Crypto, minus the bullshit.
Learn how to buy your first crypto, understand what you actually own, find people worth listening to and navigate the market without needing a computer science degree. I don’t do this for money — I’m just a huge advocate for the space, and I genuinely want to help more people understand the opportunity and hopefully prosper financially along the way.
So what is crypto, actually?
At its core, crypto is a way to own and move digital assets without needing one company, bank or government database to keep the master record. Instead, the record is shared across a network and updated using blockchain technology.
The blockchain.
Think of a blockchain as a shared digital ledger. Transactions are recorded, verified by the network and added to a history that is extremely difficult to secretly rewrite after the fact.
The token.
A cryptocurrency or token is a digital asset that lives on one of these networks. Depending on the project, it might be used to transfer value, pay network fees, access an application, secure a network or simply speculate.
The big idea.
The interesting part isn't just digital money. It's that anyone with an internet connection can potentially hold assets, send value and interact with financial software that runs globally, 24/7.
AI agents are going to need money.
This is one of my biggest long-term cases for crypto — aside from the obvious degenerate gambling lure that has already proven humans will trade absolutely anything.
The internet gave people information. AI may give software economic agency.
We're moving toward a world where AI agents don't just answer questions. They may research, negotiate, purchase services, pay for data, hire other software and complete tasks on our behalf.
For that to work at internet scale, those agents need payment rails that are programmable, global, always available and able to move tiny or large amounts of value without opening a traditional bank account every time a piece of software needs to transact.
Crypto and stablecoins are already built much closer to that model. An AI agent can, in theory, control a wallet, receive funds, make payments and interact directly with blockchain-based applications using code.
That's the part of crypto I think people underestimate. The future may be less about humans buying coins on an exchange and more about machines using open financial networks underneath the applications we use every day.
I'll show you exactly where I'd start.
No twenty-exchange comparison. No 47-token portfolio. No endless crypto jargon. Start with Coinbase, understand the basics, protect yourself and build from there.
Open a Coinbase account.
Coinbase is the exchange I recommend to someone buying crypto for the first time. It gives you a straightforward place to get registered, fund your account and buy your first crypto.
Before Coinbase lets you buy or sell, you'll need to verify your identity. This process is called KYC — Know Your Customer.
Have everything ready before you start and the process is much easier.
My Coinbase Tutorial →Have this ready.
You may be asked for some or all of the following.
- Your full legal name
Enter it exactly as it appears on your identification. - Date of birth
This should match your government-issued ID. - Current residential address
Use the address where you currently live. - Email address
Use an email account that you control and keep secure. - Phone number
Coinbase uses your phone during the account and security setup. - Government-issued photo ID
Such as a driver's licence or passport. - A clear photo of your identification
Make sure the document is current and completely readable. - Selfie or identity verification
Coinbase may ask you to verify that you are the person shown on the ID. - Proof of address if requested
You may need a supported bank statement, credit-card statement or utility bill.
Don't buy 20 coins.
Before chasing every token you see on X, start by understanding Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. Learn why they exist and how they're different.
Learn how wallets work.
Understand the difference between holding crypto on an exchange, using a software wallet and eventually using a hardware wallet.
My Tangem Wallet Guide →Security before profits.
Learn two-factor authentication, strong passwords, seed phrases and the basic security habits that every crypto investor needs.
Understand market cycles.
Crypto moves in cycles. Liquidity, Bitcoin, market sentiment, narratives and risk appetite all matter.
Build your information feed.
X and YouTube can be incredibly valuable if you know who to follow. Below are some of the people and accounts I personally pay attention to.
Then explore higher risk.
Once you understand the basics, you can start learning about smaller altcoins, emerging narratives and meme coins.
Jason's Crypto Starter Guide
A simple beginner’s guide to getting started with the Coinbase app — setting up your account, adding funds, finding crypto, buying and selling, and learning how to send and receive crypto safely.
The stuff you actually need to understand.
Crypto sounds complicated because the industry loves complicated terminology. The important part is understanding what the major assets do, how money tends to move through the market and why Bitcoin still influences almost everything below it.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin is the original crypto asset and still the market's main reference point. It has a fixed maximum supply of 21 million coins and is generally treated more like scarce digital money than an application platform. When Bitcoin is strong, confidence and liquidity often spread into the rest of crypto. When Bitcoin gets hit hard, smaller assets usually get hit harder.
