The Bitcoin Guide
These are the tools I use and the resources that helped me learn about bitcoin.
The Rules
Where to Buy Bitcoin
I learn best by doing, and I think the fastest way to educate yourself is to have some skin in the game. These are the exchanges I trust. They all have proof of reserves, they're backed one to one, and they're bitcoin only*Exchanges that list thousands of tokens have misaligned incentives. Bitcoin-only platforms focus on doing one thing well, are transparent about their reserves, and won't pressure you into gambling on the latest memecoin.
Start Here
This video will change how you think about money.
What Makes Good Money?
In his Politics, Aristotle discussed what makes a good medium of exchange. These five properties of sound money are commonly attributed to his ideas.*Aristotle wrote about money needing to be useful, portable, and measurable. The full list of five properties is a modern summary inspired by his work, with later thinkers like Copernicus adding scarcity. Here's how bitcoin, fiat, and gold stack up.
| Property | Gold | Fiat (USD) | Bitcoin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durable Survives time & wear | Doesn't corrode or decay. Lasts thousands of years. | Paper wears out. Digital balances depend on banks staying solvent. | Exists as data on a global network. Can't rot, rust, or burn. |
| Portable Easy to move anywhere | Heavy. Try crossing a border with $1M in gold bars. | Digital transfers work but need bank permission and can be frozen. | Send any amount anywhere on Earth in minutes. No permission needed. |
| Divisible Splits into small units | Can be melted down, but impractical for everyday small purchases. | Easily split into dollars and cents. Works well for any amount. | Divisible to 8 decimal places. 1 sat = 0.00000001 BTC. |
| Fungible Each unit is identical | One ounce of pure gold equals any other ounce of pure gold. | A dollar is a dollar. Each unit is interchangeable. | Every sat is equal. 1 BTC = 1 BTC, no matter its history. |
| Scarce Limited, can't be printed | Relatively scarce, but new gold is mined every year. Supply grows ~1.5% annually. | Printed endlessly. The USD has lost over 96% of its value since 1913. | Hard cap of 21 million. Ever. No government can change that. |
| Score | 3 / 5 | 2 / 5 | 5 / 5 |
Self Custody
When you buy bitcoin on an exchange, they hold it for you. That means if they get hacked, go bankrupt, or freeze your account, your bitcoin is at risk. Self custody means moving your bitcoin to a wallet where you control the private keys. Not your keys, not your coins.
Spending Bitcoin
Primal is my most used bitcoin wallet. I use it for groceries, paying my friends, and tipping content.
Hardware Wallets
These are hardware wallets I use. There's levels to this. Check out the tutorials for a great place to start!
Podcasts & Blogs
Great conversations and writings that shaped how many of us think about Bitcoin.