1. Who is the crypto team?

Who invented the cryptocurrency? What is their background in finance? Who is part of the team? Have they all been successful in finance in the past? these are just a few questions that you should look for when investing in a cryptocurrency. The founder and team behind it are vital in success. You want an ambitious, knowledgable and skilled team with a proven record of success. Needless to say, the cryptocurrency is much more likely to fail with a weak team behind it.

2. Have they got a strong community behind them?

It’s important that the cryptocurrency you invest in has a strong community and a loyal following. It shows that many different people believe in the success of the project. If you notice there is not a strong community behind crypto but you strongly believe in the project – do more research first! You’ll probably find out there’s a good reason for this. A fast and efficient way to find out about the community is through social media, such as Twitter and YouTube. Have a look at what people are saying about it and make your own judgement! Many talented investors give away free advice on their YouTube channels so you’d be foolish to not check them out. They will give lots of advice about your potential investment and ultimately help you make the right choice for yourself.

3. What’s the vision?

The vision behind the cryptocurrency is a huge part of its success. You should find out why the inventor created it and their ambitions for its future success. You need to be thinking long-term when you make an investment because this is what will bring you the most profit. Of course, you can invest for short-term gains but it will always have more risk. Therefore, the project needs to be long-lasting. Can you see the coin being around for AT LEAST the next 10 years? If not, do not invest. The creator and team should have a big future vision for the coin. Also, find out what makes the coin different and a strong competitor against others.

4. What is the technology behind it?

The underlying technology behind the cryptocurrency is ultimately what will be responsible for its success. You need to ensure you understand how the coin is competing against other coins. You should be asking – what makes it different? what makes it better? It will be helpful to look at some of the most successful coins to compare, such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum. Look at what it was about the technology behind them that made them a success. Then compare to the coin that you’re potentially investing in. Do you believe it’s as strong? If you’re a beginner at crypto, you might find the technology part a little confusing. Watch YouTube videos and get the best understanding you can. You want to choose a cryptocurrency with innovative technology!

5. What is the pricing history?

It’s important to look at the past behaviours and trends of a cryptocurrency for a better understanding. Interactive Crypto is a great website to visit to check the pricing history. It gives access to the prices and charts for almost every cryptocurrency in the market. As well as daily news and updates! You will also be able to access all historical data from the crypto from when the project was first launched. Needless to say, you shouldn’t fully judge a crypto coin on its history, the present success and future envisioned success is much more important. However, its pricing fluctuations will give you a great insight into whether it had a strong history or not. And can give you more confidence in its future if it’s consistent in moving upwards.

6. Have you read the White Paper?

And last but not least, have you read the white paper? This will answer every single important question that you have about cryptocurrency. Every time a new cryptocurrency is released, they will bring out a white paper too. This gives potential investors a detailed insight into the project and outlines what they are investing in. It will include the technology and how it works, future goals and visions, the team and so much more. All of the questions above will be answered in this if you can get your hands on one! If the cryptocurrency that you decide to invest in doesn’t have a white paper, it’s probably not as advanced and professional as you think. The white paper is unquestionably the best source of information on any cryptocurrency.

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Despite the huge crash in value on April 21st due to Elon Musk announcement, Bitcoin (BTC) still remains the top Cryptocurrency to invest in. Bitcoin has an incredible history of bringing outstanding long-term financial gains. It’s unquestionably the coin that’s increased the most in value! In 2010, Bitcoin was $0.08 per one coin. Now in 2021, one coin is worth an astounding $37,965.20. So if you were one of the lucky ones to invest over 10 years ago you’ll be extremely rich. Bitcoin is a very solid project so investing is likely to mean you’ll make financial gains over the years.

2. Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

Bitcoin Cash was introduced by Bitcoin (BTC) developers after concerning about the future of Bitcoin (BTC). It offers lower transaction fees and quicker wait times on its network. It can handle an impressive number of transactions that surpasses Bitcoin (BTC). The project is not as solid and stable as Bitcoin (BTC) but it oozes potential. It’s a great way to diversify your crypto portfolio.

3. Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum has a share of roughly 18% of all of the crypto market and has been a favourite (just below Bitcoin) for a long time now. It has had a long list of founders since 2015 and has become the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization ($276 billion)! The project aims to cut out third parties such as brokerages and banks which makes it an exceptional money-saving platform for users.

4. Cardano (ADA)

Cardano was also founded in 2015 by Charles Hoskinson, a co-founder of Ethereum. He has left Ethereum (a much more solid and valuable crypto) with goals to make Cardano the leading cryptocurrency. He plans to do this before his platform is designed to use just a fragment of the energy that Bitcoin and Ethereum are currently using. It is currently the 5th most valuable cryptocurrency set at $43 billion! Many of its contracts will be activated in 2022 so we can expect big things.

