Is the recommendation to HODL Bitcoin, to hodl it forever, or...

[BTCETFInvestor]

Being new to Bitcoin I learned how a misspelling of the word 'hold' turned into HODL -  a backronym or phrase standing for 'hold on for dear life' - - and this backronym is used often by a number of people.

So, my question is pretty simple. Is the recommendation to HODL Bitcoin, to hodl forever, or until the owner really, really needs (or really wants) currency for something important - with the intent to only sell a fraction of the BTC he has and continue hodling the remaining?  

Just how do you define your hodling recommendation? Is it really forever or does it have any exceptions?  

[happybitcoinph]

Let's make it simple: Determine what kind of HODL you want to do.

If what's your definition of HODL, THAT'S IT and follow it - Do your own and let others do their own.

[Despairo]

Your question have no answer, you're the one who know yourself the most.

There are someone prefer to flip their money, there are someone prefer to sell some when they're in needs (their emergency funds not enough), and there are someone who prefer to hold forever (because they have a good career and business, so they won't need to think about money).

a backronym or phrase standing for 'hold on for dear life' - - and this backronym is used often by a number of people.

They created the phrase by themselves, the original person who created HODL I AM HODLING was just because he's bad in trading.

[BitGoba]

Being new to Bitcoin I learned how a misspelling of the word 'hold' turned into HODL -  a backronym or phrase standing for 'hold on for dear life' - - and this backronym is used often by a number of people.

So, my question is pretty simple. Is the recommendation to HODL Bitcoin, to hodl forever, or until the owner really, really needs (or really wants) currency for something important - with the intent to only sell a fraction of the BTC he has and continue hodling the remaining?  

Just how do you define your hodling recommendation? Is it really forever or does it have any exceptions?  

Bitcoin is money. Money has three main use cases.

First, it serves as a medium of exchange, allowing you to trade for goods and services you need and want,things that improve your life. Whether it's buying a house, food, or paying for services, money enables these transactions.

Second, money acts as a store of value. It helps preserve its value over a long period so that you can exchange it for goods and services when you need them. This means money allows people to save their purchasing power for future use. When we earn money, we can keep it and use it later to buy goods and services.

Third, money functions as a unit of account, or a measure of value. Money serves as a common way to express the value of goods and services. Just as we measure weight in kilograms and length in meters, we measure the value of goods and services using money
So, Bitcoin is good for saving because it is a hard form of money compared to fiat currencies, which are inflationary and lose value over time. You should save in Bitcoin, and when you want to buy something, you can spend your Bitcoin.

Prices measured in Bitcoin tend to go down , unlike prices measured in fiat currencies, where inflation causes prices to go up.That’s why it’s much smarter and more convenient to use Bitcoin as your unit of account.

[Ryu_Ar1]

Just how do you define your hodling recommendation? Is it really forever or does it have any exceptions?  

We cannot simply adopt the beliefs of others because, ultimately, only you can answer your own questions.
It’s not without reason that everyone has their own perspective on this matter, but when it comes to hodling, everyone will agree that we won’t always be in this situation. However, as long as you can do it, you should do it because it will be very useful for your future.

On the other hand, everyone sometimes has their own goals, regardless of what others say about holding. Everyone has their own starting point and endpoint, so there will inevitably be many different perspectives because everyone’s thoughts and goals are different. Given this situation, you should ask yourself how long you can continue holding and what goals you want to achieve, as this can be the starting point for determining your future when investing in Bitcoin.

[tech30338]

Simple answer is Take profit when you are happy, there is no such thing as hodl forever, what happen if the price is now declining, this is just a example okay, the price goes down from 100k to 10k from the moment the price is going down to 50 you should have already take profit, why because you are again waiting for the next dip and buy cheap,
and hold again, so there is a phase that you should take profit and hold, this is just my opinion, look what the holder that bitcoin selling everything, you think, he will not buy again?
he will but with the cheap price or he thinks its already time again to bag.

[BlackBoss_]

Simple answer is Take profit when you are happy, there is no such thing as hodl forever, what happen if the price is now declining, this is just a example okay, the price goes down from 100k to 10k from the moment the price is going down to 50 you should have already take profit, why because you are again waiting for the next dip and buy cheap,
and hold again, so there is a phase that you should take profit and hold, this is just my opinion, look what the holder that bitcoin selling everything, you think, he will not buy again?

HODL  = Hold On Dear Life, is like a trap in mindset and I don't consider it is part of my plan. I believe in Bitcoin, and try to accumulate more bitcoins as much as possible, but I am not a fan of HODL term.

