I can't keep risking it, time to make a difference

[Stalker22]

~
Linux OS is as a good if not the cheapest way to run a free and safe Bitcoin wallet via Electrum, I was excited to do this and Its been over a week already to figure out that it is not for me, I had to battle some issues here and there, couldn't even find answers online like how you would with windows11, as someone who is coming from windows 11 I have been warned that it could be this complicated but its true, if it can be this complicated for me it will be for some people too.

It really boils down to what you need it for.  A lot of people I know just use their computers for basic stuff like browsing the web.  For that, Linux is a fantastic choice, mainly if you care more about security than how easy it is to use.  But yeah, you are right, it is not for everyone.

If struggling with Linux for a week made you feel like you were about to screw up and lose your Bitcoin, then its probably not a "good" solution for you.  Security also means using tools you know well and feel comfortable about.

[Viscore]

Some persons will be wondering, why a hardware wallet and not bitcoins instead? With all that is happening on the internet, you all will agree with me that a hardware wallet is a necessity for long term hodling. Op knows what he is saying, he already has bitcoins which he has been saving in a way which is not too secure. The gift is indeed worth it, those who are hodling bitcoins in exchanges and hot wallets should consider gifting themselves something like this too to keep  their investments  safe from malwares and phishing attacks. Security should be the top priority.

Its useless to keep and hold your bitcoins without a safe wallet in the first place, security comes first. So I understand the point of OP, knowing he has already portion of bitcoin being saved. But for those who are still planning to buy and hold bitcoin, educate yourself first before doing so. Entering bitcoin investment is the best Christmas gift so far, but it will only happen if you also have sufficient knowledge on bitcoin and on how to secure it 24/7, that's why having a hardware wallet is the key, it will save you from future troubles.

[Rengga Jati]

Its useless to keep and hold your bitcoins without a safe wallet in the first place, security comes first. So I understand the point of OP, knowing he has already portion of bitcoin being saved. But for those who are still planning to buy and hold bitcoin, educate yourself first before doing so. Entering bitcoin investment is the best Christmas gift so far, but it will only happen if you also have sufficient knowledge on bitcoin and on how to secure it 24/7, that's why having a hardware wallet is the key, it will save you from future troubles.

Some investors choose to store their Bitcoin on exchanges, even though this is unsafe and carries high risks. However, they argue that they can quickly sell directly on the exchange when the market rises significantly, even if they have to wait a long time. Or they do it for staking.

However, once again, everything has its risks. When it comes to security, offline wallets or hardware wallets remain the main options for saving with higher security systems. However, each investor may have different perspectives and considerations regarding this matter.

[Somegory]

If you have a 100 bucks to spend on bitcoin you can also have another 100 bucks to spend on bitcoin hardware wallet, it's a basic necessity but not everyone like the idea for starters, right it's true that for starters you may not need all the gadgets or hardware to start to keep your bitcoin however, you can be saving the bitcoin if it less then 500$ in an exchange and once it gets to 500 or above you can then maybe take a break or figure out a way to get your hardware wallets and then you can go for a higher one that is more safer than the cheap ones.

Facts, but many don't want to reason it, probably because they think about having $100 worth of Bitcoin instead, I don't see how setting a Electrum wallet on a old laptop is even a better idea, because my old laptop still cost more than $100 in my country, if I have to invest in Bitcoin I will prefer to sell the laptop, use half of the money to buy a hardware wallet and still have some money left, maybe use the rest to buy some Bitcoin, will be my first step towards DCA.

[WhoYouCantKill]

A hardware wallet is a strong initial step to take for anyone with the plan of saving Bitcoin for the long-term. It helps your key stay offline, takes away most worries of security, and the budget options seem good enough already. The point your raised concerning Linux is fair as well — self custody should be manageable, instead of stressful. For a lot of people, to spend fifty dollars on a simple yet reliable device is a wiser choice rather than wrestling with setup that is complex that won't be enjoyed or even maintained.

[SOKO-DEKE]

Providing proper security for our Bitcoin investment is very important and that is what every investor should first consider before even buying Bitcoin. But these days, many investors do not always care about how to provide proper security for their Bitcoin investment. All they care about at first is profits. What is the point of making a profit if you later lose all everything someone hqve gather?

So I agree that those who plan to start to invest in bitcoin by next year should try to get hardwet before they start investing and those who are already in Bitcoin investment and still keep their Bitcoin on exchanges they should also try to get a hardware wallet, or move their Bitcoin to any wallet that can gives them proper security for their investment.

[tbct_mt2]

Providing proper security for our Bitcoin investment is very important and that is what every investor should first consider before even buying Bitcoin. But these days, many investors do not always care about how to provide proper security for their Bitcoin investment. All they care about at first is profits. What is the point of making a profit if you later lose all everything someone hqve gather?

You must plan your investment, from investment capital for your investment, finance for your life beyond investment, and security of your Bitcoin wallets which store your bitcoins.

Assume you have good finance and use your money for investment and your life well, you must focus on your Bitcoin wallet security. Where to store your bitcoins, and how to store your coins in a secure way.

