitcoin, you need discretionary income, not basic knowledge. Since you can learn about Bitcoin even after you start investing, I don't think you need to have basic knowledge before you start. Rather, basic knowledge is an excuse not to start. If a new investor is given the condition of basic knowledge at the beginning, he may ignore investment and prioritize basic knowledge. But in reality, you can learn from real experience only through investment. If someone chases after basic knowledge without starting investment, then you should understand that he is skipping the main learning experience. Therefore, it is important to start. And what is needed to start is discretionary income, not having basic knowledge.

[Cgrexp]

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

Sometimes some people will not understand how important basic knowledge is till they make a mistake that they would have easily prevent from happening simply because the knowhow is not there, anyone who is ignoring the basic knowledge thinking they can made away with it or bypass it will definitely be stranded and frustrated someday. i know how important basic knowledge is and how it has helped me in my journey to accumulate and hold bitcoin and it was when i started with the basic knowledge i also realized someone can actually start accumulating without waiting to gather every information about bitcoin because it is not compulsory.

It requires basic knowledge and additional money to get started. If you are in the early stages of investing, as your investment grows, you may need to think about how to keep value beyond just Bitcoin and cash. It is important to consider the ability to build your skills, the ability to earn in the real world, and whether Bitcoin will exist and prosper in the future. And if you can't pay your bills or your life is thrown into chaos due to a bad decision, then  you have to take responsibility for it.

[JayJuanGee]

Regardless of how risk Bitcoin investment is, it is worth risking for because with a long term focus on investment there is certainly going to be be a favourable period to those that took the risk. And with the volatile nature of Bitcoin it is not advisable for someone without stable income to go into Bitcoin investment or put more assets than they can not afford to let go, to avoid stories during dip season, a person who is not mentally stable or emotional strong should avoid investing in Bitcoin, so they will not later discourage others with their experience resulting from their negligence. The volatility nature and value of Bitcoin is real, and it is for those who understand and still determined to take the risk.

I see your opinion and I accept that having a stable income shouldn't be the only requirement for Bitcoin investment, what matters here is whether anyone has disposable funds they can afford to leave invested without affecting their daily needs Yes individuals with irregular income may need to be a bit more cautious because their finances situation can change unexpected, Bitcoin is a long term run and investing cash that might be needed in the short term can cause unnecessary pressure.

In reality, many people can invest successfully in the long term even though their income is irregular, with proper budgeting, emergency funds, and risk management. The most important thing for investing in Bitcoin is not the type of income but the source of the investment money and financial capacity. Those who have irregular income can also invest. If someone receives money from family or relatives one-time or is a seasonal businessman who does not have a regular income, they can also invest in Bitcoin. The value is in understanding your financial capacity and planning accordingly and implementing it properly.

But I think we need to have a source of income, then we need to invest, I don't have a source of income, and then at such a time I won't have any money that I can hold on to in a stable way for the long term. So we need to have the basics first, like a basic understanding of Bitcoin, at least we need to have a source of income,

Your probably using term source income in a wrong kind of a way, since we do not need a source income to get started buying bitcoin.

All we need are discretionary funds... so you should not make the standard higher than it needs to be.

Each time we buy bitcoin we need to assess that we have discretionary funds, and if we do then we can buy bitcoin.

If we are not sure if we have enough discretionary funds because we are not sure when the next time we will be paid, then we may well conclude that we do not have enough discretionary funds to buy bitcoin.

Of course, there are advantages to having both steady income and steady expenses, since it would be easier to calculate how much discretionary funds will be available at various times in the present and also at various times in the anticipated future.

Yet, even if it is preferable to have steady income to buy bitcoin, it is not required.. so you should not be miscommunicating what is required to either get started buying bitcoin or to continue buying, which is merely an assessment that sufficient discretionary funds are available, and that assessment can be made each time that any new purchase is made.. and yes, it is better that there is a steady and/or a high income, yet as a bare minimum, such steady income is not required in order to either get started buying bitcoin or to continue to buy bitcoin at various points down the road.

because we need to invest with this income. Again, along with these, we also need an emergency fund to keep our investment safe in the long term, we also need to be careful about this, although it is not necessary to create an emergency fund before investing, but after all, we must have a source of income for these.

Sure.  At least some level of back up funds could be in existence at the time we get started buying bitcoin or we build the back up funds as we go, and surely it seems that if we do not want to put our bitcoin too much at risk we try to keep building our back up funds as we build our bitcoin stack size... and again, we do not have to have a steady source of income for these matters, even though it surely it likely to be easier if we can figure out ways to increase our income (make it more regular) and/or to decrease our expenses.

DCA has one massive flaw: price averaging completely eats away your potential profits. Just look at MicroStrategy. Based on how 2026 is turning out, they’ve basically been operating at a net loss for six years. Even during their best years, their investment returns topped out at a maximum of 10% APY.

