Imagine what it would be like to not just talk about making a difference but to actually make a positive change in the world!

This is why I like the mission of Bitcoin Lake in Guatemala, which is modeled after the famous Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador.

Bitcoin Lake’s mission is to use the power of sound money to

1) encourage financial education 2) alleviate poverty 3) promote green energy 4) provide hope to people in need.

🎉The good news is you can donate to Bitcoin Lake without even spending money. For every 10 people who watch this video about Bitcoin Lake and click LIKE and SUBSCRIBE, $1 in BTC will be donated to Bitcoin Lake.

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How will Bitcoin Lake encourage financial education?

Bitcoin Lake is located at Lake Atitlan in Panajachel, Guatemala. The people surrounding the lake are largely “unbanked” meaning that many live paycheck to paycheck rather than saving for future expenses.

Bitcoin Lake has partnered with a local school in Centro Educativo Josué.

By teaching students how Bitcoin works, students will learn:

1) Why saving money for the future is important to success. 2) Why government-printed money, fiat, is losing value over time. 3) Why sound money such as Bitcoin, is increasing in value over time. 4) How to develop computer skills through learning to mine Bitcoin and transact with it.

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How does Bitcoin alleviate poverty?

1) Students will be paid in Bitcoin to clean Lake Atitlan.

While it is a beautiful lake, it has a problem with trash and pollution. Students will be paid in Bitcoin for each hour they spend cleaning up the lake and surrounding areas.

2) Students will mine Bitcoin.

By students being taught how to mine Bitcoin with green energy, they will be able to accumulate wealth through mining Bitcoin for years to come.

3) Bitcoin Lake will attract BTC Tourism

Much like Bitcoin Beach, it is believed that Bitcoin Lake will also attract Bitcoin Tourism to the lake. As Bitcoin becomes more popular, many people will want to visit and pay for things in Bitcoin, which will boost the local economy.

4) Bitcoin will store and protect Guatemalans' wealth.

Bitcoin is a hedge against inflation and has an average return of 230% a year!

**************

Author’s Note: I lived in Guatemala for 3 months during my college years, back in 2005. It was a life-changing experience as I got to swim in Lake Atitlan, now known as Bitcoin Lake.

When I made it back home to the US, I wanted to donate some money to a missionary who was working in Guatemala. I planned to give $200 to this missionary. I used Western Union, which charged around $30. It took about a week to transfer the money. There was also a conversion fee of dollars to quetzales (the Guatemalan currency) which was around $10. I remember, by the time my missionary friend received the money, he had about $160 a week later.

Bitcoin immediately solves this problem.

Many Guatemalans who live and work in the United States will find it more efficient and cost-effective to send financial support via Bitcoin to their families in Guatemala instead of fiat (dollars or quetzales). This will also help boost the economy!

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How Does Bitcoin Promote Green Energy?

Many people who try to attack Bitcoin, will often cite that Bitcoin uses too much electricity.

Fact: Bitcoin uses energy to protect the network, resulting in green energy innovation.

The cheaper a person is able to mine Bitcoin, the more of a profit they will make.

For this reason, Bitcoin miners are always looking for opportunities to mine Bitcoin with solar, wind, hydro, and other green energy options since this energy is free.

Jack Dorsey, from Square and Twitter, and Cathy Wood, from Ark Investment, have released a white paper about how Bitcoin is Key to an Abundant, Clean Energy Future.

Bitcoin Lake will work with Guatemalans to create solar power rigs and even harness energy from cleaning the lake to mine Bitcoin. How amazing is that?

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How Does Bitcoin Provide Hope?

Imagine playing a baseball game, yet the other team always starts off with 10 extra points, and the referee is biased against your team.

“Strike. You’re out!” “Hey! That’s not fair- that was clearly a ball!”

You probably wouldn’t want to play baseball as the odds are against you and the game isn’t fair.

This is how many youths currently feel in Guatemala. Many young people lack hope. Often their best chance of success is either joining a gang or escaping to a country like America where the rules are a little more fair (although still not perfect).

Bitcoin levels the playing field. It doesn't discriminate. It doesn’t care what you look like, or what your political views are. Bitcoin is mathematical purity.

For the first time in history, with Bitcoin, regular people like you and me can own wealth that cannot be debased by any government nor stolen by any entity. If you properly store your Bitcoin, your Bitcoin will be safe forever.

This creates HOPE for people in Guatemala who are trying to get ahead in life.

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Final Thoughts:

I am beyond excited about the positive revolution that Bitcoin will bring about in our lifetime.

The only thing that is more fun than making money with Bitcoin is donating it to noble causes.

There are two ways you can support Bitcoin Lake.

1) Donate directly to their Bitcoin Wallet. (See Address Below)

2) Watch and share this video (the more people that watch this video about Bitcoin Lake, the more donations will be made to Bitcoin Lake).

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About the Author

Derek McCloud, M.Ed has a master’s degree in education which helps him simplify complex ideas like crypto and explain them in ways that the masses can understand. He is passionate about Bitcoin and crypto because it can provide financial freedom to those who invest wisely. He hopes that people who make massive amounts of money from crypto will help him have fresh water wells dug around the world for those in need by the year 2025. To learn more about crypto and joy, check out his youtube channel.

The Strike App is changing the game for Bitcoin as it makes using BTC as easy as texting your BFF!

If you can text, you can buy Bitcoin with Strike.

With the magic of the Strike App: 1) There are NO FEES to buy and sell Bitcoin. 2) There are NO FEES to send Bitcoin. 3) The app is clean, simple, and straightforward.