Centralized exchanges, custodial wallets should be avoided as they are not safe places for bitcoin storage in long term. Even in short term, don't choose them for your bitcoin storage.

Reminder: do not keep your money in online accounts

Non custodial and open source wallets, best are hardware wallets, are good for your storage.

[nakamura12]

There's a thread in this forum on what to do if you plan to give someone some bitcoin. For me, the easiest and cheapest way to give someone bitcoin as a gift is to create a wallet like electrum for example which many people already know that there are many people who are using it and trusted by many people. All you have to do is send some bitcoin to that wallet and then give it to the person who you want it to be given and then that person can just take it out to another wallet of his choice.

[tread93]

Why must it be hardare wallet, why not the bitcoin itself, giving someone a hardware wallet as gift when he don't need it or knows it value is not idea enough, besides, some are very poor when it comes to managing things with them and these could be a serious challenge for them to maintain it for safety us without getting damaged or lost.

From what I understand, he isn't buying it for someone else; he's buying it for himself. It's a gift for himself. If he is buying it for himself, it's assumed he already has Bitcoin and understands it.

But if it's for someone else, then it has to be for someone who already understands bitcoin and understands the concept of holding or else, the gift might be useless to them
If the person doesn't really understand bitcoin and doesn't understand the concept of holding, it doesn't matter where the bitcoin is; they will spend it if they want to.

Yes I agree, if it was a gift and they didn't know even the first thing about bitcoin then it woudl be a shame because it woudl be a complete waste. You kind of have to know what you're doing and of course own a little bitcoin first haha.

[ejikeme24]

There's a thread in this forum on what to do if you plan to give someone some bitcoin. For me, the easiest and cheapest way to give someone bitcoin as a gift is to create a wallet like electrum for example which many people already know that there are many people who are using it and trusted by many people.

Well there are other wallets out there but electrum is also recommended, before gifting them Bitcoin you need to make sure that they know how to use it because if you gift them Bitcoin when they have no idea about it they might end up selling it at Lost or even expose it to scammers.

I have never thought about gifting someone with Bitcoin, moreover there are other ways to gift someone so I would rather gift them using other method instead of gifting them Bitcoin, I think it's just a personal decision.

[Alone055]

Linux OS is as a good if not the cheapest way to run a free and safe Bitcoin wallet via Electrum, I was excited to do this and Its been over a week already to figure out that it is not for me, I had to battle some issues here and there, couldn't even find answers online like how you would with windows11, as someone who is coming from windows 11 I have been warned that it could be this complicated but its true, if it can be this complicated for me it will be for some people too.

Age is also not a number, 😞 maybe the new millennium kids can do better than I can, too old for tweaking to no vail.

You told us the whole story, but didn't mention the issues you have been facing and got no answers to. You should have added the issues and asked the community if anyone has any answers for them, your thread could get moved to a different section, but you would at least get the answers or solutions for your problems, because this forum has a lot of users with enough technical knowledge about these things, and someone must have experienced something similar in the past, or even if they didn't, maybe they still know the answer to it.

This is also why it's important to do some research before doing something. You should have searched for the device you were going to buy and see if it supports an operating system that you are familiar with, and if that wasn't the case, you should have searched for one that you could set up easily without having to spend a week only to find out that you are unable to set it up successfully.

Anyway, can you please list the problems you are facing?

[Findingnemo]

If someone who haven't even started buying their first sats then buying  hardware wallet is not a great option even though you can get some of them under $100. I will say electrum will do the job for a while because you mentioned DCA not lump sum so if someone is buying a hundred-dollar worth of bitcoin every month then they can use Electrum for a while until their wallet accumulates the value in thousands.

And even they can go on any unused device for a complete air gap wallet instead of HW.

You can find the safe way to install electrum in [GUIDE] How to Safely Download and Verify Electrum [Guide].

[Alphakilo]

Am sure that now you decided to start your DCA journey, you will succeed. Not only the Gen Z or millennials can do better when it comes to Bitcoin investment, am sure a lot of them are even scared to pants because of the dip we experienced in October, but we have gotten over that and those who are DCAing are still doing so nonetheless.
You only got to adjust your DCAing fractions to meet your budget so you won't get caught up in the dip and be left with no money to sort daily expense and settle bills.
Try to etch your seed phrase on a tin or aluminum surface where it can't be eroded or washed away by flood or tampered with, while also doing same on different locations so as not to forget your seed phrases and lose your funds in the process.
There are other better ways to secure yourself as you use a great cold wallet but do your own research and remember, not your keys, not your coins.

[serjent05]

If something is going to take you years to achieve it is better to start with a solid foundation.
Christmas is around the corner and I believe that the best gift 🎁 that anyone can gift themselves this season is a crypto hardware wallet.

It's not such a bad idea to gift someone a HW device for Christmas, but before you do this, you must be certain the person is into crypto. It will make no sense to gift someone such a gift who has zero interest in crypto because he will likely not use the HW device and may even sell it.

I bet the the person who will receive the gift is knowledgeable enough on Bitcoin, and at the same time has a Bitcoin fund to store on that Hardware wallet.  Did you not read?  @OP already stated that since its Christmas the best thing to give himself is the hardware wallet.