5. Dogecoin (DOGE)

You’re more likely to hear dogecoin being referred to as ”doge” after the Shiba Inu dog meme circulated the internet. It has become the 8th most valuable cryptocurrency set at $129 billion! Despite the major crypto crash, Dogecoin has risen over 4,500% in 2021 and continues to rise. Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer initially created it as a joke or a somewhat lighthearted take on the blockchain craze. But much to everyone’s surprise, it actually became an extremely valuable investment.

6. Polkadot (DOT)

Gavin Wood, also a co-founder of Ethereum, created Polkadot (DOT) in 2016. No doubt this gave him a huge advantage and is the reason that Polkadot has become one of the top cryptocurrencies in 2021. It aims to acts as a bridge between networks and has updated features that make it quicker and more accessible than its competitors. Its progress has stayed consistent since the beginning and it presents a solid project.

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1. Don’t invest all of your savings into cryptocurrency

This might seem obvious, but you’ll be surprised at the number of people who invest all of their savings into cryptocurrency within minutes. It is actually recommended by finance experts, that you keep your cryptocurrency investments at 5% of your portfolio. This is because (as mentioned above) the crypto market is extremely volatile and risking all of your money has the potential to become very financially damaging. For people investing in 2021, you should learn something from the huge Bitcoin crash. There are huge financial risks involved so never put all of your eggs (cash) into one basket.

2. Choose Your Cryptocurrency

Before choosing which cryptocurrency to invest in, it’s important that you know all of the essential information about it. So it’s time to get researching! There are many factors you should look at before choosing. Such as the community, the team, the fundamental analysis, the technology, their vision, leadership skills, pricing history, reputation and future goals. Don’t just choose the one you like the sound of and hope for the best. It’s a recipe for disaster (and financial losses). Check out our Top Cryptocurrencies to Invest in 2021 page for a list of our recommendations and information on each cryptocurrency.

3. Choose a Reputable Platform to Buy Cryptocurrencies

It’s very important to research each platform before depositing any cash. You need to be 100% sure that the platform is reputable and your money will be safe and secure. It’s always a good idea to read reviews beforehand so you can read real customer experiences. There are many incredible platforms but also a lot of frauds out there too. Beginners are usually the targets so educated yourself and do your research! Here is a list of our recommendations of trustworthy platforms to help you out:

• Coinbase
• Gemini
• BlockFi
• Uphold
• Kraken
• eToro
• Bitcoin IRA
• Crypto.com
• Binance
• Hodlnaut

4. Store Your Cryptocurrency

Depositing cash into whichever platform you’ve decided on and buying crypto is a fairly quick and straightforward process. But choosing which wallet to keep it stored in can be harder. You should find the wallet that is most suitable for you. The two distinctions between wallets are hot or cold. If you choose a hot wallet then it will be connected to the interest and easily accessible. However, if you choose a cold wallet, it will not be connected to the internet and you can access it when offline. The cold wallets are usually the choice for long-term investors that are not going to be checking it each day.

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First, you must decide HOW you want to invest in the stock markets. There are many different approaches that investors can choose to take. You can choose to invest in individual stocks, index funds or Robo-advisors. Each investment strategy has different advantages and disadvantages depending on what type of investor you are. Let’s take a look at all three:

⦁ Individual stocks: If you are more of an active investor then investing in individuals stocks is best for you. These stocks can increase and decrease significantly during the course of a day. Therefore, you must be prepared to evaluate your stocks on an ongoing basis. Analytics love this!

⦁ Index funds: Index funds, such as S&P 500 index funds and Nasdaq-100 index are a more passive approach to investing in stocks. The indexes do the work of tracking the performance of all of the stocks. They manage the funds so you can essentially sit back and relax. These funds usually have lower costs and are great long-term investments. But not great for short-term gains.

⦁ Robo-advisors: And last but not least, Robo-advisors is a brokerage that invests your money for you. They study the progress and performance of the stock daily and are essentially what people consider ”professional investors”. They will help you decide what stocks are best for you according to investing goals, risk etc. It’s great for investors who are not too familiar with the stock market. A helping hand can go a long way!

2. Choose an investing account

Choosing a reputable investing account is absolutely essential. You need to be sure your investments are safe and secure. You should do thorough research into the best investing accounts for you. First, you should research and write a list of the best investing accounts to invest in stocks. Reading real customer reviews is a great start to finding a reputable investing account! Look at the costs, incentives, services offered, a reasonable investment minimum, high-quality trading tools and great customer service.

Here are some of the best Online Brokers for Stock Trading in 2021:

⦁ E*TRADE
⦁ TD Ameritrade
⦁ Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite
⦁ Webull
⦁ Robinhood
⦁ TradeStation
⦁ Zacks Trade

3. Understand What You’re Investing in

The biggest mistake many investors (mainly first-time investors) make is not fully understanding what they are investing in. Sounds crazy, huh? but actually many investors do not fully understand the difference between stocks and funds before investing in them. Make sure you research and fully understand these differences. Needless to say, it’s crucial to your financial gains and success as an investor.