This is seriously a “no brainer” so try it out for yourself:

👉Join Strike and earn $11 when you sign up and verify your account using this referral code PU0IJM: https://invite.strike.me/PU0IJM

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Let’s dive a little deeper and explore why the Strike App matters and will save you a TON of money!

1) Strike is the most clean and simple crypto app. Period.

-The app is fast and easy. It’s like Venmo or CashApp… but for only Bitcoin. -You can set up your app and buy Bitcoin in under 3 minutes. -Yes, there are great apps like Voyager where you can buy 50+ crypto currencies… but the disadvantage is this can create paralysis by analysis for new investors. There are too many options! “How do you pick which crypto to buy?” With BTC as your only option, it makes investing simple.

2) Strike is the easiest app to set up.

-Due to government regulation, all crypto apps have a K.Y.C. process. This stands for Know Your Customer. All crypto apps will need you to submit a driver's licence and information to prove your identity. If you do not get verified automatically, they will manually verify you.

Good news! Even with a manual verification, Strike will get you registered faster than the other big apps out there. Once you are verified, you can either buy bitcoin with a Debit Card or link your bank account with Plaid (which is super safe and easy.)

3) Strike is a great app that is going to increase Bitcoin adoption.

As Bitcoin becomes more popular, many people want to buy Bitcoin but don’t even know where to begin. This app is the best crypto app for new people!!

Nowadays, If someone says they want to buy Bitcoin, I will help them set up their Strike app right on the spot because it is so quick and easy. It’s also awesome because anyone who uses my referral gets $5 free! #winning

4) Strike is great for MicroPayments.

Whenever I purchase goods or services from people, I always ask them, “Can I pay you in Bitcoin?” I do this because I want people to learn how Bitcoin is life-changing and now very easy to use. -I now pay for my lawn care, babysitting, and all sorts of other things with Bitcoin. Since there are no fees to use Strike, it is easy for people like me to use Bitcoin as a source of money. -Also, when people say you can’t buy things with BTC you can just tell them, “I buy things with BTC every day!” -I have the BTC that I use to buy stuff on Strike and the BTC I use to invest, I move to Voyager.

5) Their customer service is the best I have used by far.

I have emailed them and received responses in under 10 minutes. Woo hoo! Most Crypto apps are currently struggling with customer service being timely. This is probably because of the rapid growth most crypto apps are experiencing. Strike is superior in customer service!

6) The Spread Fee is the cheapest with Strike.

All crypto apps and exchanges have a spread fee. A spread is the difference between the market price of Bitcoin and the price you actually get your bitcoin for. Strike has hands down the cheapest spread fees for Bitcoin that I have seen yet.

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Cons for Strike:

1) You can only buy Bitcoin with the app. (But this is also a pro for it since the app is so clean and simple.) 2) You do not earn interest on your Bitcoin. If you want to earn interest read this blog. 3) You can only buy $1,000 a week of Bitcoin. (Some apps have higher limits, but they also come with more fees.)

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Conclusion:

Strike is a phenomenal app that all crypto investors should utilize in addition to their other crypto apps like Voyager. Strike makes buying and sending crypto as easy and simple as possible without any fees.

Sign up for Strike Now:

👉Join Strike and earn $11 when you sign up and verify your account using this referral code: PU0IJM: https://invite.strike.me/PU0IJM

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About the Author

Derek McCloud, M.Ed has a master’s degree in education which helps him simplify complex ideas like crypto and explain them in ways that the masses can understand. He is passionate about Bitcoin and crypto because it can provide financial freedom to those who invest wisely. He hopes that people who make massive amounts of money from crypto will help him have fresh water wells dug around the world for those in need by the year 2025. To learn more about crypto and joy, check out his youtube channel.

*Nothing in this document should be considered financial advice. Do your own research. Only invest what you can afford to lose.

*Using referral links in this blog will offer you incentives as it also helps this blog stay alive.

Imagine how much crypto you would have if you took advantage of all the current promos and crypto games...

Good news! I have done all that research for you, and am recommending only crypto apps and promos I have used and vetted myself.

Every Satoshi- I mean every cent. It all adds up.

For example, if you bought $3 of Bitcoin every day instead of coffee for 6 years, you would have over $230,000 in Bitcoin. Huzahhh!

If you have the time to try out these apps, you will be handsomely rewarded. #Winning

I have categorized and ranked these apps according to how well they work. Notice that all apps have unique superpowers, so take advantage of as many promos and apps as you can.

Congrats on being an early adopter, btw. Companies are fighting each other with promos to get your business. Enjoy! <3

Play Crypto “Games”

I love playing games on my phone. It relaxes me. But nowadays, instead of playing the newest iPhone game, and wasting my time...I just “play” these fun crypto games every morning and watch my portfolio grow. You could earn $150+ in a month if you played all of these games like I do. ;)

#1 Choice /// Minds This is just like Facebook but without the censoring or “fact checking.” The neat thing is you get paid some crypto each time you post something that gets liked or retweeted. If you post quality stuff, it is really easy to make decent money with this app. I have a friend who has made $1,000 in crypto so far. <3 https://www.minds.com/register?referrer=cloudfi

#2 Choice /// Coinbase Earn There are several crypto videos you can watch on Coinbase. The quizzes are multiple-choice. I don’t actually watch the videos. I just take the test and earn FREE crypto. The questions are multiple-choice with no penalty if you get the answer wrong. *Use this link for a FREE $10 in Bitcoin. *If you complete all of the videos, you will earn around $70 in crypto. (I like to immediately take the crypto and then convert it into BTC. I then send that crypto to an interest-bearing account. https://www.coinbase.com/join/mcclou_p?src=ios-link

