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The Truth About Crypto: A Practical, Easy-to-Understand Guide to Bitcoin, Blockchain, NFTs, and Other Digital Assets
A TOP FINANCE BOOK OF 2022 by THE NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB
A SABEW BEST IN BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS FINALIST
A straightforward, practical guide to the newest frontier in investment strategy—crypto—from #1 New York Times bestselling author and personal finance expert Ric Edelman.
Blockchain and bitcoin are here to stay—and as the Bank of England stated, this new technology could “transform the global financial system.” No wonder PWC says blockchain technology will add $2 trillion to the world’s $80 trillion economy by 2030. Indeed, blockchain technology and the digital assets it makes possible are revolutionary, the most profound innovation for commerce since the invention of the internet. And yet, the average investor—and the investment advisors who manage two-thirds of all their money—aren’t aware of all this, or of the incredible investment opportunities now available. Fortunately, Ric Edelman, one of the most influential experts in the financial field, shows investors how they can engage and thrive in today’s new investment marketplace. Featuring the prophetic insights you’d expect from one of most acclaimed financial advisors, The Truth About Crypto is fun to read and easy to understand—and most importantly gives readers the sound, practical advice we all need to succeed with this new asset class. Best of all, Edelman shows how blockchain works, the difference between digital currency and digital assets, and a comprehensive look at every aspect of the field. This book is a must-read guide if you want to achieve investment success today.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2022
147 people are currently reading
385 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
August 21, 2022
This book is, as the blurb on the cover says, “a practical, easy to understand guide to bitcoin, blockchain, NTFs and other digital assets”. While conversational in approach, it is a reference book with clear chapter and paragraph headings, bullet pointed facts, charts, graphs, a glossary and a good index.
While the currencies (aka digital assets), the blockchain technology and the infrastructure that supports them are described,the book is mainly about their global financial impact with the focus on what an individual needs to know before investing in them.
Dismissed by Jamie Diamond and Warren Buffet as recently as 2021, digital currencies have now permeated the top institutions of finance. Ric Edelman shows the worldwide impact and jaw dropping pace of growth of these currencies. National banks in the US, Japan, Canada and other developed nations are planning to issue digital currencies for very good reasons. Portfolios in top investment firms now include digital assets.
The book also describes the services that support digital assets, such as their trading platforms, data mining operations, marketing (an impressive list of celebrities now have major endorsement contracts) and their “custodial” care. There are investment vehicles specializing in some of these supporting services.
There are 4 pages listing digital asset exchanges, some of which you can not only trade on, but invest in. There is a 9 page listing of hedge funds, VC funds and“funds of funds” that specialize in blockchain and digital assets. There is a list of 6 publically traded data mining companies. There are descriptions of derivatives and other investment vehicles. There is a whole chapter on taxation including estate planning.
There is a lot of useful and eye opening information. Ric Edelman shows how institutionalized digital currency has become … it is not a fad. While the "big money" has been made, there are still growth opportunities - and despite the growth the the "product" (the digital assets) all come with risk.
If you want to learn about crypto (even if you are not interested in investing) this is a good place to start.
While the currencies (aka digital assets), the blockchain technology and the infrastructure that supports them are described,the book is mainly about their global financial impact with the focus on what an individual needs to know before investing in them.
Dismissed by Jamie Diamond and Warren Buffet as recently as 2021, digital currencies have now permeated the top institutions of finance. Ric Edelman shows the worldwide impact and jaw dropping pace of growth of these currencies. National banks in the US, Japan, Canada and other developed nations are planning to issue digital currencies for very good reasons. Portfolios in top investment firms now include digital assets.
The book also describes the services that support digital assets, such as their trading platforms, data mining operations, marketing (an impressive list of celebrities now have major endorsement contracts) and their “custodial” care. There are investment vehicles specializing in some of these supporting services.
There are 4 pages listing digital asset exchanges, some of which you can not only trade on, but invest in. There is a 9 page listing of hedge funds, VC funds and“funds of funds” that specialize in blockchain and digital assets. There is a list of 6 publically traded data mining companies. There are descriptions of derivatives and other investment vehicles. There is a whole chapter on taxation including estate planning.
