“Did I miss the boat?” At midnight, Ben messaged me. That happens a lot. Prices were rising, Twitter was on fire and his thumbs were restless. I told him what I tell everyone: if you don’t have a strategy, the market will create one for you. Before you even consider placing an order, make sure that you trust the marketplace. “Big exchanges, they’re easy to get money on, they have deep markets, and they provide real support. Consider the costs, spread and track record of the listing. Learn about their record of securing what you keep safe. Have some ID ready when KYC is required. If you want to keep your own money, use a wallet and test with stablecoins before bigger moves. Be careful when you move money. Bank transfers are slower and cheaper. Cards are quick but pricey. Consider the total cost, not just the headline fee. The spread may be a bigger cost than fees. Make better orders. Market orders execute right away, but they can move against you if liquidity is low. Limit orders give you control. Many people dollar-cost average, so they don’t have to predict what the market will look like. “Volatility is just background noise, but it is now the background hum,” he writes. Set aside the capital that you are prepared to lose and for how long. Hot wallets are good for spending. Cold wallets are better for storage. Write your mnemonic by hand and store them securely, like a precious jewel. Don’t take photos. There are no clouds. Add 2FA with an authenticator or physical device; SMS is unsafe. Keep multiple copies. Be very careful here. Be wary of suspiciously polished links. Those phishing pages look legit and slick. Always manually enter the site. On-chain approvals remain in place; check crypto Malaysia app them often. If something feels rushed, pause. Scammers prefer to rush. Taxes are real. Monitor timestamps, transactions and cost basis. You could use a sophisticated tool, or a simple sheet. Ours is once a year — wherever your accountant lives, you’ll thank us. Ensure the size of the positions keeps you calm. If a decline of 20% is enough to stress you out, you’re overinvested. Your pulse is not meant to jump like a ticker. Don’t sound alarms; set reminders. Cash is also a position. Go beyond vibes homework. Read the whitepaper but also scan commit history, community health, the unlock timeline and the vesting periods. Get very mad about more than just memes. Hype is loud; math is quiet. Before you go in, figure out your exit strategy. Where could you earn money, you think? Where do you move it? Get a goal and stay with it. Without rules being altered in the middle of games, small losses don’t turn into large ones. By making two rapid moves, I avoided losses. Step 1: Try a small order, Not a Big One. Costs, addresses and network decisions — learn at low cost. Step 2: it’s the red days they buy with alarms, not green candles. It feels unnatural. It works. Make the process your own. Take notes. Adjust as you go. The plan could be simple and one of a kind. To feel better about the whole thing, go slow and click buttons with intent — and I don’t necessarily mean the speed of your clicks but rather the accuracy with which you push and the sensitivity with which you release; also, double-check everything. Tomorrow, crypto will still exist. Your money should be too.