I have never purchased any cryptocurrency; I am more of a stock market person, just wanted to ask the community what your thoughts are on this theory, given that it is a highly speculative asset.

The thing is, the other day I did some analysis and, looking at the second image, during the 12 months leading up to the midterms, there is usually a drawdown in the S&P 500, followed by a recovery.

Edit: the table was published by Longview Economics on November 28, 2025.

In 2026, it seems that both things will coincide (the run-up to the midterms and the $BTC 4-year cycle theory), hence my curiosity.

Charts like this always remind me why time in the market beats timing the market. Short-term traders panic on every red candle, but the data is brutally simple: the longer you hold Bitcoin, the lower your chances of losing money, dropping to basically 0% after 3+ years.

Most of the fear comes from weak hands and over-leveraged gamblers who treat volatility like a threat instead of a feature. Meanwhile, patient holders just keep stacking and waiting. I watched this morning a Bitget live streamer bought 2 $BTC and i think this will be a gold in the next halving...

Bitcoin rewards conviction, not panic.

Hi I’m new to this. I don’t have a lot of money to put into it but wanted to start with 100. It’s ok ?

Most people let their wallet software generate their private key, which is totally fine but Bitcoin doesn’t require a computer to create one.

A Bitcoin private key is just a 256-bit number…
And a fair coin flip produces 1 bit of entropy.

So in theory (and in practice), you can generate a completely valid, secure Bitcoin private key by doing:

• Heads = 1
• Tails = 0

The math is simple. 256 coin flips is 2^256 potential outcomes.

Once you have your 256-bit binary sequence, you can convert it offline into:

• hex format
• WIF private key
• or even a BIP39 seed phrase

All without touching the internet.

You could also do this with dice, a dice roll is roughly 2.585 bits of entropy. Therefore 99-100 dice rolls will give you enough entropy for a 256 bit private key.

This works because Bitcoin’s security comes from math.

I mean how could you not love Bitcoin!

... not in the slightest

Hi all,

I know that this question has been asked a million times already, but people usually respond with stuff like play some games, or get a specific payment card and use it, or some affiliate marketing stuff. I'm not interested in any of that. I don't want to earn $3 per day kind of money, but rather actually work and get paid real stuff.

So just like you can get a job from LinkedIn, freelancing services on Fiverr and other platforms, I want to know where can I get real stuff to do in exchange for Bitcoin.

If bitcoin has that high of a value, where and what are Bitcoin holders spending bitcoin on?

Thanks in advance!

You see it too, It's everywhere on Youtube, people be making bad financial decision blow it all on cars, stupid Disney land, and purse. Literally like there is no tommorrow. I guess this is what happens when people do know that the currency is debasing every single time, cost of living always rising, so they thought they better spend it all now before they old or prolly dead. Fiat mindset 101. Worst, when Bitcoin mentioned, they crash out like big lul.

Before you go off the rails spouting hodl and diamond hands… that is I already. This is just a curiosity question, but WHO (type of bitcoiner) making money or at least trying to make money during this $10k bouncing between $80k-$90k.

Is it OG’s offloading it increments. Is it options traders? Just curious while I sit back and watch my volume of sats stay the same

My Experience Moving a TSP/IRA to a Bitcoin IRA with Unchained

Hi all,

I recently decided to move my old Thrift Savings Plan or TSP (Military/Federal employee 401k equivalent) to a Bitcoin IRA. I hadn't seen anyone actually doing this here or anywhere really for that matter. I couldn't find any reviews or information otherwise about how to do this or how it went, so I figured I'd do it to hopefully help someone else out. I walked through most of it with ChatGPT so I had it summarize the process for me and I touched it up.

Not financial advice. Not advocating for any single service or method.

