Risk of holding bitcoin forever

[Finestream]

Those who invested in bitcoin at the time when it was launched and forgot about it, there are many among these who forgot their password. That is like losing all your money just because you held very long. Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

I don't think anyone wants to keep Bitcoin forever. Or maybe you mean people who want to hold for a long time or want to keep it as an inheritance for their descendants. In my view, everyone has plans on how to use their Bitcoin in the future. Unforeseen occurrences like sudden sickness or death could be one of the reasons why a bitcoiner could suddenly lose their money.  

Some people have been hodling their coins since the creation of Bitcoin, and they are still intact to date. The age of Bitcoin does not affect its safety.  If you keep your seed phrase safe and also have backups, your coins will remain in the wallet.

We all have different preferences how long the duration we will hold our bitcoin. Whatever works for you, then stick to it.

However, I don't see any wrong if someone prefer to hold it for long term, but let's be clear here, long term is different from forever. And no one aims to hold forever without even taking chances to sell and make profits. In fact, bitcoin hodlers are more eager to sell and enjoy their profits, and so with other coins or assets.

[Fiasem20]

Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

Did you say hold forever?would any human live forever?every human would die one day so there’s absolutely nothing like holding forever.Ignorance is not an excuse,a lot of crucial things are ignored in the crypto space and at the end of the day the blame would be on the entire crypto ecosystem,whereas the blame should be you ignoring to learn crucial things and put them to practice.Early investors wouldn’t be blamed that much if they had forgotten their backups because then they were the lab rats,but if you forget you backups in this era then you didn’t learn from the mistakes of the early investors.

[BALIK]

Anyone that wants to hodli for long term should write down his seed phrase on a piece of paper and make three duplicates. Store them in three different locations far from each other.

If you are planning to hold for a long time, then I will say paper is not really the safest place to write your bitcoin on. Incase whenever there is a natural disaster or whenever there is a fire accident, paper can easily be destroyed, and you going to be losing your seed phrase. If you are planning to hold bitcoin for a long period of time, instead of writing your seed phrase on paper, it’s better you carve it on iron steel even if water touches it, it’s not going to be destroyed, it’s cant easily be destroyed the way paper is going to be destroyed.

The steel sheet on which the seed phrase is engraved can be lost. Paper can be destroyed by fire or water. The best option for you is to write it down on paper and keep it in multiple safe places. Multiple could mean 4 or 5 different locations where if one gets lost you can easily backup your wallet to another. I don't think the seed phrase should be stored on the device where your wallet is located or on any device that has an internet connection. Since Bitcoin is a digital asset, you have to decide how to keep it safe in the long term.

Creating multiple backups and storing them in different locations is not necessarily completely secure. Each time you add a backup, you're also adding another risk because you can not have complete control over every storage location at the same time. Especially if those places are far away and out of your sight.

In general, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and we need to choose the method that best suits our circumstances. There is no single method that can be applied to everyone because we are all different.

[Mpamaegbu]

Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

I don't like the idea of people saying they're  intentionally hodling "forever". My reason is that those who do don't actually help the network. What helps Bitcoin network is the activities of buyers and sellers. If everyone buys and then leave it without transacting with it, how will Bitcoin's worth be known? There's no way for that.

As for fate, anyone who forgets their password now will suffer the same consequences like those who also forgot theirs when Bitcoin was newly launched. The only remedy people have now is the preponderance of Cexs where they can go through validation to regain access if they kept it on Cexs and lost their password. In the past, only a few Cexs existed and most people carelessly kept their stash in private wallets.

[Popkon6]

Those who invested in bitcoin at the time when it was launched and forgot about it, there are many among these who forgot their password. That is like losing all your money just because you held very long. Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

Those who are conscious investors should carefully write down the key to the wallet in which they keep their Bitcoin and keep it carefully. Those who carelessly keep the key to the wallet randomly will basically lose their Bitcoin. However, you must be aware of this when keeping it for a long time, so it is necessary to use a strong wallet such as a hardware wallet. The more secure the wallet key, the safer your Bitcoin will be and the longer it will be able to be kept.

[dwyane36]

However, you must be aware of this when keeping it for a long time, so it is necessary to use a strong wallet such as a hardware wallet. The more secure the wallet key, the safer your Bitcoin will be and the longer it will be able to be kept.

A hardware wallet isn't a panacea, and under certain circumstances, it won't save you from losing access to your BTC, especially if you plan to hold your coins for many years. Either way, there are many options for storing your key securely and for a long period of time, but it's clear that each of them has its own pros and cons.

[Mame89]

Those who invested in bitcoin at the time when it was launched and forgot about it, there are many among these who forgot their password. That is like losing all your money just because you held very long. Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

All investors invest in Bitcoin to achieve financial freedom or profit. So, long term investment is a goal for any investor, but it's impossible to hold it forever you'll inevitably sell it when you reach your goal, wait for a drop and then buy back in.

