InvestY Archives | Page 93 of 94

Feb

2022

Guide to Jade Lizards

By Dan Miller | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | Comments Off

A Jade Lizard is an advanced options strategy that requires taking three different positions. It is a slightly bullish strategy typically used by traders who want to profit from high levels of market volatility.

Traders who use the Jade Lizard strategy must monitor their position and have a plan for exit to avoid the potential for significant losses. The maximum profit for a Jade Lizard strategy is the initial premium received when opening the trade.

What Is a Jade Lizard Option Strategy?

With a Jade Lizard trade, you will enter into three different options positions on the same underlying stock through your brokerage account. The first two positions require selling a call spread, which involves selling a call option at one strike price and buying a call option with the same expiration at a higher strike price. The third and final option position is a put at an even lower strike price.

With a Jade Lizard, these options are usually at out-of-the-money strike prices. The strikes should be selected such that the total premium received from selling the call spread and selling the put option are greater than the width of the call spread. Don’t worry — if it’s not clear what that means, we’ll illustrate in the example that follows.

How Does a Jade Lizard Work?

A Jade Lizard option trade is a neutral to bullish options strategy, which means that you should anticipate the price of your underlying stock to stay the same or go up. With a Jade Lizard options strategy, you are hoping to capture the premium that comes with higher levels of implied volatility, so the ideal environment to execute the trade is one where volatility is elevated.

Setting Up a Jade Lizard

When you set up a Jade Lizard, you should initially be collecting premium from both the call spread and put that you are selling. The key concept of setting up a Jade Lizard is that you want the total amount of premium that you collect initially to be more than the width of your call spread.

As an example, say that stock ABC is trading around $60. You could sell a 58/62/63 Jade Lizard, at these hypothetical prices, on options expiring in 30 days:

• Sell ABC 62 Call for 1.25

• Buy ABC 63 Call for 0.90

• Sell ABC 58 Put for 0.75

Your net credit is $1.10 ($1.25 minus $0.90 plus $0.75), so you collect $110 for each contract that you implement (since one contract typically controls 100 shares of the underlying stock). In our example, you have no risk should the stock move to the upside. To illustrate how, suppose the stock trades above 63 on expiration day. The put option expires worthless, and your maximum loss on the call spread is $100, which is less than the $110 you collected up front. On the other hand, you do have nearly unlimited downside risk if the underlying stock goes to 0. This is the main reason that the Jade Lizard options strategy only makes sense for stocks where you have a neutral to bullish outlook.

Maximum Profit

You will achieve your maximum profit if the options expire with the underlying stock having a price in between the strike price of your put option and the strike price of your lower call option. In our example above, if the stock closes between $58 and $62, then all three options expire worthless and your profit is the $1.10 in initial premium that you collected.

Maximum Loss

In a Jade Lizard strategy, you have nearly unlimited downside exposure, since you are selling a put option. A put option increases in value as the price of the underlying stock goes down. Since you are short the put option, as the stock price goes down you could be on the hook for the difference between the strike price of the put and the price of the underlying stock.

Breakeven Point

The breakeven point for a Jade Lizard on the downside is the difference between the strike price of the put option and the initial premium collected. In our earlier example, we collected $1.10 in net premium, so our breakeven point is $56.90 (the difference between $58.00 and $1.10).

There is also a potential breakeven point to the upside. Ideally with a Jade Lizard, you collect more in initial premium than the width of your call spread. In our example, we collected $1.10 in initial premium and our call spread is only $1 wide (between $62 and $63).

So if the stock closes anywhere above $63 when the options expire, your put will be worthless and your call spread will cost you $1 to close out, or $100 per set of contracts. That will leave you with a profit of $10 per set of contracts.

Exit Strategy

The exit strategy for a Jade Lizard involves purchasing back the options you sold using a buy to close order. When setting up the trade, it’s a good idea to set target profit at which you would buy back the options.

In our example, where we received $1.10 per share, you might look to close out the Jade Lizard when you could buy your options back for around $0.55 per share, 50% of the initial premium you received. The options may decline in value due to movement of the underlying stock, or time decay as the options get closer to their expiration.

Maintaining a Jade Lizard

A Jade Lizard is not a set-it-and-forget-it options strategy. Because of the unlimited downside risk, you’ll want to monitor your position, especially if the price of the underlying stock starts to go down. In that scenario, you may want to close out your position or roll down the strike prices of your short call spread.

Pros and Cons of the Jade Lizard Strategy

Here are some pros and cons of the Jade Lizard strategy:

Pros of the Jade Lizard strategy	Cons of the Jade Lizard strategy
No risk of losses from upward price movement in the underlying	Significant risk of downward price movement in the underlying
Immediate collection of the net premium	Profits capped to the amount of premium initially received

Alternatives to Jade Lizards

One alternative to the Jade Lizard strategy is a strategy called the Big Lizard. With a Jade Lizard, you typically sell out-of-the-money options. With a Big Lizard strategy, the options that you sell are at-the-money, meaning that their strike price is close to the price of the underlying stock.

Investing With SoFi

The Jade Lizard strategy is an advanced strategy that options traders use when they have a bullish to neutral outlook on a stock. The strategy’s maximum upside is equal to the premium received when opening the trade, while the downside risk is essentially uncapped.

Learning about different options strategies can be a great way to further understand the stock market and how to invest. From there, you might consider an options trading platform like the one offered by SoFi. This platform has an intuitive and approachable design and allows investors to trade options from the mobile app or web platform. And if you aren’t done learning, there are educational resources about options available to explore.

Trade options with low fees through SoFi.

FAQ

How are Jade Lizards managed?