Get the fuck out of here with your nonsense proclamations about MSTR and trying to proclaim that they might be doing something similar that individuals might be doing when it comes to DCA.

Sure, in 2020, MSTR did start using their own money to buy bitcoin, and their first purchase of around $250 million was around 70% of their then available cash on hand, and then even though they may well used some of their own money to make further bitcoin purchases, they also little by little evolved and developed (and even invented) more and more ways to use other people's money to buy bitcoin at various times of the market that other people might not have had been ready, willing and/or able to play those kinds of financial games and to buy large quantity of bitcoin as the price was going up, so that a lot of their larger later buys were at way higher prices than their earlier smaller buys..

And, so MSTR likely have been getting themselves into all kinds of possible financial messes in the various complicated ways that they are buying bitcoin, that might be argued to be some variation of DCA, yet at the same time, there are various innovative complicated financial instruments that attempt to leverage their own credibility to generate money yet maybe even some unclear moves in terms of how they manage funds that come available to them in regards to which financial obligations they resolve or which additional financial obligations they create.. so then in the end, they are way more complicated than what individuals and/or other companies might end up doing.

Another thing is that when MSTR started in bitcoin in August-ish 2020, it had a market value that was likely around $1.5 billion, depending on how it is measured, yet right now they have a market value of around $40 billion, and of course, in around mid-2025, when bitcoin prices were up and there was more hype around their business, their market value had gotten to a bit more than $120 billion, so surely there can be a lot of market fluctuations when BTC prices had been changing quite a bit in the last year or two, and they both hold bitcoin and have been largely continuing to accumulate bitcoin at a rate that is quite a lot higher than other actors (as far is what is publicly known).

And, yeah, even though MSTR seems to be quite rich in bitcoin, they could end up running into their own problems related to their own management of bitcoin, the management of perceptions of the company and/or even if they were to have some custodial issues when they are supposedly holding so many bitcoin with various custodial arrangements that might have vulnerabilities.

My own approach to Bitcoin investing relies on adding an investment premium to the services I provide when clients pay me in crypto. I process these payments through the Cryptomus gateway, convert that specific premium into Bitcoin right there, and send it to staking. This creates an extra stream of passive income.

Fuck crypto.  There is no reason to be bringing up crypto in a bitcoin thread, even though this thread does seem to allow discussions of investment versus trading, since even in OPs post, there are questions of whether to buy or sell, yet that should not be opening up the discussion to shitcoins and/or various shitcoin products.

But the ultimate optimization strategy I launched back in 2025 is purely cyclical. I take profits on a portion of my income roughly a year after the halving. Then, I re-enter the market with that capital when the BTC price drops down to the actual mining production cost. That’s exactly why I am buying Bitcoin right now. Crypto investors really shouldn't ignore the unique cyclical nature of this asset.

There is no reason to use the term crypto if you are talking about bitcoin, and it seems to be problematic for guys to be fucking around with trading and/or trying to time cycles unless they had already spent a whole cycle or more accumulating bitcoin first.

In other words, if there are goals to accumulate bitcoin, then ongoing buying seems to be way better than trying to sell in order to accumulate more, which you claim to have had been doing, which seems even more retarded, if you have ONLY started in bitcoin since mid-2025 as your forum registration shows.  Of course, if you have been in bitcoin longer than you might have had some time to accumulate first, yet it seems quite presumptuous for guys to be proclaiming to know when the cycles are going to happen and to play their own bitcoin accumulation around trying to fuck around with cycles prior to spending a considerable amount of time building their bitcoin stash first.

I will acknowledge that any of the ongoing bitcoin buyers who had got into bitcoin in the past 1-2 years and maybe even 3 years, they might not necessarily be in profits right now, so sometimes it can take time to both build up the bitcoin stack size and for the stack size to start to feel that it is reasonably in sufficient profits to start to feel comfortable with it.

It's true, as you said that having a stable income isn't important if you can't determine your discretionary income. However what I need to say is that having a stable income makes investing much easier. Basically everyone who wants to invest only needs money. If we don't have any money to hold on to what will happen?

I understand what you mean very well, but what am trying to say is that having a stable income should not be the yardstick you should be using in order to invest in Bitcoin. Yes it is very important and very helpful, but what is more important is figuring out your discretionary income, which is the money left after all your basic needs have been met, and those without a stable income can also figure it out from their own end to invest with.
 So a stable income is good no doubt, but using it as a criteria before you can invest in Bitcoin and be successful is what I disagree on.

You make discretionary income sound so difficult to figure out, that can mislead the newbies to half when they think of starting their investment. Whats more important is having a stable source of income. Figuring out discretionary income is mere mathematics. If the investor cannot do the calculation himself. He is allowed to ask someone close to him to calculate the discretionary income for him. This can be done in a day. But a stable source of income is difficult to have in a striving country. A lot of persons want to invest but stable income is the problem. Without stable source of income there is no discretionary income.