There is a lot of useful and eye opening information. Ric Edelman shows how institutionalized digital currency has become … it is not a fad. While the "big money" has been made, there are still growth opportunities - and despite the growth the the "product" (the digital assets) all come with risk.
If you want to learn about crypto (even if you are not interested in investing) this is a good place to start.
June 14, 2022
Strange to read - as someone who has a big anticapitalism bias in reading about economics, this definitely reads as as weird conservative/libertarian fantasy (currency that the gov't/FICA is far removed from, but will still step in when bitcoin is stolen, etc). I learned a lot, but there's a big argumentative slant to convincing the reader that its a worthwhile investment (also opening with disclosure that it will make the writer a ton of money because of his particular investments/advertising agreements), and most of the arguments dont land. It's not clear how this can be "currency" - since it cant be exchanged for many goods and services, its more like a poker chip, which is an anology the author uses - theres also an argument that this has an accessibility that other money doesnt, but thats mostly mentioned and dropped to talk about big investment payoffs and increased price/demand. Certainly feel like I have a better understanding of Bitcoin specifically (and Dogecoin?), but there's so many circular or specious arguments parts of it are a bit dizzying. Also obviously so much is happening because it is a new industry I know at least some of what I learned is outdated, but again a solid 101.
May 13, 2022
Good overview of crypto currency et al., but already dated. how can it not been with such a volatile market, where today it is plunging into the abyss. Nuts, really. But this is a decent primer for understanding the groundwork.
March 26, 2024
Normally if a book is entertaining and informative, I'll give it 5 stars. This book has those characteristics but I'm judging it a 3.5 since it is repetitive, often a laundry list of websites and organizations, and seems to be a big plug for the "Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals", DACFP (which Edelman founded as shown throughout the book. And pretty much a relentless plug to buy "crypto" since obviously if you own it you want folks to drive up the price by buying more.
While "blockchain" technology is impressive and certainly has some interesting and useful characteristics the actual crypto still seems to have "no there, there". Personally, I prefer asset classes that are actually based on something more than being "mined" to verify previous purchases through weird algorithms.
I would often suggest to clients that wanted to trade individual stocks or jump into some speculative venture that they determine how much of their investment assets they are willing to lose (rarely more than 5%) and set that aside as their "play money", and leave the serious money in a more traditional portfolio. So, I tend to agree with Edelman when he suggests you limit your holdings to about 1% of your investments. He also warns folks away from Dogecoin (Doggy Coin) which was launched as a joke yet still managed to attract purchasers - calls it "a digital pet rock" in the glossary.
I enjoyed the cartoons, the well done explanations, the range of topics from taxation to asset classes and historical performance and feel if one wants to study a bit before jumping into "crypto", this is a pretty good place to start.
While "blockchain" technology is impressive and certainly has some interesting and useful characteristics the actual crypto still seems to have "no there, there". Personally, I prefer asset classes that are actually based on something more than being "mined" to verify previous purchases through weird algorithms.
I would often suggest to clients that wanted to trade individual stocks or jump into some speculative venture that they determine how much of their investment assets they are willing to lose (rarely more than 5%) and set that aside as their "play money", and leave the serious money in a more traditional portfolio. So, I tend to agree with Edelman when he suggests you limit your holdings to about 1% of your investments. He also warns folks away from Dogecoin (Doggy Coin) which was launched as a joke yet still managed to attract purchasers - calls it "a digital pet rock" in the glossary.
I enjoyed the cartoons, the well done explanations, the range of topics from taxation to asset classes and historical performance and feel if one wants to study a bit before jumping into "crypto", this is a pretty good place to start.
May 6, 2023
Very educational for those that want to learn more about digital currencies. I highly recommend reading this book and Ric makes it easy to understand for those that are not well versed in crypto. This book goes deep and wide and touches all the different aspects from the basics of block chain technology, all the different acronyms to even tax considerations.
