When emergency hits. Will you sell your bitcoin or borrow and keep holding?

[Scarlett_23]

Hello everybody, I have one big question to ask that I think many people face which is, we always hear people say here and on other platforms ‘you should never sell your bitcoin’ and HODL it forever but I don’t think it is applicable in real life because god forbid an emergency can come up with you like one’s child can get critically sick and the hospital bills are too high or you lose your main job and does not know what and where next to go for a rescue. At that kind of moment, what would you really do? Are you going to sell some part of your bitcoin to solve the problem or are you going to borrow from the bank or friends and keep your bitcoin because the price will go up later?

I have not heard anywhere that Bitcoin should be held forever. The ideal time for long-term investment in Bitcoin is at least four to eight years. And when someone sells it before at least four years, it will not be considered a long-term investment but trading.

Yes, what you said is true, many people come across such situations like getting sick or losing their jobs. But let me tell you one thing, the main reason behind this holding of Bitcoin by those who have been successful in investing or have been able to hold Bitcoin for more than 10 years is proper financial planning. Through which they have been able to continue their basic needs, emergency funds, savings and investments regularly.

If someone wants to make long-term investments and aims to continue his investments properly, then he must be prepared in advance for such situations so that any emergency situation does not really force him to break the investment.

[tread93]

The idea of ​​not selling all of your Bitcoin is unrealistic in itself, as it is an investment. In that case, it is better to keep 50% until the price of Bitcoin stabilizes for a long period (3 or 5 years, something that may happen after we reach 10 trillion as a market capacity). As for the present time, it is possible to sell 10% or 20% and buy again to collect more Bitcoin.

Yes this is true, even if we have to sell because we absolutely dont have any other choice you have to remember that we can always rebuild! Selling bitcoin isn't going to the death of you haha and I feel like some folks might rather die than sell their coins hahhahaab jk but honestly it does feel like last case scenario for most bitcoiners

[Kelward]

Hello everybody, I have one big question to ask that I think many people face which is, we always hear people say here and on other platforms ‘you should never sell your bitcoin’ and HODL it forever but I don’t think it is applicable in real life because god forbid an emergency can come up with you like one’s child can get critically sick and the hospital bills are too high or you lose your main job and does not know what and where next to go for a rescue. At that kind of moment, what would you really do? Are you going to sell some part of your bitcoin to solve the problem or are you going to borrow from the bank or friends and keep your bitcoin because the price will go up later?

The answer is very straight forward if you have an emergency that requires urgent payment where you don't have anywhere else to run to get money then it will become necessary to sell your Bitcoin. Why have your money stashed in Bitcoin and an emergency arises where money is needed to save your life or the life of your loved family, you will forever regret if the loved one dies while you were saving your Bitcoin. Selling your Bitcoin should be the last resort if you don't know where else to run to for money, your wellness and that of your family comes first before material things like Bitcoin. The reason why we store wealth is for future purchases when we will need it to make life more enjoyable and take care of needs that will surely arise in the future. You can always buy aggressively when you recover from the emergency so far you have the funds for it.

[NovaCrest]

Yes, it would actually take a huge amount of time to recover from such losses.
I have also faced losses in trading earlier, not due to selling off in a dumping market but trading in a volatile market.
I haven't recovered my losses till date since l had lost more than 50% of my portfolio but yeah the recovery is in progress.
Just to show how some losses are very hard to recover and can take a huge time and so we must have our emergency fund intact.

As per my vast trading experience, I have realised that losses from Bitcoin are only recoverable if you have the patience to hold Bitcoin for a few years if you have bought near the cycle top. And for the altcoins, in most cases you will never be able to recover the losses as altcoins are usually dead after a few years or never reaches to their high prices again.

Absolutely. Time is money and it takes time to make money. There's no shortcut to it and there's no free money.
So holding our bitcoin until the losses are recovered is the best thing to do.
Altcoins do take longer to recover but it all depends on which altcoins one has invested in.
For example, if its one of the top 10 coins then the chances of recovery is higher when compared to other altcoins especially meme coins.
Many of them just die after a few years and fade away with time.