Therefore, there's absolutely no risk in investing in Bitcoin and holding it long term as long as you don't make mistakes in storing the seed phase and don't lose access to your wallet. However, if you make a mistake and lose access to your wallet you'll lose everything for no reason. This will make you one of those who invested from the start but lost everything because they didn't have access to the seed phase or password, which means you'll lose all your long-held assets.

[Rustam Meraj]

All investors invest in Bitcoin to achieve financial freedom or profit. So, long term investment is a goal for any investor, but it's impossible to hold it forever you'll inevitably sell it when you reach your goal, wait for a drop and then buy back in.

Therefore, there's absolutely no risk in investing in Bitcoin and holding it long term as long as you don't make mistakes in storing the seed phase and don't lose access to your wallet. However, if you make a mistake and lose access to your wallet you'll lose everything for no reason. This will make you one of those who invested from the start but lost everything because they didn't have access to the seed phase or password, which means you'll lose all your long-held assets.

It is not as controlled as self holding, though 2026 security report saw that 35% of losses this year were caused by online carelessness, including keeping passwords in cloud where they can be hacked by AI.
I think that being bank to yourself means that you take 100% risk, but while company storage ways such as Fidelity today give safer form of customer service to many, those who go tech rebel way must have real copy and mental control to avoid caring about market changes.
Fact that you have lost your keys is game over, but at the same time, long term investors have to find their way around rule and legal risks to really reach their goals.

[Bd officer]

Those who invested in bitcoin at the time when it was launched and forgot about it, there are many among these who forgot their password. That is like losing all your money just because you held very long. Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

Maybe some people can hold forever, but I think most people will sell their holdings at some point. Now I don't know how people who invested in the past lost their wallet keys? Maybe they lost it due to their carelessness or they didn't consider Bitcoin that valuable in the past and so they didn't store their wallet keys seriously. Anyway, we should learn from this, we need to store our wallet keys seriously. I personally won't hold forever, but I have a long-term plan, I am already careful about this, so I have stored my wallet keys carefully.

[Claudio973]

There are so many risk of holding Bitcoin forever. Market can change and Bitcoin can fall quickly within days or time. Some people also forget there wallet password which can result to lost of the Bitcoin and also some Bitcoins if aren't use are stored in a Flashdrive and when the flashdrive get lost, all Bitcoins will be lost with it. When you hold your Bitcoin, government can introduce some laws that might affect you and also make your Bitcoin crash. So for me it's advisable to always trade when possible.

[jcojci]

It is not easy to hold forever because they must really careful storing the wallet. They need to have strong hand to hodl and not tempting to sell even if they see the high price. The early investors lose their wallet because they underestimate Bitcoin will not grow like today so they just stored Bitcoin carelessness.

We have a better situation and learning from many good resources. We can improving our knowledge and know how to secure our wallets better. I don't wants hodl forever but will sell at ATH. I also trade Bitcoin to make a profit.

[KiaKia]

Those who invested in bitcoin at the time when it was launched and forgot about it, there are many among these who forgot their password. That is like losing all your money just because you held very long. Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

The first possible risk here is if the holder died and none of his family has access to the bitcoin, it will remain lost forever and on the another part this will help holders who are still alive, bitcoin comes more scarce when some are lost forever.

The second possible risk is if the holder becomes irresponsible with their recovery seeds or private keys, maybe they somehow leaked it and people move the bitcoin out from his wallet and send to theirs.

Holding Bitcoin for too long doesn't have any risk simply because it's been long, it's either by death or you become careless with your keys, these are the only possibility that could happen.

[SuperBitMan]

Those that lost their password or secret phrase in the past has thought people some valuable lesson, I believe it is because of all those stories of people losing their secret phrase that created the awareness of keeping your secret phrase or password very well, if anyone right now is holding his or her bitcoin for a very long time and has not planned how to keep his password or secret phrase in a good safe place then such a person is not okay.
There’s no risk in holding your bitcoin for a very long time all you need to do is to keep your secret phrase very secure and safe to avoid losing it, those who plan on holding for long term should also plan to keep and secure there password or secret phase.

[Big Dirams]

Those that lost their password or secret phrase in the past has thought people some valuable lesson, I believe it is because of all those stories of people losing their secret phrase that created the awareness of keeping your secret phrase or password very well, if anyone right now is holding his or her bitcoin for a very long time and has not planned how to keep his password or secret phrase in a good safe place then such a person is not okay.
There’s no risk in holding your bitcoin for a very long time all you need to do is to keep your secret phrase very secure and safe to avoid losing it, those who plan on holding for long term should also plan to keep and secure there password or secret phase.

A lot of individuals has quite learnt a lot from those that experience the lost of their secret phases and now many users and holders knowns that it not just about holding our bitcoin it about securing and keeping our keys and phrase safe because that just the only thing that can give us access to our holdings and when it lost then such bitcoin is lost forever no matter the amount of it it just gone.
 Many people have start storing and keeping their phrase safe now and some even have different copies hide in different spot just for their own safety and their holdings safety.   A holder might be holding huge amount of bitcoin and make massive profits but when the key to our holdings are loss such massive amount of bitcoin is gone , we might even be seeing it and seeing how it pumping but no access to it. Like that shit is  so painful so instead of falling into such situation one should protect their phrase and keep in a safe place.