There surely could be some people who have troubles with math and/or calculating their discretionary income, yet the level of skills to figure out both discretionary funds and also to engage in cashflow management are the kinds of skills that many of us consider to be somewhat basic and they are learnable, since many times kids in their early teens and/or even pre-teens might have had already learned those levels math skills through their regular schooling.

At the same time, even though we might presume that the level of skills required are not high, we cannot necessarily presume that everyone is good at math skills or that they have the skills at the time that they first come to bitcoin, so they may well have to either learn the skills and/or to practice the skills in order to get better at them, which an overwhelming majority of normal people are capable of such learning as long as they spend time and energy to accomplish such learning and/or practices.

As you mentioned @Solodoski, there might be some folks who might need help from others to be able to confidently calculate their discretionary funds and/or their cashflow management, yet they still should have the skills and abilities (in an overwhelming majority of instances) to be able to learn and improve such skills, and surely if they are having difficulties in making some of those kinds of somewhat basic calculations, then they may well have to error on the side of investing way more conservatively (and even whimpily) until they become more and more comfortable with the process so that perhaps later they can little by little increase their level of aggressiveness as they become more confident in both their calculating abilities and/or their strengthening of their cashflow management practices/systems that likely involve making sure that they have sufficient/adequate back up funds.

[edited out]

Why don't people understand that discretionary income, while convenient, is not mandatory for Bitcoin savings. Discretionary income is the money left over after you meet your essential expenses that can be used to save Bitcoin. Discretionary income can actually come from fixed income, irregular income, or contractual income. Even if the income is irregular, if there is some extra money left over after meeting your essential expenses, then that will be considered discretionary income.

For example, if a person on a contractual income gets $1000, then he first needs to see what his basic expenses are until the next income comes. If he needs $600 for rent, food, transport, internet, family expenses and all other necessary expenses, and if he needs to keep at least $150 as an emergency fund/reserve, then he has $250 in hand. This $250 can be his discretionary income. If he wants, he can buy Bitcoin with the entire $250 or he can divide it into $30 weekly and do DCA. Here he does not have a fixed monthly or weekly income. But he does have discretionary income. And discretionary income is needed in the case of investments.

In your above example, the $400 is the discretionary funds available, and his choice to put $150 in to back up funds is his choice.  In other words, it is up to the guy whether he wants to prioritize putting money into back up funds or to invest with it and/or to use the money for discretionary consumption.

[edited out]

To start Bitcoin, you need discretionary income, not basic knowledge. Since you can learn about Bitcoin even after you start investing, I don't think you need to have basic knowledge before you start. Rather, basic knowledge is an excuse not to start. If a new investor is given the condition of basic knowledge at the beginning, he may ignore investment and prioritize basic knowledge. But in reality, you can learn from real experience only through investment. If someone chases after basic knowledge without starting investment, then you should understand that he is skipping the main learning experience. Therefore, it is important to start. And what is needed to start is discretionary income, not having basic knowledge.

Even though I largely agree with your points @Primark, I am not sure how productive it is to emphasize not having basic knowledge in order to get started buying bitcoin, since the likely emphasis is to suggest that many times an overwhelming majority of people already enough knowledge to get started buying bitcoin as long as they have a sufficient amount of discretionary funds and they can verify that they have a sufficient amount of discretionary funds.  

Another thing is that if they have common sense, which is an ability to judge their situation, then they can figure out what they know or what they don't know at least to a sufficient level to be able to determine for themselves if they are ready to get started, to figure out that there are advantages towards getting started and they can adjust their initial starting amount to the level of their comfort so that they can start out with relatively small amounts and to increase their amounts as they become more comfortable.  So in that sense, there is no real specific kinds of knowledge that they need beyond being able to calculate discretionary funds and being able to exercise their own judgement about how fast or slow that they feel comfortable starting with perhaps a bit of recognition that getting started is a great way to build up further knowledge and comfort in terms of both their bitcoin accumulation and/or the strengthening of their cashflow management systems/practices.

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

Sometimes some people will not understand how important basic knowledge is till they make a mistake that they would have easily prevent from happening simply because the knowhow is not there, anyone who is ignoring the basic knowledge thinking they can made away with it or bypass it will definitely be stranded and frustrated someday. i know how important basic knowledge is and how it has helped me in my journey to accumulate and hold bitcoin and it was when i started with the basic knowledge i also realized someone can actually start accumulating without waiting to gather every information about bitcoin because it is not compulsory.

It requires basic knowledge and additional money to get started. If you are in the early stages of investing, as your investment grows, you may need to think about how to keep value beyond just Bitcoin and cash. It is important to consider the ability to build your skills, the ability to earn in the real world, and whether Bitcoin will exist and prosper in the future. And if you can't pay your bills or your life is thrown into chaos due to a bad decision, then  you have to take responsibility for it.

What is the "basic" knowledge that you are proclaiming to be required in order to get started?