When opening a Jade Lizard options strategy, you want to make sure to keep an eye on the underlying stock until the options’ expiration date. Since a Jade Lizard comes with no upside risk, you should especially monitor negative moves in the stock price. In that case, you could close out your position or roll your call spread to a lower stock price, earning more premium.

How do reverse Jade Lizards differ from Jade Lizards?

In a reverse Jade Lizard, also known as a twisted sister option, you sell a put spread, being long the put option with the lower stock price. Additionally you sell a call with a higher strike price.

As the name suggests, a reverse Jade Lizard is the opposite of a regular Jade Lizard, and makes sense when you have a neutral to bearish outlook on a stock. You have risk of losses due to downard price movement and unlimited loss potential from upward price movement, due to the short call.

What is the maximum payoff of a Jade Lizard?

The maximum payoff or profit of a Jade Lizard is capped to the total initial premium that you receive when you open the position. This is equal to the amount you get for selling the put and short leg of the spread minus the amount of premium for the long leg of the call spread.

Photo credit: iStock/ipopba

SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

Jan

2022

What Are Binary Options? How to Trade Binary Options

What Is Binary Options Trading? How to Trade Binary Options

By Samuel Becker | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing, Terminology | Comments Off

Binary options are a type of trading option in which investors either end up making up to $100 or they make nothing. Once the investor enters into the options contract, they don’t have to do anything else.

Below, we’ll give you the full rundown about binary options, including what they are, how they work, how to trade binary options, how to make money with binary options, and finally, why it’s so important to understand their ins and outs before making any moves.

What Are Binary Options?

A traditional binary option is a type of options contract, in which investors bet whether the price of the underlying stock will be above or the option’s strike price. In industry terms, they’re either “in the money,” or “out of the money.” Prices, of course, can be hard to predict, which is what makes binary options something of a gamble.

Here’s a fairly straightforward example: You think that the price of Stock X will be $10 or more on January 4, at 4 PM ET. You acquire a binary option contract with that stipulation — the other party on the contract holds the other position, that the price of Stock X, on the agreed upon time and day, will be less than $10.

When the clock strikes 4 pm ET on January 4, Stock X’s price is either $10, or it’s less than $10. Depending on what it is, one person is “victorious.” There’s no middle ground.

International traders may offer other variations of binary options as well.

How Binary Options Work

The inner workings of traditional binary options requires a baseline knowledge of their key elements. That includes a few things:

• The strike price. This is the price at which the option will execute, and when it comes to binary options, is the fulcrum point at which traders must choose a position — above, or below.

• The underlying asset, security, or market. This is the security (stock, commodity, etc.) upon which the options contract is based. Since options are derivatives, they’re tied to an underlying asset.

• The expiration date. The day and time when the contract executes.

• The expiration price. The price of the underlying asset when the contract executes.

These elements (along with a few other minor ones) comprise a basic binary options contract. Now, as far as how the option actually works, it’s pretty simple.

In effect, an options trader buys a binary option contract from another party who has taken the opposite position. That is, if you were to buy a contract with the position that the option’s underlying asset will exceed the strike price on the agreed expiration day and time, the other trader would have the equal and opposite position — they’re betting that the underlying asset’s value will not exceed the strike price when it expires.

When the clock does strike midnight, so to speak, on the expiration date, one of the two positions will have made the correct choice. The value of the underlying asset will either be above or below the strike price. The successful trader then receives a payout.

That payout is either $100, or nothing, regardless of how much higher or lower the value of the security is compared to the strike price. It’s like betting $100 on a World Cup match — your team either wins, in which you get your buddy’s $100, or your team loses, and you have to fork over $100.

Like all options, pricing on binary options reflects the time value of money, and their price, though always less than $100, will fluctuate depending on their current price and the length until expiration.

How Binary Options Trading Works

If you have any experience investing online, it should be pretty easy to get started. But before you do that, of course, you’ll want to make sure that you know what you’re getting into. That means doing some homework about how binary options work, the risks involved, and considering whether binary options trading jives with your overall strategy.

With all of that in mind, actually trading options contracts is almost as simple as trading stocks. You’ll want to find a binary options broker (which are usually specialized brokers such as
Nadex , Pocket Option , and BinaryCent ), open and fund an account, and from there, start executing trades.

Pros and Cons of Binary Options Trading

As with any type of investment or trade, binary options have pros and cons. Here’s a quick look at them:

Binary Options: Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Risks are capped	Rewards are capped
Fast and efficient	Highly speculative
Known payouts	Fraud Concerns

Pros of Binary Options

There are some positives to trading binary options.

• Limited risks. Traders can only lose so much if they end with the short straw.

• Efficient process. Binary options trading is usually a fast, efficient, and easy process, and they expire quickly.

• Known payouts. Since binary options are capped at $100, you know in advance what’s at stake. It’s always nice to know where things might land, right?

Cons of Binary Options

There are also some potential disadvantages to trading binary options.

• Limited gains. There’s only so much “winning” a trader can do with a given binary options contract.

• Speculative nature. You may get the feeling that you’re simply placing a bet at the roulette table when trading binary options, so prepare for that.

• Unregulated markets. Some brokerages and exchanges that offer binary options operate outside of the United States, and away from regulators. That could increase the risk of fraud.

3 Potential Binary Options Frauds to Watch For

The risk of fraud is a bit more pronounced in the binary options sphere because many platforms and brokerages that allow traders to trade binary options are unregulated. That means they’re not conducting business under the authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or other regulators.

It’s worth noting that if you trade with a well-regarded broker, your chances of getting scammed are probably pretty slim. Even so, here are a few types of fraud that you may run into when trading binary options.

1. Identity Theft

You’re likely familiar with identity theft, and some traders have lodged complaints with regulators that certain online trading platforms have been collecting personal data (credit card numbers, etc.) and then using it as they will.