Ethereum
Ethereum is more than a currency. It is a programmable blockchain where developers build apps, financial markets, stablecoins, tokens and other digital infrastructure. ETH is the network's native asset and is used to pay transaction fees and help secure the network. ETH strength versus Bitcoin can be an important sign that investors are becoming more willing to move into altcoins.
Solana
Solana is another programmable blockchain designed for fast transactions and low fees. It has become a major home for trading, payments, DeFi, apps and meme coins. Assets like SOL tend to sit farther out on the risk curve than Bitcoin, so they can move much faster in both directions when crypto liquidity expands or contracts.
Stablecoins
Stablecoins are crypto tokens designed to stay close to the value of a traditional currency, usually the U.S. dollar. Think USDC or USDT. They let traders and applications move dollar-like value around crypto networks 24/7 without constantly moving money back through a bank.
Wallets
A wallet is how you access and control crypto. Keeping assets on an exchange is convenient, while software and hardware wallets give you more direct control. The tradeoff is responsibility: if you self-custody, protecting your seed phrase and private keys becomes your job.
Altcoins
Altcoin simply means a crypto asset other than Bitcoin. That includes huge networks like Ethereum and Solana all the way down to tiny speculative tokens. The smaller the market cap, the easier it can be for new money to move the price — which creates bigger upside potential, but usually much bigger downside risk too.
Meme Coins
Meme coins are the purest version of crypto speculation. Their value is often driven less by traditional fundamentals and more by attention, community, culture, liquidity and momentum. They can produce enormous moves when risk appetite is high and brutal drawdowns when that liquidity disappears.
BTC Dominance
Bitcoin dominance is Bitcoin's share of the total crypto market value. If dominance is rising, Bitcoin is generally outperforming the rest of the market. If Bitcoin is healthy while dominance starts falling, it can mean capital is rotating into ETH and other altcoins. It is not a perfect signal, but it is one of the easiest ways to see where crypto investors are taking risk.
Bitcoin usually sets the tone. Then the risk moves outward.
Crypto does not move in a perfectly clean sequence, but there is a pattern worth understanding. New liquidity often enters the market through Bitcoin first. If Bitcoin rises and then begins to stabilize, investors may start looking for more upside elsewhere.
That can push money into Ethereum, then larger altcoins, then smaller-cap projects and eventually the most speculative parts of the market. The farther down that chain you go, the greater the potential upside — and the greater the chance of getting absolutely smoked when the cycle turns.
Watch Bitcoin first. Even if you never plan to own it, you should know what it is doing because Bitcoin still acts like the gravitational centre of the crypto market.
Boom. Bust. Reset. Repeat?
Historically, Bitcoin and the broader crypto market have moved in a surprisingly recognizable four-year rhythm. A big part of that pattern has revolved around Bitcoin's halving — an event roughly every four years that cuts the amount of new Bitcoin entering the market in half.
In previous cycles, the market has generally moved from accumulation, into a powerful bull market, eventually into speculation and euphoria, followed by a major bear market and a long period of rebuilding.
That doesn't mean there is a magic four-year clock. Markets change. Bitcoin is much larger today, institutions and ETFs now play a major role, and global liquidity, interest rates and the economy can overwhelm any historical pattern.
But I still think the cycle is useful as a framework — especially because some of the best opportunities in crypto have historically appeared when almost nobody wanted to own it.
This is the part of crypto that gets interesting.
I don't know if the exact bottom is in. Nobody does.
Bitcoin and the broader crypto market have already gone through a major reset from the previous highs. Sentiment has been beaten down, leverage has been flushed out and many crypto assets are trading dramatically below where they were during the excitement of the previous cycle.
Markets can absolutely go lower from here. Something being oversold does not mean it can't become more oversold.
But this is also the part that interests me most.
Historically, buying crypto when prices are depressed, sentiment is poor and nobody wants to talk about it has offered dramatically better risk/reward than buying after prices have already exploded and everyone suddenly wants in.
You don't need to perfectly call the bottom to benefit from being early in the next cycle. I'd rather be studying good assets when they're down 50%, 60% or 70% than discovering them after they've already gone up 500%.
Get these set up.
You don't need dozens of apps and websites to get started. These are three basic resources I would have ready if you're beginning to learn, research and follow crypto.
X.com
Crypto moves quickly, and X is where a huge amount of the conversation happens in real time. Set up an account and start building a quality information feed instead of trying to follow everyone.
CoinMarketCap
A simple place to look up cryptocurrencies, prices, rankings, market caps, charts, circulating supply and historical market data.
