Bitcoin???

1_ Is Bitcoin a Good Investment?

Questions about the value of bitcoins as an investment will likely differ depending on who you ask.

Those with a vision of a fully-distributed future in which the lack of a centralized overseer becomes key to an asset’s value will tell you that, yes, bitcoins are poised to become only more valuable in the future. Others who put more value in the traditional trust afforded by banks and government institutions would likely steer you away from bitcoins as an investment.

While determining how “good” any investment will be is ultimately a guessing game, there are some tried and true ways to determine an asset’s worth. One of the simplest ways to think about bitcoin as an investment is to consider its rise against the U.S. dollar. Recently, bitcoin prices eclipsed $1,000 and have reached beyond $1,500. If you had invested in the digital currency when its worth was still hovering around $150 just a few years ago, or when it was first introduced in 2009 and worth nothing against the dollar, you would probably be convinced that it made for a good investment.

Furthermore, an underpinning concept behind Bitcoin is that there will only ever be 21,000,000 tokens, meaning that it may stay consistently valuable or increase in value relative to other types of currency which can be printed endlessly. Other reasons that the asset seems like a good investment include its growing popularity, network effects, security, immutability and status as the first ever in a growing world of digital currencies.

That being said, there is at least one significant argument for limiting bitcoins to a small portion of your portfolio at the most. Bitcoin is known for stark jumps in price, high peaks and deep valleys that would make it difficult to have confidence in the asset as a long-term money maker that can be depended on. Tying every dime you have to such a volatile asset would be imprudent. A good rule to follow is never to invest more than what you would be willing to lose.

2_What is Bitcoin Mining?

One of the fundamental questions many people have about Bitcoin revolves around the tokens themselves. Questions about its value, security and history, all eventually lead to one place: Where do bitcoins come from?

While traditional money is created through (central) banks, bitcoins are “mined” by Bitcoin miners: network participants that perform extra tasks. Specifically, they chronologically order transactions by including them in the Bitcoin blocks they find. This prevents a user from spending the same bitcoin twice; it solves the “double spend” problem.

Skipping over the technical details, finding a block most closely resembles a type of network lottery. For each attempt to try and find a new block, which is basically a random guess for a lucky number, a miner has to spend a tiny amount of energy. Most of the attempts fail and a miner will have wasted that energy. Only once about every ten minutes will a miner somewhere succeed and thus add a new block to the blockchain.

This also means that any time a miner finds a valid block, it must have statistically burned much more energy for all the failed attempts. This “proof of work” is at the heart of Bitcoin’s success.

For one, proof of work prevents miners from creating bitcoins out of thin air: they must burn real energy to earn them. And two, proof of work ossifies Bitcoin’s history. If an attacker were to try and change a transaction that happened in the past, that attacker would have to redo all of the work that has been done since to catch up and establish the longest chain. This is practically impossible and is why miners are said to “secure” the Bitcoin network.

In exchange for securing the network, and as the “lottery price” that serves as an incentive for burning this energy, each new block includes a special transaction. It’s this transaction that awards the miner with new bitcoins, which is how bitcoins first come into circulation. At Bitcoin’s launch, each new block awarded the miner with 50 bitcoins, and this amount halves every four years: Currently each block includes 12.5 new bitcoins. Additionally, miners get to keep any mining fees that were attached to the transactions they included in their blocks.

Anyone can become a Bitcoin miner to try and earn these coins. However, Bitcoin mining has become increasingly specialized over the years and is nowadays mostly done by dedicated professionals with specialized hardware, cheap electricity and often big data centers.

To mine competitively today, you need to know what you’re doing, you must be willing to invest significant resources and time, and — last but not least — you need access to cheap electricity. If you have all of this, you too can give it a shot and become a Bitcoin miner.

3_How to Get Bitcoins

With a firm understanding of what Bitcoin is and how bitcoin wallets work, chances are that you’re interested in getting some of the digital currency for yourself. The question is: How can you get bitcoins?

Based on an understanding that bitcoins originally come from mining processes, you might think this is the best way to get some for yourself. Sadly this has become increasingly difficult as Bitcoin has grown in popularity. As more powerful, mining-specific devices have been introduced and the number of bitcoins out there to be mined has fallen, it is becoming increasingly unrealistic for average individuals to participate.

