A little tip for those who are new to Bitcoin and are worried about security!

[_act_]

And the important thing is that there are many countries where there are Bitcoin users but the government has banned Bitcoin and buying and accepting Bitcoin hardware wallets there is risky, and in this case it is effective!
And I think, for small traders it is much less risky!!

If a country ban hardware wallet, people in the country can go for a privacy one which are wallets on airgapped devices. You can set up Electrum on an airgapped devices.

Also there are wallets that you can create offline if you want altcoins and you can import the wallet master public key on a watch-only wallet.  Cake and Unstoppable wallets can do this.

[m2017]

If you are new to Bitcoin and do not have a hardware wallet, you can use this simple strategy to reduce your risk!

Suppose you have 0.6 Bitcoin, then you can carefully check and divide the Bitcoin equally into 3 to 4 wallets.

If you have the money to buy 0.6 Bitcoin, then your first priority (before purchasing bitcoin) should be to buy a hardware wallet (preferably 2-3 at once, to diversify risks and have a backup device).

This little rule can be used in trading:

If you are a small or new trader, you can choose good exchanges from 3 to 4 countries,
but of course you have to pay attention to the fact that not all exchanges are from the same country.

So that your personal data (provided during the KYC procedure) will be leaked 3-4 times faster?

[OcTradism]

If you are a small or new trader, you can choose good exchanges from 3 to 4 countries,
but of course you have to pay attention to the fact that not all exchanges are from the same country.

So that your personal data (provided during the KYC procedure) will be leaked 3-4 times faster?

He will need to read Why KYC is extremely dangerous – and useless if he has never read that topic or re-read it if he already read that topic but still yet actually got this important message.

If he changes his mind, understand risk of KYC, and want to practice for better privacy, there are some other resources for his learning.
Bitcoin privacy resources.
Bitcoin privacy guide.
Protect your privacy.

[Peanutswar]

Wait you have a 0.6 BTC and a hardware wallet just costs only $100 more or less, why not store your bitcoin in a hardware wallet, well its a good strategy too that you will store your funds into different wallet so if ever the wallet get compromised at least you dont put most of your money in a single basket only, now of course with that large amount you will distribute this at the same time, a funds for a cold wallet which is for a long term hodling and a funds for an active transaction with your hot wallet at least you store most of your money into a hardware wallet.
Also youve said that you will store into an exchange which is not meant to its for EXCHANGE not for storing of your assets.

[Cricktor]

And the important thing is that there are many countries where there are Bitcoin users but the government has banned Bitcoin and buying and accepting Bitcoin hardware wallets there is risky, and in this case it is effective!
And I think, for small traders it is much less risky!!

I don't think people new to Bitcoin should do trading, but YMMV. It also depends on what you define as trading. But I think it can be generalized: if you're new to something and its market, don't trade there until you better understand it.

If you can't buy a hardware wallet, you can build it yourself with parts that are unsuspicious and not related to crypto coins like e.g. a SeedSigner (with Raspberry Pi parts) or Krux wallet. An air-gapped old second-hand laptop is probably also a viable way to implement secure cold storage (it's important to understand the key security points of cold storage, the do's and dont's, to avoid errors that render your self-custody insecure).

It's usually not wise to leave your stash on exchanges. You will regret it at some point of time.

[OcTradism]

I don't think people new to Bitcoin should do trading, but YMMV. It also depends on what you define as trading. But I think it can be generalized: if you're new to something and its market, don't trade there until you better understand it.

Bitcoin is a volatile asset while with trading, it's considerable more dangerous by price and market manipulations from market makers and exchanges. Exchanges have their business to run, surely operating for profit, not for a draw or a loss. So they try to play their 'games' in order to maximize money they can get from exchange users.

This is reason for market crash and liquidations against users' over leveraged positions. Newbies in this market should not trade because trading is risky, and surely they should never use leverages for trading because it's super dangerous with awaiting market liquidations.

If you can't buy a hardware wallet, you can build it yourself with parts that are unsuspicious and not related to crypto coins like e.g. a SeedSigner (with Raspberry Pi parts) or Krux wallet. An air-gapped old second-hand laptop is probably also a viable way to implement secure cold storage (it's important to understand the key security points of cold storage, the do's and dont's, to avoid errors that render your self-custody insecure).

It's usually not wise to leave your stash on exchanges. You will regret it at some point of time.

Talking about security and privacy is a very time-consuming thing as there are many things to talk about these things. It's not perfect and not enough but Security and Privacy Encylopedia can be helpful for people who want to know and learn more about security and privacy.

[TokenTikas]

Since you don't have to worry  about losing all your Bitcoins at once, you will also have peace of mind!

After reading your whole post, it seems like you are giving more priority to exchanges than wallets. I think your mindset should be changed because you cannot rely only on exchanges, as they are not always fully safe so, it is better to use a secure wallet.
Hardware wallet is considered one of the safest options, so selecting that would be a good decision. It can provide high level of security to help keep your funds properly protected and safe.