August 24, 2023
Great book, one of the best crypto books because it provides real-world applications of crypto to your portfolio for a diversified portfolio. Learned tax implications of digital assets as well.
July 4, 2022
A breezy, conversational explanation of Bitcoin, NFTs, and other digital assets. The author is a financial writer who knows how to make learning enjoyable. The examples are clear and sometimes very funny. It's a challenging topic, but the author takes a lot of time in the beginning to explain the core concepts. He doesn't try to convince you, but he does provide a clear arguement about cryptocurrency.
July 10, 2022
Ric Edelman is clearly a Bitcoin enthusiast. He is of course entitled to be so. However, for those of us looking for some insight and information, this book is not it. His tone - I've seen the light and anyone who has not is clearly stupid and uninsightful - was somewhat annoying.
PS...while he lauds the "Bitcoin Revolution" in El Salvador, the NY Times provides us with some critical followup on this:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/wo...
PS...while he lauds the "Bitcoin Revolution" in El Salvador, the NY Times provides us with some critical followup on this:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/wo...
May 14, 2022
A must read for someone who want to understand digital assets
Cannot stop reading since I started the book: exhaustive and simplified book on how best to approach cryptocurrencies as an investor. By finishing reading the book, you will have a more objective assessment on digital assets!
Cannot stop reading since I started the book: exhaustive and simplified book on how best to approach cryptocurrencies as an investor. By finishing reading the book, you will have a more objective assessment on digital assets!
May 20, 2022
Well written and informative. I like the bit of humor thrown in. It was a bit more than I expected, but that's better than not enough.
May 20, 2022
A helpful read to make more sense of digital currencies but there are some glaring biases. Informative but more so for the potential investor.
September 28, 2022
Some useful info about tax and legal treatments of crypto, but still not a convincing case for including it in one's portfolio, in my opinion.
March 20, 2024
I first heard about Bitcoin in 2012 and then again heard murmurs about it occasionally over the years. Furthermore, I also kept hearing that it's a scam/a pipe-dream/a fantasy/flat earth silliness, but most especially, that it was the next "Tulip Bubble". I have continually heard about its imminent demise since my first exposure to the idea of Bitcoin and the blockchain. And yet, not only is it still here, but Bitcoin's value continues to bounce between higher lows and higher highs. The overall trend in the price of Bitcoin is higher. But, is it the "greater fool" theory at work?
Bitcoin first started in 2009. Fast forward to January 2024. The SEC announces the approval of the first Bitcoin ETF's to be offered in the United States. This milestone is what convinced me I need to get up to speed on this thing. These new ETF's have broken and surpassed the highest sales records set by gold ETF's when they were first introduced. Showing how much pent-up demand there is for this, Billions of $Dollars are pouring into the various Bitcoin ETF's at a record pace. Now your 401K and IRA retirement funds can invest in Bitcoin.
I needed to have a better understanding of this digital asset that I can now hold in my retirement accounts. There are plenty of financial gurus that argue why you shouldn't purchase Bitcoin. Ric Edelman is an accredited and highly rated financial guru that understands and argues that you should include some Bitcoin amongst your investments. It zigs when your other investments zags so it's a nice counter balance to stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals.
This book offers an easy to read introduction into what Bitcoin is and it's a great overview to the Crypto universe. I've spent the last couple weeks trying to get up to speed on Bitcoin, mostly thru reading, but with a sprinkling of videos. This subject can be much more wide-ranging than I originally thought. It's very easy to go down many rabbit holes in your quest to understand the Bitcoin Universe. Thankfully, this is not the "Complete Book" on Bitcoin because I suspect that would have been overwhelming. However, this book provides the reader with a solid foundation with which to understand Bitcoin and suggests practical tools to help the reader buy, sell and store Bitcoin.
The edition I read was published in 2022, before the Bitcoin ETF's were approved. While this edition's information is still timely, I anticipate an updated edition very soon to add the profound impact the ETF's approval will have on advancing the Bitcoin thesis with people like me.