#3 Choice /// Lolli Every morning when I wake up, I click on a treasure chest in the Lolli app and earn FREE Bitcoin. *It makes me feel like I am Crypto-Captain Jack Sparrow. Yarghh... *Lolli also earns you FREE Bitcoin when you shop online too. *Download the app and use this code to get $5 FREE with your first purchase: DJTM2W https://lolli.com/share/DJTM2W

#4 Choice /// Fold App After clicking on the Lolli treasure app, I spin the wheel on the Fold App and get more FREE crypto. You also get more crypto if you sign up for their debit card, too. *Use this link for 5,000 FREE SATS. *I had a friend win 1 million satoshis just doing the spin everyday = $575 *I haven't won the million satoshis—yet! https://use.foldapp.com/r/LTPWALYX

#5 Choice /// CryptoDotCom CDC now has fun missions you can do. Each time you do a trade or even open the app you get diamonds which you can use to open a treasure chest and get FREE tokens. *You can win up to 1,000 CRO tokens ($700) in a treasure chest. *Use referral code: tqg3f3uvj8 /// for a FREE $25 in CRO tokens. https://platinum.crypto.com/r/tqg3f3uvj8

#6 Choice /// Brave Browser Ok, this isn’t really a game, but this browser is faster than Google Chrome, it protects your privacy more, and it pays you back in BAT tokens. If you sign up for ads you will earn even more BAT. If you choose to block all ads, you can still earn some BAT. Brave is the only browser I use now. *I make around $10 a month in BAT tokens. But I don't watch any ads. You could make a LOT more if you wanted to. https://brave.com/

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Use All the Good Interest-Earning Crypto Exchanges and Promos

*This is my bread and butter for FREE crypto. Check out my article for a more detailed explanation about crypto earning exchanges.

Traditional brick and mortar banks invest your money and make a fortune off of you. Crypto Banks such as Voyager, Celsius, BlockFi, or Crypto(dot)com, share more of the wealth with YOUR money because...

a) We are still early to crypto and these exchanges want your business.

b) These exchanges have a lower overhead cost than traditional brick and mortar banks (since these crypto banks are all digital).

c) It’s easy for crypto banks to give you more interest. We have just gotten used to NOT making interest on our savings. Those times have changed.

*I like to have my crypto in all 4 accounts: Voyager, Celsius, CDC, and BlockFi. *This helps me mitigate risks. It also allows me to move my crypto around when needed to take advantage of special interest rates and promos. *I now make enough in crypto interest to pay my mortgage. I didn't get there overnight. I just kept dollar cost averaging bitcoin every week and earning interest. *I have a sweet active Celsius promo at the end of this blog too. <3

#1 Choice /// Voyager Super Easy App to Use. Download the app and buy $100 of BTC to get $25 free Bitcoin. Use code 1AE3C8 or this link to claim your BTC. Make 5.75-7.25% interest on your BTC. https://voyager.onelink.me/WNly/referral?af_sub5=1AE3C8

#2 Choice /// Celsius Automatically make 6.20% interest on your BTC. Join Celsius Network using this referral code 1866831288 when signing up and earn $50 in BTC with your first transfer of $400 or more! *This app https://celsiusnetwork.app.link/1866831288

#3 Choice /// FTX -Trade Bitcoin and other cryptos with zero fees on FTX. Use the referral code and get a free coin when you trade $10 worth. -Referral code 17352180 -Make 8% interest on your BTC up to $10,000 worth. It’s 5% interest after that. https://link.blockfolio.com/9dzp/9412a5fd

#4 Choice /// Crypto(dot)com Make up to 6.5% interest on your BTC (when you have the Jade Green Card) or 4% interest with the Ruby Steel Card. Get $25 when you apply for the Ruby or Jade Card. https://crypto.com/app/tqg3f3uvj8

#5 Choice /// Blockfi Make 4% interest on your BTC. Use this referral code and earn $10 worth of BTC after depositing $100 or more. https://blockfi.com/?ref=83f569de

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Use Stable Coins for 9-10.5% Interest on Your Savings

Did you know that you could be making 9-10.5% apy interest on your savings? Once again, you aren’t going to get that with traditional brick and mortar banks, but you will with Crypto banks.

A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency that is usually pegged to what is considered a more stable asset. One of the most popular stablecoins (and the stablecoin I use the most) is USDC. The USDC coin operates on the ethereum network. It is pegged to the US dollar.

1 US dollar will always = 1 USDC.

No matter what the crypto market does, up or down, 1 USDC coin will be worth $1.

I put 95% of my emergency savings in stable coins. I can usually convert these coins back into dollars and back into my bank account in under 24 hours.

Voyager, Celsius, BlockFi, and Crypto(dot)com all pay around 9% or higher for your stable coins. See my article about stable coins to learn more.

*Did you know that inflation is currently 6.2%? You are losing money if you just keep your money in a traditional savings account. *Using USDC as your savings is very easy to do with Voyager.

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Use Crypto Backed Debit and Credit Cards

Pay attention- this is crypto’s best kept secret. I make a small fortune just buying gas, groceries, and regular things with my crypto cards. When you get skymiles or cash back with your cards, those assets are losing value. When you get crypto back with your cards, the crypto is usually gaining value over time.

