With crypto value beginning to rise again, I thought I would throw out a general piece about being careful and not investing more than you can afford to lose, which I luckily avoided in my first go around the last time we had a bull market. Specifically in the last 4-5 years, the global financial landscape  witnessed a significant surge in interest and participation in the realm of cryptocurrencies. This digital asset class, characterized by its decentralized nature and potential for substantial returns, has captivated the attention of seasoned investors and newcomers. But if you were around last time, you also saw the enormous explosion of scammy alt coins, many of which claimed things like deflationary supply or burning billions of tokens right at launch, it was all smoke and mirrors though. Some of the ERC-20 / layer 2 types are not scams and have a legitimate purpose, but MANY of them last time around were simply for the purpose of pumping them and then selling off everything, leaving most people holding a bag of garbage. 

Investing in cryptocurrencies demands a strategic and well-informed approach, especially when you are only throwing a little bit at a time. A key principle that every prospective investor should stick to is the idea - nay, make it a law for yourself, of investing only what you can afford to lose. Everyone says this and new people in the space inevitably ignore them but it's so important. 

Diversification is another important aspect of a smart investment strategy. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket - and you can avoid getting wiped out by things like FTX. 

Finally, I just would like to say that there are a myriad of tools out there to help understand all of this better, youtubers like Ben Cowen or Chris M or Craig Percoco are just a few I would recommend watching. My strategy this time around will be to look into defi projects heavily, as it really boomed last bull market right at the end. None of this is financial advice, just a cautionary tale. I suspect in the next year, you're gonna see people going in heavy on alt coins and getting rich and the FOMO will be real. Make sure you are prepared for it and don't fall victim. Make a plan and stick to it. Good luck to everyone out there in 2024, and if it seems like scam, it probably is. 

Stay safe, and don't just HODL, put it to work for you!