The cryptocurrency market has been on fire this year and growing numbers of people are curious about how to start investing. It can be confusing if you don’t understand how it works. However, you can learn what you need to know and start out slowly. Whether you want to buy bitcoin or spread your investments between different cryptocurrencies, it is important to understand how it works. Continue reading to learn six tips when you start investing in cryptos.

1. Use a Crypto Wallet

When you buy crypto on an exchange, you can keep it there. However, crypto is mostly decentralized and uninsured; if someone hacks the exchange and takes your crypto, you won’t be able to recover it. You can use a digital crypto wallet or a hardware device to store your crypto investments. Once you buy Bitcoin or another crypto, send it to the wallet using its unique code.

Remember that if you lose your crypto wallet or you lose your passwords to access it, your crypto will be lost forever. Make sure that you keep it secure just as you would a wallet with paper money

2. Be Aware of Transaction Fees

When you buy, sell, or convert cryptocurrency, you will have transaction fees. The fee is usually a fraction of the amount of crypto you are using in the transaction, and it varies depending on the amount of congestion and the amount you are using. When bitcoin is moved, the transaction is added to the blockchain, where there is a ledger that keeps a record. These charges are a part of investing in crypto so you need to be prepared for them and factor them in.

3. You Will Pay Taxes on Your Gains

If you make money investing in cryptocurrency, you will have to pay taxes on your gains. You have to sell it for a profit to pay taxes and it is your responsibility to make sure that you report it. You need to know how much money you make or lose on your investments.

Trading cryptocurrency is still mostly unregulated, so most exchanges do not keep track of this information the way that banks or traditional brokerage firms do your traditional investments. Make sure that you report your gains to the CRA and keep good records so that you can calculate whether or not you owe income taxes at the end of the year.

4. Be Serious About Cyber Security

It is very important to treat your cryptocurrency accounts just as you would any sensitive financial information. Do not use passwords that are easy to figure out. You should make them unique and complex. If you have the option for two-factor authentication, you definitely want to enable it. If you use more than one exchange, make sure that you have different login information for each one. Throughout the year, change your password two or three times to make sure that they are impossible to figure out.

5. Be Aware That Cryptocurrency Is Not Insured

When you deposit money into a CDIC-insured Canadian bank, your money is safe if the bank fails. You never have to worry about what happens to the bank because you will get your money back. Crypto doesn’t work the same way. If the exchange or platform that you are using has a problem, such as being hacked or going under, you will lose anything that you have on the platform. This is why you should always move your crypto assets to your own personal digital or hardware wallet.

6. Start Out Slowly

When you watch different cryptos increase dramatically in one day, it can be tempting to invest a lot of your money in hopes of riding it up. However, you need to know that it can go back down as quickly as it went up. Crypto is still largely unregulated and quite volatile, and you should start off slowly.

You will want to diversify your holdings by choosing two or three different ones to start. Over time, you can add in other cryptos and increase how much you have invested. Take it slow while you are learning and never invest more than you can afford to lose. You can learn as you go and invest more when you have a better handle on the market.