Bitcoin first started in 2009. Fast forward to January 2024. The SEC announces the approval of the first Bitcoin ETF's to be offered in the United States. This milestone is what convinced me I need to get up to speed on this thing. These new ETF's have broken and surpassed the highest sales records set by gold ETF's when they were first introduced. Showing how much pent-up demand there is for this, Billions of $Dollars are pouring into the various Bitcoin ETF's at a record pace. Now your 401K and IRA retirement funds can invest in Bitcoin.
I needed to have a better understanding of this digital asset that I can now hold in my retirement accounts. There are plenty of financial gurus that argue why you shouldn't purchase Bitcoin. Ric Edelman is an accredited and highly rated financial guru that understands and argues that you should include some Bitcoin amongst your investments. It zigs when your other investments zags so it's a nice counter balance to stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals.
This book offers an easy to read introduction into what Bitcoin is and it's a great overview to the Crypto universe. I've spent the last couple weeks trying to get up to speed on Bitcoin, mostly thru reading, but with a sprinkling of videos. This subject can be much more wide-ranging than I originally thought. It's very easy to go down many rabbit holes in your quest to understand the Bitcoin Universe. Thankfully, this is not the "Complete Book" on Bitcoin because I suspect that would have been overwhelming. However, this book provides the reader with a solid foundation with which to understand Bitcoin and suggests practical tools to help the reader buy, sell and store Bitcoin.
The edition I read was published in 2022, before the Bitcoin ETF's were approved. While this edition's information is still timely, I anticipate an updated edition very soon to add the profound impact the ETF's approval will have on advancing the Bitcoin thesis with people like me.
July 23, 2023
Very good beginner book to get you into Crypto. Written in 2021 and surprising to see how much has changed since then.
“But 2 billion people (including 6% of US households) are not so fortunate. They are the unbanked, meaning they lack sufficient funds to open a bank account. As a result, they enjoy none of the benefits that you and I take for granted.”
“Likewise a 2021 report by Chainalysis found that criminal activity represented only 0.15% of all cryptocurrency transaction volume.”
“Your TV, coffee pot, Alexa, and that’s typos alarm clock on your oven. Those devices consume 344 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in the United States annually and spew 250 million tons of carbon dioxide in the the air - 4% of all US greenhouse gas emissions, according to the natural resource defence council. In the untied states along those devices consume as much energy as all Bitcoin miners in the entire world. Tell everything to stop playing video games. A 2020 study found that video gamers consume 46% more energy than the worlds Bitcoin miners.”
“Currency has six characteristics: Durability, Portability, Divisibility, Uniformity, Limited Supply, Acceptability.”
“If hackers could use quantum computers to crack private keys (and our nukes), don’t you think that Bitcoin developers (and the Defence Department) will use quantum computers to create new cyber security systems to protect against these hacks?”
“Sharpe Ratio - This measures the return earned per unit of volatility. This toll can help reveal whether your returns are due to smart decisions - or because you took excessive risk. You want a high Sharpe Ratio because the higher the number the better the risk-adjusted performance of your portfolio.”
“But 2 billion people (including 6% of US households) are not so fortunate. They are the unbanked, meaning they lack sufficient funds to open a bank account. As a result, they enjoy none of the benefits that you and I take for granted.”
“Likewise a 2021 report by Chainalysis found that criminal activity represented only 0.15% of all cryptocurrency transaction volume.”
“Your TV, coffee pot, Alexa, and that’s typos alarm clock on your oven. Those devices consume 344 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in the United States annually and spew 250 million tons of carbon dioxide in the the air - 4% of all US greenhouse gas emissions, according to the natural resource defence council. In the untied states along those devices consume as much energy as all Bitcoin miners in the entire world. Tell everything to stop playing video games. A 2020 study found that video gamers consume 46% more energy than the worlds Bitcoin miners.”
“Currency has six characteristics: Durability, Portability, Divisibility, Uniformity, Limited Supply, Acceptability.”
“If hackers could use quantum computers to crack private keys (and our nukes), don’t you think that Bitcoin developers (and the Defence Department) will use quantum computers to create new cyber security systems to protect against these hacks?”