[samadam007]

As far starting of bitcoin investment is concerned having a basic knowledge isn't a requirement as per getting started but rather the ability to be able to figure out the availability of discretionary income to start with. I believe with common sense a beginner can be able to figure there way on the things that they need in other to get started. Therefore, basic knowledge shouldn't be a prequisite for anyone that wants to start investing in bitcoin but rather discretionary income.

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

Understanding Bitcoin to an extent is very important for an investor but that's not the requirement to start up Bitcoin investment, someone sensible should know that the discretionary fund is what is used for an investment that's volatile, whether Bitcoin or not then once the person figure out how to buy it then he can practically understand it better as time goes.
 Many people waste their time trying to know everything about Bitcoin before starting, all in the name of understanding the basics of the investment but it's not necessary to know it all before starting cause Bitcoin is as a volatile asset would give investors several opportunities of buying it cheaply that someone taking time to understand it better could miss.

Like I said before, I agree that discretionary income is the most important thing before starting.
But I still believe basic knowledge is very useful. You don’t need to know everything… just enough to buy safely, protect your coins, and avoid common scams. Many beginners lose money because they jump in with zero knowledge.
Learning the basics doesn’t take long (just a few hours), and it helps you make better decisions instead of missing opportunities or panicking during dips. You can start small while learning

[puloweh555]

As far starting of bitcoin investment is concerned having a basic knowledge isn't a requirement as per getting started but rather the ability to be able to figure out the availability of discretionary income to start with. I believe with common sense a beginner can be able to figure there way on the things that they need in other to get started. Therefore, basic knowledge shouldn't be a prequisite for anyone that wants to start investing in bitcoin but rather discretionary income.

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

Sometimes some people will not understand how important basic knowledge is till they make a mistake that they would have easily prevent from happening simply because the knowhow is not there, anyone who is ignoring the basic knowledge thinking they can made away with it or bypass it will definitely be stranded and frustrated someday. i know how important basic knowledge is and how it has helped me in my journey to accumulate and hold bitcoin and it was when i started with the basic knowledge i also realized someone can actually start accumulating without waiting to gather every information about bitcoin because it is not compulsory.

To start Bitcoin, you need discretionary income, not basic knowledge. Since you can learn about Bitcoin even after you start investing, I don't think you need to have basic knowledge before you start. Rather, basic knowledge is an excuse not to start. If a new investor is given the condition of basic knowledge at the beginning, he may ignore investment and prioritize basic knowledge. But in reality, you can learn from real experience only through investment. If someone chases after basic knowledge without starting investment, then you should understand that he is skipping the main learning experience. Therefore, it is important to start. And what is needed to start is discretionary income, not having basic knowledge.

Everyone is different when it comes to whether they should first learn the basics or simply invest while learning. But personally, I can't ignore basic knowledge because so many people end up learning while investing only to experience losses. Experience is truly the best teacher, as it provides direct, real world experience by observing price fluctuations, learning to avoid FOMO, etc. Spending too much time studying can also lead to procrastination.

But the risks without basic knowledge are real and costly as you can fall prey to scams, phishing scams or simply take wallet security for granted. Furthermore, without basic knowledge simple technical errors like losing your seed phrase, sending it to the wrong address or using the wrong network can result in lost money. Therefore, it's best to have basic knowledge especially starting with a small amount of capital and basic knowledge even if it's still minimal, so you can learn from your mistakes.

[ejikeme24]

To start Bitcoin, you need discretionary income, not basic knowledge. Since you can learn about Bitcoin even after you start investing,
 I don't think you need to have basic knowledge before you start. Rather, basic knowledge is an excuse not to start. If a new investor is given the condition of basic knowledge at the beginning, he may ignore investment and prioritize basic knowledge.

It all depends on what the beginner wants to learn because  some beginners may not know how to purchase bitcoin some can't even figure out the right wallet for Thier Bitcoin investment unless they are being told, so I'm not sure about what you said that beginners don't necessarily need to have the basic knowledge before getting started with Thier Bitcoin investment, the only thing which i know that  beginners don't necessarily need to learn before getting started is the technical aspect of bitcoin.

If someone chases after basic knowledge without starting investment, then you should understand that he is skipping the main learning experience. Therefore, it is important to start. And what is needed to start is discretionary income, not having basic knowledge.

Did you even understand what basic knowledge is all about? We are not talking about learning the technical aspect of bitcoin, beginners have the right to decide if they are going to start without having the basic knowledge or to start with the basic knowledge the choice is Thiers. Sometimes we don't necessarily need to wait to learn about something before getting started, the trust we have for it is enough, I believe there are people who started Bitcoin investment without a basic knowledge but the trust they have for Bitcoin made them to invest it was during the process of Thier accumulation they start knowing the basic things.

