How much you should have invested in Bitcoin

As bitcoin approaches yet another record, Union Square Ventures LLC’s Fred Wilson says investors should be careful how much of their portfolios are allocated to digital currencies.

Wilson, who first invested in the sector in 2013, wants to set the record straight on exactly what percentage of someone’s investments should be tied to things like bitcoin.

“I have about five percent of our net worth in crypto assets, across a number of vehicles; direct holdings, Union Square funds, token funds, etc.,” Wilson said in a blog post. “I think that’s likely at the high end of what the average person should have, but I also think its not a ridiculous number for the average person to have.”

If someone had invested in bitcoin the same day that Wilson announced his venture capital firm’s investment in Coinbase Inc., a trading platform for cryptocurrencies, they would have seen their investment rise a whopping 5,000 percent.

Here’s a look at how much a few different types of investor should have tied to cryptocurrencies, according to Wilson:

Young, aggressive risk takers should have the highest allocation at 10 percent of net worth.
Someone who’s a sophisticated investor, but maybe not as much of a risk taker should have 5 percent.
The everyday investor who’s more conservative, but still willing to take on some risk should devote 3 percent.
Someone at the retirement age and simply trying to preserve their portfolio shouldn’t have anything in crypto.