“Sharpe Ratio - This measures the return earned per unit of volatility. This toll can help reveal whether your returns are due to smart decisions - or because you took excessive risk. You want a high Sharpe Ratio because the higher the number the better the risk-adjusted performance of your portfolio.”
June 24, 2022
I was really disappointed in this book. I'm already convinced that I need a portion of my portfolio in digital assets, and I wanted this book to help me understand how to do that. It didn't. Half of the book is nothing but totally worthless lists of various organizations and companies associated with digital assets, with zero information as to which I should use, or why. The rest of the book convinced me that the regulatory picture and investment vehicles for digital assets are no where close to being ready for a routine investor with a managed portfolio in an established financial planning firm. I was left more confused and more frustrated than I was when I started the book, and more convinced than ever that digital assets are not ready for prime time investing. Give me a digital assets index ETF available in mainstream brokerage accounts like Schwab, and then maybe I'll be ready to commit a portion of my portfolio to digital assets. But if I have to set up a separate account, maintain a digital wallet and personally safeguard a key that if lost wipes out the entire investment, track and manage all of my records manually for tax reporting, and negotiate a regulatory minefield of unclear tax and reporting implications, no thanks. I have relied on Ric Edelman for years for the most clear and objective investment advice available, but his big push to get people to invest now in crypto seems inconsistent with his past advice.
December 20, 2025
HIRE A FASTEST CYBER RECOVERY EXPERT TO RECOVER YOUR LOST OR STOLEN BITCOIN/ETH/USDT/ THE HACKANGELS
I simply want to share my story about THE HACKANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. To all of you out there. One has to be careful. A lot of scammers are out there taking money from innocent traders. I was a victim of these crypto scammers. They made me lose my hard earned funds. The best thing that happened to me this year was seeing an article about THE HACKANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. A professional hacker and private investigator. I invested $954,300 in a cryptocurrency platform and it turned out to be a scam and I had no idea how to get my money back until I reached out to a recovery company called THE HACKANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. I explained my situation to them. I was shocked to hear that they had recovered all of my stolen cryptocurrency in just 48 hours. I said that I will not hold this to myself but share it to the public so that all scammed victims can get their funds back. To anyone who may find themselves in a similar unfortunate situation. I highly recommend THE HACKANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. Quickly reach out to them on their hotline:
WhatsApp: (+1(520)200-2320
Email: support@thehackangels.com
Web: www.thehackangels.com
If you're in London, you can even visit them in person at their office located at 45-46 Red Lion Street, London WC1R 4PF, UK. They’re super helpful and really know their stuff! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help.
I simply want to share my story about THE HACKANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. To all of you out there. One has to be careful. A lot of scammers are out there taking money from innocent traders. I was a victim of these crypto scammers. They made me lose my hard earned funds. The best thing that happened to me this year was seeing an article about THE HACKANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. A professional hacker and private investigator. I invested $954,300 in a cryptocurrency platform and it turned out to be a scam and I had no idea how to get my money back until I reached out to a recovery company called THE HACKANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. I explained my situation to them. I was shocked to hear that they had recovered all of my stolen cryptocurrency in just 48 hours. I said that I will not hold this to myself but share it to the public so that all scammed victims can get their funds back. To anyone who may find themselves in a similar unfortunate situation. I highly recommend THE HACKANGELS RECOVERY EXPERT. Quickly reach out to them on their hotline:
WhatsApp: (+1(520)200-2320
Email: support@thehackangels.com
Web: www.thehackangels.com
If you're in London, you can even visit them in person at their office located at 45-46 Red Lion Street, London WC1R 4PF, UK. They’re super helpful and really know their stuff! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help.
February 18, 2023
Nice little book that provides a good introduction to incorporating cryptocurrencies into your portfolio. Of particular interest in this book, it introduced me personally to the idea of allocating 1% of my portfolio to cryptocurrency on the basis that this generates greater returns a portfolio that consists strictly of stocks and bonds. Likewise, it goes against the sentiment in the community regarding trading cryptos and instead offers a far more friendly investment strategy for non-active traders in the crypto space: dollar cost averaging.