• Stocks = an investment in an individual company

• Funds = an investment into lots of different stocks. You will be buying a share of many different companies simultaneously. There are many different funds such as mutual funds, EFTs, Nasdaq-100 index funds, S&P 500 index funds and many more!

4. Budget

It’s so important to set a budget for your stock investment. Much like gambling, investing in stocks can become very addictive. Many investors go into it expecting financial gains and risking a large sum of money that they can’t really afford to lose. In any form of investment, there is ALWAYS a chance that you could lose everything. Don’t invest any money that you need for other things. It’s a very slippery slope to go down! If you make a budget, you will have more control over your money. It creates a spending plan for your money and will keep you from ever going into debt. You’re here to make financial gains, not losses!

5. Focus on long-term investing

Let’s face it, we all dream to wake up with one million dollars in our bank accounts! But short-term financial gains through stocks usually involve a lot of risks and have much more potential to end badly. Long-term investments are much more stable. Historically, long-term investments have always proved more profitable. The stock market is constantly changing and usually, stocks will increase in value. Therefore, over time it’s very likely that you can make significant gains over time.

6. Manage your stock portfolio

Managing your stock portfolio in an efficient way will unquestionably increase your financial gains. Reading lots of guides on the internet for stock portfolio management is great to give yourself the best start to investing. If you still don’t feel confident after reading these, here are some books that will help you:

⦁ Investing QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Successfully Navigating the Stock Market, Growing Your Wealth & Creating a Secure Financial Future by Ted D. Snow

⦁ The Lifestyle Investor: The 10 Commandments of Cash Flow Investing for Passive Income and Financial Freedom by Justin Donald

⦁ Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing: The Blueprint To Quitting Your Job With Real Estate – Even Without Experience Or Cash by Michael Blank

⦁ The Book on Managing Rental Properties: A Proven System for Finding, Screening, and Managing Tenants with Fewer Headaches and Maximum Profits by Brandon Turner

⦁ Mastering the Trade, Third Edition: Proven Techniques for Profiting From Intraday and Swing Trading Setups by John Carter

You will gain many insightful investing principles in these books and can create a portfolio plan that works for you!

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Before opening a high-yield saving account, you should check many factors. Such as deposit requirements, minimum balance requirements, account fees and interest rates. The increase in earnings compared to the majority of other savings accounts is significant, hence the ”high” part of its name. If you decide to put money into a high-yield savings account, typically you can expect on average 20x more pay than a typical savings account. So, it’s definitely one of the best out there! You can make transfers between accounts simple and quickly which is why many people also choose it. Typically, high-yield savings accounts can be opened from many banks, so check if your current bank allows you to! However, the best interest rates come from online banks.

2. Certificates of deposit

You can take obtain a certificate of deposit at any bank or credit union. Essentially, it means depositing a certain amount of money and leaving it untouched by a predetermined period of time. You and the bank can determine this period together and make an agreement. The bank will provide an interest rate premium upon agreeance and usually, you will gain interest monthly or annually. It gives you fixed returns and is generally much more beneficial than any saving accounts that a bank can offer. Needless to say, the downside is that you can’t access your money until the predetermined date. Well, you can but a withdrawal fee will apply (and they are usually sizeable).

3. Government bond funds

If you invest in a government bond fund, fundamentally you are loaning the government money. Governments usually use them to raise capital and fund new projects and infrastructures. What’s in it for you? well, the government agree on a fixed return interest rate on the loan you’ve leant them. You can both agree beforehand what the periods of time you will receive these interest payments. It’s a win-win for both sides. The length of time that you lend this loan is up to you. It could be for the duration of one year or twenty years. Investors benefit from gaining a fixed income of interest, also known as a ”coupon”.

4. Short-term corporate bond funds

If you invest in a short-term corporate bond fund, you are essentially investing in securities with a maturity period of one to three years. This means that the securities already have high liquidity because they are well established. It also makes it easy to track potential gains from previous records and trends. Needless to say, they are still unpredictable. It’s a higher risk investment because you can also lose a lot of money in a short time. It’s important for investors to funds fluctuations beforehand to ensure it’s a stable and safe investment. And comparing them to other investments will also help maximise profits.

5. Municipal bond funds

Municipal bond funds are great for investors that are focused on maintaining capital whilst also create tax-free income. You’ve probably already guessed by the name, but investing in these bonds means investing in municipal bonds. From different villages towns or cities governed by a council. Many of these bonds objectives can change depending on location. Such as interest rates, duration etc. These bonds are generally much lower at risk than others. They are popular with investors because of their great history. Historically, they have offered reliable interest payments and tax advantages.