Exactly right.
Bitcoin = highest chance of recovery. It's the bedrock.
Top altcoins = can recover, but it's riskier.
Meme/shitcoins = often go to zero. More lottery ticket than investment.
So your strategy makes sense: hold Bitcoin with confidence, be very selective with alts, and never bet what you can't lose.
Time + patience is the real winning combo. Good summary

[Ultegra134]

I guess you are able to do this sir because you have a job that is bringing you alot of income from it and I also guess that it is because you are disciplined enough that you are able to save your money in fiats aside from the bitcoin savings too and it makes send that way.

People who do not have a high paying jobs might be handicapped in trying to save their money in both fiats and crypto due to the money not enough, but some people are also not disciplined to save their money in both ways and it is very advantageous to do so, because you get to touch your fiat first without having to touch the crypto until when the fiat has been exhausted an the emergency still needs more attention then you get to touch just a little from it to augment or you might not even need to do such if your fiat was able to settle the bills.

Well not exactly; I wish. Life has gotten a lot more expensive the past few years, and not having your own house and renting is a pain in the ass for the wallet. My money (from salary in fiat currency) is relatively stable throughout the year, not gaining much but not losing either, which if it wasn't for my Bitcoin savings, would require lifestyle changes. I've considered it a few times to sell a small amount of Bitcoin to cover emergency expenses, but that thought never went through.

I could save in both if I wasn't for my travelling, but I don't regret a thing. Hopefully one day in the distant future, I'll sell my Bitcoin for a major profit, till then, my goal is to accumulate.

[ejikeme24]

For me I have experienced emergencies several times yet I don't temper my holdings neither do I borrow money to sort myself out from that mess, simply because I have my emergency funds backup and reserved funds available while accumulating Bitcoin so this makes things very easy for me as I have 3 different alternative. So yeah if you have all this above mentioned funds available there's no way you would be forced to temper your investment/ or borrow money to solve emergency issues, even though you can't have this above mentioned funds available at a time but at least it's very important to make one of them available which is emergency funds because it can serve for other purposes if it's built in the right standard.

[betswift]

For me I have experienced emergencies several times yet I don't temper my holdings neither do I borrow money to sort myself out from that mess, simply because I have my emergency funds backup and reserved funds available while accumulating Bitcoin so this makes things very easy for me as I have 3 different alternative. So yeah if you have all this above mentioned funds available there's no way you would be forced to temper your investment/ or borrow money to solve emergency issues, even though you can't have this above mentioned funds available at a time but at least it's very important to make one of them available which is emergency funds because it can serve for other purposes if it's built in the right standard.

Having so many alternatives is a pleasure.

Not many people can afford to do that, let alone having 2 alternatives would be already great.

[HONDACD125]

For me I have experienced emergencies several times yet I don't temper my holdings neither do I borrow money to sort myself out from that mess, simply because I have my emergency funds backup and reserved funds available while accumulating Bitcoin so this makes things very easy for me as I have 3 different alternative. So yeah if you have all this above mentioned funds available there's no way you would be forced to temper your investment/ or borrow money to solve emergency issues, even though you can't have this above mentioned funds available at a time but at least it's very important to make one of them available which is emergency funds because it can serve for other purposes if it's built in the right standard.

It's definitely important for one to have emergency funds so that they don't have to liquidate their investment assets in case of emergencies, but some people actually don't save money separately for emergencies, and I know that it's a mistake but they simply invest whatever is left in whatever investment area they prefer, and nowadays, Bitcoin is obviously the favourite investment asset for most people, so such people keep buying Bitcoin with whatever is left of their earnings, and when an emergency occurs, then they don't know what they should do.

It's not a problem if the price of Bitcoin is higher at the time of the emergency than the price at which you bought them, because then you can easily sell some of it in profits and then use those funds for the emergency, but still, you will miss the target that you had in mind. For example, if you had bought your coins at $60k, and you had planned to sell when the price hits $100k, but the current price is still $80k, but since you don't have a choice, you will have to sell some of it.