Another way to get bitcoins is to earn them like you would any other currency: by providing goods or services in exchange for the digital currency. There are websites that list offers for jobs that pay in bitcoins, rather than traditional currency. You can also ask your current employer to pay you in bitcoins, which can be a good option for international freelancers in particular.

However, there is no shortage of options for buying bitcoins. Purchasing options include cash, the use of credit and debit cards through online services, bank wire transfers, the use of PayPal or other digital payment services, or the exchange of other digital currencies for bitcoin. In some urban centers, it is possible to buy bitcoins from a bitcoin ATM, or you can even opt for a face-to-face exchange to reduce your monetary footprint. Those interested in buying bitcoins should do some research for the best options available in their locale, as these services tend to differ from country to country.

Additionally, though not yet approved, the idea of investment trusts specifically designed to allow people to purchase shares in the digital currency without having to buy or store bitcoins themselves is emerging. While the Bitcoin Investment Trust is an option that’s already up and running, Bitcoin Superfund and Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF are proposed alternatives awaiting approval as well.

Of course, the same best practices for safety and trust when sending money in exchange for anything also apply in the pursuit of bitcoins. Because Bitcoin services are not regulated in the same way as traditional currencies, it is vital to find trustworthy vendors and recommended that you obtain their real-world identities and confirm sufficient trust is in place before providing any funds in exchange for bitcoins.

While there are plenty of avenues available for procuring bitcoins, walking down them can be treacherous and more complicated than it might seem, and it will depend greatly on where in the world you live. However, as the digital currency gains mainstream popularity and more purchasing options are added to the current roster, the process will only become easier.

https://bitcoin.org/en/exchanges

https://www.coinbase.com/home

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Expresscoin

https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/2293/how-can-i-buy-bitcoin-via-a-credit-card-or-paypal

https://coinatmradar.com/

https://localbitcoins.com/?ch=35qy

https://grayscale.co/bitcoin-investment-trust/

https://gust.com/companies/bitcoin-superfund

4_Is Bitcoin Legal?

It’s understandable to have questions about the legality of using Bitcoin. The platform introduced a brand new paradigm away from the traditional regulators and regulations that govern fiat currency. Unlike illegal, counterfeit money, which is a blatant example of a “currency” that misrepresents itself as legal tender, Bitcoin is entirely different. Nevertheless, it operates in a seemingly gray area when it comes to regulation. However, many of these concerns boil down to misunderstandings or a lack of concrete rules that govern Bitcoin, rather than overt violations of the law.

The question surrounding the relationship between Bitcoin and the law really depends on how the digital currency is being used.

Ever since the now-defunct Silk Road gained notoriety, regulators have been concerned about Bitcoin’s semi-anonymity and decentralized nature. In the U.S., as well as in other countries, authorities fear that the platform could be used for money laundering and the purchase of illicit goods without being traced.

Not helping Bitcoin’s reputation with authorities was its prevalence as a payment service for the Silk Road, a digital marketplace where users could purchase illegal goods. Whether or not people use Bitcoin as a way to participate in expressly illegal activities doesn’t make the digital currency itself illegal. The illegality of the activity is the issue, whether it’s paid for in bitcoin, cash or gold. However, even when bitcoin is used for legitimate purposes, rules are a little more complex.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, as of 2013, using bitcoin to purchase well-natured goods and services is not illegal. However, those who mine bitcoins and trade them for traditional currency or operate exchanges on which bitcoins are bought and sold are labeled “money transmitters” and could be subject to special laws that govern that type of activity. To date, those laws have rarely, if ever, been enforced to crackdown against bitcoin use.

When it comes to taxation, the IRS views bitcoin and other virtual currencies as property for federal tax purposes, similar to stocks and bonds, and federal tax law dictates that purchasers and/or sellers must treat it as such.

In other places around the world, the legality of Bitcoin is viewed differently, but for the most part it remains relatively safe to use as long as it is not tied to illicit purchases or activities. Many countries have issued statements indicating that bitcoin and other digital currencies are not regulated and do not exist as officially sanctioned currencies: a status that could put users at risk but would not have them violating any laws. Bitcoin is outright illegal in some countries, such as Iceland.

Depending on where and how you utilize bitcoin, it is important to remain up-to-date on the latest regulations concerning the digital currency. As laws change across borders, governing bodies and, increasingly, as the platform gains popularity, questions about bitcoin’s legality will continue to be raised.

https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/shared/FIN-2013-G001.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_bitcoin_by_country_or_territory

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