Gold Retired

What is Bitbank? Read This Review Before Getting Started!

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What is Bitbank? How does it deliver its services to its customers? Is it reliable? Does it have unique features that you should definitely not miss out on? Join me in today’s review, in which I will be answering the questions above, and more, in a bid to help you decide whether you’ll switch to Bitbank or not. Let’s dive right into it.

  • What is Bitbank?
  • Which cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies are supported by Bitbank?
  • Countries this platform is available in
  • Fees charged
  • The deposit and withdrawal options
  • Is Bitbank Legit or is it a Scam?
  • Pros and Cons

Name of the Platform: Bitbank

Official website URL: https://bitbank.cc/en/

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

Recommended: Yes

P.S: 

See my #1 Recommended Alternative to Bitbank

What is Bitbank?

Bitbank is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that’s based in Japan. The platform, which launched in 2016 specializes in trading the most commonly known crypto, Bitcoin, and several other cryptos against the Japanese Yen. Coin-to-coin trading is also allowed on this platform.

This exchange has a very good-looking website. Overall, you can tell that the company that owns this platform is very keen on delivering the best user experience, as portrayed by the design of this platform.

Customers can access Bitbank through a mobile application, which is an option that a significant number of traders prefer to the desktop version. The app version can be accessed on Android and Ios devices.

Which cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies are supported by Bitbank?

Being a Japanese-based platform, the main currency that’s supported on Bitbank is the Japanese Yen. Whereas this is good for those who have access to JPY to deposit on this platform, it may repel traders who’d like to spend other currencies such as USD and Euros. However, the good thing is that you can purchase cryptocurrencies on other exchanges and then transfer them to your Bitbank wallet. Once you have transferred your cryptos to the Bitbank wallet, you can access market analysis and insights through some of Bitbank’s features.

The main cryptos accepted here are:

  • Bitcoin
  • XRP
  • Ethereum
  • Bitcoin Cash
  • Qtum
  • Monacoin
  • Litecoin
  • BAT

Countries this platform is available in

As we have seen, this platform is a Japanese-based one, hence its best placed to be used by those living in Japan. It, however, still accepts customers from other parts of the world. Its support services are actually offered in English, Chinese and Japanese, hence all who can communicate in these languages can access Bitbank, and utilize its features.

Bitbank isn’t explicitly prohibited for use in the USA, though I’d urge all potential customers in this region to do their due diligence to ensure that their state does not impose any restrictions on using a platform like this one.

Fees charged

Fees matter quite a lot on any given platform. You need to know what you’re going to be parting with as you deposit, trade, or withdraw funds on any platform. For Bitbank, the trading fees for the takers are usually 0.15%. With the industry average being 0.25%, Bitbank offers competitive fees that one can consider taking advantage of if they trade frequently. That said, most platforms are also starting to charge taker fees ranging between 0.10% and 0.15% (soon to be the new industry average), so you should check out the available alternatives before creating a Bitbank account.

The maker fees on this platform are surprising on this platform. Whereas we have seen platforms that do charge customers any maker fees, Bitbank takes things to the next level by charging -0.05%. What this means is that customers get paid a 0.05% commission for providing liquidity to Bitbank. This is such a great competitive advantage for Bitbank since some platforms usually charge customers fees to offer liquidity.

The deposit and withdrawal options

Bitbank lets you use wire transfers to deposit your funds, but credit cards are not allowed. This can be such an inconvenience since a good number of traders would prefer to deposit their money using their cards. If you’ve been using your credit card to buy cryptos on other platforms, then Bitbank is not your go-to option, sadly.

The good thing is that Bitbank accepts the deposit of fiat currencies, to begin with, which is something that not many platforms do not support. You can withdraw your funds in cryptos and JPY.

Is Bitbank Legit or is it a Scam?

Bitbank is, in my opinion, a legit platform. At the time of writing this review, I did some research to see if there is any consumer trust site that portrays it as a scam, but I didn’t come across any. This platform has been around for several years now, and it would have been flagged for not operating within the required guidelines.