[Smartprofit]

Hello everybody, I have one big question to ask that I think many people face which is, we always hear people say here and on other platforms ‘you should never sell your bitcoin’ and HODL it forever but I don’t think it is applicable in real life because god forbid an emergency can come up with you like one’s child can get critically sick and the hospital bills are too high or you lose your main job and does not know what and where next to go for a rescue. At that kind of moment, what would you really do? Are you going to sell some part of your bitcoin to solve the problem or are you going to borrow from the bank or friends and keep your bitcoin because the price will go up later?

Of course, in an extraordinary situation, I'll sell my Bitcoins.🤷

And unfortunately, I've been in such situations before. I've already sold a number of Satoshi because life circumstances required it. In January 2025, I analyzed my past Bitcoin transactions and was shocked. I recalculated my expenses at the current Bitcoin exchange rate and found that my spending had resulted in a significant financial loss! When it comes to Bitcoin, exchange rate differences are extremely significant. You can sell Satoshi in a bull market, or you can sell Satoshi in a bear market. If you calculate the selling price in fiat currency, the amounts will be dramatically different.🤷

However, I am fundamentally opposed to loans and credits. I only operate with funds that I actually have (that I own).  The HODL principle for me is not to go to the grave with my Bitcoins, but to treat the Satoshi I have with care and hope.

[stadus]

First of all, no one's gonna hold forever, that is just an exaggeration.

Holding bitcoin is good and profitable, most especially if you keep hodling for long term. But if there are instances that my child requires medical attention, I won't doubt selling my bitcoin if that's the only left solution. Bitcoin is just material, my child's health and safety is still my top priority. Bitcoin can be replaced any time, but the life of my child is irreplaceable so I will definitely sell my bitcoin to save my child, and just buy back again and hold when I'm financially capable for it.

[Powerjumboo]

Hello everybody, I have one big question to ask that I think many people face which is, we always hear people say here and on other platforms ‘you should never sell your bitcoin’ and HODL it forever but I don’t think it is applicable in real life because god forbid an emergency can come up with you like one’s child can get critically sick and the hospital bills are too high or you lose your main job and does not know what and where next to go for a rescue. At that kind of moment, what would you really do? Are you going to sell some part of your bitcoin to solve the problem or are you going to borrow from the bank or friends and keep your bitcoin because the price will go up later?

if my child gets sick, I will be forced to sell anything. I will not hesitate to sell it if I have my Bitcoin investment there because there is nothing more important than the child. I can buy my Bitcoin later, but if I lose my child because I cannot treat him, I will never get that child back. Maybe every parent will make a decision like me because no parent can sit still when their child is sick, they will always run around for the good of their child. Moreover, if I lose my job and if I need money to get back my job, I will sell Bitcoin there too if necessary and keep my job because later I may have to buy Bitcoin from the salary of the job.

[Japinat]

The idea of ​​not selling all of your Bitcoin is unrealistic in itself, as it is an investment. In that case, it is better to keep 50% until the price of Bitcoin stabilizes for a long period (3 or 5 years, something that may happen after we reach 10 trillion as a market capacity). As for the present time, it is possible to sell 10% or 20% and buy again to collect more Bitcoin.

Yes this is true, even if we have to sell because we absolutely dont have any other choice you have to remember that we can always rebuild! Selling bitcoin isn't going to the death of you haha and I feel like some folks might rather die than sell their coins hahhahaab jk but honestly it does feel like last case scenario for most bitcoiners

It's easy to say not to sell bitcoin and keep hodling it, but if we are in the real scenario, I don't think any parent will manage to see his child dying because he saved first his bitcoin rather than saving his own child. Let's be realistic, accumulating bitcoin is not a do or die, so we can always delay it, or buy back again when there is sufficient funds, but our child's life is very precious, and we can't afford to see him suffering while in our minds, we keep worrying our bitcoin.

[Sonia_123]

Hello everybody, I have one big question to ask that I think many people face which is, we always hear people say here and on other platforms ‘you should never sell your bitcoin’ and HODL it forever but I don’t think it is applicable in real life because god forbid an emergency can come up with you like one’s child can get critically sick and the hospital bills are too high or you lose your main job and does not know what and where next to go for a rescue. At that kind of moment, what would you really do? Are you going to sell some part of your bitcoin to solve the problem or are you going to borrow from the bank or friends and keep your bitcoin because the price will go up later?