How might this play out in the wild? Let’s say you want to do some binary options trading, and after a bit of Googling, find a platform that looks fun and easy to use. You sign up, fork over some personal information, and start trading.

A while later, you might get alerts that your credit has been compromised, or something similar. This could be a sign of identity theft, and it may all stem back to when you gave your personal information to that trading platform.

It’ll require some investigation to get to the culprit (if it’s even possible), but the point is that some sites play fast and loose with personal information. Or, they may not do a good job of securing it.

As a rule, it’s generally a good idea to keep your personal data to yourself, and not upload it to unfamiliar platforms.

2. Trade Manipulation

You can’t win if the game is rigged, right? This is another common complaint lodged against certain brokerages. Specifically, some traders say the exchanges manipulate the software used to execute trades to ensure the trader ends up on the wrong side of the trade.

In effect, this would be a case of the dealer taking a peek at the next card in the deck during a game of Blackjack, seeing that you’re going to hit “21,” and replacing the winning card with another.

3. Refusing to Credit Accounts

Another common complaint is that some platforms accept customer deposits, but then don’t allow them to withdraw the funds. Platforms may cancel withdrawal requests, or ignore them, leaving traders unable to access their money.

If this happens and the brokerage or platform you’ve been dealing with is in a foreign country (or its location is unknown), you might be out of luck. Again, stick to well-known brokerages or platforms, and you’re less likely to run into these types of issues.

Binary Option Fees

The fees for trading differ depending on the platform or brokerage you’re using, so that’s something to keep in mind when deciding where you want to execute trades.

Some platforms make money through commissions, and as such, will incorporate fees into contract spreads. Others simply charge a per-contract fee. Check your preferred platform or brokerage’s pricing guidelines to make sure you’re comfortable with any applicable fees.

The Takeaway

Whether you’re interested in trading binary options or stocks and bonds, it’s important to do your homework first. That means understanding a financial instrument, be it a binary option, or a vanilla stock, before you add it to your portfolio.

An options trading platform like SoFi’s can make it easier to understand what you’re getting into, thanks to its library of educational resources about options. The platform’s intuitive and approachable design allows you to trade options through the mobile app or the web platform, depending on what you prefer.

Trade options with low fees through SoFi.

Photo credit: iStock/dinachi

SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

Jan

2022

Personal Liability Insurance Coverage

By Jamie Cattanach | Insurance | Comments Off

Think your homeowners or renters insurance policy is just about covering your physical home and the stuff inside it? Think again. Most homeowners and renters policies include personal liability insurance coverage, as well — an important type of coverage that can really come in handy if you end up needing it.

Personal liability insurance coverage pays out in the event someone is accidentally hurt or has their belongings damaged on your property, as well as accidental property damage that you or your family may inflict on someone else outside your home. Personal liability coverage helps keep you from paying out of pocket for legal fees and medical bills that can arise from these situations — which can avert a financial catastrophe, given how expensive those costs can be.

Read on to learn more about this important type of insurance coverage and how to ensure you have it (and enough of it, at that).

What Is Personal Liability Insurance?

Now that we’ve got a basic definition of personal liability insurance — insurance that covers expenses you may be liable for in case of accidental injury or damage — let’s take a look at an example.

Say you have a friend over at your house and they accidentally fall down the stairs into your basement, breaking their ankle (and getting really freaked out) in the process. Even a good friend might sue you for damages under these circumstances, not least because medical expenses are so, well, expensive. If your friend doesn’t have medical insurance, the broken ankle alone might cost them up to $2,500 if it’s a simple break that requires a cast… or orders of magnitude higher if it requires surgery.

Chances are you don’t have thousands of dollars to pay out of pocket for your friend’s medical bills, not to mention any legal fees you might incur if they should decide to actually bring you to court on top of all that. Personal liability insurance can come to the rescue here, paying out up to your coverage limit so your assets are protected.

Along with accidental injuries that occur in your home or on your property, personal liability insurance can also protect you from accidental damages perpetrated by your family. For example, maybe your 12-year-old boy accidentally throws a football through your neighbor’s window (oops), shattering the glass and also breaking an expensive picture frame in the process. Personal liability insurance can payout in this instance, too. Phew!

What Does Personal Liability Insurance Cover?

Personal liability insurance can certainly be a godsend in applicable situations, but it doesn’t cover everything. You should always review your policy information to ensure you know exactly what’s covered by your specific plan, but generally speaking, here are the types of expenses personal liability insurance covers:

• Medical bills incurred by visitors who accidentally get injured at your home or as a result of your negligence

• Legal fees incurred if a visitor sues you for injury or damages to their property

• Actual property damage sustained by a visitor to your home, or as a result of your negligence

• Bodily injury and property damage caused by your pets or children, both on and off your home property

As with most other forms of insurance, even covered damages can only be paid up to the given limit written into your policy. For many homeowners insurance plans, that limit is $100,000 per occurrence at a minimum, though there may be specific clauses about how those monies are paid out (more on this in just a minute when we discuss medical payments).

If you decide you need additional coverage, you may be able to obtain it through your homeowners or renters insurance policy (though it may drive up your premium cost). You might also choose to purchase an umbrella insurance policy, which extends your personal liability coverage substantially. Umbrella insurance can be a good idea for those with high net worths or who are at high risk of a personal liability claim.

Medical Payments

Most personal liability policies will pay out for the medical expenses of people accidentally injured on your property, even if they don’t sue you for those damages (or you’re not otherwise legally obligated to pay).

However, these medical payments come with their own limits, which may be as low as $1,000 per person. Again, you may be able to purchase higher amounts of coverage, but it’s important to thoroughly review your insurance policy to understand exactly what you’re getting.

