Tag: precious metals

Safe Assets for Crypto Cowboys and Girls – Episode 191

The Story: Secure investments to lock up crypto gains

Many people invested in cryptocurrencies are first-time investors, and seeing swings of 10% or 20% a day has created risk-tolerant beasts with intestines of pure tempered steel, willing to gamble on the latest ICO with the chance of 1000% gains. Some of them did indeed find those gains, but they don’t necessarily know how to hold onto them. If they get caught up in the hype of a crypto bubble without having locked up their gains, they might eventually see their net worth dwindling down to a percentage of its former glory. So, once you get the gains, how do you keep them?

Here are three investment vehicles that you might consider, which can significantly reduce the risk in your portfoilio:

1. Precious metals

Gold and silver have been used as money for thousands of years, because of their utility as a stable store of value. It’s likely that these precious metals will keep up with inflation, and it’s possible that they may even outpace it. The precious metals markets are flooded with gold and silver certificates, which are often sold without any real metal backing. That means that the prices might be much lower than if it reflected only the physical metal supply.

2. ETFs

“ETF” stands for “exchange traded fund”. ETFs are basically baskets of shares or bonds, sometimes encompassing an entire stockmarket or bond market. They tend to have very low fees compared to mutual funds, as low as 0.04%, and many of the best ones outperform actively managed mutual funds. That means you get a better return a a lower price. Some of them pay dividends, quarterly or even monthly, which is a great way to start building a passive income.

3. Insured peer-to-peer lending

Peer-to-peer lending can be risky, because you’re probably lending small amounts to each borrower, and in the case of default, it’s unlikely to be profitable to chase up each individual. However, some platforms will offer insurance to lenders, so even if the borrower defaults, your money is safe.

In this episode, Kurt runs through these investment vehicles with much lower risk profiles than crypto, explaining how you can use crypto gains to put yourself in a better position for your long-term goals. Join me on another wealth-creating, wealth-preserving episode of … The Paradise Paradox!

Disclaimer: I’m not telling you what to do with your money; I don’t know what you should do with your money. All I’m doing is presenting some of my own decision-making processes.

The Eps:

Bitcoin Boom Bust – The Crypto Market Cycle – Episode 189

Crypto Crash January 2018 – Episode 188

The Links:

Money: Master the Game – Tony Robbins

Unshakeable: Your financial freedom playbook – Tony Robbins

JP Morgan’s imaginary silver hoard explained

Gold and silver streamers offer a conservative way to invest in metals

World silver demand

ETFs to buy in February 2018

SPHD ETF report

Safe investments to lock up crypto gains

The Cash:

If you enjoy our posts, please become a patron on Patreon, or have a look at The Paradise Paradox’s page on Steemit where you can join, earn money, and upvote our posts to help support the show! You can also find a lot of additional content which is not posted on this site, with Kurt’s posts on Steemit.

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.

The Episode:

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Episode 84 – Bitcoin Price Factors

The Episode:


To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.

The Cash:

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.

The Story:

In December 2015, Martin Rojko of CoinTelegraph.com asked several Bitcoin experts what they expected the price of a bitcoin to be by the end of 2016. The guru, public speaker and “rockstar” of Bitcoin, Andreas Antonopoulos, searched his soul and summoned the wisdom from the depths of his being, and answered: “I don’t do price speculation. It’s astrology for markets and I think it is irresponsible for media companies to do this.”

The fact is, nobody in the world knows what the price of bitcoin is going to be in a month, much less a year. However, taking a snapshot at this stage of the bitcoin evolution, there are four factors which will probably play a huge part in determining the price over the coming years.

  1. The amount of venture capital and angel investment pouring into Bitcoin companies.

In 2013, digital currency related startups has attracted investment of $25 million in VC funding. In 2014, “In total, bitcoin startup investments now total over $400M in aggregate funding” (Source: CBInsights), and in 2015 VC investments ‘topped $1 billion’ (Source: Bloomberg). However this remains to be fully realised in the bitcoin unit price. Big names such as Nasdaq, American Express and Visa are also investing in Bitcoin startups.

Bitcoin has possibilities for endless programmable applications, which will go on to disrupt various industries. However, it is clear that the first target and the primary industry of focus is finance and banking. For 2016, Venture capitalist Tim Draper anticipates many Bitcoin consumer applications, the US government to recognise Bitcoin as a currency and perhaps the first Bitcoin unicorn – that is, the first billion dollar Bitcoin start-up. With all this money and focused effort going into the development of Bitcoin applications as it’s used for international remittances platforms, micropayment, crowdfunding of public works projects, smart contracts and peer-to-peer lending, it can only be bullish for the price, as Bitcoin is used more widely.