Sure, some credit card out there probably earns you a higher percentage in dollars, but is it worth it? If you get your rewards back in dollars you are more likely to spend those dollars, right?

When I get my rewards back in crypto, I like to keep it. This is how I have accumulated a ton of crypto over the years.

Slow and steady wins the race.

*I make around $100 a month in crypto just using these cards for all of my purchases.

#1 Choice /// BlockFi Credit Card See my BlockFi Card Review here. Earn unlimited 1.5% back in crypto on every purchase. *Use this link to get $10 free BTC when you buy $100 with the app. https://blockfi.com/?ref=83f569de

#2 Choice /// Voyager Debit Card Make 1-3% back in USDC on every purchase. Earn 9-10.25% interest on the USDC in your voyager account. *This card is not out yet, but get on the waiting list. *Use this link to get $25 free BTC when you buy $100 with the app. https://voyager.onelink.me/WNly/referral?af_sub5=1AE3C8

#3 Choice /// Crypto(dot)com See my CDC review here. Make up to 6.5% interest on your BTC (when you have the Jade Green Card) or 4% interest with the Ruby Steel Card. Get $25 when you apply for the Ruby or Jade Card. https://crypto.com/app/tqg3f3uvj8

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Other Crypto Hacks, Tips, and Tricks

“Two Player Mode” Once you have taken advantage of all of the free crypto out there, if you share finances with a spouse or significant other, you can enter “Two Player Mode.” I use my wife’s phone to sign up again for every promo and crypto app bonus I can think of. It feels like it’s raining crypto here at my house.

For example, use this referral for a $25 sign up bonus with Voyager. Then use your referral with your s.o. for a $25 bonus (and you get a $25 bonus for sharing the link). This is a total of $75 of sign up bonuses for just one app. How neat is that?

“Dry Powder Hack” Dry Powder is when you have money set aside to make a move for a great crypto dip or promotion. I keep my dry powder in USDC so I make 10% interest on it. Any time there is a promo or contest, I use my dry powder to participate.

Congrats on reading this blog. Here are some active promo codes for Celsius. Just type in the code under promotions in the app and transfer the crypto. You can stack these codes on top of each other. <3

Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading my article. You are extremely smart and good looking for doing so. If you found this blog useful, please share it with a friend. Be sure to check out my youtube channel.

Happy Crypto!

About the Author

Derek McCloud, M.Ed has a master’s degree in education which helps him simplify complex ideas like crypto and explain them in ways that the masses can understand. He is passionate about Bitcoin and crypto because it can provide financial freedom to those who invest wisely. He hopes that people who make massive amounts of money from crypto will help him have fresh water wells dug around the world for those in need by the year 2025. To learn more about crypto and joy, check out his youtube channel.

*Nothing in this document should be considered financial advice. Do your own research. Only invest what you can afford to lose.

*Using referral links in this blog will offer you incentives as it also helps this blog stay alive.

-Stock apps are good for buying stocks. -Crypto apps are good for buying crypto. -Therefore, Robinhood (a stock app) is great for stocks but horrible for crypto. -Read on to learn why... <3

If you are still using Robinhood to buy crypto, you are losing a ton of money in opportunity costs.

Robinhood does not give you ANY interest on your crypto. None. Zero. Zilch. Your crypto just sits there in the app doing nothing and collecting dust.

If you used apps such as Voyager or Celsius, you could make 5.75%-7.25% apy interest on your Bitcoin and other cryptos.

Einstein is often credited with saying, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it, he who doesn't pays it.”

This means that if you are not making interest on your crypto investments, you are missing out on the 8th wonder of the world! Even just 5.75% apy will make a HUGE difference on your Bitcoin. Check this out...

Part 1: A Tale of Two Investors

Let’s do some simple math. On November 4th, 2017, the price of Bitcoin was $7,400.

Steve bought 1 Bitcoin for $7,400 on Robinhood. His Bitcoin is now worth $61,000 (4 years later). That’s a 724% increase. Way to go Steve.

But wait!!!

Bob bought 1 Bitcoin for $7,400 on Voyager. With 5.75% interest, after year 1, Bob now has 1.0575 BTC. This interest is compounded, so after 3 more years, Bob now has a total of 1.25 Bitcoin or $76,250 worth of Bitcoin!

By just using Voyager instead of Robinhood, Bob made $15,250 more than Steve. A 930% increase from his initial investment.

You are a legend, Bob! Your investment went up 206% more because you didn’t use Robinhood.

Bob is now happy. 😊 Steve is now sad. Poor steve. 😢

Part 2: (Robinhood vs. Voyager) /// A conversation between two best friends

Steve: “But there are no fees when you buy crypto with Robinhood.”

Bob: “You can buy crypto on Voyager without any fees. Plus, Voyager has way more coins you can buy than Robinhood.” (Note: There is currently a spread fee for both Robinhood and Voyager. It’s the price difference of the market value of a coin vs. the price you pay for the actual coin. This is normal for almost all apps.)

Steve: “But Robinhood is so easy to use.”

Bob: “Voyager is just as easy to use. Deposit money. Buy Crypto. And Make interest.”

Steve: “Okay, I’m in! How do I transfer my Bitcoin and Ethereum from Robinhood to Voyager?”

Bob: “Unfortunately, You can’t. Robinhood doesn’t even have that feature. That’s another reason why Robinhood is the worst. You will have to sell your crypto on Robinhood and rebuy it using an actual crypto app like Voyager or Celsius.”

Steve: “Robinhood is worse than an evil snail.”