There aren’t many customer reviews about this platform, but I managed to come across some on Revian, which are not quite detailed anyway. They only give a summary of what you can expect from Bitbank, which we have already discussed at length. With an average rating of (4/5), I’d say Bitbank is a decent platform, though I’d need to get the backing of genuine customer reviews to make this statement boldly. That said, I’d still recommend trying out an alternative to Bitbank- like the one I’ve recommended below which actually gives you more features.

==>>My #1 Recommended alternative to Bitbank

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Easy to use and navigate
  • Low fees
  • Maker fees are -0.05%
  • Market insights and predictions offered

Cons

  • Only supports JPY
  • Few cryptos supported

Do you own or represent Bitbank?

If you are a representative or associate of Bitbank have found something not to be correct in this review please, feel free to tell us and I will make sure to update the info on this post. The easiest way to do it is in the comment section below or simply by sending us an e-mail to contact@goldretired.com.

Final Words and Verdict

Verdict: Legit 

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

Bitbank is a platform that does well in terms of providing an easy-to-navigate platform that customers can use to trade, as they also access market insights. The available trading and investing tools enable customers to invest successfully, though this is also dependent on their skill level.

Thus far, Bitbank has remained operational, and desirable to traders due to its attractive fees. Unfortunately, this platform only supports JPY as the only fiat currency and doesn’t accept credit card deposits, which makes it a very limiting platform. If you’re not happy with what it has to offer, then you can see what the alternatives below have to offer.

My #1 Recommended alternative to Bitbank

OR:

Best Crypto IRAs to turn to as a Long-Term Investor (Diversify Your Retirement Portfolio)

That will be all for today’s review on what Bitbank is about, and what it has to offer. I hope it was helpful, and that you’re well-armed with information to help you decide whether you’ll switch to it or not. Let me know what your thoughts about it are, or even what your experiences with it have been so far (if you’ve already been using it).

I wish you well,

Eric, investor, and team member on Gold Retired!

What is GMO Japan? Is It The Best Crypto Exchange In Japan?

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What is GMO Japan? What does it offer that could be of interest to you? Would using it be more beneficial than using the available alternatives in the market? Are there any better alternatives to begin with? Welcome to this review about GMO Japan in which we shall analyze some of its main elements, in a bid to determine whether it’s one that you should switch to or not. Read on to find out.What is GMO Japan?

  • What is GMO Japan?
  • Which cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies are supported by  GMO Japan?
  • Countries this platform is available in
  • Fees charged
  • The deposit and withdrawal options
  • Is GMO Japan Legit or is it a Scam?
  • Pros and Cons

Name of the Platform: GMO Japan

Official website URL: https://coin.z.com/jp/

Overall Rating: 3.4 out of 5 stars (3.4 / 5)

Recommended: Yes

P.S:

See my recommended alternative to GMO Japan

What is GMO Japan?

GMO Japan exists as a cryptocurrency exchange that is based in Japan. It is part of the widely known firm GMO Internet Group, a large internet conglomerate. One of the most notable events in GMO Internet Group’s timeline is its registration as a First Class Financial Business Operator, which happened on 1st May 2020. This went a long way into the establishment of social proof that this company is indeed a genuine one.

Currently, GMO Japan has two divisions, which are:

  • The cryptocurrency FX division – which supports leveraged trading
  • The cryptocurrency spot trading-division

Opening a GMO account comes with a number  of restrictions that you may not encounter with other alternatives in the market, including:

  • You must be 20+ years old.
  • Should be residing in Japan
  • Your email address/telephone number should be unique (not duplicated with that of other customers on the platform).
  • You shouldn’t be a foreign important public person
  • One must not have any accusations of having any relations with anti-social forces.
  • The registration details you present should be compatible with GMO Japan’s service requirements.

Which cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies are supported by GMO Japan?

As a GMO Japan user, you have the chance to exchange your JPY with a variety of cryptocurrencies that are available. Currently, this platform has the following cryptos:

  • Bitcoin
  • Basic Attention Token
  • Bitcoin Cash ABC
  • Enjin Coin
  • Ethereum
  • Litecoin
  • NEM Coin
  • OmiseGO Coin
  • Polkadot Coin
  • Qtum Coin
  • Ripple
  • Stellar Lumens
  • Tezos

GMO has more coins than most Japanese exchanges, which makes it a better option for Japanese customers who prefer having a wide variety of cryptos to profit from.