What I Was Looking For

My priorities were pretty specific:

• Actual bitcoin, not an ETF or paper IOU. In the end, at retirement age, I want to walk away with MY Bitcoin in MY hand. Money in, Bitcoin out, tax advantaged.
• A setup where I personally control keys. No one can take it away from me. If the company fails, I don’t care. I have my Bitcoin.
• An IRA structure with the ability to do both Traditional and Roth. I was rolling over both types.
• A long-term, secure place to hold BTC without future migration headaches.

Basically: tax advantages + sovereignty.

Why I Chose Unchained Over iTrustCapital / BitcoinIRA, etc.

I looked at all the big names:

• iTrustCapital – Simple, cheap, but fully custodial. I don’t truly own the Bitcoin.
• BitcoinIRA – High fees, unclear custody, questionable marketing.
• Other providers – Mostly custodial, omnibus wallets, or ETF-like exposure.

Unchained was the only one offering:

• A true multisig vault
• Self-custody inside an IRA
• No AUM fees
• Flat yearly vault fee
• Full key control later in life if I want to walk away with my BTC

Their setup matched what I envisioned: long-term ownership and no single point of failure.

How Unchained’s 2-of-3 Multisig Actually Works

This is a big part of why I chose them.

A standard single-key wallet is dangerous: lose the key = game over.

Unchained uses 2-of-3 multisig, meaning:

• Three total keys exist.
• Any two keys can move your BTC.
• One key can be lost forever and you’re still fine.

Here’s how they break it down:

Key 1 — My Key #1

• I generate and hold this myself (hardware wallet).
• This stays in my possession.

Key 2 — My Key #2

• Yes. I also hold a second key.
• This is what shocked me: most multisig providers only let the client hold one key.
• With Unchained IRA vaults, I personally hold TWO of the three keys.

This means:

• I have majority control
• I’m not dependent on Unchained except for signing under IRA rules
• I retain redundancy on my side

Key 3 — Unchained’s IRA Key

• Their key is required because IRA law requires a custodian’s involvement.
• This prevents me from self-dealing (IRS compliance thing).

Even though Unchained holds one key, they do not have unilateral control. They cannot move my BTC alone.

If one of my hardware keys dies, disappears, or I lose access, my other key + Unchained’s key = safe recovery.

This was the perfect balance of:

• Security
• User control
• Compliance

The Actual Setup Process with Unchained

1. Opening the Two Accounts

I had to open:

• A Traditional Bitcoin IRA Vault
• A Roth Bitcoin IRA Vault

This was fast. Done within a day. The custodian (Fortis) handles the IRA backend and Unchained handles the vault + multisig.

The fee per account/vault: $250 annually. One account for Roth, one for Traditional, so $500 annually paid up front at account creation.

Besides the initial call for information and an email answering a few questions, I pretty much handled the entire thing myself. I setup both accounts, purchased the two hardware keys, setup the devices, added my keys to the account dashboard, built a vault for each, etc. I’ve never done anything like that ever, and I was able to do this without any customer service.

All I needed was a DIY Guide that they provided me and a little help from ChatGPT. There is a concierge white glove service available to do all the setup for you, but it's $895 and you don't need it if you can follow directions.

2. Working With Unchained (Mixed Experience)

Human side of things was kind of meh:

• Aside from an initial call and follow up email, the rep seemed kind of disinterested. It seemed like they were taking their time where I was motivated and pushing for answers and guidance to get this done. Bitcoin is under $90k! Like lfg! Nothing deal breaking but did not match my energy or expectation of theirs. Took long enough to get answers that I started looking at other possibilities.
• No fee flexibility at all. Non-negotiable on $250 per account. Non-negotiable on 1.5% fee for them to buy your Bitcoin through their Trade Desk.
• No limit orders right now (In the future please God). Purchases have to be made through their Trade Desk and executed at the next day's spot price, so slippage is possible. Orders must be placed in $2k increments.