YouTube
YouTube is where I would go for longer explanations, interviews, market discussions and project research. The key isn't watching everything — it's choosing who you listen to carefully.
What I'm watching.
These are crypto assets and projects that currently have my attention. This isn't a recommendation to buy them — it's simply where I'm spending some of my research time.
TAO
Bittensor and its decentralized network economy remain one of the most interesting areas of crypto to me.
NEAR Protocol
A blockchain ecosystem I'm watching closely for adoption, development activity and long-term positioning.
SPX6900
A pure meme play. Community, attention and cultural momentum matter more here than traditional fundamentals.
Meme PlayHYPER Liquid
Hyperliquid has become one of the more interesting crypto-native trading ecosystems and continues to stay on my radar.
SOLANA
One of the most active blockchain ecosystems for users, trading, applications and crypto-native experimentation.
PEPE
Another meme play. Extremely speculative, but impossible to ignore when meme liquidity and risk appetite return.
Meme PlayCANTON
A project I'm watching as blockchain infrastructure and tokenized financial markets continue developing.
SUI
A newer Layer 1 ecosystem I'm following for user growth, DeFi, applications and expanding network activity.
PUMP.fun
A high-risk crypto-native platform and token tied closely to the meme-coin trading ecosystem and retail speculation.
People and accounts I actually listen to.
Crypto has an unbelievable amount of noise. These are some of the accounts I follow to keep up with markets, narratives, macro, blockchain development and what's happening across crypto.
Raoul Pal
@raoulGMIMacro, liquidity, adoption and the bigger-picture framework for crypto markets.
Michael van de Poppe
@CryptoMichNLCrypto market commentary, technical analysis and altcoin coverage.
Scott Melker
@scottmelkerThe Wolf of All Streets — crypto markets, interviews, trading and industry discussion.
Dan Gambardello
@dangambardelloCrypto market cycles, altcoins, technical analysis and longer-term market perspective.
Tom Lee
@fundstratBroader market outlook, macro trends, risk assets and crypto commentary.
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetterFast, digestible coverage of macro, liquidity, markets and major economic developments.
Mert
@mertCrypto infrastructure, Solana, blockchain development and where the technology is heading.
Altcoin Daily
@AltcoinDailyCrypto news, altcoin narratives, market trends and industry developments.
Coin Bureau
@coinbureauEducational crypto content, project breakdowns, market coverage and research.
When Shift Happens
@KevinWSHPodKevin Follonier’s long-form conversations with builders, investors and thought leaders across Bitcoin, crypto, Web3, AI and macro.
Crypto terms that sound way more complicated than they are.
Liquidity
Basically, how much money is moving through a market and how easily an asset can be bought or sold without dramatically affecting its price.
Market Cap
The current token price multiplied by the number of tokens in circulation. This is why a token priced at one cent isn't automatically "cheap."
Token Unlock
Previously locked tokens become available to enter circulation. More supply can potentially affect price, so unlock schedules matter.
Seed Phrase
A group of words that can restore access to a self-custody crypto wallet. Anyone who gets your seed phrase may be able to access your crypto.
HODL
Crypto slang for holding an asset instead of selling it. It originally came from an online misspelling of the word "hold."
Altcoin
Broadly, a crypto asset other than Bitcoin. The category ranges from massive blockchain networks to extremely speculative tiny tokens.
How did I end up this deep into crypto?
I've spent most of my career building businesses and working in digital marketing and technology.
I caught the crypto bug in 2021 after turning $3,000 into $104,000. That definitely got my attention.
Since then, I've spent a lot of time studying Bitcoin, crypto markets, liquidity, technology and how capital moves through this space — while making plenty of mistakes and changing my mind along the way.
This site is where I organize what I've learned and explain crypto the way I'd explain it to a friend getting started. I'm not here to tell you what to buy. I'm here to help you understand what you're looking at.
Thanks for browsing - Jason Redekopp
Want to reach out?
If you have a question, spot something I should be looking at or just want to talk crypto, send me a note.
I read these myself. No sales funnel. No newsletter trap. Just email.
jason [at] jasonredekopp [dot] comImportant Disclaimer
This website is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing on this website should be considered financial, investment, legal or tax advice, and nothing presented here is a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell or hold any cryptocurrency or digital asset. Crypto assets are highly volatile and speculative, and you can lose some or all of the money you invest. Always do your own research and make financial decisions based on your own circumstances and risk tolerance.