[jcojci]

Dividing the Bitcoin into 3 or 4 wallets is recommend and always make a back up. But keeping all of the Bitcoin in the exchanges, that is not recommended.

You must remember keeping Bitcoin in the exchanges means Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins.

Your Bitcoin have its risks if you keep in the exchanges, no matter how reputable the exchanges. Once the exchanges have a problem, makes you worry and can't thinks clear of what you will do next.

Just makes your old phone you don't use as your wallet and not connected it into Internet so you can prevents the bad things.

[Outhue]

This isn't the type of advise that I was expecting since the titile is strictly on that one thing those newbies need to do to stay out of trouble in crypto space, the answer isn't what you provided, this is for those who don't have any ither options left because in my own sense the only option left is saving up some money for a solid airgapped hardware wallet.

Infact is a newbie can't do this they should wait it out till they can, they should keep learning about crypto but not until they can afford a hardware wallet it's better to stay away, use hot wallet to do some demo transactions but that's it, we have gotten to that stage now where nothing else is important in crypto space than a open source hardware wallet right now.

[tech30338]

For those who are new, this may be a good suggestion!

If you are new to Bitcoin and do not have a hardware wallet, you can use this simple strategy to reduce your risk!

Suppose you have 0.6 Bitcoin, then you can carefully check and divide the Bitcoin equally into 3 to 4 wallets.

This little rule can be used in trading:

If you are a small or new trader, you can choose good exchanges from 3 to 4 countries,
but of course you have to pay attention to the fact that not all exchanges are from the same country.

That is, each exchange should be from a different country, so that if legal and (exchange hacking) security complications suddenly arise in one country, you will be in a relatively low-risk position!
(Since not all countries have the same laws)

For example, let's say I have 0.6 Bitcoin and I choose three reliable exchanges from the following 3 countries to trade:

       Exchange Country Malta        : 0.2 BTC

Exchange Country Singapore        : 0.2 BTC

        Exchange Country USA         : 0.2 BTC

This way, you can reduce your risk by using multiple wallets or exchanges, and you will find many new cryptos to trade, where not all cryptos are available on all exchanges!

 Since you don't have to worry  about losing all your Bitcoins at once, you will also have peace of mind!

I though the suggestion is not to put your bitcoin into exchange, instead use example electrum wallet, firstly don't invest from the start since you are just getting started, learn first how to trade, what are the exchange that has best feedback from community, how to store bitcoin into a wallet, how to backup the seed phrase and store it safely.
Securing your email this is also important if you are ever going to put some funds like bitcoin in exchange make sure the 2fa or additional security is enable, for safety.
the target is to make your funds secure so, putting it in exchange is not on my list of securing it.

[Porfirii]

The OP has already said that in certain countries purchasing a HW can be dangerous (otherwise, yes, it would be my first choice). But the alternatives have already been mentioned too.

As per using more exchanges, although you may think that this is good because you're not putting all your eggs in the same basket, you are increasing the risk to lose at least a part of your holdings. I suggest using wallets in airgapped devices, like _act_ said, and depositing only the bare minimum in as few exchanges as possible (OP, were you thinking of doing KYC on all three exchanges?).

[Lucius]

~snip~
There are many countries where Bitcoin is banned and it is very difficult to purchase a Bitcoin hardware wallet and receive it directly online, so many people want to use online trusted wallets!

There is some truth to this, even in some countries where cryptocurrencies are not banned, some manufacturers do not have resellers nor can their devices be delivered. For some people, therefore, hardware wallets are unattainable or difficult to obtain, but this does not mean that these people should store their cryptocurrencies online, considering that there are many proven good open-source software wallets and that anyone can make their own cold air-gapped wallet using an old computer.

Every coin that is in custodial possession does not actually belong to you, but to the company that keeps it for you, which can be hacked at any time, go bankrupt, or the authorities can confiscate the funds on your account for some reason.

[notocactus]

There is some truth to this, even in some countries where cryptocurrencies are not banned, some manufacturers do not have resellers nor can their devices be delivered. For some people, therefore, hardware wallets are unattainable or difficult to obtain, but this does not mean that these people should store their cryptocurrencies online, considering that there are many proven good open-source software wallets and that anyone can make their own cold air-gapped wallet using an old computer.

Hardware wallet is only one of many good methods for storing bitcoin so if people can not have hardware wallets, they can use other good methods.

Using non custodial and open source wallets for storing bitcoin is always recommended, either it is hardware wallet or software wallet.
Then the wallet backups can be made by many methods, but generally if backups are in multiple and kept safely to be always ready for using as wallet recovery, it's good backup.

Old phone as cold storage?
Using mobile phone to create a cold-storage mobile Electrum wallet:

[Awaklara]

Since you don't have to worry  about losing all your Bitcoins at once, you will also have peace of mind!

I will not bring up anything related to exchanges, because some of us understand that keeping assets on an exchange is clearly risky. Even if you spread them out, losing your assets on one exchange also means a loss. 
Some wallets can be used to store divided assets. But there are other challenges, such as using the same device or issues with storing recovery seeds, that might bother you. 

