Hey Steemians,
Hope you're all good and looking forward to making something decent in cryptocurrencies this week. I found an easy to understand article for beginners regarding the basics of cryptocurrency and how to invest in it. These two articles I've combined here has also got something really good about one of our own on STEEMIT 
The wonderful world of cryptocurrency has grown from a budding idea to a full-fledged market bonanza. Hopefully you’re savvy to the terminology and ready to start putting your money where your technology is. This directory should provide you with the basic starting points to begin building your fortune in digital money.
(Don’t forget that cryptocurrency is an investment, and you shouldn’t trust your finances to an article you read on a news-source. We strongly advise contacting a financial adviser before risking your money.)
Bitcoin was founded in 2009. It represented the first decentralized cryptocurrency. It’s the oldest, and, as of August 17th it reached an all-time high of over $4,500. Just six months prior it was worth about $900. While you’re trying to wrap your head around that, keep in mind Bitcoin isn’t the only cryptocurrency.
How many cryptocurrency offerings are there? Over 850 are currently listed on CoinMarketCap. Before you decide which one to blow your speculation money on, make sure you have all your crypto-ducks in a row.
You need a wallet
Before you can buy into an initial coin offering (ICO), purchase cryptocurrency, or execute smart-contracts you’ll need a wallet. There are hardware wallets and software wallets for now we’re only going to worry about software wallets.
Here’s a few to start you off:
Blockchain – possibly the most popular cryptocurrency wallet
Electrium – has been around since 2011
Gemini – boasts regulation by New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS).
Buy an established coin
You don’t have to start off trying to predict which ICO is the best investment. There are numerous ways to aquire cryptocurrency from an established coin. Here are some of our favorite coins to get your research started:
Bitcoin – The big one. If you’ve got $4,000+ to fork out for a Bitcoin you can get in on the over/under $5,000 action. For what it’s worth there are experts on both sides of that fence.
Ethereum – Things get a little more complicated here, but worth listing as a currency simply because ETH is second only to Bitcoin in popularity.
Litecoin – Launched in 2011 billing itself the “silver” to Bitcoin’s “gold”.
Bitcoin Cash – Bitcoin managed to fork itself and now there’s this.
Siacoin – Sometimes cryptocurrency comes in the form of cloud storage.
World Coin Index — provides a great listing to check valuations out
Coin Market Cap — another listing of coin valuations
Or just find an ICO and dive in
Which is easier said than done. It seems like there’s an ICO for everything. We’re hesitant to even list any here, simply because you should research an ICO much more in-depth than would be prudent for the purpose of this directory. However, we’re happy to provide some links that might help:
Coin Schedule – provides analysis on current and upcoming ICOs
Smith and Crown – A curated list of ICOs
ICO List – One of the most popular international sites concerning ICOs
It’s time to hit the exchange
Depending on which coin you’re investing in you’ll either visit an exchange, or use whatever method of purchase or trade the offering requires. You may be able to set up an online store that accepts Bitcoin or ETH, for example. Or perhaps you know someone who will sell you some. One of the most common ways to get cryptocurrency is to visit an exchange.
Coinbase – probably the most popular exchange there is
Kraken – you’ll find this one is well-reviewed by insiders
Bittrex – US based and supports nearly 200 cryptocurrencies
Buy Bitcoin Worldwide — provides country-specific exchange information
The above links should provide you with enough information to get you started on a path to dominate the cryptocurrency markets and become rich beyond fantasy. Or you could lose a bunch of money. Happy mining!
Get started in cryptocurrency with this beginner's directory
How To Invest
The future belongs to cryptocurrencies—digital currencies that are far more manageable and easy to regulate and protect using advanced encryption techniques and investment strategies. Given the promise and return potential of cryptocurrencies, investors have been turning away from more traditional investments in favor of these dynamic and lucrative digital assets.
Almost all of these digital currencies are decentralized—meaning they lack a regulating institution such as a central bank that can alter their value overnight. This means that control over most cryptocurrencies is entirely in the hands of buyers and sellers, which instills more confidence in the system and subsequently brings higher potential returns. They're also managed with advanced encryption techniques, which help prevent fraud, theft, and devaluation due to speculation.
All this might sound a bit daunting, but it's actually remarkably easy to start investing in cryptocurrencies with zero experience and a relatively small amount of money. In fact, courses like the Beginner's Guide to Cryptocurrency Investingcan get you ahead of this financial revolution for just $15.
With lifetime access to 2.5 hours of content spanning 27 lectures, you'll learn how to choose the best starting point for your cryptocurrency investment, locate the latest trends in the digital currency community, accurately estimate the true value of the entire market, compare your own research to the relative position of a currency within its history, and much more.
Your instructor, Jerry Banfield, has been an online entrepreneur since 2011, having served hundreds of clients in over 20 countries and managed billions of Facebook ads. He has learned how to drive large amounts of organic Google and YouTube traffic to his website, and teaches online courses sharing his experience with students worldwide. A member of the MENSA Society, Jerry holds degrees from the University of South Carolina and the University of South Florida.
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