Recommended: Beginner’s Guide to Health Insurance

What Is Not Covered by Personal Liability Insurance?

We’ve talked a lot about what personal liability insurance covers. But what, specifically, is excluded?

Personal liability insurance does not cover:

• Injuries or property damages caused intentionally by you or your family — liability insurance is for accidents only

• Liability resulting from a car accident — that’s what car insurance is for!

• Accidental injuries or damages you or your family sustain in your own home

• Any bodily injury or damage that occurs as a result of business or professional activities, even if those activities are occurring in your home (that’s why you need a separate business insurance policy)

Of course, the list of what’s not covered by a personal liability insurance plan is always going to be substantially longer than the list of what is covered. If you have questions about your coverage, speak with your insurance agent directly or refer to your policy documentation for full details.

What Else You Need to Know About Personal Liability Insurance

Like other portions of your homeowners or renters insurance policy (or any policy, for that matter), when it comes time to file a personal liability claim, you may still be responsible for some of the expenses. This is called the deductible, and it’s the amount you pay out-of-pocket to cover the damages you’re filing the claim for.

Many homeowners insurance policies have a deductible of $1,000. So, for example, if you’re held accountable for $30,000 of medical and legal fees resulting from a personal liability claim, you’d pay $1,000 and your insurance company would pay $29,000 toward those expenses.

The deductible is separate from the premium cost you pay on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis simply to keep the policy active. And while it may feel like a burden, even a high deductible is a way better deal than having to pay for the entire cost of the damages out of pocket in most cases.

The Takeaway

Personal liability insurance is a type of coverage that protects your assets by paying for bodily injury and property damage accidentally sustained by visitors to your property (or perpetrated by you or your family off your property). This type of coverage is generally baked into a homeowners or renters insurance policy, though you can also purchase additional umbrella insurance coverage to extend your personal liability limit.

While personal liability coverage — and homeowners/renters insurance as a whole — is certainly an important kind of protection, it’s not the only one you should rely on. If you have family members and loved ones who rely on your earnings, you should consider purchasing life insurance, which will help ensure they’ll continue to be taken care of should something happen to you.

SoFi has teamed up with Ladder to offer competitive, easy-to-understand life insurance policies that range from $100,000 to $8 million, and we’ll even help you draft your will and estate plan for free. We don’t require medical tests for eligible applicants, so you can get a decision in minutes — today.

Get your life insurance quote in just minutes.

Photo credit: iStock/Edwin Tan

Coverage and pricing is subject to eligibility and underwriting criteria.
Ladder Insurance Services, LLC (CA license # OK22568; AR license # 3000140372) distributes term life insurance products issued by multiple insurers- for further details see ladderlife.com. All insurance products are governed by the terms set forth in the applicable insurance policy. Each insurer has financial responsibility for its own products.
Ladder, SoFi and SoFi Agency are separate, independent entities and are not responsible for the financial condition, business, or legal obligations of the other, SoFi Technologies, Inc. (SoFi) and SoFi Insurance Agency, LLC (SoFi Agency) do not issue, underwrite insurance or pay claims under LadderlifeTM policies. SoFi is compensated by Ladder for each issued term life policy.
Ladder offers coverage to people who are between the ages of 20 and 60 as of their nearest birthday. Your current age plus the term length cannot exceed 70 years.
All services from Ladder Insurance Services, LLC are their own. Once you reach Ladder, SoFi is not involved and has no control over the products or services involved. The Ladder service is limited to documents and does not provide legal advice. Individual circumstances are unique and using documents provided is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice.

Insurance not available in all states.
Gabi is a registered service mark of Gabi Personal Insurance Agency, Inc.
SoFi is compensated by Gabi for each customer who completes an application through the SoFi-Gabi partnership.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SOPT1121025

Dec

2021

What to Know About Investing in Cryptocurrency

By SoFi Editors | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | No Comments

Since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009, thousands of different cryptocurrencies have entered the market, providing investors with an intriguing — and sometimes confusing — array of choices.

While investing in crypto may offer growth potential, cryptocurrencies as a whole have proven to be a volatile asset class, posting double-digit percentage gains and losses — sometimes within a single day. While such wild price swings have generated lucrative returns for some, others have suffered painful losses.

It’s important for investors to understand the fundamentals and risks of the cryptocurrency market before they start investing. Here’s a closer look at some basics.

Cryptocurrencies 101

Some consider cryptocurrencies to be a form of currency, while others see them as a store of value similar to gold. While the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has yet to decide whether cryptocurrencies can be considered securities or commodities, the reality is that these new instruments have revolutionized the way we think of finance and financial markets.

Not that anyone could have predicted that in 2008, when a person or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” Despite the mystery surrounding Nakamoto’s identity, bitcoin successfully launched in January of 2009.

The first altcoins — a term that refers to “alternatives to bitcoin” — were released in 2011, including Litecoin.

News reports tied use of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to illegal activity on the dark web. Some major scams and company failures, including the theft of hundreds of thousands of bitcoin on the crypto exchange Mt. Gox, contributed to volatility in the market’s early years.

However, by 2017, mainstream interest in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies skyrocketed, sending its price close to $20,000. Despite ongoing price fluctuations, by 2021 bitcoin was not only the oldest crypto on the market but still the largest by market cap.

In November 2021, bitcoin would reach an all time high of nearly $69,000 and a total market cap of nearly $1.1 trillion, while the entire crypto market surpassed some $2 trillion in market value.

However, worries of a regulatory crackdown caused many crypto prices to fall in December 2021, as SEC Chair Gary Gensler indicated that many crypto might qualify as securities and thus fall under SEC regulations.