Final Thoughts

As of the writing of this article, there is no reason anyone should ever use Robinhood to buy crypto. You should use apps like Voyager or Celsius, which are just as easy to use, but give you interest on your crypto (this is called a hot wallet).

Or you should use Stripe, a super simple app with even smaller spread fees, and move your crypto wherever you like, as cheaply as possible.

But for the love of all things, don’t use Robinhood anymore. There is no point to that. Cheers.

******************

Here are the two apps I both use and recommend for earning interest:

#1 Choice // Voyager *Earn 9% APY on your USDC with Voyager *Voyager Promo Code: Download the app and buy $100 of BTC to get $25 free Bitcoin. *Use code 1AE3C8 or this link to claim your BTC: (https://voyager.onelink.me/WNly/referral?af_sub5=1AE3C8)

#2 Choice // Celsius *Automatically make 8.88% interest on your USDC. *Join Celsius Network using this referral code 1866831288 when signing up and earn $50 in BTC with your first transfer of $400 or more! https://celsiusnetwork.app.link/1866831288

*** Bonus App// Strike *This app has the smallest spread fees. (IMO) *It doesn't give you interest on your coins but you can send your crypto to apps that do with it. Join Strike and earn $5 when you sign up and verify your account using this referral code PU0IJM: (https://invite.strike.me/PU0IJM)

About the Author

Derek McCloud, M.Ed has a master’s degree in education which helps him simplify complex ideas like crypto and explain them in ways that the masses can understand. He is passionate about Bitcoin and crypto because it can provide financial freedom to those who invest wisely. He hopes that people who make massive amounts of money from crypto will help him have fresh water wells dug around the world for those in need by the year 2025. To learn more about crypto and joy, check out his youtube channel /Derek McCloud.

*Nothing in this document should be considered financial advice. Do your own research. Only invest what you can afford to lose.

*Using referral links in this blog will offer you incentives as it also helps this blog stay alive.

Spending my first $1,000+ on the Coinbase Card while earning 4% Rewards.

The waitlist for the long awaited Coinbase Card has been around since October of 2020. After nearly a year of waiting, the Coinbase Card has offered a Visa debit card to current customers of their platform. With all the various options for crypto credit cards, there are many that stand out.

Features of the card:

The Coinbase debit card has several features that make it a worthwhile option to living the SatoshiFI/CryptoFI lifestyle. Some of which include:

The option to pull from a variety of cryptos, including USDC for bulk conversion in your portfolio.

(Desktop Dashboard for the Coinbase Card)

Earn crypto rewards on your transactions

These are the current crypto cash back rewards offered on the card: (Current Rates 10/28/2021)

4% back in XLM 4% back in GRT 4% back in AMP 4% back in RLY 1% back in BTC 1% back in ETH 1% back in DOGE 1% back in DAI

(Screenshot of the options to change your reward payout)

What are the fees?

The fees vary depending on how you plan to use the card. Here is a quick summary breakdown of fees on the Coinbase card:

Card Transactions: $0.00 Coinbase Wallet Currency Conversion: 2.49% (Does not apply to USDC)

While it can be seamless and easy to just set your debit card to be a point of sale crypto to USD converter, the fees will become significant. Comparing the Coinbase Pro fees which are currently 0.5% for transactions 0-10,000 USD, you can save yourself in fees significantly.

Now if you are curious what is the cheapest way to get to 0% fees? Get ready to increase your transaction volume up to $1,000,000 providing a maker service to the platform (limit orders).

Receiving the card

Your card will arrive in a bold blue envelope with nothing more than a big C on the top left side of the envelope. Inside is your debit card, which can be easily activated right from the main Coinbase application or website. Took me all of 5 minutes to get it up and running.

Test driving the card

After my card was up and running, it was like having a new found liquidity and immediacy converting crypto into traditional transactions at a speed I have never seen before.

Keep in mind if your using this card to convert Crypto to Fiat, you will pay a flat percentage of 2.49% each transaction. There are ways to optimize the fee expense such as using Coinbase Pro to convert what you need to spend into USDC.

In prior years, converting my favorite altcoin holding of choice to fiat was a rough journey. It first of all required a Altcoin to Bitcoin exchange, then sending your Bitcoin to a Fiat exchange like Coinbase or Gemini to finish the transaction. All while hoping none of the exchanges you needed were down for maintenance that day. The round trip journey would take two hours of my day to finish, then wait another day or up to three for the funds to arrive in a bank account.

Having access to this card eliminates many extra steps. In real time I can decide I want to convert any amount I need for lunch while totaling up the bill and tip amount.

Spending $1,334 on the card.

Since my first transaction on September 23, as of November 9th I have spent a total of $1,334 on my Coinbase card. My total rewards having been set to Stellar Lumens totaled to $53.38. The current valuation of these rewards is sitting at $67.48.

While you can earn 1% on Bitcoin rewards, it can be just as easy to collect the rewards in whatever coin pays most and convert to Bitcoin. Just remember this can have tax implications in your jurisdiction, plan accordingly.

Issues with the Coinbase card

There does seem to be one type of transaction that the card struggles with, and that is gas purchases. An acquaintance of mine was telling me the struggles he has had waiting for approval of his gas purchase after about a month. This is usually due to the fact that gas stations will reconcile all transactions during different times of the month. While his payment did process, he has had to reach out about his cash back reward not being paid out to him.

Conclusion

This is a great option for those who are in a position to draw down on some of their portfolio for certain expenses. From what I have read about technical issues about other cards not be accepted at many places, I have yet to personally deal with that issue since I started using my card this last month.