I plan to hold my bitcoin for some market cycles because I am young now, and I am using my discretionary income for bitcoin accumulation, and have emergency fund to use just in case. I don't plan to HODL my bitcoin, not sell, and will die with it.

If I don't sell all of my bitcoin in future, I will give it to my children but only when they are matured enough and I don't force them to HODL.

[Zlantann]

Just how do you define your hodling recommendation? Is it really forever or does it have any exceptions?  

People buy Bitcoin for several reasons. Some want to make a profit while others want to enjoy privacy. Is there any benefit of hodling Bitcoin forever? If you die without any succession plan, the coin will become a donation to the Bitcoin ecosystem. Many people who hodl Bitcoin have plan for the investment. Some people sell all or part of their hodling to satisfy some needs or for diversification of asset. Hodling forever could be seen as keeping Bitcoin all through your lifetime because you want to transfer it to your dependents before or when you die.

[AbuBhakar]

So, my question is pretty simple. Is the recommendation to HODL Bitcoin, to hodl forever, or until the owner really, really needs (or really wants) currency for something important - with the intent to only sell a fraction of the BTC he has and continue hodling the remaining?  

Just how do you define your hodling recommendation? Is it really forever or does it have any exceptions?  

It’s not logical to hold forever since you are investing to gain profit in the future. The only reason why it’s good to hold long term is to get much better profit since Bitcoin price grow long term.

But if you needed the money already while you are in profit, I think it’s good already to sell your holdings since that’s the point of having of Bitcoin investment.

To have profit in the future.

[Pinemarten]

I try to HODL as much as I can on three fronts.

My TFSA is maxed out for 2025 with CA$100,000 in a bitcoin ETF that yields/dividends 11% average per year and pays it out in the 1st week of every month.

My RRSP has CA$110,000 of the same ETF.

Since I started buying it in early June, they are both up 5% or about CA$10,000. This figure is off because Friday's close was low for most bitcoin ETFs caused by the Galaxy FUD. In mid July, I also converted CA$62,000 in IBIT ETF to the yield ETF, this also sways the 5% profit figure.

I also have 0.076478 coin that I bought at average US$115,660.34. I had a lot more coin but sold it at a profit and put it in TFSA for tax purposes. That was approx CA$100,000 worth.

I 'day trade' bitcoin with a 20:1 margin account that has just over CA$20,000 in it. This means with a 50% margin limit, I can trade CA$200,000 in coin. I usually keep my margin below CA$60,000 in case of huge dips. I tried to buy my way out of several cascading dips in the last week of Feb/2025 and lost CA$31,000 in margin calls. A foolish, rookie mistake that I won't repeat. With CA$60,000 then I only need a 1.66% increase in bitcoin each day to make CA$100 each day. My best month this year was
January with $6780.85 in net trading profit. Since the trading account is offshore, I only need to pay taxes when I bring the money back to Canada. The $26,000 net loss for February will be a tax write off at the end of the year.

I have a CA$25,000 line of credit with one bank and hope to get CA$50,000 with another bank soon. When bitcoin dipped  in early April/2025, I tapped the full $25,000 to buy coin and then converted it back in a few days. $23.72 interest that netted me about $3,000 after I sold the coin again.

My HODL plan is to keep my chequing account just over $4,000 which is the low limit to get all the free services. My day trade account, I keep between $20,000 and $40,000. All income from pensions etc goes into actual coin. At the end of 2025, I will calculate how much coin I need to sell to put into the RRSP ETF for tax relief. I can also add another $7,000 to my TFSA ETF on Jan 1/2026.

If I need money in a hurry I have access to the $25,000 line of credit, $10,000 in paid off credit cards, and $12,000 in bitcoin as of July 26. If the markets are open and the price is up, I can also sell my $100,000 TFSA ETF shares. The $110,000 RRSP shares I would have to pay 10-20% tax on as soon as I withdraw the cash.

[Smartprofit]

Being new to Bitcoin I learned how a misspelling of the word 'hold' turned into HODL -  a backronym or phrase standing for 'hold on for dear life' - - and this backronym is used often by a number of people.

So, my question is pretty simple. Is the recommendation to HODL Bitcoin, to hodl forever, or until the owner really, really needs (or really wants) currency for something important - with the intent to only sell a fraction of the BTC he has and continue hodling the remaining?  

Just how do you define your hodling recommendation? Is it really forever or does it have any exceptions?  

