142 guides by Heidi.
AnalysisWhat Is DCA in Crypto? Your Complete Guide to Dollar Cost Averaging
DCA (dollar-cost averaging) in crypto means investing the same amount on a fixed schedule, weekly or monthly, no matter what the price is doing. You automatically buy more coins when prices dip and fewer at peaks, smoothing your average cost without timing the market. Exchanges like Coinbase, Kraken, Swan and Strike automate recurring buys; Bitcoin and Ethereum are the usual starting points.
Heidi ChakosReviews & Safety
Reviews & SafetyCoinbase vs Binance: Which Crypto Exchange Is Right for You?
Coinbase is the better choice for beginners and US investors: licensed in all 50 states, simple interface, phone support, but fees of roughly 1.49% plus spread. Binance Global wins on cost and choice with 0.1% spot fees and 500+ coins, though it is harder to learn and under compliance monitoring. US residents only get Binance.US: about 150 coins, no futures, unavailable in 14 states.
Heidi ChakosAnalysis
AnalysisWhat Is Exit Liquidity in Crypto and Why You Should Care
Exit liquidity is what you become when your buy order lets someone else sell at the top: whales, early investors, or founders cashing out into hype. The pattern is quiet accumulation, coordinated hype, distribution into strength, then a crash that can leave latecomers down 80%. Warning signs include guaranteed-return promises, pumps with no fundamentals, price-obsessed communities, and restrictions on selling.
12 min read/Heidi ChakosAnalysis
AnalysisWhat Is FDV (Fully Diluted Valuation) in Crypto?
FDV, or fully diluted valuation, is a crypto token's price multiplied by its maximum (or total) supply: what the market cap would be if every token were already circulating. Divide FDV by market cap to gauge dilution risk: a ratio near 1.0 (Bitcoin about 1.05, Solana 1.13) means most tokens already circulate; above 5 or 10, large releases could weigh on the price.
Heidi ChakosAnalysis
AnalysisWhat Is Market Cap in Crypto: A Complete Guide
Market cap in crypto is the current price multiplied by circulating supply, so it measures a project's total value rather than the misleading price of one coin. Large caps sit above $10 billion, mid caps between $1 billion and $10 billion, and small caps below $1 billion, with risk rising as size falls. Check trading volume and fully diluted valuation too.
Heidi ChakosFundamentals
FundamentalsCrypto ETFs Explained: What Are They and How Do They Work?
A crypto ETF is a fund that trades on a stock exchange and holds Bitcoin, Ethereum or crypto futures, so you get price exposure through a brokerage or retirement account without managing keys. Spot Bitcoin ETFs were approved in January 2024. The cost is fees of roughly 0.20 to 0.75% a year, no staking rewards, no DeFi access, and no true ownership of the coins.
Heidi ChakosAnalysis
AnalysisWhat Are Blue Chip Cryptocurrencies? A Guide to Crypto's Safest Assets
Blue chip cryptocurrencies are the established digital assets that have survived market cycles, hold large market caps, trade with deep liquidity, and swing less than small-cap coins. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the clearest examples, alongside Solana, BNB and XRP. They are not risk-free, but they offer a more measured way to hold crypto, and most beginners start with the big two.
11 min read/Heidi ChakosDeFi
DeFiDifference Between Bitcoin & Ethereum: Breaking Down the Basics
Bitcoin and Ethereum solve different problems. Bitcoin, launched in 2009 with a hard cap of 21 million coins and proof-of-work mining, is built to be digital gold: a secure store of value and payment network. Ethereum, launched in 2015 and running proof-of-stake since 2022, is a programmable blockchain for smart contracts, DeFi and dApps with no fixed supply. Many investors hold both.
15 min read/Heidi ChakosRegulation & Tax
Regulation & TaxGenius Act Full Guide: Control, Not Freedom, in the Digital Dollar Era
The GENIUS Act (S.394) is the first federal law regulating US payment stablecoins. It requires 1:1 reserves in cash, insured deposits or short-term Treasuries, bans rehypothecation and yield-bearing stablecoins, and puts issuers under Bank Secrecy Act AML rules with OCC and Federal Reserve oversight. Our reading: it turns stablecoins into an intermediated digital dollar and strengthens the case for self-custodied Bitcoin.
Heidi Chakos