Yes I agree, if it was a gift and they didn't know even the first thing about bitcoin then it woudl be a shame because it woudl be a complete waste. You kind of have to know what you're doing and of course own a little bitcoin first haha.

True but it is different in thsi case.  @OP stated that the gift is for himself and also described details on how he bought the hardware wallet.  I am sure @OP is well-versed enough to know the reason why he has to buy and gift himself a hardware wallet, and the title itself actually give us the hint.

[nakamura12]

Well there are other wallets out there but electrum is also recommended, before gifting them Bitcoin you need to make sure that they know how to use it because if you gift them Bitcoin when they have no idea about it they might end up selling it at Lost or even expose it to scammers.

I have never thought about gifting someone with Bitcoin, moreover there are other ways to gift someone so I would rather gift them using other method instead of gifting them Bitcoin, I think it's just a personal decision.

It's true that there are other wallets that can be trusted. What you said will only applies to those who wants to gifts Bitcoin to someone who doesn't know about Bitcoin but if they already know about Bitcoin and how it works then there's no need to for that. Let's say someone will gift me Bitcoin then I would just take the Bitcoin from the wallet and never use it for daily transaction or for storing bitcoin and nothing will happen. For someone who doesn't know about Bitcoin is I would ask them if they prefer cash or receive Bitcoin so that they will choose unless it is a secret for surprise.

[JoyMarsha]

It's not bad to have a hardware wallet for oneself this December or any time soon since we are hodling Bitcoin for long term.

It wouldn't make sense after years of hodling our Bitcoin, we lost our Bitcoin through phishing links sent to our gadgets or exchange hacks(for those that saved their Bitcoin on exchange). That's the worst thing that can happen to any Bitcoin investor. That makes it better to start early to lay a strong foundation before being caught off guard on your Bitcoin holdings

[Son Of Blockchain (SOB)]

 A Christmas gift comes with love cause it's something given to people out of love in celebration of the festive season therefore I'll accept any gift given to me by anyone so far it's not something that could cause harm to me, well I'll accept a hardware wallet but then Bitcoin is getting more scarce and more costly to mine currently so instead of a hardware wallet I'll prefer being gifted some bitcoins.
 It's more valuable and better than the hardware wallet, I know saving with a hardware is more safe against hackers and stuff but I can still safe my coin in a good wallet like Electrum and store my keys very safely on a metal plate.

[Mate2237]

Christmas is around the corner and I believe that the best gift 🎁 that anyone can gift themselves this season is a crypto hardware wallet.

Why must it be hardare wallet, why not the bitcoin itself, giving someone a hardware wallet as gift when he don't need it or knows it value is not idea enough, besides, some are very poor when it comes to managing things with them and these could be a serious challenge for them to maintain it for safety us without getting damaged or lost.

Maybe you could also take some time to read on this thread below to know more better on something related.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5567378.0

Your right the OP is talking about a secondary issue a hardware wallet is used to safely secure your Bitcoin, so  you can be possibly talking about gifting someone a hardware wallet without having the main thing which Bitcoin. The issue of security will not not come into play if there were no Bitcoin in the first place. The best gift you can give someone this period is something that should have have and that should stay the yes of time and Bitcoin fits into that category.


What you should be talking about when it comes to securing your Bitcoin is actually having sufficient knowledge. Even if you gifts an individual with the wallet and the fellow doesn't know how to use and operate the Wallet, it won't make any sense so prioritizing Bitcoin accumulation over the wallet is important.

[Somegory]

Christmas is around the corner and I believe that the best gift 🎁 that anyone can gift themselves this season is a crypto hardware wallet.

Why must it be hardare wallet, why not the bitcoin itself, giving someone a hardware wallet as gift when he don't need it or knows it value is not idea enough, besides, some are very poor when it comes to managing things with them and these could be a serious challenge for them to maintain it for safety us without getting damaged or lost.

Maybe you could also take some time to read on this thread below to know more better on something related.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5567378.0

Your right the OP is talking about a secondary issue a hardware wallet is used to safely secure your Bitcoin, so  you can be possibly talking about gifting someone a hardware wallet without having the main thing which Bitcoin. The issue of security will not not come into play if there were no Bitcoin in the first place. The best gift you can give someone this period is something that should have have and that should stay the yes of time and Bitcoin fits into that category.


What you should be talking about when it comes to securing your Bitcoin is actually having sufficient knowledge. Even if you gifts an individual with the wallet and the fellow doesn't know how to use and operate the Wallet, it won't make any sense so prioritizing Bitcoin accumulation over the wallet is important.

No one is gifting anyone any hardware wallet, I gifted myself a hardware wallet and I already know about Bitcoin and the necessary things to do to keep my Bitcoin safe, I have been mining Bitcoin for a while now and all my Bitcoin is going into my trust wallet, what is wrong with me believing that now is the best time to buy hardware wallet before my Bitcoins higher in quantities? I plan to keep mining for long and I don't feel safe keeping all that on my trust wallet.

The gift is all for me and myself only, I hope this explains the misjudge that people are spreading.