6. S&P 500 index funds

The S&P 500 index funds is an index that consists of the 500 largest companies in the U.S. Investing into it means you will own shares of ALL of the 500 stocks within the index. Technically, it tracks and mirrors how the best stocks are performing. Investing in this fund is a very safe investment and is considered a ”passive” form of investment. This is not for investors looking for big financial gains but instead smaller but more guaranteed gains. It mirrors the performance so you are not taking huge financial risks.

7. Dividend stock funds

If you invest in Dividend stock funds, you will have mutual funds investing in different stocks. These stocks will pay a sum of money (dividends) regularly, typically it will be annually but monthly is sometimes an option too. The company will pay this sum to all shareholders out of its profits. Investors can keep this as profit. But many will then reinvest the dividends into more shares of the stock founds. The best thing about this investment is that all investors will get paid despite rough and rocky times in the market. This will never affect your annual or monthly payment. It provides stability rather than huge financial gains.

8. Nasdaq-100 index funds

Similar to the S&P 500 index funds, the Nasdaq-100 index funds look at the top 100 largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq stock exchange. It mirrors and tracks the performance of them all. They use a weighted modified market capitalization strategy. There is a huge range of companies listed in the Nasdaq-100 index, including big companies like Pepsi, Amazon Activision Blizzard, Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp. It’s a popular choice currently because of its great performance in the past. Last year (2020) it outperformed the broader market. And also provide 2.7% more than the S&P 500 index funds.

9. Rental housing

Rental housing is a great long-term financial investment. It is when an investor purchases a property (with an inital deposit usually 5-10%) and takes out a mortgage. The investor will not live in the property but will rent it to tenants. The owner of the property can charge the tenants whatever amount they wish for rent each month. They can then use this to pay the mortgage each month. And eventually, the property will be paid off and become your own! You can then choose to sell it for financial gain or live in it. However, you need to be careful with this investment and ensure you enter a rental agreement for guaranteed income each month. Periods, where no tenants are occupying it, can become extremely costly for you.

10. Cryptocurrency

And last, but not least, Cryptocurrency! Despite the massive crash, we have all witnessed in 2021, cryptocurrency still remains a good investment. It’s important to educate yourself and do lots of research into each cryptocurrency before investing. You must believe in the project and see it become increasingly successful. Check out our Top 10 Cryptocurrencies in 2021 page for advice on which cryptos to invest in!

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Investing in the stock market is essentially buying a share of a company. You buy a small fraction of a company which you will own. Investors will usually purchase stocks in companies that they believe will go up in value over time. This is how investors generate profit from the stocks. Needless to say, the stock can also decrease in value over time too. It all depends on how well the company is doing. That’s why it’s important to do research and choose companies that you think will go up in value. You can then decide to sell the stock whenever you wish and hopefully make a profit!

Bonds

If you decide to buy a bond, you are essentially loaning a company your money in the hope of personal profit. Companies reach out to investors for loans instead of going to a bank. The good thing about bonds is you will receive regular payments with added interest (you can decide the time periods in between each payment). You can also set a final payment (maturity date) when the loan will end. It’s somewhat a safer way of investing than stocks because you’re pretty much guaranteed an income and profit (by interest). Unless of course, the company goes bankrupt. However, in this case, you will usually be offered stocks in new companies for exchange. So there is still a possibility you will receive your money back. It’s a low-risk investment.

Mutual funds

Investing in mutual funds is essentially a company taking money from investors and investing the money into different assets, such as stocks and bonds. Therefore, investing in mutual funds means you will have a much more diverse portfolio and various incomes. Investors usually do this so they have more chances of gaining financial income. The mutual funds have professional financial managers running them so investors can relax. Many investors choose mutual funds because it allows them to invest in more than they usually could manage.

Index funds

Index funds have many similarities to mutual funds but many investors prefer them because they have lower expenses and fees. This is because they are less actively managed than some other funds, such as mutual funds. Essentially, if you invest in index funds you are investing in stocks or bonds. However, they are designed to track previous performances and mimic them in the hope it continues this way and you make financial gains. These are lower-risk investments so it’s unlikely that you will make huge financial gains.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)

EFTs are traded on exchange exactly like stocks. And like stocks, the price of them will increase or decrease throughout the day. It depends on how the market is doing and how many stocks are being sold/bought. These investments are more liquified and risky. They can include many different types of investments, such as stocks or bonds. Fundamentally, EFTs are a group of securities that can be traded on an exchange whenever the investor sees fit.

Options

If you invest in Options then you are essentially signing a contract with the owner or holder. This contract will give you an investment at a predetermined price for a certain period of time (decided by the owner/holder). As an investor, you still have the right to buy or sell as you see fit though. Option investments are extremely low risk because technically you can withdraw from the contract at any point. So, you are more likely to make small financial gains and nothing big.

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