Blockchain 101

Not every cryptocurrency is built using blockchain technology, but some of the largest ones are. A blockchain is an unchangeable record of transactions. These transactions don’t have to be monetary in nature. Blockchains can be used to create contracts, to track the movement of products, to record votes, to prove that property transfers took place, and much more.

Cryptocurrencies and blockchains work hand in hand. For example, here’s how Bitcoin mining works: new coins are created through the process of maintaining the accuracy of its blockchain. Miners use computing power to solve complex cryptographic equations. As these equations are solved, they prove that all of the transactional information on the bitcoin blockchain is accurate.

As a reward for maintaining the blockchain, Bitcoins are created and given to the miners. The bitcoin blockchain is public and decentralized. This means that anyone can view any transaction between two bitcoin addresses. However, you don’t know who owns those addresses.

The decentralization of the blockchain means that there isn’t a single individual, company, or government in charge of Bitcoin and the blockchain. Changes to the blockchain code can be proposed and adopted by the miners. However, 51% or more miners must opt into a change in order for it to be implemented, otherwise Bitcoin forks into two markets.

Cryptocurrency Risks

Every investment comes with risks, and cryptocurrencies are no exception. Here are some the biggest ones investors should be aware of:

1. Price Volatility: As mentioned, the price of Bitcoin halved within the span of a couple weeks in 2021. While the stock market is known for being a volatile asset class, the turbulence in share prices is nowhere near that of cryptocurrency prices. The market is still highly speculative, making it prone to big price swings and increasing the risk of investors locking in losses.

Recommended: Why is Bitcoin So Volatile?

2. Theft: One of the choices investors have to make after buying cryptocurrencies is whether to store the coins and tokens in a hot wallet or cold wallet. Hot wallets are digital storage tools. The risk to them is that they’re more vulnerable to hacks and theft. Take for instance the Mt. Gox incident that occurred in 2011. While the cryptocurrency market has come a long way in terms of security since then, theft and hacks are still a risk.

3. Fraud and Scams: The buzzy nature of the cryptocurrency industry unfortunately means that scammers are also drawn to the market. In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that between October 2020 and May 2021, more than 7,000 people reported losses of more than $80 million from bogus investment opportunities.

4. Forgotten Keys: While the cold wallet storage solution can prevent hacks, some users of this method have fallen into the unfortunate situation of not remembering their wallet password – or “keys” in crypto lingo. That means there could be fortunes that individuals are not able to cash in on. Of the existing 18.5 million Bitcoin in circulation in January 2021, about 20% was estimated to be “lost” or trapped in a wallet.

5. Regulatory Oversight: Chinese regulators stoked volatility in the cryptocurrency market in 2021, after clamping down on crypto mining operations and ordering payment firms to not do business with companies in the industry. U.K. regulators have also banned a leading crypto exchange. More crypto rules and regulation, including from countries like the U.S., are also expected, which could cause repercussions for usage and prices.

Basic Cryptocurrency Terminology to Know

As cryptocurrency has been growing over the past decade, industry jargon has developed. This terminology is important to know when starting to purchase and store cryptocurrencies. Here are some of the most commonly used words in the crypto space:

Address

If you’re using bitcoin, you have a public “address” where people can send you bitcoins. If you send someone bitcoins, they will see that they received them from your public address. Anyone can look up that public address and see how many bitcoins are in it.

You also have a private address, which is how you secure your bitcoins. Never give anyone your private address. Addresses are generally made up of a string of alphanumeric characters.

Altcoin

Any cryptocurrency that is not bitcoin is called an altcoin.

Crypto

Crypto is simply a shorter name for cryptocurrency.

Decentralization

As mentioned above, blockchain isn’t owned or controlled by anyone, making it decentralized. Many people in the blockchain space feel that decentralization creates more fairness.

Distributed Ledger

A dispersed recording of replicable, synchronized data. In the case of cryptocurrencies, the blockchain is a distributed ledger shared across many different computers and networks.

Exchange

Websites where you can purchase and sell cryptocurrencies are called exchanges.

Fork

A “fork” is when a blockchain permanently splits into a new version. This can take place when miners vote on a change, when a group takes over 51% of the network and changes the blockchain, or if there’s a bug or more commonly a new set of consensus rules come into existence.

FUD

Fear, uncertainty, doubt. FUD describes the emotions that can create panic and cause people to make decisions that affect the market.

Start buying Bitcoin, Ethereum,
and Litecoin today.

HODL

HODL is the philosophy of holding onto and not selling cryptocurrencies. A misspelling of “hold,” this was a joke that became a common term.

ICO

ICO is short for initial coin offering. An ICO is held when a company is raising funds and sells tokens to public or private buyers who then become backers of the project.

Mining

The computing process used to create crypto tokens. Not all cryptocurrencies are created using mining, but it is a common method.

Multisig

There are ways that you can set up a cryptocurrency transaction which require multiple people to sign off on the transaction for it to go through. This is called a multisig transaction.

Peer to Peer

A peer-to-peer (more commonly abbreviated as “P2P”) system doesn’t have a central controller; instead, users interact directly with one another. For example, there are peer-to-peer exchanges where you can sell your bitcoins directly to someone in your local area.

Pumping

When cryptocurrency information gets sensationalized in the media to raise its price or popularity, this is called pumping.

Smart Contract

Smart contracts are coded contracts written into blockchains that allow automated transactions to be executed.

Wallet

Cryptocurrencies are stored in virtual “wallets.” If you keep your cryptocurrencies on an exchange, that exchange controls your wallet. You can also use a digital wallet such as an app on your phone or computer.

One popular form of cryptocurrency wallet is a hardware wallet, which is like a flash drive that stores your cryptocurrencies offline but allows an easy connection to your computer for transacting. There are also paper wallets, which are (believe it or not) simply written records of your public and private addresses for your cryptocurrency. Online wallets are called hot wallets, while offline wallets are called cold wallets or cold storage.