[Cgrexp]

It requires basic knowledge and additional money to get started. If you are in the early stages of investing, as your investment grows, you may need to think about how to keep value beyond just Bitcoin and cash. It is important to consider the ability to build your skills, the ability to earn in the real world, and whether Bitcoin will exist and prosper in the future. And if you can't pay your bills or your life is thrown into chaos due to a bad decision, then  you have to take responsibility for it.

What is the "basic" knowledge that you are proclaiming to be required in order to get started?

The basic knowledge to start with is not an in-depth study, degree or expert level skill. I think that there are a few things that make the foundation for starting stronger:
•  What is Bitcoin and how does it work .
•Personal financial management (income, budget, savings and emergency fund etc).
 (While an emergency fund is important, it is not mandatory to start one. It can also be built with investments according to your own  circumstances.)
•Assessing your own limitations and capabilities in investing.
•Long-term goals and emotional control attitude.
•A clear idea of income, expenses and cash flow. 
•Security knowledge to protect assets.
That is, if someone cannot understand the budget, know the limitations, have an idea of risk and maintain disciplined investment, the possibility of making wrong decisions increases. Ultimately, he have to bear the responsibility for the mistake.

[PhilosopherKing]

As far starting of bitcoin investment is concerned having a basic knowledge isn't a requirement as per getting started but rather the ability to be able to figure out the availability of discretionary income to start with. I believe with common sense a beginner can be able to figure there way on the things that they need in other to get started. Therefore, basic knowledge shouldn't be a prequisite for anyone that wants to start investing in bitcoin but rather discretionary income.

I agree that having discretionary income is the most important requirement before investing in Bitcoin.
However, I don’t think basic knowledge is unnecessary. You don’t need to be an expert, but understanding the basics, like how to buy safely, use a wallet properly, and knowing how volatile Bitcoin can be, would help folks avoid mistakes like scams, losing access to coins, panic selling, etc.

Understanding Bitcoin to an extent is very important for an investor but that's not the requirement to start up Bitcoin investment, someone sensible should know that the discretionary fund is what is used for an investment that's volatile, whether Bitcoin or not then once the person figure out how to buy it then he can practically understand it better as time goes.
 Many people waste their time trying to know everything about Bitcoin before starting, all in the name of understanding the basics of the investment but it's not necessary to know it all before starting cause Bitcoin is as a volatile asset would give investors several opportunities of buying it cheaply that someone taking time to understand it better could miss.

Like I said before, I agree that discretionary income is the most important thing before starting.
But I still believe basic knowledge is very useful. You don’t need to know everything… just enough to buy safely, protect your coins, and avoid common scams. Many beginners lose money because they jump in with zero knowledge.
Learning the basics doesn’t take long (just a few hours), and it helps you make better decisions instead of missing opportunities or panicking during dips. You can start small while learning

You guys have your own opinion, but for me I think that person should just have discretionary income and common sense and then then the person can start their ongoing investment and quit delaying themselves. Ongoing investment is a very good way that person can learn about bitcoin, and so all this talk about basic knowledge just seem very inconsequential for me. Because the more person keeps delaying, the more that person will keep missing out on the chance of starting.

Quit delaying and just start even if the discretionary income person use to start is small, and along the way, learning othher things become very possible and very easy.

[Comeacross]

DCA has one massive flaw: price averaging completely eats away your potential profits. Just look at MicroStrategy. Based on how 2026 is turning out, they’ve basically been operating at a net loss for six years. Even during their best years, their investment returns topped out at a maximum of 10% APY.

Get the fuck out of here with your nonsense proclamations about MSTR and trying to proclaim that they might be doing something similar that individuals might be doing when it comes to DCA.

Comparing MSTR’s 6-year corporate strategy to individual DCA is just like comparing apple to orange.

First of all, MSTR isn’t DCAing. They use leverages and convertible notes. Their strategy is treasury management and not dollar cost averaging. But of course, APY looks bad if we should ignore the BTC per share growth and leverage leverage.

The point is MSTR stock is basically a leveraged BTC ETF. i.e if BTC does 50% in 2026, MSTR does 80-100% but if BTC does -50% MSTR gets wrecked.

Moreover, DCA exists for volatility and not catching tops. Assuming 2026 is a bull year then we can say lump sum beats DCA but if it’s chop like it did in the last two or three years, then DCA obviously saves you.

[Yeesha]

yea  you are absolutely correct, stable source of income should not stop someone from accumulating Bitcoin as long they are able to sort out a discretionary income because  that is the most important tool to kickstart our bitcoin investment. normally, an investor with a stable source of income and is able to sort out his discretionary income will definitely do better than an investor who does not have a stable source of income but this can only be possible if folk with stable source of income has a good knowledge about bitcoin or knows what he is doing.

Saving Bitcoin regularly and making it easy is a source of stable income. If you are aware of its maintenance while investing in Bitcoin, this stable income keeps the investor away from excessive worry or panic to a large extent during sudden price drops in the market. I agree with you that just having income is not enough for you now. In this case, having sufficient knowledge and planning about Bitcoin is essential. Having a clear long-term plan is also beneficial, because the price of Bitcoin is volatile, so short-term planning can lead to losses.

