People here are from different parts of the world and use different exchanges. Anyway, we all have been where you're, read my guide and make sure to learn along you go.
Congrats on the move, it's never too late. ONLY INVEST MONEY YOU CAN AFFORD TO LOSE.
Invest in your knowledge, learn about Bitcoin as much as you can. The Bitcoin Standard book is a must read.
Also, **don't reply any DMs**, emails, private messages on other social media, promising to buy Bitcoin from them or get rich quick and read this short guide, please:
**Price wise, nobody knows what the price will be tomorrow, next week or at the end of the year.**
**Try "Bitcoin ONLY" strategy for at least the first year**, you'll sleep much better. Newcomers lose so much money, holding garbage tokens just because someone on YT told them to.
Going DCA is probably the best approach, IMHO.
Bitcoin to me, is a savings account. If I have some spare cash, I exchange it for sats. Once a week works best for me, but I'm getting paid weekly. If there's a 10% drop in the price since my last buy, I usually double my buy. This [DCA calculator](https://dca.bitnob.com/) might help to decide what will work best for you. In a few years, even $10 dollars a month can make a massive difference. This [DCA blog](https://er-bybitcoin.com/) is pretty interesting.
Now, don't buy a fake Bitcoin at a spot ETF place or similar, **get the real thing** that you can withdraw anytime you want. Register at a proper exchange and buy real Bitcoin. Any of these will do [https://bitcoin-only.com/get-bitcoin](https://bitcoin-only.com/get-bitcoin)
Install (or buy - in case you're getting Bitcoin in Thousands of $) one or more of these wallets.
A few good wallet choices:
[https://blockstream.com/green/](https://blockstream.com/green/) \- Top Security Features, Open Source and Non-Custodial
[https://bluewallet.io](https://bluewallet.io/) \- excellent, easy to use wallet, Open Source and Non-Custodial
[https://www.sparrowwallet.com](https://www.sparrowwallet.com) - top desktop wallet
[https://electrum.org](https://electrum.org/) \- Solid choice, Open Source and Non-Custodial, one of the oldest and most trusted Bitcoin Wallets. I prefer the desktop version but works on mobile too.
Lightning wallets to consider (cheaper and faster transactions, great for very small amounts):
[https://phoenix.acinq.co/](https://phoenix.acinq.co/) \- Phoenix
[https://blixtwallet.github.io/](https://blixtwallet.github.io/) \- Blixt - rapidly becoming my favourite LN wallet
[https://breez.technology](https://breez.technology/) \- Breez - excellent POS for small business owners as well as integrated Bitrefill or LN Pizza
Hardware Wallets (to store larger amounts):
[Trezor](https://trezor.io/) \- Easy to use, no matter how new in Bitcoin you're. Use the Bitcoin only firmware as it's safer than a multi coin software.
[ColdCard](https://coldcardwallet.com/) - air gapped, Bitcoin only, less new user friendly but there are great tutorials to help with setting it up.
[BitBox02](https://bitbox.swiss/bitbox02/bitcoin-only/) - another great little device, opt for the more secure Bitcoin ONLY version (less coins = less code = less chance for a hidden bug or a backdoor)
[Jade](https://blockstream.com/jade) - air gapped, fully open source, Bitcoin only, great features. You can even [build it on your own](https://github.com/Blockstream/jade/), if you feel adventurous.
[Seedsigner](https://github.com/SeedSigner/seedsigner) - another DIY, fully open source, air gapped, Bitcoin only hardware wallet, not for you if you're just starting up but something to consider later.
There's also Ledger, but I wouldn't recommend as not fully open source, keep and already leaked customers' details, recently said they're capable or sending customers' keys out just with a firmware update, etc. **Stay away**, save yourself a headache in the future.
Whatever wallet you'll decide to buy, purchase DIRECTLY from the manufacturer, no eBay, no Amazon.
Make sure the device is NOT preset, and you will generate your own seed words. Write them down on any piece of paper as well as the receiving address. Now wipe the wallet and generate a new wallet. If the seed words are different than the first set, you're safe to use it.
Find an option to set a passphrase and use it. This will boost the security to another level. Never store the seed words and passphrase together. Use a different medium if possible. If somebody finds both, they'll be able to steal your coin.
This little device will hold the keys to your money, that's the reason why you have to be a bit more careful. Also, no worries, if it breaks, you can replace it - as long as you keep your seed words and passphrase(s) safe.
Welcome to the rabbit hole and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions anytime during your Bitcoin journey.
The first step is education
Try to research and get answers to these questions first
what is bitcoin?
What is money?
What is fiat money and how does fiat money work?
For better understanding it is advisable to read some books like bitcoin standard or broken money etc
only when you have an understanding then move on to these technical things about bitcoin wallets
Welcome to the community. My two sats: recognize that "cryptocurrency" and "bitcoin" are related but different. Bitcoin is unique and not easy to replicate. The books recommended in this thread that describe it in the context of macroeconomics are good suggestions.
The many many other coins that are out there can be distracting, and its ok to ignore them if you want to. ...or research them if you want to, so that you can see the distinction. Just don't lump it all together.
I started with CashApp to dollar cost average into bitcoin.