Where do I sign up?

If you are not a member on Coinbase, sign up here to get started.

About the Author

JBM has been involved in crypto since 2014. Works as a transactional technical consultant. Retired miner specialized in managing network nodes for select coins.

Think about the last time you went to a “normal” bank. I know, who needs banks that often eh, but TRY to remember way back in the past. You go to the bank, see several employees with fancy clothes, a secure building, maybe a police guard and other things that must surely cost a TON of money. How do they afford millions in overhead costs per bank? They do that because they are making a killing off of you storing your money there. If you give the bank $1,000, they are investing $900 of it and keeping the $100 just in case you need it. This is called fractional reserve and it’s practiced by all traditional banks. Fortunately, the bank is kind enough to give you a measly .01% interest on your money. Maybe you put your money into a really good money-market savings account and get a little more than 1%.

With current inflation being 5% or higher, your cash is literally melting away in value as you store it with a traditional bank.

Traditional Banks vs. Crypto Banks

Traditional banks are making massive profits from your money because they have all the power and you don’t. These archaic, brick and mortar banks pay themselves first and you second with your money. #Rude

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies allow the user to exchange money without a third-party such as a bank or a government entity. This is how banks should be in the year 2021.

This means crypto puts the power back in the hands of you, the people. When you let a crypto bank hold your money, you make interest FIRST and the crypto banks make interest second. This is how it should be.

I make 9% interest on savings with Voyager and Celsius, yet some people who haven’t researched this might say it sounds too good to be true. The real truth is, we are just so used to banks robbing us blind that we don’t expect higher interest rates.

Crypto banks such as Voyager and Celsius have significantly lower overhead costs than brick and mortar banks. This is why they can afford to pay you a more fair interest rate on the money you store with them.

What are stablecoins?

A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency that is usually pegged to what is considered a more stable asset. One of the most popular stablecoins (and the stablecoin I use the most) is USDC. The USDC coin operates on the ethereum network. It is pegged to the US dollar.

1 US dollar will always = 1 USDC.

No matter what the crypto market does, up or down, 1 USDC coin will be worth $1.

Why should you have stablecoins?

A person may use Stablecoins for various reasons.

1) Stablecoins are faster than traditional banks. It should come as no surprise that traditional banks and crypto banks do not play well in the sandbox. Stablecoins, make on and off ramps very fast. The process of buying coins from your bank or selling coins and putting the money back in your bank can be very time consuming. Stablecoins are instant.

2) Stablecoins are the best dry powder! I don’t do many trades as I believe that dollar cost averaging is the best strategy. However, I do like to have a certain amount of money set aside in stablecoins. Any time there is blood on the streets, the crypto market takes a deep dive in the red, you can be certain I am buying great crypto coins at a discount.

3) Stablecoins make 9% interest! This is honestly my favorite thing about stablecoins. I like to leave my emergency funds completely in stablecoins for this reason. I have half of my emergency fund on Voyager and the other half of my emergency fund on Celsius. I do this to help mitigate risk and protect my assets.

What are the risks of using stablecoins?

There are two primary risks with stable coins.

1) If the crypto bank (Voyager or Celsius) goes under. This scenario is very unlikely as both of these companies have insurance protocols to keep your funds extremely safe.

2) If the US dollar collapses. This is a scenario that is hopefully unlikely, too. If your stablecoin is pegged to the dollar, 100 USDC will always = $100

What is the best stablecoin?

As mentioned before, I really like the USDC coin. The coin is partnered with Coinbase, which is a company that is known for complying to US government regulations.

Whatever you do, please never use Tether (USDT). Tether is considered a shady and unethical company that has been accused of printing more stablecoins than they had reserves to back them.

What apps should I use to earn interest with stablecoins?

Here are the two apps I both use and recommend:

#1 Choice // Voyager *Earn 9% APY on your USDC with Voyager *Voyager Promo Code: Download the app and buy $100 of BTC to get $25 free Bitcoin. *Use code 1AE3C8 or this link to claim your BTC: (https://voyager.onelink.me/WNly/referral?af_sub5=1AE3C8)

#2 Choice // Celsius *Automatically make 8.88% interest on your USDC. *Join Celsius Network using this referral code 1866831288 when signing up and earn $50 in BTC with your first transfer of $400 or more! https://celsiusnetwork.app.link/1866831288

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About the Author

Derek McCloud, M.Ed has a master’s degree in education which helps him simplify complex ideas like crypto and explain them in ways that the masses can understand. He is passionate about Bitcoin and crypto because it can provide financial freedom to those who invest wisely. He hopes that people who make massive amounts of money from crypto will help him have fresh water wells dug around the world for those in need by the year 2025. To learn more about crypto and joy, check out his youtube channel.

*Nothing in this document should be considered financial advice. Do your own research. Only invest what you can afford to lose.

*Using referral links in this blog will offer you incentives as it also helps this blog stay alive.

My name is JBM. My story in cryptocurrency began around February of 2014. This was quite a busy time in my personal life. My fiancé (at the time) and I were preparing our upcoming wedding. My overall investment experience was minimal. Prior experience I had was using option trades on the SP500 in 2008 and Silver in 2011. I was first introduced to crypto by a friend of the family who had made a success of mining and investing. He retired from his finance job in 2013 to fully focus on the crypto market.