Whale

A person who owns a significant amount of a cryptocurrency. When that person trades it they can actually affect the market price. These people are called whales.

The Top 10 Largest Cryptocurrencies

There are more than 7,000 cryptocurrencies on the market today, according to estimates. Each of them offers different characteristics in their transaction times, liquidity, privacy, and other factors.

Below are the top 10 biggest by market cap, as of July 23, 2021, according to data from CoinMarketCap, which calculates cryptocurrency market caps by taking the price of a digital currency and multiplying it by the number of coins in circulation.

For instance, with Bitcoin, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency by market cap, the price is $32,439.03 and the circulation supply is 18,764,331 on July 23, 2021. Multiplying the two numbers gets a market cap of about $609 billion. CoinMarketCap does this with the biggest cryptocurrencies and then ranks by the market cap of each.

Recommended: Top 30 Crypto By Market Cap

1. Bitcoin

As the first to market, Bitcoin (BTC) continues to be the most popular and highest valued crypto. Any new industry development — including physical ATMs and crypto credit cards — generally works with Bitcoin first.

Major companies now accept Bitcoin, but Bitcoin has a scalability issue, in that it currently can only process seven transactions per second. Visa®, by contrast, can process a maximum of 24,000 per second. Work is being done to improve this transaction speed, but for now Bitcoin may not be the best long-term store of currency to buy your latte with.

2. Ethereum

Although ethereum (ETH) is a cryptocurrency — also known as ether — its main appeal stems from its software platform. The Ethereum network allows for the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications to be built on it. The cryptocurrency is used to develop and run applications on the software platform, and by investors purchasing other tokens using ether.

3. Tether

Tether (USDT) was the first cryptocurrency marketed as a “stablecoin” – virtual money designed to maintain a fixed value. In the case of Tether, the value of the coin is pegged to a fiat currency – the U.S. dollar. Hence, its ticker is USDT.

In February 2021, the New York attorney general’s office settled a two-year investigation on tether and its sister crypto exchange Bitfinex. Tether had claimed that all its tokens were backed on a one-to-one basis by U.S. dollars in cash reserves.

4. Binance Coin

Binance is the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange–popular because of its low trading fees. Binance Coin (BNB) is the cryptocurrency “native” to the exchange, which means that it was designed specifically to be used in the Binance ecosystem. Binance Coin launched in 2017 with an ICO.

Binance tries to incentivize investors to use Binance Coin by allowing them to get a 25% discount on trading fees if they use BNB to pay for trades.

5. Cardano

While Cardano lacks some features, it’s considered by some market participants to be a work in progress and has potential to be a cheaper alternative to Ethereum in being a basis for DeFi and NFT projects.

A key feature of ADA is that it has a proof-of-stake blockchain. This means the complicated proof-of-work calculations and high electricity usage required for mining coins like Bitcoin aren’t necessary. Instead, all ADA coins are pre-mined. That could make Cardano appealing to investors who have been critical of the environmental costs of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

6. Ripple

Ripple (XRP) was created to be used by existing banking institutions. Ripple network can process 1,500 transactions per second. Unlike Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies, XRP is not on a blockchain network. Instead, it’s based on what’s called a “hash tree.”

In 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Ripple and its executives for allegedly misleading investors in XRP by selling more than $1 billion of the virtual tokens without registering with the regulator.

7. USD Coin

USD Coin (USDC) is a stablecoin powered by Ethereum blockchain that is pegged to the U.S. dollar. After the stablecoin Tether came under regulatory trouble for how much it actually backs in reserves, Circle has said its reserves are evaluated and audited by Chicago-based accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP.

In March 2021, Visa announced that it would allow the use of USDC to settle transactions on its payment network–a sign of mainstream acceptance of the crypto market.

8. Dogecoin

Dogecoin had a meteoric rise in 2021, surging through the month of May. The cryptocurrency was started as a joke by its founders in 2013. One of Dogecoin’s most notable features is that it has a Shiba Inu dog on its symbol.

Dogecoin enjoyed popularity in a pattern similar to the way meme stocks did in 2020. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was an advocate of Dogecoin, touting it on social media. On June 1, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said it would accommodate Dogecoin, signalling more mainstream acceptance of the cryptocurrency.

9. Polkadot

Polkadot’s coin is called dot (DOT). Polkdot’s creator Gavin Wood is also the co-founder of Ethereum. He wrote the original white paper for Polkadot in 2016.

Central to Polkadot are “parachains” — blockchains that can run higher transaction throughput than Ethereum through design. “Parallel blockchains” — transactions that are spread across multiple computers, similar to parallel processing — have also been touted as having potential as an alternative to Ethereum.

10. Binance USD

Binance USD (BUSD) is a stablecoin that is issued by Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. It’s pegged to the U.S. dollar on a one-to-one basis. It runs on the Ethereum network so can be accepted everywhere for payments or loans where other ERC-20 tokens are.

The Takeaway

Cryptocurrencies can be purchased on major cryptocurrency exchanges or crypto trading platforms. While the digital-asset market is new, trendy and could be a growth opportunity, it’s important for investors to understand that it’s also highly speculative and that all the issues related to safety and security haven’t been worked out.

On SoFi Invest®, investors can trade cryptocurrencies with as little as $10. Their first purchase of $50 or greater will get them a bonus of up to $100 in bitcoin. See full terms at sofi.com/crypto. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum Classic can be traded 24/7. Plus, SoFi takes security seriously and uses a number of tools to keep investors’ crypto holdings secure.

Get started trading crypto on SoFi Invest today.

SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.
For a full listing of the fees associated with Sofi Invest please view our fee schedule.

