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The biggest crypto investing mistakes and how to avoid them
Nine lessons about hype cycles, bad advice, emotional investing, and building a smarter long-term strategy
- PUBLISHED: Wed 11 Feb 2026, 8:35 PM
Let’s call this one a public service announcement — because I’ve made just about every crypto mistake you can make. And I don’t want you to have to learn the hard way. These are the mistakes I made, so you don’t have to.
1. Listening to people who don’t know about crypto
These are smart, kind people. People I respect in many other areas. But the truth is, most people don’t know anything about crypto, or the larger forces shaping the evolution of money. And when people don’t know something, they tend to dismiss it or, worse, mock it. Digital currency, tokens, blockchains — all of this is happening. But it’s not mainstream yet, meaning most people will not understand why you’re in it, what you see, or where it seems to be going. No one’s going to pat you on the back or cheer you on.
2. Not finding a community
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If I had found a group of like-minded people in 2017 when I first got curious about crypto — and if I’d actually taken the time to learn with them, strategise, and make informed moves — I might be a wealthy woman right now. Instead, I tried to do it alone, and I flailed. It’s taken time, but now I’ve found my people. A place where I’m surrounded by kind, forward-thinking, and non-judgemental humans doing the same thing I am. That alone has made a massive difference in how I navigate this wild space.
3. Listening to influencers
Even the “best” or most honest-seeming influencers aren’t giving you the full story. When they mention a coin or project, it’s often part of a promotion. They could very well have been paid to talk about it. They’re not always disclosing that. And in that case, their job is to pump interest — not protect you. If you’re watching TikToks for ideas on what to buy, you’re already in trouble. Buying without understanding utility is gambling, not investing. That doesn’t mean you won’t get lucky. But it does mean you’re setting yourself up to be someone else’s exit liquidity.
4. Buying meme coins
I can’t do it anymore. Sure, there is money to be made, but my nervous system simply cannot handle the volatility, unpredictability, or chaos that come with meme coin hype cycles. It’s called gambling, and it’s not what I want to do with my finances.
5. Chasing risky low caps without a plan
There’s a difference between thoughtful risk and reckless FOMO. I blurred that line a few too many times. I didn’t get rich or even make money in most of them.
6. Going big too fast
When I got serious again two years ago, it was with one goal: make fast money in low caps and get out. But if I had just taken the money I started with and dollar-cost-averaged into the top six solid projects — and held — I’d be far, far ahead of where I am today.
7. Not regulating my nervous system
For a long time, I carried deeply embedded, old fears around money. I’ve since learned some of them aren’t even mine: I inherited them, a weird form of fiscal generational trauma. It’s taken careful attention over the last few years — breathwork, somatic bodywork, therapy — to start unwinding that. I’m in a 12-week ‘Money Habits’ course right now, and part of our work is daily check-ins that include body movement, meditation and journaling.
8. Failing to take profits
This time last year, the market was flying. If only I had pulled more profits and held them in stablecoins, reinvested in projects I believed in that became bargains, or even set them aside, I’d be in a much better position today.
9. Not having a home for my money
Increasingly, I’m leaning into money as energy, and that money needs a purpose. Otherwise, as many people live day to day, without a plan, money can vanish into spending, bad decisions, or, increasingly, rising inflation.
Do you have a question, or a tip, or a topic you’d like covered? Reach out at cryptochroniclescoverage@gmail.com