A stable source of income is a constant money that someone receive over time with a complete benefit of doubt. A stable source of income doesn't matter but the most important thing is how much you earned. Because compared to the salary that some people received it is too small for investment. Investment require full financial stability so that it shouldn't affect you in the future.

[JayJuanGee]

[edited out]

Like I said before, I agree that discretionary income is the most important thing before starting.
But I still believe basic knowledge is very useful. You don’t need to know everything… just enough to buy safely, protect your coins, and avoid common scams. Many beginners lose money because they jump in with zero knowledge.
Learning the basics doesn’t take long (just a few hours), and it helps you make better decisions instead of missing opportunities or panicking during dips. You can start small while learning

You seem to presuming that you know both what is "basic knowledge" and that you know how long it takes for any normie newbie to learn whatever is supposedly "basic" from your perspective.

How can you know what is "basic knowledge" exactly from the perspective of any particular newbie that might come into the position of contemplating whether or not to get started investing in bitcoin?

[edited out]

Everyone is different when it comes to whether they should first learn the basics or simply invest while learning. But personally, I can't ignore basic knowledge because so many people end up learning while investing only to experience losses. Experience is truly the best teacher, as it provides direct, real world experience by observing price fluctuations, learning to avoid FOMO, etc. Spending too much time studying can also lead to procrastination.

So?  What are you saying? Can a beginner get started or not? What does the beginner bitcoin need to know in order to get started buying bitcoin?

But the risks without basic knowledge are real and costly as you can fall prey to scams, phishing scams or simply take wallet security for granted.

So you think that he might need to know basics about scams, phishing and/or wallet security in order to get started buying bitcoin?

Furthermore, without basic knowledge simple technical errors like losing your seed phrase,

Hm?  You seem to presume that a guy is going to have a seed phrase when he gets started buying bitcoin?  That is quite a bit of presumption in regards to how you believe a beginner is going to start  investing into bitcoin, no?

sending it to the wrong address or using the wrong network can result in lost money.

You think that a beginner needs to learn how to send bitcoin in order to get started?  Oh my!!!! 

Therefore, it's best to have basic knowledge especially starting with a small amount of capital and basic knowledge even if it's still minimal, so you can learn from your mistakes.

From my perspective guys can start buying bitcoin from $100 or $10 or some other amount, and if a guy clearly determines that he has $100 of extra discretionary funds available every week into the foreseeable future, and he decides that he is going to start buying bitcoin with $30 per week as he is learning, and maybe he is not going to have a chance to look into bitcoin any further until 3-4 weeks into the future, and he sets up automatic purchases on some exchange that he heard about, and he decides that as soon as he gets time (perhaps in 3-4 weeks) he will start to dedicate 2-3 hours per week looking into bitcoin further and also looking further into his cashflow management situation, then you still believe that such a bitcoin beginner kind of a guy needs to learn something else in order to get started buying bitcoin?

It requires basic knowledge and additional money to get started. If you are in the early stages of investing, as your investment grows, you may need to think about how to keep value beyond just Bitcoin and cash. It is important to consider the ability to build your skills, the ability to earn in the real world, and whether Bitcoin will exist and prosper in the future. And if you can't pay your bills or your life is thrown into chaos due to a bad decision, then  you have to take responsibility for it.

What is the "basic" knowledge that you are proclaiming to be required in order to get started?

The basic knowledge to start with is not an in-depth study, degree or expert level skill. I think that there are a few things that make the foundation for starting stronger:
•  What is Bitcoin and how does it work .
•Personal financial management (income, budget, savings and emergency fund etc).
 (While an emergency fund is important, it is not mandatory to start one. It can also be built with investments according to your own  circumstances.)
•Assessing your own limitations and capabilities in investing.
•Long-term goals and emotional control attitude.
•A clear idea of income, expenses and cash flow. 
•Security knowledge to protect assets.
That is, if someone cannot understand the budget, know the limitations, have an idea of risk and maintain disciplined investment, the possibility of making wrong decisions increases. Ultimately, he have to bear the responsibility for the mistake.

Holy shit!!!

You surely expect a newbie to know a lot to get started buying bitcoin.

You don't even mention having sufficient discretionary funds and an ability to figure out if he has sufficient discretionary funds.

and you don't even mention having common sense, which likely would help him in figuring out what he feels that he needs to know and/or not need to know based on his own independent judgement and/or to figure how how much of a beginning position size to take based on his own judgement including his ability to adjust down his beginning amount within his own judgement while he potentially learns those other things you mentioned as if they were prerequisites to getting started.