Crypto: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies aren’t endorsed or guaranteed by any government, are volatile, and involve a high degree of risk. Consumer protection and securities laws don’t regulate cryptocurrencies to the same degree as traditional brokerage and investment products. Research and knowledge are essential prerequisites before engaging with any cryptocurrency. US regulators, including FINRA , the SEC , and the CFPB , have issued public advisories concerning digital asset risk. Cryptocurrency purchases should not be made with funds drawn from financial products including student loans, personal loans, mortgage refinancing, savings, retirement funds or traditional investments. Limitations apply to trading certain crypto assets and may not be available to residents of all states.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SOIN19161

Dec

2021

Investing in Bitcoin ETFs

By SoFi Editors | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | Comments Off

The first three bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) became available in the U.S. in October and November of 2021. All three are tied to bitcoin futures contracts; they aren’t tied to bitcoin’s daily market price.

Bitcoin spot ETFs have existed in Canada and Europe for years, and there are several applications for spot ETFs in the U.S., but the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which regulates financial markets, has not yet approved them here.

Keep reading to learn more about the advantages of a bitcoin-based ETF, the controversy in bringing these new funds to market, and whether bitcoin futures ETFs might suit your investment strategy.

Why a Bitcoin ETF?

In order to understand the evolution of the first bitcoin ETFs, it’s important to grasp the significant changes crypto has brought to the field of finance.

Ever since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009 as the world’s first decentralized, digital currency, investors’ appetite for cryptocurrency has only grown. And no wonder: In just over a dozen years, the market has gone from a single coin to thousands of alt coins, tokens, and blockchain platforms that promise to revolutionize everything from our monetary systems to supply chains, art, and more. As of December 6, 2021, the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies was about $3 trillion, with no signs of slowing.

For some crypto speculators, the rewards have outweighed the potential downsides of this highly volatile market. But for many retail investors, putting their money into coins and exchanges that are largely unregulated has seemed fraught with risk.

Recommended: What Is Bitcoin and How Does It Work?

Buying bitcoin or any form of crypto has also presented challenges to by-the-book investors, who need to embrace new skills in order to execute even a basic crypto trade — from setting up a crypto wallet to understanding how to use and store public and private keys. As many readers know, investors who lose the private keys that give them access to their crypto assets essentially lose those assets. By some estimates, as much as 20% of bitcoin has been lost due to investors losing those all-important keys.

Thus, the idea of creating more traditional investments like bitcoin ETFs was appealing on many levels. A bitcoin ETF offered a way to give investors exposure to the world’s oldest and biggest cryptocurrency, while mitigating some of the potential risks and logistical challenges of buying and owning crypto. And bitcoin ETFs and mutual funds could be traded from standard brokerage accounts.

So why has it been so complicated to launch a bitcoin ETF?

Bitcoin ETFs: The History

Before an ETF can be listed on a U.S. exchange, it must be approved by the SEC. Thus far, however, the regulatory agency has taken a firm stand against bitcoin and other crypto-related funds because bitcoin, being unregulated itself and traded on exchanges that are largely unregulated as well, can be susceptible to fraud and manipulation.

Crypto entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, known for their Gemini digital currency exchange (among other things), were among the first to petition to launch a bitcoin ETF, but it was rejected owing to bitcoin’s potential vulnerabilities. In its 2017 denial of the petition, the SEC wrote: “Based on the record before it, the Commission believes that the significant markets for bitcoin are unregulated.”

Crypto as currency, security, or commodity?

The approval of crypto-related funds was further hampered by a debate over how cryptocurrencies should be categorized — a question that would determine how the market was regulated. Although most crypto are referred to as currencies, in fact cryptocurrencies aren’t widely used as legal tender to pay for goods or services (although that seems to be changing).

In a statement by SEC chair Gary Gensler in September 2021, he indicated that many types of crypto should be considered securities, raising concerns in the industry about the level of oversight that could follow, given that securities are regulated by the SEC.

Bitcoin and Ethereum, however, are among those considered to be commodities. Given that commodity markets are generally not as closely regulated as securities — which are subject to rules on price transparency, as well as higher standards for reporting, and market abuse oversight — some companies saw this as an opportunity.

The path to approval

Even though regulators in Canada and some countries in Europe have approved a range of bitcoin and crypto-related ETFs and mutual funds over the last few years, the SEC’s stance regarding U.S. markets only began to shift in 2021 when Chair Gary Gensler indicated an openness to ETFs tied to bitcoin futures contracts rather than the spot price of the crypto.

Because futures contracts are overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and fall under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the SEC considered this structure to potentially offer investors more protection. The SEC approved the first bitcoin ETF in October 2021.

What Are the First 3 Bitcoin ETFs?

As of December 6, 2021, there were three bitcoin ETFs in the U.S.

On October 19, 2021, the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) became the first ETF to offer investors exposure to Bitcoin futures, with two more launched shortly after its debut. A few days after the ProShares’ ETF went public, the Valkyrie Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BTF) launched, followed by the VanEck Bitcoin
Strategy ETF (XBTF) on Nov. 15, 2021.

These funds do not invest directly in “physical” bitcoin (i.e. actual bitcoin assets) but shorter-term, cash-settled contracts that are traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or CME.

Recommended: Is Crypto a Commodity or a Security?

The bitcoin ETF debate continues

Despite initial excitement and a wave of investor interest in the funds, some financial institutions are challenging the SEC’s decision to limit bitcoin ETFs to derivatives, and increasing pressure on the agency to reconsider its ruling on bitcoin spot ETFs.

Lawyers for one of the applicants, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, argued that the SEC has “no basis for the position that investing in the derivatives market for an asset is acceptable for investors while investing in the asset itself is not.”