Countries this platform is available in

As we have already seen, it is a strict requirement for anyone who intends to use GMO Japan to prove that they are currently residing in Japan. This means that this platform only serves those living in this country, and those who do not meet this one criterion should check out what other alternatives in this industry have to offer.

Fees charged

Trading fees can make or break your trading experience. You can make a good amount of trading proceeds, only for the company whose platform you are relying on to slash a significant amount of your funds in fees and other charges. This is why we usually emphasize that you take your time to study all the fees requirements before getting started with any platform in this industry because you can get really frustrated for failing to do so.

On GMO Japan, the main fees include:

  • The taker fees (0.05%)- these are well below the industry average, which currently stands at about 0.20% to 0.25%. GMO’s fees are quite impressive, in my opinion, and would they’d greatly favor any trader who’s out to minimize fees and to maximize profits.
  • The maker fees (-0.01%)– on this platform, you do not pay any maker fees. You are, in fact, paid to provide liquidity on this platform. There are some platforms that still charge customers for providing liquidity on their platforms, so you can see why GMO is superior when it comes to fees,
  • Withdrawal fees – whereas this exchange does not charge any withdrawal fees, you can expect some network fees for every withdrawal transaction. The network fees, which are paid to the miners vary widely.

The deposit and withdrawal options

GMO Japan allows its customers to deposit cryptocurrencies using the wire transfer method. Those who’d like to use their credit cards to make a quick crypto purchase cannot do this on GMO Japan. They, therefore, have to work with other platforms that offer more deposit and withdrawal options. The good thing is that GMO accepts the deposit of fiat currencies, which is something that you may not find with a significant number of exchanges on this platform.

Is GMO Japan Legit or is it a Scam?

GMO Japan is in my opinion, a legit platform. As I already highlighted at the very start of this review, GMO Japan is part of the very popular internet conglomerate, GMO Internet, which is a publicly-traded firm. This conglomerate has established its online presence in the following areas:

  • Domain registration
  • Web hosting
  • Internet Services
  • SSL Security
  • Payment services
  • Online trading
  • Online media
  • Online search
  • Mobile entertainment
  • Cryptocurrency

There are a total of 106 companies worldwide, all of which play their roles in the online world.

I looked for customer reviews about GMO Japan’s crypto services, but I didn’t come across any. All in all, we can extend the trust we have in GMO Internet to GMO Japan, though this doesn’t necessarily mean that the services will be great. This company should definitely take some time to work on the provision of social proof. Unfortunately, this platform is only available for use by people residing in Japan, so if you don’t meet this criterion you should simply check out other exchanges in the industry.

My #1 Recommended alternative to GMO Japan

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Low maker fees
  • You get paid to offer liquidity on this platform
  • Owned by GMO Internet, which is widely known and recognized.

Cons

  • Limited deposit and withdrawal options
  • Only to be used by people living in Japan
  • Very few cryptocurrencies are supported
  • No customer reviews about it are available

Do you own or represent GMO Japan?

If you are a representative or associate of GMO Japan have found something not to be correct in this review please, feel free to tell us and I will make sure to update the info on this post. The easiest way to do it is in the comment section below or simply by sending us an e-mail to contact@goldretired.com.

Final Words and Verdict

Verdict: Legit 

Overall Rating: 3.4 out of 5 stars (3.4 / 5)

Generally, GMO Japan seems like a legit platform that traders in Japan can rely on, due to the low trading fees. Even with its limited deposit and withdrawal options, GMO Japan seems like a good platform to rely on due to the legitimacy attached to it (from its mother company). That said, I’d still recommend that you do your due diligence to ensure that you know what you’re getting yourself into with this platform. For all potential crypto traders who are not living in Japan, you can check out my recommended alternatives to GMO Japan below:

Full Review of my #1 Recommended alternative to GMO Japan

Or

Recommended Crypto IRA Companies For The Long Term Investors

That will be all for this review on what GMO Japan is, and what it has to offer. Have you used this platform prior to reading this review? Let me know what your experience with it was like. Also if you have any more questions about it, drop them in the comments section- I’ll get back to you ASAP.

