Beginners Help - A Bitcoin (Mini)-Guide – Bitcoin Compendium (V5.0)

[fabrice.btc]

Hello everyone,

A few months ago, I shared here the first public version of **“A Bitcoin (Mini)-Guide”**, a document that originally started as a simple learning aid for a close friend,
and slowly grew into something much more complete thanks to feedback, discussions, and my own continued learning.

Since then, I’ve kept learning from Community, working on it quietly, refining explanations, correcting mistakes, and adding sections that felt increasingly necessary as the guide evolved.

Today, I’m happy to share V5.0 — Final Edition of **“A Bitcoin (Mini)-Guide”** !


### What’s new in V5.0 Final Edition?

This release is not just an incremental update. It significantly strengthens the guide around security, self-custody, and long-term thinking:

* A new macro section to help readers understand Bitcoin within the broader economic context, including macroeconomic indicators and how to read the bigger picture.
* A balanced chapter presenting Bitcoin supporters, critics, and skeptics, to encourage critical thinking rather than blind conviction.

* Major additions around advanced self-custody:
  * A full chapter on SeedSigner as a DIY, open-source, air-gapped signing device,
  * A practical 2-of-3 Multisig example using SeedSigner & Sparrow Wallet,
  * New and reworked User Security Checklist, including Multisig and inheritance planning.
 
* A deeper focus on Wallets as tools, not just black boxes:
  * A dedicated section on Sparrow Wallet as a power tool for Bitcoin self-custody,
  * New sections on Wasabi Wallet (privacy-focused usage) and Nunchuk Wallet (long-term security and timelock-based inheritance).

* Introduction of Bitcoin Miniscript, explaining how security policies can go beyond simple keys, with benefits, risks, and real-world use cases.

* Improvements to backup and recovery practices, including:
  * Enhanced Shamir backup sheets (fingerprint & anti-phishing improvements),
  * A new “Superbacked” software-assisted secret backup concept.

* A strengthened home node chapter, including common beginner mistakes with Umbrel, and how to avoid them.
* Expansion of the Bitcoin glossary, updated examples, refreshed summaries, and cleaned-up links throughout the document.

In short, V5.0 Final Edition places an even stronger emphasis on Bitcoin as long-term savings, personal responsibility, and reducing human and technical risks.


### About A Bitcoin (Mini)-Guide

The compendium is written in English, as it was originally created for my friend cross the see from Europe to North America.
It is based on publicly available information, personal research, and many sections written with the assistance of ChatGPT, which allowed me to structure and iterate on the content more efficiently and quickly.

It is not meant to replace personal research, but to provide a clear, practical starting point, and to help readers avoid common mistakes early on.


### Availability

I’m making V5.0 available to the community via the same channels:

 * Google Drive (folder + ZIP, no Google account required)
 * IPFS (PDF and full archive)

👉 All updated links are on first article of this post.


As before, you’ll find my email address inside the document.
If you notice errors, unclear explanations, or have suggestions for improvement, I’ll be very happy to hear from you.

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback, encouragement, or simply took the time to read earlier versions.
I hope this new release will continue to help newcomers start their own path into Bitcoin, with a bit more clarity and confidence.

Best regards,

Fabrice

[Cricktor]

Thanks for the update and my merit is for your effort on keeping your compendium updated and alive and sharing it with the Bitcoin community.

I'm not the greatest fan of LLM output products, but I appreciate, you honestly disclose it that you used it (this is in my opinion mandatory). LLM output isn't bad per se, used and checked/verified wisely it can be made into something quite good. It alway depends on what an author makes of it and if they have enough background to understand that a LLM doesn't produce garbage or hallucinates.

ATM, I'm not judging or meriting the actual content of your compendium because I didn't have really time to go through it, thoroughly.

[fabrice.btc]

Thanks for the update and my merit is for your effort on keeping your compendium updated and alive and sharing it with the Bitcoin community.

I'm not the greatest fan of LLM output products, but I appreciate, you honestly disclose it that you used it (this is in my opinion mandatory). LLM output isn't bad per se, used and checked/verified wisely it can be made into something quite good. It alway depends on what an author makes of it and if they have enough background to understand that a LLM doesn't produce garbage or hallucinates.

ATM, I'm not judging or meriting the actual content of your compendium because I didn't have really time to go through it, thoroughly.

Thank for the acknowledgements, and the merit you gave,

for sure LLM is a great tool, but you pointed out, it is not possible to just copy and paste. LLM are making today mistakes, assumptions, etc...
During a section creation, ChatGPT proposed mistakes about Sparrow Wallet, and I needed to rework (also interacting with the AI to have a good result).

Anyway, A Bitcoin (Mini)-Guide is designed for beginners or intermediate learners, and can be followed as common thread day by day.

I guess a V6.0 will exists, and maybe over, my learning path and growing experience is permanent, not all my questions are answered in the compendium V5.0!

So, stay tuned here, in next weeks/months, another release will be published. This is also a call to community, if you have a topic that I miss to cover, please just ask,
and I will do the best to add it in the next version.

Thank

Fabrice

[fabrice.btc]

Dear Bitcoin Community,

With the Bitcoin dumps this weekend, I had the idea to propose in next release of "A Bitcoin (Mini)-Guide" a section related to what to do, and to not to do, when the bitcoin is crashing.
As I am not a long years experienced guy, if some of you want to support here and provide skilled inputs for the section?