In situations like these you have families and friends which you can run up to for assistance without tempering your bitcoin investment and will help you out, because when it comes to health issues alot of persons takes it serious and are willing to help mainly in the case of children, aside from that, you are supposed to have a personal emergency and backup funds to your life not to wait till something happens before you start looking for to meet for help,in that way it will reduce your financial stress.

The only reason why you should sell off your hodl is when you are dieing due to sickness and has no one to pass on your bitcoin inheritance to,.then you can sell it and give the money to charity, so that all your efforts should not be in vain, but without this, it is advisable to hold unto your investment and sort for money elsewhere not even to borrow because of the interest rate which makes might just force you to sell off your hodl and become a low or no coiner that you will end up regretting.

[coolcoinz]

Depends on the emergency, I guess.

In most cases I should be able to find ways to pay for everything without the need to touch bitcoin. I sell BTC when we hit new ATH for the first time to create that financial cushion that allows me to cover all emergencies. This year I sold some above 100k and again above 120k because I thought these levels to be fair, but I won't sell anything now. 30% from ATH is not what I consider a fair price, although this is starting I'd call a buying opportunity.

I would sell my bitcoin if it was the last money that I have. If all other sources of income somehow dried up. I can't think of such scenario, but maybe wartime? Maybe if a bomb fell on my home and I lost everything including cars and cash savings and my money in the bank wouldn't be enough to pay for expenses? Yes in such case I'd use bitcoin to survive.

[HelliumZ]

Yes, I did this. I prefer to sell a small portion of my Bitcoin for urgent needs. The reason is simple, I don't want to go into debt for non-productive needs. Besides, it is my principle to avoid borrowing for unnecessary needs. Although I do understand that Bitcoin will likely have a higher value in the future, I don't want to take the risk of going into debt to preserve the amount of my assets. So I'm not too fanatical; if it is truly urgent, I will sell it immediately.

Of course, it is better to decide to sell a small portion of your Bitcoin holdings than to take out a high-interest loan from the bank. Rather than unnecessarily increasing tension by taking on unnecessary debt, selling a small amount of your Bitcoin holdings will reduce tension.
Even in the future, you can hold the money and buy Bitcoin again. Moreover, Bitcoin cannot be bigger for me than the needs of my blood relatives. That is why, if my family members have very urgent needs, I will definitely sell my Bitcoin and spend it on their needs.

[Loyang]

Yes, I did this. I prefer to sell a small portion of my Bitcoin for urgent needs. The reason is simple, I don't want to go into debt for non-productive needs. Besides, it is my principle to avoid borrowing for unnecessary needs. Although I do understand that Bitcoin will likely have a higher value in the future, I don't want to take the risk of going into debt to preserve the amount of my assets. So I'm not too fanatical; if it is truly urgent, I will sell it immediately.

Of course, it is better to decide to sell a small portion of your Bitcoin holdings than to take out a high-interest loan from the bank. Rather than unnecessarily increasing tension by taking on unnecessary debt, selling a small amount of your Bitcoin holdings will reduce tension.
Even in the future, you can hold the money and buy Bitcoin again. Moreover, Bitcoin cannot be bigger for me than the needs of my blood relatives. That is why, if my family members have very urgent needs, I will definitely sell my Bitcoin and spend it on their needs.

You can sell Bitcoin when you have no other option. When you are facing a financial crisis and you are going to be penniless, then it will be the right decision to sell Bitcoin. First, we should deal with emergency situations with emergency funds, reserve funds. If you are not able to deal with emergency situations with this fund, then you can sell your holdings if you want. However, if you are in a position to solve the emergency situation by taking a loan at that time and if you are able to repay the loan, then you can deal with the emergency situation by taking a loan if you want.

Suppose your emergency fund reserve fund is exhausted. If you have some money at this time, then you can deal with your financial crisis or the financial crisis will end at once. In this situation, if you are able to repay the loan, then you can deal with the financial crisis by taking a loan. This will be much better than selling holdings.

