Crypto
A collection of 116 posts
Crypto exchange transparency: Consumer Reports says exchanges don't clearly disclose missing FDIC or SIPC protection
Crypto held on an exchange has no FDIC or SIPC protection, and Consumer Reports found none of five major exchanges clearly said so at sign-up.
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How to Fill Out Form 8949 for Crypto, Step by Step (2025 Returns)
Form 8949 for crypto: list each disposal, split short- and long-term, pick box G, H or I (J, K or L), and fix a wrong Form 1099-DA basis with code B.
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How Lido liquid staking works: stETH, fees, withdrawal times and risks
Lido takes 10% of staking rewards, not your ETH. How stETH and wstETH work, why withdrawals usually take 1–5 days, and the main risks.
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Ethereum Layer 2 explained: how rollups batch transactions off the main chain
How Ethereum rollups execute transactions off-chain, post data to Ethereum in blobs, and prove it. Includes the 2024–2026 blob upgrades and what to check.
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Bitcoin vs Ethereum: purpose, verification, block time and supply
Bitcoin is fixed-supply money secured by proof-of-work. Ethereum is a smart contract platform on proof-of-stake with 12-second slots and no supply cap.
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Lending crypto: how it works, what it pays and how you can lose it
Crypto lending means earning interest on coins or borrowing against them. How collateral, margin calls and liquidation work, and where losses come from.
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DeFi taxes 101: what the IRS rules cover and what is still unsettled
How U.S. tax rules treat DeFi swaps, staking rewards, airdrops and wallet moves, which cases have no IRS guidance, and what changed in 2026.
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Hot vs cold wallet: which crypto wallet should you use?
Hot wallets stay online for quick access. Cold wallets keep keys offline for safer storage. Each one's risks, per SEC and Bitcoin guidance.
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Crypto blind signing explained: what a hash or "Data Present" on your hardware wallet means, and what to check before you approve
Blind signing means approving a transaction your hardware wallet cannot decode. What the hash or "Data Present" screen means and what to check first.
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Negative balance warnings in Waltio and Coinpanda: what they mean and how to fix them
A negative balance warning means your records show you sold or sent coins you never received. The causes, the fixes, and what it does to your tax report.
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Is crypto staking worth it? Why a quoted yield can overstate what you keep
Staking pays in the coin you stake, so a price fall can wipe out a high yield. Lock-ups, slashing and the 2026 US Tax Court ruling explained.
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Running a Bitcoin node: what it checks and what it stores on disk
A Bitcoin node checks every block and transaction against consensus rules. Here is what Bitcoin Core 31.1 stores, where, and how pruning cuts disk use.
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SkyAI's $3 tender offer: terms, deadline and what holders should check before Oct. 29
SkyAI (Nasdaq: SKYA) sold all its SOL and offers $3.00 cash for up to 95% of its shares and warrants. The offer expires Oct. 29, 2026, New York time.
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What is DeFi? How decentralized finance works, and who fixes a mistake
DeFi is finance run by smart contracts on public blockchains. How it works, what lending and liquidation look like, and why nobody reverses your mistakes.
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Non-custodial wallet: only you hold the keys to your funds
In a non-custodial wallet only you hold the private keys and seed phrase. How keys are made, how it differs from custody, and what a lost backup costs.
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Crypto futures risks: how leverage can push losses past your initial investment
Yes, leveraged crypto futures can lose more than you put in. How leverage, margin calls, volatility, scams and theft add up, per the CFTC and FINRA.
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How a Bitcoin transaction works: signed, broadcast and confirmed in a block
A Bitcoin payment is signed with a private key, relayed to nodes, mined into a block, then gains confirmations. Each step explained from primary docs.
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Where crypto staking rewards come from, and what cuts what you keep
Staking rewards come from new coins plus a share of transaction fees. Here is how Ethereum and Solana pay them, and what fees, penalties and tax take off.
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Leverage vs margin: the collateral you post and the ratio that sets your exposure
Margin is the money you post; leverage is position size divided by that money. Worked numbers, liquidation maths, and the limits regulators set.
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How to send bitcoin: copy the address, check the details, and know what to do if it gets stuck
Send bitcoin safely: paste and check the address, review the amount and fee, and three ways to deal with a stuck send: wait, RBF or CPFP.
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How to read a crypto candlestick: open, high, low, close and the wick
A candlestick shows four prices for one time window: open, high, low and close. Learn to read the body, the wicks and the color, and where candles mislead.
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What is crypto staking? How it works, what it pays and what can go wrong
Crypto staking locks coins so a proof-of-stake network can use them to validate blocks. How rewards, lock-ups, slashing, US tax and 2026 rules work.
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What is a blockchain? A shared record many computers keep, and hard to change
A blockchain is a shared ledger kept by many computers with no central owner. How blocks link, how networks agree, and why old entries are hard to change.
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Custodial vs non-custodial wallets: who holds your keys, and what each one risks
With a custodial wallet a company holds your private keys. With a non-custodial wallet you do. What each one protects against and how each one fails.
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What Is the Crypto Fear and Greed Index? What the 0 to 100 Score Measures
A crypto fear and greed index scores market mood from 0 (extreme fear) to 100 (extreme greed). How three major versions are built and how to read them.
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What Is Ethereum? How the Network, Ether and Smart Contracts Work
Ethereum explained: the network, ether (ETH), smart contracts, gas fees, staking with 32 ETH, and upgrades from launch in 2015 to Fusaka in 2025.
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What Is an Order Book in Crypto and How Does It Match Trades?
An order book lists every resting buy and sell order for one market. How price-time priority matches trades, what the spread shows, and market vs limit orders.
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What is impermanent loss in crypto? The gap between a liquidity pool and simply holding
Impermanent loss is how far a 50/50 pool deposit trails holding the same tokens: about 5.7% after a 2x price move and 25.5% after 5x, before fees.
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Moving crypto between your own wallets isn't taxable, but fees and records still matter
Moving crypto between your own wallets isn't taxable, but a fee paid in crypto is a disposal and missing records can mean a zero-basis 1099-DA.
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Ethereum gas fees explained: units of gas used × (base fee + priority fee)
How an Ethereum gas fee is calculated: gas used × (base fee + priority fee). Worked example, who gets each part, why fees move, how to pay less.
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