[ad_1] Bitcoin is the oldest and best known of the modern crop of digital currencies. It’s a cryptocurrency, or digital currency, not backed by any government. That makes it very different from the US dollar, and it comes with unique risks that could make Bitcoin a good or bad investment, depending on your unique investment goals. If you’re looking into cryptocurrency for the first time, you may be wondering, “can I start by investing $100 in Bitcoin?” The answer is definitely yes. But before you make your first investment, there are a few things you should know about crypto. Here’s a closer look at what investing $100 in Bitcoin today looks like for new investors and veterans alike. #ap94479-ww{padding-top:20px;position:relative;text-align:center;font-size:12px;font-family:Lato,Arial,sans-serif}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-indicator{text-align:right;color:#4a4a4a}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-indicator-wrapper{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end;margin-bottom:8px}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap94479-ww-text{display:block}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap94479-ww-label{display:none}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-text{margin:auto 3px auto auto}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-label{margin-left:4px;margin-right:3px}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-icon{margin:auto;display:inline-block;width:16px;height:16px;min-width:16px;min-height:16px;cursor:pointer}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-icon img{vertical-align:middle;width:16px;height:16px;min-width:16px;min-height:16px}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-text-bottom{margin:5px}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-text{display:none}#ap94479-ww #ap94479-ww-icon img{text-indent:-9999px;color:transparent} Ads by Money. 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Online trading platforms offer a wide variety of cryptocurrencies for trading. Click on your state to start investing today! HawaiiAlaskaFloridaSouth CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaTennesseeRIRhode IslandCTConnecticutMAMassachusettsMaineNHNew HampshireVTVermontNew YorkNJNew JerseyDEDelawareMDMarylandWest VirginiaOhioMichiganArizonaNevadaUtahColoradoNew MexicoSouth DakotaIowaIndianaIllinoisMinnesotaWisconsinMissouriLouisianaVirginiaDCWashington DCIdahoCaliforniaNorth DakotaWashingtonOregonMontanaWyomingNebraskaKansasOklahomaPennsylvaniaKentuckyMississippiArkansasTexas Trade Today Offer valid for U.S. residents 18+ and subject to account approval. There may be other fees associated with trading. See Public.com/disclosures. What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a digital currency that exists only on the Internet. But if you think about it, much of the money you have today only exists on the Internet. If you’re paid with direct deposit, you may have money coming in and out of your accounts without ever touching a physical dollar bill. With that in mind, Bitcoin offers a completely new take on currency, and it’s controversial for some of the features that also make it so interesting (we’ll get into that later). Bitcoin was created in 2009 by a mysterious figure who goes by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. But while Nakamoto is known as the currency’s founder, it is not controlled by any single individual. Instead, Bitcoin is a decentralized currency that operates through a network of computers worldwide known as cryptocurrency miners. Cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, rely on a technology called blockchain. A blockchain is a large database publicly held and stored by all participating miner computers and anyone else who wants to download a copy of the data themselves. Every single Bitcoin transaction that has taken place is tracked in this public database. Because many computers around the world have a copy, this record is extremely hard to manipulate. Anyone with an Internet connection can participate in the cryptocurrency economy. To buy and hold bitcoin you can use a cryptocurrency wallet, like one from Ledger, Trezor, or MetaMask. You can also buy and hold your currency through a central exchange like Coinbase or Gemini. While it’s fairly easy to buy bitcoin, especially if you’ve ever invested in the stock market, that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. When investing in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, it’s wise to avoid investing more than you can afford to lose. We’ll take a closer look at why in the next section. #ap65408-ww{padding-top:20px;position:relative;text-align:center;font-size:12px;font-family:Lato,Arial,sans-serif}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-indicator{text-align:right;color:#4a4a4a}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-indicator-wrapper{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:flex-end;margin-bottom:8px}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap65408-ww-text{display:block}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-indicator-wrapper:hover #ap65408-ww-label{display:none}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-text{margin:auto 3px auto auto}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-label{margin-left:4px;margin-right:3px}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-icon{margin:auto;display:inline-block;width:16px;height:16px;min-width:16px;min-height:16px;cursor:pointer}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-icon img{vertical-align:middle;width:16px;height:16px;min-width:16px;min-height:16px}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-text-bottom{margin:5px}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-text{display:none}#ap65408-ww #ap65408-ww-icon img{text-indent:-9999px;color:transparent} Ads by Money. We may be compensated if you click this ad.Ad #ap65408-w-text{padding:20px 0 10px;margin:0 auto;text-align:center;font-family:”Lato”, Arial, Roboto, sans-serif}#ap65408-w-text #ap65408-w-text-title{color:#212529;font-size:20px;font-weight:700;line-height:30px}#ap65408-w-text #ap65408-w-text-subtitle{color:#9b9b9b;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;line-height:24px}#ap65408-w-text #ap65408-w-disclosure{color:#9b9b9b;margin-top:10px;font-size:12px}#ap65408-w-text #ap65408-w-text-btn{margin-top:25px;padding:9px 13px;display:inline-block;color:#fff;font-size:16px;line-height:20px;text-decoration:none;background-color:#1261c9;border-radius:2px}#ap65408-w-text #ap65408-w-text-btn:hover{color:#fff;background-color:#508fc9} Create your cryptocurrency portfolio today Public has a variety of features that make it the best place to start trading. Start investing today! Start Investing in Crypto Offer valid for U.S. residents 18+ and subject to account approval. There may be other fees associated with trading. See Public.com/disclosures. What is Bitcoin Worth? The value of a bitcoin goes up and down frequently; so much of its volatility is due to the controversy around Bitcoin’s worth. When it first launched in 2009, a single bitcoin was only worth a few cents, but at its peak, it was worth around $60,000. As of this writing, a single bitcoin is valued at around $30,000. As you can see from those numbers, early Bitcoin investors who held on through the crypto’s ups and downs likely made a fortune. If you bought $100 of bitcoin when it was worth a few cents and held it until it was worth more than $50,000 apiece, you could have easily made millions of dollars. The price of Bitcoin has been extremely volatile over time. Here’s a 10-year price history from the cryptocurrency tracking site CoinMarketCap. But the controversy comes from the many detractors who say Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are effectively worthless. These include some high-profile Wall Street CEOs, analysts, and government officials. If they are right, Bitcoin will eventually fall to a value of zero or very close to it. With enthusiasts saying Bitcoin price will go “to the moon “ and others saying it will go to zero, what is its true value? At this point, unlike buying stocks, it’s somewhat difficult to say exactly what a bitcoin is worth. Bitcoin is in limited supply. There will only ever be 21 million created (about 19 million exist as of June 2022). The scarcity drives up the value and makes it useful as a store of value online, somewhat like a digital version of gold. But if it turns out to be fools gold, a big investment in Bitcoin may become a big mistake. Can Beginners Invest in Bitcoin? If you are brand new to the world of investing and have never bought stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, or other types