I only use two wallets. One is a hardware wallet that I rarely access, and one wallet for transactional use that is installed on my device. Regarding how you divide the amounts you store in each wallet, just adjust according to your needs. It's better to differentiate wallets for investment plans from wallets for trading.

[moneystery]

Splitting it into multiple wallets will only complicate things, I think, and even worse, storing it on an exchange wallet is not recommended. It's better to create one wallet, but with better security, for example by using a hardware wallet. If you can afford 0.6 Bitcoin, then a hardware wallet shouldn't be that expensive for you, because by using a hardware wallet, your Bitcoin will be much more secure and you can also have full control over your assets.

[AVE5]

If you are a small or new trader, you can choose good exchanges from 3 to 4 countries,
but of course you have to pay attention to the fact that not all exchanges are from the same country.

That is, each exchange should be from a different country, so that if legal and (exchange hacking) security complications suddenly arise in one country, you will be in a relatively low-risk position!
(Since not all countries have the same laws)

Having multiple exchange as a trader isn't really bad because it eases challenges for the trader's when navigating and processing transactions. So when one exchange fails at your need, you can alternate to the other platforms to proceed your transactions.
Exchange rate as it may differ variously could also be a point why traders should operate with different trading platforms with all sorts of inconveniences that you may want to defeat to have your activities smooth.
If you want about security, I don't think it's considerable because with your data's submitted during Kyc make's users accounts vulnerable and the exchange holding your private keys is unreliable in security matters. Remember NOT YOUR KWY, NOT YOUR COIN. Hackers can also invade if care of maintaining privacy is not admitted.

[Somegory]

The OP has already said that in certain countries purchasing a HW can be dangerous (otherwise, yes, it would be my first choice). But the alternatives have already been mentioned too.

As per using more exchanges, although you may think that this is good because you're not putting all your eggs in the same basket, you are increasing the risk to lose at least a part of your holdings. I suggest using wallets in airgapped devices, like _act_ said, and depositing only the bare minimum in as few exchanges as possible (OP, were you thinking of doing KYC on all three exchanges?).

I don't get the part where OP said that purchasing a hardware wallet in a country can be dangerous, maybe I lack the knowledge but there is no country that will see an imported hardware wallet and raise a warning alarm like it's a time bomb, none that I am aware of.

The option that he gave is acceptable for only for some people, as a beginner it's easier for them to make mistakes and this is why even hackers and scammers pray for victims who are new to Blockchain.

Choosing a hardware wallet as a starting point is a solid move, it's far more advisable for beginners.

[CryptoManiac017]

It is usually a good idea to have your Bitcoin saved in multiple wallets for security reasons, but also know that you will have some challenges with this method, most exchanges have different amount they charge to move Bitcoin from their exchange to another exchange so these three exchanges will mean three different amounts that will be charged on your Bitcoin so you cannot have that exact balance of 0.2 Bitcoin on all of the wallets, except you have factored it into the amounts as you are moving to the various exchanges.  Since these exchanges are of different countries of origin, remember there will also be different terms or laws that guide their mode of operation, you need to put all of that into consideration so as to avoid future complications. There are others which I have not mentioned but the few I have, if you are sure it is something you can handle, then you can go ahead to spread your Bitcoin in such manner.

[Curious T]

When did holding Bitcoin become so complicated? The complicated thing about holding Bitcoin used to be how to secure your seed phrase; now, I have to keep my Bitcoin in exchanges in other countries to be safe. How does this even make sense to you? How does keeping your bitcoin in an exchange make you safe?
The least you could do is spread the holding into different addresses and secure the seed phrases. If you can have 46,000 USD in Bitcoin but can't spare a little of that a hardware wallet, then you don't understand Bitcoin.

[Dex_master25]

If you are a small or new trader, you can choose good exchanges from 3 to 4 countries,
but of course you have to pay attention to the fact that not all exchanges are from the same country.

That is, each exchange should be from a different country, so that if legal and (exchange hacking) security complications suddenly arise in one country, you will be in a relatively low-risk position!
(Since not all countries have the same laws)

Having multiple exchange as a trader isn't really bad because it eases challenges for the trader's when navigating and processing transactions. So when one exchange fails at your need, you can alternate to the other platforms to proceed your transactions.
Exchange rate as it may differ variously could also be a point why traders should operate with different trading platforms with all sorts of inconveniences that you may want to defeat to have your activities smooth.
If you want about security, I don't think it's considerable because with your data's submitted during Kyc make's users accounts vulnerable and the exchange holding your private keys is unreliable in security matters. Remember NOT YOUR KWY, NOT YOUR COIN. Hackers can also invade if care of maintaining privacy is not admitted.

If a newbie registered on an exchange, I wonder if the KYC requirements isn't going to be an open information to any other exchanges that also require KYC requirements for new users. If not so, wouldn't it be a complicated task to have multiple wallets from different countries and keep control of it as a newbie because the keys may be mixed up some how, but what do I know since it is more reasonable to not put all your eggs in one basket.