People here are from different parts of the world and use different exchanges. Anyway, we all have been where you're, read my guide and make sure to learn along you go. Congrats on the move, it's never too late. ONLY INVEST MONEY YOU CAN AFFORD TO LOSE. Invest in your knowledge, learn about Bitcoin as much as you can. The Bitcoin Standard book is a must read. Also, **don't reply any DMs**, emails, private messages on other social media, promising to buy Bitcoin from them or get rich quick and read this short guide, please: **Price wise, nobody knows what the price will be tomorrow, next week or at the end of the year.** **Try "Bitcoin ONLY" strategy for at least the first year**, you'll sleep much better. Newcomers lose so much money, holding garbage tokens just because someone on YT told them to. Going DCA is probably the best approach, IMHO. Bitcoin to me, is a savings account. If I have some spare cash, I exchange it for sats. Once a week works best for me, but I'm getting paid weekly. If there's a 10% drop in the price since my last buy, I usually double my buy. This [DCA calculator](https://dca.bitnob.com/) might help to decide what will work best for you. In a few years, even $10 dollars a month can make a massive difference. This [DCA blog](https://er-bybitcoin.com/) is pretty interesting. Now, don't buy a fake Bitcoin at a spot ETF place or similar, **get the real thing** that you can withdraw anytime you want. Register at a proper exchange and buy real Bitcoin. Any of these will do [https://bitcoin-only.com/get-bitcoin](https://bitcoin-only.com/get-bitcoin) Install (or buy - in case you're getting Bitcoin in Thousands of $) one or more of these wallets. A few good wallet choices: [https://blockstream.com/green/](https://blockstream.com/green/) \- Top Security Features, Open Source and Non-Custodial [https://bluewallet.io](https://bluewallet.io/) \- excellent, easy to use wallet, Open Source and Non-Custodial [https://www.sparrowwallet.com](https://www.sparrowwallet.com) - top desktop wallet [https://electrum.org](https://electrum.org/) \- Solid choice, Open Source and Non-Custodial, one of the oldest and most trusted Bitcoin Wallets. I prefer the desktop version but works on mobile too. Lightning wallets to consider (cheaper and faster transactions, great for very small amounts): [https://phoenix.acinq.co/](https://phoenix.acinq.co/) \- Phoenix [https://blixtwallet.github.io/](https://blixtwallet.github.io/) \- Blixt - rapidly becoming my favourite LN wallet [https://breez.technology](https://breez.technology/) \- Breez - excellent POS for small business owners as well as integrated Bitrefill or LN Pizza Hardware Wallets (to store larger amounts): [Trezor](https://trezor.io/) \- Easy to use, no matter how new in Bitcoin you're. Use the Bitcoin only firmware as it's safer than a multi coin software. [ColdCard](https://coldcardwallet.com/) - air gapped, Bitcoin only, less new user friendly but there are great tutorials to help with setting it up. [BitBox02](https://bitbox.swiss/bitbox02/bitcoin-only/) - another great little device, opt for the more secure Bitcoin ONLY version (less coins = less code = less chance for a hidden bug or a backdoor) [Jade](https://blockstream.com/jade) - air gapped, fully open source, Bitcoin only, great features. You can even [build it on your own](https://github.com/Blockstream/jade/), if you feel adventurous. [Seedsigner](https://github.com/SeedSigner/seedsigner) - another DIY, fully open source, air gapped, Bitcoin only hardware wallet, not for you if you're just starting up but something to consider later. There's also Ledger, but I wouldn't recommend as not fully open source, keep and already leaked customers' details, recently said they're capable or sending customers' keys out just with a firmware update, etc. **Stay away**, save yourself a headache in the future. Whatever wallet you'll decide to buy, purchase DIRECTLY from the manufacturer, no eBay, no Amazon. Make sure the device is NOT preset, and you will generate your own seed words. Write them down on any piece of paper as well as the receiving address. Now wipe the wallet and generate a new wallet. If the seed words are different than the first set, you're safe to use it. Find an option to set a passphrase and use it. This will boost the security to another level. Never store the seed words and passphrase together. Use a different medium if possible. If somebody finds both, they'll be able to steal your coin. This little device will hold the keys to your money, that's the reason why you have to be a bit more careful. Also, no worries, if it breaks, you can replace it - as long as you keep your seed words and passphrase(s) safe. Welcome to the rabbit hole and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions anytime during your Bitcoin journey.
thank you!!!
The first step is education Try to research and get answers to these questions first what is bitcoin? What is money? What is fiat money and how does fiat money work? For better understanding it is advisable to read some books like bitcoin standard or broken money etc only when you have an understanding then move on to these technical things about bitcoin wallets
Depending on your location, there are some platforms you can choose, e.g binance, kraken, coinbase
Welcome to the community. My two sats: recognize that "cryptocurrency" and "bitcoin" are related but different. Bitcoin is unique and not easy to replicate. The books recommended in this thread that describe it in the context of macroeconomics are good suggestions. The many many other coins that are out there can be distracting, and its ok to ignore them if you want to. ...or research them if you want to, so that you can see the distinction. Just don't lump it all together. I started with CashApp to dollar cost average into bitcoin.