[melinoe]

Those that lost their password or secret phrase in the past has thought people some valuable lesson, I believe it is because of all those stories of people losing their secret phrase that created the awareness of keeping your secret phrase or password very well, if anyone right now is holding his or her bitcoin for a very long time and has not planned how to keep his password or secret phrase in a good safe place then such a person is not okay.
There’s no risk in holding your bitcoin for a very long time all you need to do is to keep your secret phrase very secure and safe to avoid losing it, those who plan on holding for long term should also plan to keep and secure there password or secret phase.

Such people may learn their lesson the hard way. Some are blissful to the idea of self custody being properly maintained.

[purple_sparkles]

Those that lost their password or secret phrase in the past has thought people some valuable lesson, I believe it is because of all those stories of people losing their secret phrase that created the awareness of keeping your secret phrase or password very well, if anyone right now is holding his or her bitcoin for a very long time and has not planned how to keep his password or secret phrase in a good safe place then such a person is not okay.
There’s no risk in holding your bitcoin for a very long time all you need to do is to keep your secret phrase very secure and safe to avoid losing it, those who plan on holding for long term should also plan to keep and secure there password or secret phase.

Such people may learn their lesson the hard way. Some are blissful to the idea of self custody being properly maintained.

I think there’s a strong motivation to memorize your seed phrase, just look at how much bitcoin is stored in your wallet. That amount represents the value of taking the time to properly secure it. It’s not worth being lazy about something so important, because the price of negligence can be very high. For extra security, you can keep several written copies in notebooks or on flash drives and store them in different places. You might also consider informing your closest and most trusted people, just in case.

[davis196]

Those who invested in bitcoin at the time when it was launched and forgot about it, there are many among these who forgot their password. That is like losing all your money just because you held very long. Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

OP, you are making forum thread about a topic, that has been discussed a thousand times on the forum. Just read what Satoshi Nakamoto wrote more than a decade ago. The Bitcoins in wallets, where the owner had lost access are a "donation" to the community, because Bitcoin is getting more scarce. Who the hell is investing in BTC now and planning to hold "forever"? That doesn't make any sense. Every investor wants to sell at a higher price in the future. What's the point of HODLing forever(until you die)? Nobody is going to benefit from such "strategy".

[Pablo-wood]

Those who invested in bitcoin at the time when it was launched and forgot about it, there are many among these who forgot their password. That is like losing all your money just because you held very long. Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

Those who are conscious investors should carefully write down the key to the wallet in which they keep their Bitcoin and keep it carefully. Those who carelessly keep the key to the wallet randomly will basically lose their Bitcoin. However, you must be aware of this when keeping it for a long time, so it is necessary to use a strong wallet such as a hardware wallet. The more secure the wallet key, the safer your Bitcoin will be and the longer it will be able to be kept.

Just the same way we will treat our physical investment documents with extreme care and caution knowing too well if those documents gets missing we might have issues defending our ownership to those investments in due time. The same caution and carefulness is all we need to stay safe and guided even if we choose to hold for ever. It is all about having proper documentation of our seedphrase/passphrase in an offline format that can preservable and secure. Those who lost their coin in the early days of bitcoin investment weren't too sure of their decisions I think investors now are more careful knowing the worth of bitcoin at the moment.

[Uhwuchukwu53]

Could investor hold Bitcoin forever? What is the purpose of investing when one can't eat the benefits of labour? It may appear a misconception on my understanding but stand to be corrected when one talk of holding Bitcoin forever I puzzle if one will hold till death without touching the investment or will hold till death but keep taking profit at regular interval depending on the investor willingness, because for me if one keep investing without eating from the investment till death or forever such investment worth not engaging because in every labour there should be little one eat even if it's a reserve for the next  generation the investor must first be the primary beneficiary.

[Cryptmuster]

Those who invested in bitcoin at the time when it was launched and forgot about it, there are many among these who forgot their password. That is like losing all your money just because you held very long. Those who are investing now and plan to hold forever, are they in better position or their fate will be similar ?

Each situation should be considered individually. Of course, there will be people who lose their passwords, and others who fall victim to scammers. But there will also be those who understand the importance of properly storing their keys and will be able to preserve access to their coins.

I’m not sure whether it makes sense to hold Bitcoin forever. Every investment should have an entry point, an exit point, and clear logical goals. You need to understand why you are accumulating Bitcoin. Simply hold it for life just to pass it on as an inheritance, I’m not sure what the purpose of investing is for you then. Is it only for your children can live better than you? If that’s truly the goal, then maybe hold it forever makes sense, but I tend to believe that we should reward ourselves for our hard work. Every investment should bring us some tangible benefits or positive moments. You can sell part of your Bitcoin to achieve your goals or fulfill your dreams.