Bitcoin, explained like you’re a person.
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01What is Bitcoin, actually?
Strip away the hype and Bitcoin is a simple idea: money the internet can move, that no company or government runs. Here’s the plain-English version.
02How does Bitcoin actually work?
No company runs Bitcoin. So what stops someone from just faking a payment? The answer is a shared ledger, thousands of copies, and a clever way to agree.
03Why is Bitcoin worth anything?
“It’s not backed by anything!” is the classic objection. Here’s the honest answer to why Bitcoin has value, and why it isn’t a Ponzi or a bubble.
04Is Bitcoin safe? Can it be hacked?
Short version: the Bitcoin network has never been hacked, but people lose coins all the time. The danger isn’t the tech, it’s the human stuff. Here’s how to actually stay safe.
05How do I buy (and cash out) Bitcoin?
Buying your first Bitcoin is easier than it looks, and the most important step is the one right after. A plain walkthrough of getting in, taking custody, and cashing out.
06Should I buy Bitcoin? And is it too late?
The two questions everyone’s too shy to ask out loud. We can’t answer them for you, but we can hand you a clearer way to think about both.
07Bitcoin ETFs vs. owning real Bitcoin
Spot Bitcoin ETFs made it easy to get Bitcoin exposure in a brokerage account. But an ETF share isn’t Bitcoin. Here’s the trade-off, plainly.
08Is Bitcoin legal, and do I owe taxes?
Two questions every newcomer has: am I allowed to own this, and will the taxman come knocking? The honest, global answer, minus the legalese.
09Bitcoin vs. “crypto”: what’s the difference?
People say “Bitcoin” and “crypto” like they’re the same thing. They’re not. Here’s how Bitcoin stands apart from the thousands of coins that came after it.
10Self-custody, explained
“Not your keys, not your coins” isn’t a slogan. It’s the whole point. Here’s what holding your own Bitcoin actually means.
11Hot, cold, and hardware wallets
“Get a wallet” is step one, but hot, cold, custodial, hardware… what’s the difference? A quick map so you pick the right tool for the job.
12What are sats?
You don’t have to buy a “whole Bitcoin.” The real unit Bitcoin moves in is the sat, and thinking in sats makes everything click.
13Your seed phrase is everything
Twelve or twenty-four little words are the master key to your entire wallet. Lose them, lose your coins. Here’s how to treat them right.
14Why nobody can guess your seed phrase
Twelve words drawn from a public list of 2,048 sounds guessable. It isn’t, and the reason is a number big enough to break your intuition. Here’s what entropy is, and what happens when a wallet gets it wrong.
15Creating a wallet: the part everyone rushes
The create flow takes about ninety seconds and looks like signing up for an app. Several of the decisions inside it can’t be revisited. Here’s the slow version, done once, properly.
16Decoy wallets, duress PINs, and the $5 wrench
Most security advice is about hackers. But what if the threat is a person who can simply make you hand it over? Decoy wallets, duress PINs, and a few other tricks for the human side of security.
17Public keys, private keys, and addresses
Three words that sound interchangeable and aren’t. Get the key pair straight and self-custody finally makes sense under the hood.
18Why only 21 million
No central bank can print more Bitcoin. The supply is capped forever, and that single rule is most of the reason Bitcoin matters.
19Who created Bitcoin, and where do new coins come from?
Bitcoin was launched by someone who then vanished, and new coins appear without any mint. Two of Bitcoin’s best stories, told plainly.
20Receiving your first Bitcoin
Getting paid in Bitcoin is just sharing an address. Here’s how receiving works, and why a fresh address each time is a good habit.
21How a Bitcoin transaction works
What actually happens between “send” and the coins showing up? A plain-English tour of inputs, miners, and confirmations.
22Sending Bitcoin without the cold sweat
First-time sends are nerve-wracking. A short checklist that turns “I hope I did that right” into “done, easy.”
23Can you actually buy things with Bitcoin?
Yes. More than you’d think, and less than the headlines claim. Here’s the honest state of spending Bitcoin, and why “buy a coffee” isn’t really the point.
24What is the Lightning Network?
Bitcoin’s base layer is great for settlement, slow for buying coffee. Lightning is the fast lane built on top.
25Network fees, demystified
Why does the same payment cost different amounts on different days? Fees are an auction for block space. Here’s how to win it cheaply.
26Spotting scams before they spot you
Bitcoin’s irreversibility is a feature, and it’s why scammers love it. The good news: nearly every scam follows the same tired script.
27What happens to your Bitcoin when you die?
Self-custody means no bank can lose your coins, and no bank can hand them to your family either. A gentle guide to making sure your Bitcoin doesn’t vanish with you.
28Is Bitcoin anonymous? (Not quite)
A myth cuts both ways here: critics call Bitcoin a criminal’s paradise, fans call it private. The truth is more interesting: it’s pseudonymous, and the ledger never forgets.
29Is Bitcoin bad for the environment?
Bitcoin uses real energy on purpose. That’s not a bug, it’s the lock on the vault. Here’s the honest, hype-free look at what that energy buys and where it comes from.
30Who’s actually in charge of Bitcoin?
No CEO, no board, no head office. So who decides how Bitcoin works? The surprisingly balanced answer, and where “running a node” fits in.
31UTXOs: the coins inside your coins
Your balance isn’t one number in an account. It’s a pile of distinct chunks called UTXOs. Once it clicks, fees and privacy make sense.
32BTC, sats, or dollars?
The same balance can be shown three ways, and the unit you pick quietly shapes how you think. A quick guide to switching gears.