October 7, 2025
Do I feel confident enough to invest? No. Do I understand the basics of what crypto is and how it works? Yes.
I have a background in economics and work in banking, and crypto is a mystery even to me. So, the “what” and “how” questions were easy to understand in Parts 1 and 2. But any further than that you would need an investment brain and I am not interested in investing at this time. This author is also obviously biased in favor of purchasing crypto so take that as you will.
I have a background in economics and work in banking, and crypto is a mystery even to me. So, the “what” and “how” questions were easy to understand in Parts 1 and 2. But any further than that you would need an investment brain and I am not interested in investing at this time. This author is also obviously biased in favor of purchasing crypto so take that as you will.
September 5, 2022
A likely "must read" for anyone contemplating involvement in investing in digital assets; from buying your morning coffee with bitcoin to investing a portion of your retirement nest egg in a blockchain instrument of any kind. I cannot help but think that there exists a tenuous relationship between the author's story and the recent $89B for IRS investment in new agents.
October 22, 2022
This is a good introduction to crypto. However, the book is from an unabashed crypto enthusiast, so it glosses over the downside of crypto. Author does explain the blockchain tech. at basic level and has good overview of how to buy, mine, trade and store crypto assets. Author also covers taxes and few other things which are not covered by other books. Overall a very good intro to crypto.
January 4, 2023
If you are crypto curious, this a solid book to act as a starting point. While I would liked to have learned more about the different kinds of digital currency (bitcoin vs. Litecoin, etc.) the book is definitely pro owning digital currency in a well diversified portfolio. Some of the content was over my head, but the book was very readable. As always Ric Edelman does a nice job.
May 29, 2023
I completed my Advanced Certificate in Blockchain & Digital Assets - Financial Advisor Track. This was the textbook I read and it accompanied the lectures.
For the ATY 2023 Challenge, this fits the prompt for a book about a Spice Girl personality. The book is about building wealth and so it fits with the Spice Girl called Posh.
For the ATY 2023 Challenge, this fits the prompt for a book about a Spice Girl personality. The book is about building wealth and so it fits with the Spice Girl called Posh.
April 21, 2024
Very comprehensive and well written to teach and communicate the risks, the value and the regulations around cryptocurrencies and their underlying blockchains. A lot of esoteric information thats not usually all in one place, properly and delicately pieced together for a logical whole and digestible meal.
January 14, 2025
I found this book to be very easy to follow when beginning to understand cryptocurrency. Though much of the information has changed it is one that I keep on my bookshelf so I can easily refer back to it and make connections to this fast-moving industry easier.
I highly recommend it to anyone just starting the crypto journey.
I highly recommend it to anyone just starting the crypto journey.
February 13, 2023
This was the best and most accessible intro to blockchain and cryptocurrency that I've read thus far. A very easy read that gets to the heart of the subject matter without spending page after page prognosticating about the impact this technology will have on the future.
February 21, 2023
I've learnt so much from this book. It's a really good 101 on crypto though fair warning, it does lean on the "it will change the world/better invest it now!" side of the coin. That said, I did thoroughly enjoy being educated by Ric on this new asset class.
August 19, 2023
Ric did a great job explaining all aspects of cryptocurrency in a way that is easy to understand. He even expanded on the outlying associated facets of this decentralized digital money and marketplace.
March 4, 2024
Solid introduction to crypto and the blockchain for someone trying to build a foundational understanding of the concept. This book gave me a reason to embrace the many utilities that blockchain technology can and will provide
September 1, 2025
Although at times the book reads like a primer for budding financial advisors, it stands out as one of the clearer, better-structured guides to crypto investing I’ve read. Boring in parts, but undeniably informative.
December 6, 2025
I honestly need something even higher level but this helped provide a foundation to someone who knows very little about crypto. It's obviously a dry topic but the book is well written and I learned a lot!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews