The crypto-craze is in full swing and I've bought my ticket and hopped on for the ride!

My name is Jack, and this is my blog.

Like so many others over the past few weeks, I have become sucked in to the world of cryptocurrency. It's quite a thrill, especially if you've put money in, since the valuation has been on a parabolic rise. But everything beyond the basics of blockchain and investing is over my head. The purpose of this blog is to record my progress and (hopefully) offer valuable insight from lessons learned along the way.

My Story

Now, I'm only in my mid twenties, but this goes back to some time in the 70's or 80's when my father was a young man himself.
Him and his buddy were hanging out, likely having a couple of drinks, and they were talking about this new thing called the "Internet". The details are hazy, but in each retelling the punchline is the same. My Dad turned to his friend and said "You know, I think this Internet thing could really take off". I reckon everybody has a story like this; a missed opportunity, a facepalm in hindsight.

2013...

My Dad gets a call from that same friend, they catch up, and he mentions something called "Bitcoin", a new "Internet money" or something rather. He told my Dad he had bought some and that he should look into it. "You know, I think this Bitcoin thing could really take off", but, just as before, it was a passing remark, and after looking over it briefly my Dad realized it was over his head.

A few months ago:

My Dad's friend flies over to visit, they catch up, and talks turn to bitcoin again. He's made a small fortune. My Dad really takes an interest now, and he asks me to look into it myself (being the "tech-savvy Millennial" that I am). I was living in another city at the time, so I wasn't too involved or interested. But I did end up moving back to my hometown...

Last month!

Dad has been watching bitcoin shoot up from $4000 when his friend was here, to over $8000 by late November. He wants in. I'm slightly more cautious and want to read about it, so I get "Bitcoin for Dummies", read that, follow news online, and check on the price every so often. By the end of the week I'm a true convert, this "Bitcoin thing" is amazing. But more than that, it's the other cryptocurrencies and the vision behind them that get me hooked. I do my best to explain what their potential is, but what truly seals the deal is their profit margins.

The Present

It's only been 2 weeks since we've been putting money in crypto, and we're far from experts, but it's been great fun nonetheless.
I bet everyone has a similar story, and many more people will in the months to come. Right now I think it's at the tipping point, like a crack in a dam that has been growing over the last couple of months that's about to break and flood the markets. Maybe it's already begun, maybe it's only the beginning... only time will tell.
Anyways, that's my (and my father's) story. I'm excited to see where it goes and share it with this great community.
Have a great day!
-J