The landscape in crypto was vastly different then, than it is today. The entire market cap was around 8.5 Billion US Dollars (2014). Regulation of digital assets was slowly taking form, and with rules less clear than mud. Despite some marginal regulatory clarity, the “Wild West” feeling was present in the space. AML/KYC was something only a handful of exchanges cared about, typically fiat gateways (converting USD/EUR to Crypto for example). Once you obtained your crypto, you were free to move about from one exchange to another. The feeling of financial freedom took on new meaning to me.

Soon, I stumbled my way through setting up my first GPU mining rig. Not having spent quality time on Linux, I setup my first mining rig on Windows 8.1 (Quickly switched to Ubuntu). Dealing with exchange limitations in 2014 was one of my biggest challenges. Wait times for higher purchase limits created serious opportunity cost. My interests at that time were acquiring altcoins, and the only trading pair in town for most was against BTC.

This was my start.

(Early attempt at mining Scrypt Coins – Colorized 2014)

• Why does the Crypto market have a 4 year cycle?
• How could it be predictable?
• Will it always be a 4 year cycle?

All markets operate in cycles, but the cause of these cycles could be greatly different. Day traders search for patters typically caused by other traders. Long and short positions in the traditional market aim to predict the business cycle, which has a lot to do with how different businesses and governments interact, changing incentive and profitability over time.

In commodities the cycles are predictable, but traders often change the predictability of the value of the commodities.

Why are commodity markets predictable?

If the wheat harvest is in September you can predict that the farmer sells it afterward. The processor then sells it after processing, and the wholesaler then sells it to the retail store. While our economy is a little more complex than this picture, it's the fundamental basis. If you know when the windfall happens in advance you can place investments to capitalize from it. As more investors recognize a very predictable pattern they invest earlier and sell earlier until the value proposition has market equilibrium or has been randomized by the investors.

Is Bitcoin a Commodity?

Yes.

Some may debate semantics here, and there are plenty of cryptos that fall under the definition of a security, Bitcoin and most major coins are commodities. They are found or made through effort, not decree. They exist individually, as in, cannot be copied. I do see a future clarification between physical and digital commodities because they are very different, but both are commodities.

United States Court rulings have also deemed Bitcoin, Litecoin and some other cryptos as commodities.

Predicting the Cycle

Bitcoin has a supply cycle that is publicly known to anyone willing to look. Bitcoin blocks are about 10 minutes apart, and every 210,000 blocks the amount of bitcoin units able to be found by a miner is halved by the network consensus rules. This means there is less new bitcoin that can be sold every 4 years. In the world of commodities, something that is in demand but has a lowering supply increases in value. Less bitcoin to be sold but equal buyers means higher prices. One could buy wheat in October, then sell it in August, like one could buy bitcoin in 2015 and sell it in 2017 then buy in 2019 and sell in 2021.

Because of existing stock each Bitcoin cycle should have less market effect than the last and because of the nature of investors the cycle could be dulled to no price effect, or greatly over invested to highs far beyond the expected effect.

What about other coins?

Coins besides Bitcoin have their own network rules and cycles. Even so, almost all follow the Bitcoin cycle because they rely on Bitcoin popularity to grow more than their own fundamentals. This may change in the future, but as of writing in 2021, it is proving true again.

So every 4 years bitcoin price will go up?

If only it were that simple. Investors will ultimately decide where to put their value. If there were only basic miners and users that always existed at the same levels it would be extremely easy to predict the exact future value of 1 satoshi. Because the market is much more complex, other factors could far overshadow the supply metric. Additionally, each Bitcoin cycle has less effect on the existing stock, so each halving should be less relevant compared to outside factors.

While we want to invest in a new financial space our typical investment accounts are not the place to start except under specific scenarios. Unfortunately it's very difficult to buy bitcoin or any crypto using a traditional retirement account, which means we are left searching for where we can buy it without these instruments.

It is possible to buy within a self directed IRA or 401k, but these accounts are more difficult to setup. We are working on an article for this topic and I will link to it here once it is done.

Before I move on to list where and how to buy, I would like to take this space to talk about where NOT to buy, and why.

Do not buy from Paypal or Robinhood

These services allow you to bet on the price, but it's important to understand that bitcoin and most other crypto's are real commodities, not securities. There is no price authority, the price is what you pay, or in these cases, whatever the service says it is. These services do not allow you to take your purchased coins, so you cannot own them yourself, and you cannot sell them where you wish. They cannot be transferred elsewhere, and there is no legal limitation to the buy or sell prices offered by these services. If you own coins on these platforms now it would be best to strategize the best way to sell them and buy coins elsewhere.

Why are you buying?

This is important. Why you are buying may change where you want to buy and which factors are important to you. If you are buying to invest purely as a financial move, then the traditional exchanges listed below will be right for you. If you want to invest, but would like to also support the overall movement towards a free market it would be best to use exchanges that do not promote regulation, or those who work to prevent more. Yes, Bitcoin, and by proxy, all crypto's promote an unregulated free market by making it as difficult as possible for regulatory agencies to physically stop these projects. This is a core function of a blockchain. Further, anonymity is considered important by many proponents of crypto. If you see value in owning crypto without anyone having direct knowledge that you do you will be looking for ways to buy that are not traditional exchanges.

Exchanges List:

Coinbase

Coinbase is very easy to use and Coinbase Pro is one of the easiest exchange interfaces to use. While Coinbase pro has some of the lowest fees, the regular Coinbase offer is one of the highest fee options with a spread on top, meaning the price they offer to sell you coins at is more than the price they will buy them off you. Comparing this pricing system to other exchanges requires placing an order on each to compare the total costs and return. The total spread on Coinbase is around 4%, which means about a total of 2% “fee” to buy or sell.