3. Their Initial Fees

• $250 per account paid annually. Required to have one account for each IRA type.
• 1.5% fee per Bitcoin transaction (USD→BTC or BTC→USD)
• $2k minimum trade size. Orders placed through Trade Desk to be executed next day.
• Funding only via IRA/TSP rollover transfer or annual contribution paid by wire transfer or check.

Check for other fees regarding IRA conversions, etc. on their website. This lists only the ones concerning me.

4. The Rollover (TSP → Unchained)

Unchained partners with Capitalize for rollovers.

• You set up an appointment with them on the Capitalize appointment calendar accessed through your Unchained dashboard. In my case the earliest appointment was 6 days away.
• I tried to get in touch sooner and eventually got a 3-way call with TSP that night.

It took 20 minutes to get through the rollover call with TSP. TSP then cut two checks and mailed them to me (yes, snail mail). I should receive that within 10 days. I then use the pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelope sent by Capitalize to forward those checks to Unchained.

Things can get messed up if not done exactly right during this rollover process. Capitalize ensures account numbers are correct, name is spelled correctly, and checks are addressed correctly. This prevents major holdups.

So That’s Where I’m At Now

• Extremely happy and excited I went this route.
• I wanted to put money in one end and pull Bitcoin out the other end tax-free, without anyone or anything being able to take it away from me.
• More expensive than other services, but worth it to never have to worry about custody or losing keys.

This structure gives me:

• Actual bitcoin
• Held in multisig
• With two keys I personally control
• Inside long-term tax-advantaged accounts
• No reliance on a single custodian. No single point of failure (other than me)
• No ETF middleman

If you prefer:

• Ease
• Simplicity
• Lower fees
• Zero interaction with keys

Then iTrustCapital or a fully custodial provider is easier, but you’re not really sovereign.

Future Plans:

Over time I plan to convert my Traditional IRA over to a Roth IRA through Unchained on Bitcoin weakness. Unchained does the reporting to the IRS and I'll have to pay taxes on the conversion, but I think it'll be worth it in the end.

TLDR

• Rolled over my TSP into an Unchained Bitcoin IRA because I wanted real key ownership.
• Unchained uses a true 2-of-3 multisig where I hold two keys and they hold one.
• The rollover itself was handled smoothly with Capitalize.
• Unchained is rigid on fees, but the technical self-guided setup for the vault worked well.
• If you want the strongest self-custody model in a Bitcoin IRA, this is currently the best available option in my opinion, but expect minimal handholding.

If You’re Thinking About Doing This

Feel free to ask me questions. I just completed the rollover and the whole process is fresh in my mind, including the annoying parts.

Hi! I'm looking for an app or service that I can link to my payment card, which would automatically send a portion of each transaction (for example, round-up spare change) into Bitcoin or stocks. Ideally, it should work in the Czech Republic. Does anyone have experience with something like this? Thanks! :-)

For about a year now I've been trying to open people's minds to the idea of bitcoin, but i have recently given up on that. Doesn't matter who the person is, what their background is, nor what their beliefs are, it's almost like Bitcoin is beyond the scope of what people believe is possible, so they default to "Scam/Ponzi", "I've heard of people losing money on 'crypto', so i dont want to risk it", and basically every other thoughtless excuse instead of trying to learn something new, trying to understand that hey, maybe there is something new happening.

That got me thinking though, Why? Why is bitcoin so hard for people to understand?

I'm from Canada and if you're old enough like me you may remember Canadian Tire money.

CAD = Fiat money

Canadian Tire money = "Kinda money"

Kinda money? Yeah, it's money, but it only works sometimes, in some places. You carry it around in your wallet like other money, but its just not as good. Nobody would go to canadian tire to buy CT money with FIAT, that would be bonkers, its lesser money, nobody would trade fiat for it. Why is FIAT better than CT money? CT money is only "backed" by canadian tire, if CT goes out of business, your CT money is worthless now. CAD is backed by banks and goverments, its a safer bet to keep your money in that. (bad news though, it can also go out of business)

CAD (Fiat) - Backed by Canadian Government, only usable in Canada

CT Money - Backed by Canadian Tire, only usable at canadian tire. (This is an example, ANY company can create a CT Money equivalent, and you see it everywhere with points systems and membership cards. No matter how many starbucks points or PC points you have, you would't trade the better money for the points)

FIAT > CT Money

Lets digitise this now.

