This is part of a series aimed at making you a savvier investor whether you are just starting out or a seasoned pro.
Some of these might be obvious to you if you've been around, but please share them to folks who are just getting their feet wet and/or who aren't too familiar with crypto or investing in general.
1 - Don't avoid buying into a coin because you can't afford a full unit.
This is mostly aimed at Bitcoin's behemoth like price. Its much better to buy coins in smaller increments than a lump sum for two reasons. First, you average out gains vs losses as you invest passively over a longer term and second you are less inclined to act emotionally if the coin price starts collapsing. My recommendation is to stick to an amount you are comfortable putting aside every week, 2 weeks or every month and buy whatever fraction of large coins that you can afford (or a bunch of alt coins at a time)
2 - The price of a coin should not be the only motive behind a purchase.
There's a lot of hype out there, too much even. Try to stay away from it and research the coins you get into. Would you invest in a company because it says it discovered how to bio-engineer pigs into flying without seeing the actual pig fly? Didn't think so. Find out what the coin is about, research the community and read the whitepaper. If you are familiar with bitcointalk's ANN board, don't just stop there. Actively go into the Slack channels and follow the social media accounts. It may sound like work, but its your money in the end.
3 - If you buy something at a high price point, you should buy more when the price falls if you still believe in the coin.
This is self-explanatory. If you are in the long game approach, you will want to scoop up coins you already invest in at a cheaper price. The end result will be a higher yield when/if you decide to sell or keep holding. For example, if you are holding an ALT coin for its long term potential (like PIVX or UBQ) and the price drops by 20% or 30%, don't panic sell. Remember that financial markets and crypto markets are dictated mostly by human behaviour and the old adage of "greedy when others are scared and scared when others are greedy" still applies.
4 - Avoid buys of large sums into double digit green % gains
This ties into the tip above. If a coin is gaining upwards of 30% and more, proceed with caution. Its very likely that someone or a few, will sell a massive chunk to cash in their profit causing a sell panic. This is mostly applicable on newer more speculative coins of course, but it should still hold true when buying into the top coins. This will prevent you from reacting emotionally to the high fluctuations of this super volatile playground.
Defining your investment time frame will likely dictate your movements in the market so make sure you pick a strategy that you feel comfortable with and stick to it. I am personally invested in crypto for the long term, and I hope you are too!