[2Pizza410000BTC]

I will accept that Bitcoin is very valuable but Bitcoin can never be more valuable than my child. Many of us say that we will never sell Bitcoin but if an emergency arises then we are forced to sell especially if my child gets sick and saving him is more important than holding Bitcoin. Here if my child gets sick then of course I will sell the Bitcoin I am holding and treat my child so that my child can recover and come back to my bosom. If I am alive then of course I can buy Bitcoin but if my child does not survive then I will never get my child back so for me my child is not a precious Bitcoin.

[Minor Miner]

I will accept that Bitcoin is very valuable but Bitcoin can never be more valuable than my child. Many of us say that we will never sell Bitcoin but if an emergency arises then we are forced to sell especially if my child gets sick and saving him is more important than holding Bitcoin. Here if my child gets sick then of course I will sell the Bitcoin I am holding and treat my child so that my child can recover and come back to my bosom. If I am alive then of course I can buy Bitcoin but if my child does not survive then I will never get my child back so for me my child is not a precious Bitcoin.

Regardless of Bitcoin's value and potential, it's still just money and money is very important in life. But it is nothing compared to our health, or the lives of ourselves or our loved ones. So you're absolutely right, and similarly, I wouldn't hesitate to sell all my bitcoins if I were in an emergency and needed money.

No matter how valuable or promising it may be, ultimately Bitcoin is just money, and money is meant to serve life, not to be worshipped or adored. I don't know who said they would never sell their bitcoin, but I hope they didn't misunderstand the concept of investing in bitcoin.

[Nothingtodo]

Absolutely. Selling Bitcoin in a true emergency isn't failure, it's survival. Your immediate well-being always comes first.
The real game is structuring your life so you never get to that point. A solid cash emergency fund is your main shield to protect your long-term assets. If the choice is between a manageable loan and selling your Bitcoin, the loan is usually the smarter play.

Bitcoin is for building freedom, not for sacrificing your present stability. If you have to sell to stay afloat, you sell without guilt. But the master move is never needing to.

Although people know that various adversities may come along the path of life, they still do not seriously consider how to deal with those adverse environments. In this situation, we should build a cash fund but instead of doing that, we prefer to live a luxurious life but at some point it is seen that sudden danger comes and tries to disrupt our life. Then if we have cash in hand then we can easily deal with that adverse environment with that cash. But due to lack of cash, we will either have to sell the Bitcoin we are holding or take a loan from the bank at high interest. Both will have a bad impact on our lives, especially since we will miss out on the huge profits that the Bitcoin we are holding will generate in the future, and if we take a loan from the bank at high interest, we will have to face additional difficulties in repaying the loan.

[pliego]

Absolutely. Selling Bitcoin in a true emergency isn't failure, it's survival. Your immediate well-being always comes first.
The real game is structuring your life so you never get to that point. A solid cash emergency fund is your main shield to protect your long-term assets. If the choice is between a manageable loan and selling your Bitcoin, the loan is usually the smarter play.

Bitcoin is for building freedom, not for sacrificing your present stability. If you have to sell to stay afloat, you sell without guilt. But the master move is never needing to.

Although people know that various adversities may come along the path of life, they still do not seriously consider how to deal with those adverse environments. In this situation, we should build a cash fund but instead of doing that, we prefer to live a luxurious life but at some point it is seen that sudden danger comes and tries to disrupt our life. Then if we have cash in hand then we can easily deal with that adverse environment with that cash. But due to lack of cash, we will either have to sell the Bitcoin we are holding or take a loan from the bank at high interest. Both will have a bad impact on our lives, especially since we will miss out on the huge profits that the Bitcoin we are holding will generate in the future, and if we take a loan from the bank at high interest, we will have to face additional difficulties in repaying the loan.

While I agree with the core idea, let's be real not everyone has the spare income to build a full emergency fund and buy BTC. The key is balance and honesty with yourself. If you're buying BTC but carrying credit card debt or have zero savings, your priorities are out of order. Maybe that means starting with a tiny, tiny Bitcoin purchase while you aggressively build your cash safety net. Going all-in on any asset without a life raft is just gambling with your basic stability.

If you're buying BTC but carrying credit card debt or have zero savings…
Seen this play out irl more than once. People max out cards to buy BTC, then panic sell at the worst time because life happens. That’s not Bitcoin failing, that’s poor setup. BTC works best when it’s boring money you don’t need next month.