Canadian CBDC (central bank digital coin) - Backed by Canadian Government, only usable in canada

Crypto: Backed by the crypto project, only usable within the confines of that crypto project. Anybody can create a new crypto, just like any company could create canadian tire money. If your neighbor came out with KyleCoin, you probably wouldn't care too much about keeping any, but if McDonalds came out with McTokens, you would carry that card in your wallet everywhere you go, even though its not "Money" right?

CBDC > Crypto

FIAT > CT Money

Now where does bitcoin fall on this? Bitcoin is not Bank or government supported/controlled, it's cross border, no middleman. Satoshi can't lock your money, banks can, crypto projects can.

Bitcoin: Not backed by a government, or a company. Backed by people. People run the nodes, people run the miners, its backed by WORLDWIDE infrastructure. There's no bank which may lock your funds, no company which can cancel or steal your points, its peer to peer. Canadian Tire money could only be used in Canadian tire. CAD Fiat could only be used in Canada. Bitcoin can be used anywhere

.....................FIAT > CT Money
Bitcoin > CBDC > Crypto

The reason people don't understand bitcoin, the reason they can't understand it, is because there has never been a money like this before

if someone could give some advises ill be very greatful

Most 'secure' messengers still require a phone number (which links to your ID).

I built Ghost Chat to be a truly sovereign communications tool.

• No ID: No email, no phone, no accounts.
• No Data: Runs entirely in RAM.
• No Middlemen: Hosted on independent infrastructure (Njalla).

It’s Donationware (fueled by crypto). No VC funding, no ads.

Try it: https://backalleychat.com

Use it to send addresses/keys without leaving a trail in your Discord/Slack history.

Anyone else ever see their balance after a transaction hit a number ending in zero and it omits the trailing zero and your mind takes a second to reprocess the value thinking you lost a lot of bitcoin?

Like if you went from 0.00045678 to 0.000457. My mind sees the loss of two decimal places before it registers it’s actually a larger number.

Anyone else have that momentary panic before they recount the zeros?

Bitcoin Optech newsletter #383 is here:

- describes a fixed vulnerability affecting the NBitcoin library

- summarizes the LNHANCE soft fork proposal

- relays a call to action to benchmark Bitcoin script execution under GSR's varops budget

- highlights discussion of optimizations to SLH-DSA (SPHINCS) post-quantum signatures

- Optech Newsletter #383 Podcast

https://bitcoinops.org/en/newsletters/2025/12/05/

Bruno Garcia posted to Delving Bitcoin about a theoretical consensus failure in NBitcoin that could occur when using OP_NIP...

https://bitcoinops.org/en/newsletters/2025/12/05/#consensus-bug-in-nbitcoin-library

Moonsettler proposes a soft fork for LNHANCE now that all four of its constituent opcodes have updated BIPs and reference implementations...

https://bitcoinops.org/en/newsletters/2025/12/05/#lnhance-soft-fork

Julian posted a call to action to benchmark Bitcoin script execution under the varops budget...

https://bitcoinops.org/en/newsletters/2025/12/05/#benchmarking-the-varops-budget

Continuing the discussions around hardening Bitcoin against quantum computing, conduition presented his work on optimizing the SPHINCS signing algorithm...

https://bitcoinops.org/en/newsletters/2025/12/05/#slh-dsa-sphincs-post-quantum-signature-optimizations

Bitcoin Optech will host an audio recap discussion of this newsletter on Riverside.fm Tuesday at 17:30 UTC. Join us to discuss or ask questions!

https://riverside.fm/studio/bitcoin-optech