2. A decrease in the production of Bitcoin in July 2016.

At time of writing, 25 BTC are produced every ten minutes by diligent miners. In July 2016, the block reward will halve. A stable demand with a reduced supply tends to lead to an increased price. It’s possible that holders of BTC will start buying more in the preceding months, in anticipation of the reduction.

3. Possible failures of the incumbent banking system.

Many people, especially in the Austrian economics camp, are becoming increasingly concerned about a failure of the banking system. Financial gurus such as Mike Maloney have forecast the possibilities of deflation, big inflation, or even hyperinflation of the US dollar, which could have profound effects on the world economy. For many, holding bitcoins is seen as risky. But is it as risky as holding a fiat currency, which has very limited scarcity, and may be printed to oblivion by the perverse symbiotic relationship between a central bank and a national treasury? In times of crisis, or in anticipation of times of crisis, when governments around the world are clamping down capital controls to say who can move what money where, it wouldn’t be surprising if people decided to move it into the most portable money that has ever existed: bitcoins.

  1. The understanding of Bitcoin in public consciousness

Since Bitcoin first leapt into the media, it has been trashed, slandered, accused of being a tool of terrorists and violent drug cartels, and declared unstable and even dead many, many times. However, the sentiment in the media is slowly changing, with many starting to see that cryptocurrency is not going away in a hurry, and there may be real news beyond a sensational headline.

We can see in the statistics on Blockchain.Info that the rate of adoption appears to be steady, or increasing, in the rate of daily transactions and in the total number of addresses.

Perhaps soon, people will start to realise that it’s possible, not just to use Bitcoin to evade capital controls, but also to use it to evade taxes, and government control in general, turning many markets into black markets, and using blockchain technology to distribute state secrets anonymously, realising the dream of the Crypto-Anarchist’s Manifesto. By that stage, perhaps the price will be irrelevant, because the value will be obvious.

The Eps:

Episode 75 – Andreas Antonopoulos: The Disruptarian

Episode 77 – Jeff Berwick: The Dollar Vigilante

Episode 80 – Diego Gutiérrez: SystemaD

The Links:

Bitcoin has died for the 89th time

Experts expect bitcoin price to reach a big number in 2016

China’s stockmarket crash affects all of us

Bitcoin as an asset could help balance portfolios

Bitcoin’s upcoming killer app: Open Bazaar

How to position for the rally in Bitcoin

Bitcoin is built to incite peaceful anarchy

Record highs predicted as new supply halves

Episode 26 – Assets and Economy

Millions of people all over the world have their retirement funds in 401K plans, superannuation or the local equivalent. When they retire, will the withdrawal of funds from the stockmarket cause a recession? What are some assets that might keep you safe or prosperous during this time? We ask these questions in this exciting chapter of The Paradise Paradox.

Disclaimer: Given that we are not financial advisors and we have no knowledge of your personal financial position, nothing in this episode should be construed as financial advice. Always consider your personal finances before making an investment decision.

To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

Please donate to show your support. BitCoin address: 182CzJUbz8xb1JZjuVm2S4YUBfd3xk2XfM

Or donate your Altcoins using Shapeshift:

Episode 15 – Economic Collapse

In this episode, we pool our economic thoughtpower together and attempt to make an estimate of what will happen in the world economy in the coming years. We reflect on some of the causes of the severe currency adjustment over 2014. We look at the actions of certain central banks – some increasing their money supplies, some staying stable for the moment, and some trying to increase their holdings of physical gold significantly. Is an another economic collapse around the corner?

 To download, right click and press “Save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes.

Please donate to show your support. BitCoin address: 182CzJUbz8xb1JZjuVm2S4YUBfd3xk2XfM

Or donate your Altcoins using Shapeshift:

Related links:

Ron Paul vs Ben Bernanke – “Is gold money?”

The Myth that Laissez Faire Is Responsible for Our Present Crisis

Peter Schiff was right

Hidden Secrets of Money

Jim Rickards’ Currency wars simulation

Episode 9 – 2015 New Year’s Part 2

The second half of our welcome to 2015. In this chapter we discuss Aaron’s pact with the devil, and his thesis about Bitcoin and the future of the banking system, precious metals and the properties of money, Chuang-Tzu, Satan in the Old Testament, the book of Job, the role of consciousness in creating reality, bilocation, the layers of lucid dreams and our goals for 2015.

To download the audio, right click and press “Save as”.

Please donate to show your support. BitCoin address: 182CzJUbz8xb1JZjuVm2S4YUBfd3xk2XfM

Or donate your Altcoins using Shapeshift:


Here are some relevant links:
Mark Dice trying to sell a gold coin for $50
The complete works of Chuang-Tzu
The Book of Job
Hidden Secrets of Money Episode 1
The Five Layers of a Lucid Dream Episode 1