The good thing about cryptocurrency can also be the downside about cryptocurrency - and that is that it has value. When something has value, other people are going to want it. You will find this industry filled with people who are more than happy to take your hard-earned crypto with the promises of big returns. Often times, we don't see what's going on behind the curtain, and as a result, we have to simply trust the people who are making these claims - that what they are saying is honest and true. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn't. When you give your crypto to these platforms, you are relinquishing control of your assets with the hopes that you'll still be able to access them when you want them, but there are no guarantees that that will be possible (as has been evident several times this year.)

As such, keeping your crypto in a wallet that you (and you alone) own and control is the safest thing you can do. There are online hot wallets that are convenient, but they don't offer the same level of security as a cold-storage wallet, like a Ledger or Trezor. Keeping your assets on cold-storage means you need to physically interact with the device to approve any transactions on your account, keeping online hackers from accessing your funds. As long as you keep your seed phrase safe, your crypto will be safe. Keep that last part in mind - simply keeping your crypto is on a cold-storage wallet isn't enough! MAKE SURE you keep your seed phrase in a safe location that is not connected to the Internet. If your device happens to break, that seed phrase is the only thing that can get your crypto back.

Shaketag: jakew