A common complaint about both platforms is that the website often crashes when there's high volatility in the bitcoin market.

Gemini

Gemini is a US regulated exchange that uses this as a point in advertising. They have promoted further regulation of the industry and are the leading platform in the state of New York, where being a bitcoin exchange is privileged by a board of private bankers and a non refundable fee that has no set amount but is typically more than $1,000,000. The exclusivity of their New York operations may be a driving factor in their promotion of further national regulation. This very pointed issue may not be a concern for every investor.

They offer an interest bearing account option and have moderate fees compared to other top rated exchanges. They also have a limited offering of different coins.

Binance US

I have less information about this platform that other. Binance has history on why they have a Binance US version. When the company began being pressured by regulators and tax authorities they moved their headquarters to Malta after a bid type negotiation with multiple small nations. When the United States made it clear that they would pursue them if they continued to offer services to US based customers they ceased operation in the country. After some time they opened Binance US, which is only for US customers and follows US regulations. I have heard that it is hard to verify on Binance US.

Kraken

Kraken has promoted the furthering of an open market within the United States and offers some of the lowest fees as well as leveraged trading. They also won a Bank Charter in Wyoming! This is not setup yet, and may change the position of this exchange once it is. Kraken takes up the bottom of the list because most customers have to wire funds in, which makes kraken the worst option listed for low volume purchases because of flat fees ranging up to nearly $100 to get funds on and off your account. On the other hand, if you're a business or looking to invest (or sell) for millions USD, then Kraken, or Kraken's OTC Desk is likely the perfect fit. Kraken has the least user friendly interface out of all that are listed here. It works, but it's not simple.

Where possible links to exchanges have been replaced with referrals. Using these referral links may offer you incentives, but it also helps this blog stay alive.

To own cryptocurrency you must have a wallet.

While it may be easier to leave coins with an exchange or other administrator, it's typically not recommended. Many exchanges and online wallets have suffered from security breaches in the past, using such a service is placing trust in them.

A good wallet is private, open source, and well tested

A private wallet is one where only you have the private keys. This is most similar to holding cash in your hand. It does not mean it’s invulnerable to theft, it should be treated much like cash. Seeing your private keys is sometimes not an option from within the wallet software, so how can you know you have the keys? Most private wallets will prompt you write down a phrase of 12 or more words as a backup, this is known as a mnemonic “seed” and is capable of restoring your wallet even if your device is lost or destroyed. Since it is a backup of the private keys it will even restore crypto that is added to your wallet after making the backup. The seed phrase is your wallet, and it isn’t normally protected by a password and is not protected by a lock screen, it should be stored somewhere very safe and never stored on a phone or computer without expert precautions – do not screenshot or print seed words, write them by hand or use a metal storage device. Jameson Lopp periodically publishes stress tests on these devices which should be designed to survive a house fire.

There are many different kinds of wallets, including free software and hardware/offline wallets. It is extremely important to verify the wallet you intend to use. For new users this is likely only using a wallet found in the Google Play Store or Apple Store, and verifying positive reviews and a long track record of at least 6 months, beware of fake reviews and new wallets.

I highly recommend the following wallets:

– Electrum

This is a widely trusted wallet and the oldest lite wallet (meaning you don't have to run a full node). It's available for desktop and android. I use this wallet on desktop and paired with cold storage devices or multisignature. It has a lot of advanced features and compete control of your coins, but also can be used in very basic setups where it's quite simple.

– Bluewallet

This wallet has great features similar to Elecrum but is highly functional on a mobile device. Available for both Android and iOS this wallet is recommended by many seasoned bitcoiners. It can also be used to create multisignature wallets with other people or devices.

– Coldcard

A bitcoin only hardware wallet with advanced features, including air gapped setup and use.

– Trezor

A fully open source hardware wallet supporting Bitcoin and altcoins.

Derek Justin McCloud posted on Facebook a link to S&P500 priced in gold as a way to value the market for “true inflation” as apposed to using the posted rate for product price inflation.

This isn't a new idea, nor an unknown debate. Product price inflation is an index of prices and the official inflation rate is posted regularly. Many economists and investors use this product price inflation as the basis of their adjusted calculations against the dollar. The debate is around if this rate is what should be used.

The average price of products is effected by many things. Is the value of money really equal to the average price of products? According to Ludwig Von Mises, one of the more prominent economists of the 20th century, the value of all money in an economy equals the need for money by that economy. Essentially the idea is that the value of money reflects how well the economy is doing. This could be more easily seen if the number of monetary units within that economy were finite, but that's not what happens with most national currencies. As governments issue more units the value of those units fall in relation the value of the economy because each unit is a fraction of the economy and creating more units makes the fraction each unit holds less.

I don't think gold is a stable medium to use as a basis in calculating the true value of the market – call this “real” inflation adjusted. I decided to create a chart to depict the real inflation as the M2 money supply. Even the traditional economists that use the product price index as their inflation amount often use the M2 money supply as the precursor or indicator of future product price inflation.

If the money supply were finite how might the market look today? Have the printers of new money awarded the value of the growth of the public market to the first receivers of the new money?

The first chart below shows the cumulative M2SL money supply, S&P500, and S&P500 adjusted for the M2SL money supply starting in 1985. These are all shown as percent compared to the first point.

The second chart shows the nominal price of S&P500 and the M2SL adjusted nominal price of the S&P500 starting in 1985.

Made with data from, https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2SL#0 and https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5EGSPC/history