Heidi Chakos
Co-FounderHeidi Chakos is co-founder of Learning Crypto and creator of the @cryptotips YouTube channel. A cryptocurrency educator and author with over a decade in the space, she specialises in Bitcoin fundamentals, self-custody, and on-chain analytics.
131 guides by Heidi.
AnalysisAgentic Finance: How AI Agents Are Reshaping Crypto Investing
Agentic finance is the use of autonomous AI agents that analyze data, make decisions, and execute financial actions without a human approving each step. In crypto they already hold wallets, trade across DeFi, and pay in stablecoins over rails like x402. Safe use rests on scoped permissions (EIP-7702 and session keys), on-chain identity (ERC-8004), spending policies, and auditability. Most tools still target developers.
Heidi ChakosFundamentalsFundamentalsThe Future is Now: How AI and Crypto Are Converging by 2026
What AI is actually doing to crypto in 2026: real projects, real risks, and the questions you should be asking before trusting any of it.
Heidi ChakosAnalysis
AnalysisMastering DYOR in Crypto: Your Step-by-Step Research Framework
DYOR (Do Your Own Research) means independently investigating a crypto project before committing money, instead of trusting a tweet or an influencer. A workable process has six steps: read the whitepaper for a real problem and solution, verify the team, analyze token supply and vesting, check roadmap delivery and GitHub activity, confirm on-chain data like holder concentration, then seek credible critics. First pass: several hours.
16 min read/Heidi ChakosBitcoin
BitcoinThe Cypherpunk Movement: Origins, Manifesto & Enduring Legacy
The cypherpunk movement was a loose network of cryptographers and privacy activists, emerging in the late 1980s and organised around a 1992 mailing list, who argued that strong encryption rather than legislation was the only reliable defence against surveillance. Eric Hughes' 1993 manifesto framed privacy as code. The Bitcoin whitepaper cites members' work, and Hal Finney received the first Bitcoin transaction.
Heidi ChakosWallets & Custody
Wallets & CustodyMastering Multi-Sig Wallets: Why Serious Crypto Holders Use Multiple Keys
A multisig wallet requires multiple private keys to approve a transaction, so a single lost or stolen key cannot move your funds. A 2-of-3 setup is the usual choice for individuals; organizations tend to use 3-of-5. Multisig is native to Bitcoin (Electrum supports it) and runs through smart contracts like Safe on Ethereum. Keep keys in separate locations, ideally on hardware wallets, and test first.
16 min read/Heidi ChakosDeFi
DeFiUnderstanding MEV in Crypto: Maximal Extractable Value Explained
MEV (Maximal Extractable Value, originally Miner Extractable Value) is the extra profit a block producer or bot captures by choosing which transactions enter a block and in what order. It is a structural feature of public blockchains, not a hack. Front-running and sandwich attacks give DeFi traders worse prices, while arbitrage keeps DEX prices in sync. Tight slippage and private relays reduce exposure.
Heidi ChakosDeFi
DeFiWhat Is a DAO in Crypto? A Guide to Decentralized Autonomous Organizations
A DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) is a community-run organization governed by smart contracts and token-holder votes rather than a CEO or board. Its rules and treasury live on a blockchain, and funds move only when a vote passes. DAOs now govern protocols like Uniswap and Aave, hold over $24 billion in treasuries, and can gain legal status under Wyoming's DUNA. Voter apathy is their weakness.
13 min read/Heidi ChakosBitcoin
BitcoinBitcoin vs Gold: Bitcoiner, Gold Bug, or Still Deciding?
Neither wins outright. Gold has a 5,000-year record, a market cap above $33 trillion, low volatility and industrial demand. Bitcoin is scarcer (21 million hard cap, inflation now below gold's), far more portable, and resistant to seizure with self-custody, but suffers 40 to 50% drawdowns. If you want stability, gold; if you want protection from censorship and asymmetric upside, Bitcoin. Many serious investors hold both.
Heidi ChakosFundamentals
FundamentalsCBDCs vs Cryptocurrency: Central Control vs Financial Freedom
A CBDC is digital currency issued and controlled by a central bank; cryptocurrency runs on a decentralized network no single party controls. CBDCs record every transaction, can carry spending conditions and can be frozen directly, while Bitcoin's supply is fixed at 21 million and self-custodied coins cannot be seized. Over 130 countries are exploring CBDCs; the US is legislating against one.
Heidi Chakos