They also asserted that the SEC is obligated to treat like situations alike, and to do otherwise is “arbitrary and capricious,” meaning that to be fair the SEC must consider similar investments in a similar light.

What Are Bitcoin Futures?

Bitcoin futures are similar to any futures contract for an underlying asset like a commodity or stock. This allows investors to speculate on the future price of bitcoin.

Investors can purchase monthly contracts for cash settlement (rather than actual bitcoin) on the CME. Thus it’s possible to trade bitcoin futures without needing a bitcoin wallet, and holding onto a volatile asset and then being subject to potential price fluctuations.

Uses of bitcoin futures

Trading bitcoin futures may offer a number of benefits. For bitcoin miners, futures can allow them to lock in prices that ensure a return on their mining investments, regardless of bitcoin’s price trajectory.

Bitcoin investors can also use futures to hedge against their positions in the spot market.

And because bitcoin futures contracts are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), large institutional investors may now consider these assets as a possibility for their portfolios. Prior to this, bitcoin has been largely unregulated, making it too risky an asset for most institutional investors.

What Other Bitcoin ETFs and Funds Exist?

Investors have channeled billions of dollars into a wide and growing variety of crypto ETFs and other funds that are thriving in Canada and Europe. While some of these funds are from smaller players, in Q4 of 2021 Fidelity became the largest asset manager to launch a bitcoin spot ETF on the Toronto exchange.

In addition to crypto-related instruments, it’s possible to invest in a number of other crypto- and blockchain-related companies, including crypto exchanges and mining technology companies.

The Takeaway

For investors curious about the cryptocurrency market but not yet ready to take the plunge, a bitcoin ETF may represent a convenient option. But as of December 2021, the SEC has rejected applications to create any securities tied to the daily spot price of bitcoin, limiting bitcoin-related investments to the derivatives market.

While investing in a bitcoin futures ETF is different than investing in a “physical” or spot bitcoin fund, it may offer some advantages. But it’s wise to understand how futures work before investing in these funds. To better understand how bitcoin and other cryptocurrency works, you can get started trading right away when you open a SoFi Invest® account, which also enables you to trade stocks, ETFs, and more.

Get started on SoFi Invest today.

SoFi Invest®

INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE

SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.
For a full listing of the fees associated with Sofi Invest please view our fee schedule.

Crypto: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies aren’t endorsed or guaranteed by any government, are volatile, and involve a high degree of risk. Consumer protection and securities laws don’t regulate cryptocurrencies to the same degree as traditional brokerage and investment products. Research and knowledge are essential prerequisites before engaging with any cryptocurrency. US regulators, including FINRA , the SEC , and the CFPB , have issued public advisories concerning digital asset risk. Cryptocurrency purchases should not be made with funds drawn from financial products including student loans, personal loans, mortgage refinancing, savings, retirement funds or traditional investments. Limitations apply to trading certain crypto assets and may not be available to residents of all states.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): Investors should carefully consider the information contained in the prospectus, which contains the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other relevant information. You may obtain a prospectus from the Fund company’s website or by email customer service at https://sofi.app.link/investchat. Please read the prospectus carefully prior to investing.
Shares of ETFs must be bought and sold at market price, which can vary significantly from the Fund’s net asset value (NAV). Investment returns are subject to market volatility and shares may be worth more or less their original value when redeemed. The diversification of an ETF will not protect against loss. An ETF may not achieve its stated investment objective. Rebalancing and other activities within the fund may be subject to tax consequences.
SOIN20162

Guide to Jade Lizards

What Is a Jade Lizard Option Strategy?

How Does a Jade Lizard Work?

Setting Up a Jade Lizard

Maximum Profit

Maximum Loss

Breakeven Point

Exit Strategy

Maintaining a Jade Lizard

Pros and Cons of the Jade Lizard Strategy

Alternatives to Jade Lizards

Investing With SoFi

FAQ

How are Jade Lizards managed?

How do reverse Jade Lizards differ from Jade Lizards?

What is the maximum payoff of a Jade Lizard?

What Is Binary Options Trading? How to Trade Binary Options

What Are Binary Options?

How Binary Options Work

How Binary Options Trading Works

Pros and Cons of Binary Options Trading

Pros of Binary Options

Cons of Binary Options

3 Potential Binary Options Frauds to Watch For

1. Identity Theft

2. Trade Manipulation

3. Refusing to Credit Accounts

Binary Option Fees

The Takeaway

Personal Liability Insurance Coverage

What Is Personal Liability Insurance?

What Does Personal Liability Insurance Cover?

Medical Payments

What Is Not Covered by Personal Liability Insurance?

What Else You Need to Know About Personal Liability Insurance

The Takeaway

What to Know About Investing in Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies 101

Blockchain 101

Cryptocurrency Risks

Basic Cryptocurrency Terminology to Know

Address

Altcoin

Crypto

Decentralization

Distributed Ledger

Exchange

Fork

FUD

Start buying Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin today.

HODL

ICO

Mining

Multisig

Peer to Peer

Pumping

Smart Contract

Wallet

Whale

The Top 10 Largest Cryptocurrencies

1. Bitcoin

2. Ethereum

3. Tether

4. Binance Coin

5. Cardano

6. Ripple

7. USD Coin

8. Dogecoin

9. Polkadot

10. Binance USD

The Takeaway

Investing in Bitcoin ETFs

Why a Bitcoin ETF?

Bitcoin ETFs: The History

Crypto as currency, security, or commodity?

The path to approval

What Are the First 3 Bitcoin ETFs?

The bitcoin ETF debate continues

What Are Bitcoin Futures?

Uses of bitcoin futures

Start buying Bitcoin, Ethereum,
and Litecoin today.

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