Imagine Bitcoin as your own commercial bank (a commercial bank in your pocket)🏛️

This bank stores your money, and this money constantly multiplies (increases in value when converted to fiat money). And you don’t have to go to other people to open a deposit account. You also don’t have to go to other people to make a transaction, because it’s your own commercial bank (and it’s not controlled by any central bank, which is a huge plus)🤸

More... The longer you keep your money on deposit, the more it multiplies. At the same time, you sometimes have a need for various goods in life. You periodically need to buy various goods and services. You can do this using fiat currencies (for example, your income in the form of a salary that you receive at your main place of work), or you can use Bitcoin.  Accordingly, you can exchange some of your Satoshi for USDT or USDC, or directly for fiat money.✨

In my opinion, Bitcoin is not so much a story about wealth, but a story about freedom of action and independence. No one can lock your assets in the Bitcoin blockchain. No one can control your financial transactions (especially international ones)💁

In my opinion, the HODL principle should not be interpreted literally: you can never sell your satoshi. No! You can sell your satoshi if it suits your life strategy and makes you freer and happier.🌞

[michellee]

That will be your decision. I will not hodl forever but long term because I want to prepare something for my family. I accumulate Bitcoin and hodl it for the long term, more than 10 years and I still do that until now.

But I don't just hodl for the long term because I also sell some amount if I need to take a profit. It happened before when Bitcoin hit $122k and I sold some amount of Bitcoin and held the rest. I take my profit in that price and buy something

[purple_sparkles]

What's the point of keeping bitcoins forever? We need bitcoin to become richer, but if it's just numbers on a monitor, what's the point. The strategy is simple you need buy cheap, sell expensive. And use the difference for your own needs. It's just that sales cycles don't last for months, but are measured in years. The approximate growth and decline cycle is 4 years. That's the approximate period you need to count on for successful investing.10 years is probably just a missed opportunity to take profits and lock them in, and then buy back your own bitcoins again.

[aylabadia05]

Just how do you define your hodling recommendation? Is it really forever or does it have any exceptions?

Until the owner wants to spend it.
Hold Bitcoin because its price chart is always increasing, not on a monthly basis, but I assess it based on a four-year cycle. It could also be because Bitcoin is always able to make ATH.

Only Bitcoin owners know when to hold their Bitcoin.
I know myself. I will never know how you define holding your Bitcoin. Other people also only know when to hold their Bitcoin.

[rdluffy]

Satoshi is the greatest example of HODLER we can have 

Those who hold BTC for so long, or forever as you said, are helping BTC to be scarcer, and consequently have a higher value
Those who spend their BTC are helping miners and the BTC economy to grow, which was also predicted by Satoshi

And the vast majority will sell BTC at some point. One of the great and excellent features of BTC, in my opinion, is that it serves different purposes for each person

[Oshio-man]

If you don't know that bitcoin will not live forever you better no it now, for you not to regret when such thing happen in the future op. The reason some people are holding bitcoin for long term before they can trade or sell, is for income earning, but you will not see anyone that have wisdom of bitcoin holding that will like to hold it forever, once you discover that there will be income when you sell your bitcoin, you are free to release your bitcoin to earn income that will increase your wealth to invest more when you are ready to buy another time, Hold and hodl mean the same thing in this forum op, you can decide to hold your bitcoin for Short period of time to earn income or hold for long term to earn income, which is the main reason people are buying bitcoin to hold for their wallets.

[Felicity_Tide]

Just how do you define your hodling recommendation? Is it really forever or does it have any exceptions?   

My definition should probably be holding to an extent, where you won't feel any regrets if the price happens to go further than the stage you've hold. Everyone keeps talking about the future, and this future isn't a particular day/time for everyone. Some people's future was yesterday, while others might be today or tomorrow, and so on.

So, I don't think that the recommendation is to actually hold for eternity(by intensionally dying and leaving it), but it is actually to hold for as long as possible, so that when you make a sale, future price increase won't cause much of a regret, even though it actually does.

[Pablo-wood]

I feel everyone has their elastic limit, and unless it is exceeded just hodl. The goal of every investment is to make life easier in the near future. But a wise investor keeps investing at every given opportunity such that when the days of need draw near it will be easier to sell some coin, solve the problem and still have enough left to continue the hodl cycle.

[Woodie]

Hodl until it answers when lambo  if the Lamborghini question can't be answered keep DCAing until the stash is so healthy to call it  your retirement package...we won't be young forever,  we need to live life away from the screens, away from the charts , away from the FUD , Politics and all that.

Otherwise for how long can one Hodl can only be answered in ones personal capacity.

[Obim34]

It is a simple logic for me:

I will buy Bitcoin

I will Hold Bitcoin

I will sell Bitcoin

If i don't fulfil all three especially the last part, there is nothing there to celebrate.

There is no counsel for how long i choose to hold, once i hold quite the amount am capable, i won't hesitate to take profits.