Would appreciate a lot to extend the documentation with more of your experience sharing.

I have also combined the section "Bitcoin & Market Crash: What’s Happening and What You Should Do" with a dedicated User Checklist.

Please see both content:
https://talkimg.com/images/2026/02/02/UEvvqC.png
https://talkimg.com/images/2026/02/02/UEvfGb.png

Thank a lot!

[fabrice.btc]

Hello Bitcoin Community,

I will have few days off after an hospitalization. It can be possible that I will release V6.0 earlier as expected.
Any particular interests in some chapters? Missing topics in the actual or upcoming guide?

Here the provisional changelog for V6.0 up to now:

Add more terms and definitions in the Bitcoin Glossary,
Add Rule of 72 in section ‘Compound Interest & Long-Term Savings’,
Add links between Glossary icons and terms in sections, just click small icons to jump to chapter,
Add link to Satoshi Nakamoto Institute in section ‘References, Tools and Documents’,
Add section ‘Bitcoin & Market Crash: What’s Happening and What You Should Do’,
Add checklist ‘Bitcoin Market Crash Urgent Checklist for Long-Term Savers’,
Add section ‘Bear Market and Savings in Bitcoin’,
Add ‘Bitcoin & Crypto Tax Action Checklist’,
Review section ‘Tax System: How Bitcoin & Crypto are Taxed in Countries’, update year 2026 tax’s rules,
Add section ‘The 7 Golden Rules to Save Money - (Bitcoin-Friendly Edition)’,
Add ‘The Bitcoin Saver’s Decision Checklist’

Thanks for your ideas !

[Cricktor]

Add Rule of 72 in section ‘Compound Interest & Long-Term Savings’,

What is this? I don't claim to know a lot about Bitcoin, but I never heard about a "Rule of 72".

Add ‘Bitcoin & Crypto Tax Action Checklist’,
Review section ‘Tax System: How Bitcoin & Crypto are Taxed in Countries’, update year 2026 tax’s rules,

I briefly looked over the section "Tax System: How Crypto is Taxed in Countries". Not sure if I missed it, but I'd add a clear disclaimer that details are provided to the best of your knowledge and belief, no tax (legal) advise is provided, DYOR and it's always the readers obligation to follow their own country's tax rules.

While I strongly believe that the tax topic is very important and especially beginners should pay attention to it from their very start, it's a section of high maintenance and likely would need frequent updates. You clearly point out that basically every country has their own tax rules regarding crypto coins.

I don't know if you really want this maintenance burden. Though it might be OK to point out that the provided details are as of "best knowledge and intent" of a certain date and it's always the responsibility of the reader to check and apply their specific country's tax rules and updates.

[fabrice.btc]

Add Rule of 72 in section ‘Compound Interest & Long-Term Savings’,

What is this? I don't claim to know a lot about Bitcoin, but I never heard about a "Rule of 72".

Add ‘Bitcoin & Crypto Tax Action Checklist’,
Review section ‘Tax System: How Bitcoin & Crypto are Taxed in Countries’, update year 2026 tax’s rules,

I briefly looked over the section "Tax System: How Crypto is Taxed in Countries". Not sure if I missed it, but I'd add a clear disclaimer that details are provided to the best of your knowledge and belief, no tax (legal) advise is provided, DYOR and it's always the readers obligation to follow their own country's tax rules.

While I strongly believe that the tax topic is very important and especially beginners should pay attention to it from their very start, it's a section of high maintenance and likely would need frequent updates. You clearly point out that basically every country has their own tax rules regarding crypto coins.

I don't know if you really want this maintenance burden. Though it might be OK to point out that the provided details are as of "best knowledge and intent" of a certain date and it's always the responsibility of the reader to check and apply their specific country's tax rules and updates.

Hi, thank for feedback.

Rule of 72, ahh, it is a way to estimate in how many year you can double your savings.
Just divide 72 by the annual feed rate and you get the years.

Example, annual feed rate of 10%, so divide 72 by 10 and you need 7.2 years to double your value.

It is approximate but it's help easily!

For Tax, one day I cannot update the (Mini)-Guide anymore, so for that the document is tracked by versioning and release date.
But, Joke on, you need to read on page 4 my Foreword, and you will see an important advice:

"Many translations, edits, sections and enhancements were assisted by AI tools such as ChatGPT, which helped produce this guide efficiently and quickly.
I personally reviewed the content, but as I am not an expert, some information may be incomplete or contain errors.
Please consider: always verify critical details yourself, especially tax rules and procedures for converting cryptocurrencies into fiat currency in your jurisdiction.

This guide is educational, not legal, not tax or not investment advice!"

Also, in the Tax section itself, in next version 6.0, we can read:
"Country comparisons, Here are how the rules (checked beginning of year 2026) differ in USA, Mexico, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, India and Brazil:..."

I tried to find a way to put the reader on the right path, for sure, I cannot update in every release!
I am myself surprised that I am already with Version 6.0 ongoing, the Bitcoin World is so large, and I miss things that are learned every day

The Bitcoin community is so engaged, I try to give back what the community give me, and thanks to all of you for that.