After ten whole years in the crypto world, I’ve gone from a newbie who chased every pump and panicked at every dip, to an old hand with $6 million sitting in my account. The pitfalls I’ve stepped in along the way could fill a book of blood, sweat, and tears.

What’s my biggest takeaway? It’s that those seemingly sophisticated, overly complex strategies are usually traps. The things that really turned things around for me were actually a few ridiculously simple principles.

Back in the day, I was the textbook “newbie” — whenever the market moved even a little, my heart would race and my finger would automatically want to hit ‘buy’. Every time, I thought I’d found the “golden bottom,” but every time, I ended up buying at the peak. Watching my account balance shrink day after day — if you know, you know.

But that’s life: after enough losses, you naturally wise up. My current approach might sound laughable to some, because it’s just so “dumb.”

**Iron Rule #1: Only touch hot coins — I don’t even look at obscure ones**

A lot of people like hunting for “undiscovered gems,” thinking they’ll snag a bargain. I used to do this too. The result? The price stayed flat for half a year, my funds were locked up for nothing, and I missed out on countless real opportunities.

Now, my coin-picking logic has changed: I go straight to the top gainers list. Wherever the money is flowing, wherever the hype is, that’s where my attention goes. But this does NOT mean you should chase the highs!

The key is — I ignore all those messy short-term fluctuations. Daily charts? Hourly charts? That’s all noise. I only care about one indicator: a MACD golden cross on the monthly chart.

Once there’s a golden cross signal on the monthly, it means the big trend has shifted. That’s when I go in heavy, and most of the time, it works out. If there’s no such signal? No matter how wild the rally, I can resist the urge to jump in.

**Iron Rule #2: Never touch that “oversold bounce” nonsense**

I used to believe in this too. See a coin drop 70% or 80%, think “it can’t go any lower, it has to bounce now.” And then? Nine times out of ten, it keeps dropping, to the point you start questioning your life choices.

Eventually, I figured it out: once a trend is formed, it doesn’t reverse easily. Short-term ups and downs are illusions; following the long-term trend is the real “money-printing” strategy.

Trying to bottom-fish during a downtrend might look smart, but you’re actually fighting the trend. The market doesn’t care if you think it’s “dropped enough” — only when a real signal appears is it worth taking action.

Now, I barely trade. Maybe once every two or three months, but each move is basically a sure thing. No need to stay up all night watching charts, no need to analyze data every day. I just go about my life, and the money grows on its own.

At the end of the day, making money in crypto isn’t about flashy tricks — it’s about sticking to a few basic principles. Keep doing the simple things, keep doing the right things, and time will give you your answer.