What about the hypothetical guy that I already mentioned in my above response who knows that he has $100 per week of money that he could put into bitcoin, and he decides to start with $30 per week and potentially allow his weekly bitcoin buys to continue for 3-4 weeks until he has time to look into the matter further.  You seem to believe that he cannot start buying bitcoin based on his own determination without knowing about the various areas that you mentioned.

[edited out]

You guys have your own opinion, but for me I think that person should just have discretionary income and common sense and then then the person can start their ongoing investment and quit delaying themselves. Ongoing investment is a very good way that person can learn about bitcoin, and so all this talk about basic knowledge just seem very inconsequential for me. Because the more person keeps delaying, the more that person will keep missing out on the chance of starting.

Quit delaying and just start even if the discretionary income person use to start is small, and along the way, learning othher things become very possible and very easy.

It does seem that a beginner who has common sense should be able to figure out how to adjust his starting out position into bitcoin downward enough in order to not worry about whether he loses it or not and to learn as he goes. 

Of course no normal person wants to lose money, so any normal person should be able to figure out some starting amount that does not bother him.  Of course, if he does not have any amount of money that does not bother him, then maybe he does not have enough discretionary funds to get started... yet it seems a wee bit problematic to proclaim that newbies need to have some kind of specific knowledge beyond whereever they might be starting from, and yeah, if they know that they have certain kinds of financial and/or psychological issues that might be stopping them from getting started, then they should be able to figure out on their own if they might need to work on their own specific issues that they deem to be limiting if they believe that they are not comfortable enough to get started with $100 or $10 or some other reasonable amount.

[ChocolateBitcoinK]

yea  you are absolutely correct, stable source of income should not stop someone from accumulating Bitcoin as long they are able to sort out a discretionary income because  that is the most important tool to kickstart our bitcoin investment. normally, an investor with a stable source of income and is able to sort out his discretionary income will definitely do better than an investor who does not have a stable source of income but this can only be possible if folk with stable source of income has a good knowledge about bitcoin or knows what he is doing.

Saving Bitcoin regularly and making it easy is a source of stable income. If you are aware of its maintenance while investing in Bitcoin, this stable income keeps the investor away from excessive worry or panic to a large extent during sudden price drops in the market. I agree with you that just having income is not enough for you now. In this case, having sufficient knowledge and planning about Bitcoin is essential. Having a clear long-term plan is also beneficial, because the price of Bitcoin is volatile, so short-term planning can lead to losses.

A stable source of income is a constant money that someone receive over time with a complete benefit of doubt. A stable source of income doesn't matter but the most important thing is how much you earned. Because compared to the salary that some people received it is too small for investment. Investment require full financial stability so that it shouldn't affect you in the future.

You should invest only the amount of money that you have left after meeting all your daily expenses. You have to keep the investment for the long term, so you should not use any money that you need. Because if you are suddenly forced to sell your investment, then the chances of you losing money are very high. You need to keep it stable, and for this you need to be very careful about your financial affairs, the most important thing before investing is to have a clear idea of ​​your financial position. After considering daily expenses, emergency fund and future financial obligations, you should invest only that amount that you can keep aside for a long time.

[Ryu_Ar1]

DCA has one massive flaw: price averaging completely eats away your potential profits. Just look at MicroStrategy. Based on how 2026 is turning out, they’ve basically been operating at a net loss for six years. Even during their best years, their investment returns topped out at a maximum of 10% APY.

At first glance it looks like DCA because they are trying to buy bitcoin on an ongoing basis but keep in mind that their focus is not on DCA but MSTR is using the low-interest debt from the convertible bonds that they did and it is being used for aggressive bitcoin purchases and to me something like this does not look like DCA which makes sense because they are using their stocks as the main focus.  I actually agree more with Saylor has created a fiat system on top of Bitcoin rather than saying that MTSR is using DCA.

So it would be strange to compare those of us who do DCA and MSTR in a DCA equation because we will never have a common conclusion on this.

[KeenanEl19]

It requires basic knowledge and additional money to get started. If you are in the early stages of investing, as your investment grows, you may need to think about how to keep value beyond just Bitcoin and cash. It is important to consider the ability to build your skills, the ability to earn in the real world, and whether Bitcoin will exist and prosper in the future. And if you can't pay your bills or your life is thrown into chaos due to a bad decision, then  you have to take responsibility for it.

Knowledge is certainly important, but it doesn't need to be overemphasized. So, once we have the basic knowledge and everything is ready, including the budget, then start immediately. Don't delay. There's a saying that the sooner the better, although this isn't true for all cases.

Furthermore, I believe knowledge can be acquired through practice. I believe that basic knowledge should be acquired after understanding and developing an interest in investing to begin investing. It's simply common sense. Moreover, to invest, we only need discretionary funds and this is not tied to having a fixed income, because we can start with a small amount and can be done using the DCA strategy.

[puloweh555]

Everyone is different when it comes to whether they should first learn the basics or simply invest while learning. But personally, I can't ignore basic knowledge because so many people end up learning while investing only to experience losses. Experience is truly the best teacher, as it provides direct, real world experience by observing price fluctuations, learning to avoid FOMO, etc. Spending too much time studying can also lead to procrastination.

So?  What are you saying? Can a beginner get started or not? What does the beginner bitcoin need to know in order to get started buying bitcoin?

Of course you can. I said everyone has different views on this matter. Personally, I think knowledge is crucial before investing in Bitcoin. Basic knowledge isn't technical, but rather the fundamentals of how to buy or store it, or the history of Bitcoin, so that it can give us confidence in our investment. I understand what you're saying investing in Bitcoin doesn't require fundamental knowledge the important thing is to do a digital asset management DCA on Bitcoin and hold it for the long term. But wouldn't it be better to have a little knowledge before starting so that we know what we're investing in and have confidence in what we're investing in? I'm saying that many beginners invest in Bitcoin, but when fluctuations occur they panic especially when faced with market fluctuations like those in the past few weeks.

But the risks without basic knowledge are real and costly as you can fall prey to scams, phishing scams or simply take wallet security for granted.

So you think that he might need to know basics about scams, phishing and/or wallet security in order to get started buying bitcoin?

It's better isn't it? Especially with the goal of long term investment we need to understand at least a little about such things. After all we know that in the world of Bitcoin such things happen frequently. Knowing the basics makes us more cautious.

I mean, beginners don't need to be a strategist or a deep strategist to start buying Bitcoin. But I do mean understanding the basics is crucial to avoid investing blindly. Isn't blind investing still wrong, even if the asset is Bitcoin? Understanding the basics won't make a beginner procrastinate. On the contrary the more they understand the more calm and consistent they can be in investing.

[Cgrexp]

It requires basic knowledge and additional money to get started. If you are in the early stages of investing, as your investment grows, you may need to think about how to keep value beyond just Bitcoin and cash. It is important to consider the ability to build your skills, the ability to earn in the real world, and whether Bitcoin will exist and prosper in the future. And if you can't pay your bills or your life is thrown into chaos due to a bad decision, then  you have to take responsibility for it.

What is the "basic" knowledge that you are proclaiming to be required in order to get started?

The basic knowledge to start with is not an in-depth study, degree or expert level skill. I think that there are a few things that make the foundation for starting stronger:
•  What is Bitcoin and how does it work .
•Personal financial management (income, budget, savings and emergency fund etc).
 (While an emergency fund is important, it is not mandatory to start one. It can also be built with investments according to your own  circumstances.)
•Assessing your own limitations and capabilities in investing.
•Long-term goals and emotional control attitude.
•A clear idea of income, expenses and cash flow.  
•Security knowledge to protect assets.
That is, if someone cannot understand the budget, know the limitations, have an idea of risk and maintain disciplined investment, the possibility of making wrong decisions increases. Ultimately, he have to bear the responsibility for the mistake.

Holy shit!!!

You surely expect a newbie to know a lot to get started buying bitcoin.

You don't even mention having sufficient discretionary funds and an ability to figure out if he has sufficient discretionary funds.

and you don't even mention having common sense, which likely would help him in figuring out what he feels that he needs to know and/or not need to know based on his own independent judgement and/or to figure how how much of a beginning position size to take based on his own judgement including his ability to adjust down his beginning amount within his own judgement while he potentially learns those other things you mentioned as if they were prerequisites to getting started.

What about the hypothetical guy that I already mentioned in my above response who knows that he has $100 per week of money that he could put into bitcoin, and he decides to start with $30 per week and potentially allow his weekly bitcoin buys to continue for 3-4 weeks until he has time to look into the matter further.  You seem to believe that he cannot start buying bitcoin based on his own determination without knowing about the various areas that you mentioned.
 

You are right, I did not use the term discretionary income directly. However, I mentioned the issues of financial management, limitations and capacity assessment of the person. These issues Helpful to be assessed to know if there is extra money.  the issues i said  strengthen the foundation for starting and reduce the possibility of wrong decisions. It is not the case that we have to wait until the learning is complete. Beneficial and mandatory are two different words.

 The person in your example has $100 extra and from that he decides to invest $30. This decision cannot be made suddenly and there is a fundamental assessment behind his decision. To reach this decision that he has $100 extra, he had to consider his income, expenses, cash flow and liabilities otherwise how could he be sure that he would not need this $100? And he decided to start with $30 instead of $100 which is a reflection of his risk assessment. He thought that starting with a small amount would be safer for him i.e. he is aware of his limitations. The attitude of learning with starting is that it recognizes that his current knowledge is not complete. If knowledge was worthless, there would be no need to learn later.  

Your example does not contradict my point, but rather the person in your example has already assessed his financial capabilities, managed risks, and acknowledged his limitations. And these are the things I mentioned as the basic foundation. The only difference here is that I listed the things and the person in your imagination has put them into practice. So your example does not refute me, but rather partially supports me.