I wish you well,

Eric, investor, and team member on Gold Retired!

16 coins to have in a Cryptocurrency IRA | New 20/21 List!

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In our last article, we demonstrated how investors can use crypto IRAs to diversify and transform their retirement accounts. In this article, we will show you which cryptocurrency to include in your portfolio. The IRS considers these cryptocurrencies as “property,” thus any earnings made outside of a protected account will be taxed. Yes, the boom days have returned. But how can investors decide which cryptocurrency is the best to invest in when there are so many to select from? That’s why we have provided you with this top crypto IRAs list.

I have included the “sure bets” such as Bitcoin & Ethereum but have also put some very interesting coins you might want to include in your IRA aswell. For example, one of the coins (nr 2) might be the reason why Google go out of business in a not to distant future… Pretty interesting stuff, right? I see the potential atleast, do you?

Now, let’s have a go with them top 16 coins you might want to include!

P.S. The coins are not listed in any particular order, so that is the reason why you don´t find Bitcoin and Ethereum on the first 2 spots.

16 Best Cryptocurrencies to include in your Crypto IRA:

1. OmiseGO (OMG)

OmiseGO believes that access to financial services can create financial opportunities and improve lives. It was created to enable people to securely provide and access financial services and exchange and use digital assets anytime, anywhere.

OmiseGO’s zero permission-based networks aim to provide real-time transactions between peers and streamline the provision of financial services across geography, asset classes, and applications. The OmiseGO eWallet Suite allows you to create and integrate frontends for different types of digital transactions.

His team provides tailored and technical consulting services to provide future-ready solutions for the growing digital economy. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Bangkok, OmiseGO is a subsidiary of Omise Holdings Pte., Ltd.

2. The Basic Attention Token

Championed by Brendan Eich (the developer of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla), the Basic Attention Token (BAT) project is an open-source decentralized billboard exchange platform developed on top of the Ethereum ecosystem. The project aims to combat fraud and transparency through digital advertising.

This crypto project aims to accurately evaluate users’ interest in the platform. Advertisers pay BAT to web publishers for consumer attention. The BAT platform offer includes Brave, a privacy-focused open source web browser intended to block malicious trackers and software. It uses blockchain technology to secretly track website visitors and thus, offer rewards to web owners.

Note: The Brave browser is the reason why millions of internet users worldwide have abbandoned Chrome, Firefox & Google lately, not only for privacy reasons and to avoid ads, but also due to better searchresults that are not “manipulated” by Googles own economic interests. If you run Brave together with duckduckgo for example you leave Google out of the mix.

NOT a very brave forecast: This coin might just explode in value moving forward… Include it in your IRA if you can!

P.S.

My #1 recommended cryptocurrency IRA solution is the only company in the industry that offer this coin in your IRA, you can learn more about that company on this page

3. Ripple (XRP)

XRP is Ripple’s real-time total payment system (RTGS), an exchange and transfer network. Also known as Ripple Transaction Protocol (RTXP) or Ripple Protocol, this protocol is based on an open-source decentralized internet protocol, consensus, and proprietary cryptocurrency called XRP.

Ripple was launched in 2012 and aims to provide “secure, instant and virtually free financial transactions at any scale, without payments.” It supports tokens representing fiat, cryptocurrency, commodities, or other devices of value such as frequent flight environments or mobile talk time. At its core, XRP is based on a public database or shared ledger that uses a consensus process that allows payments, exchanges, and payments to be made in a decentralized process. It was in development for 8 years before it was released.

As the original cryptocurrency token of the Ripple blockchain network, Ripple provides consumers with real-time payment or transfer options and serves as a currency exchange platform for financial institutions. The national currency used on the Ripple blockchain is still counted under the same Ripple name. Unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum, Ripple offers more real-world business usability and enjoys a better corporate support. In fact, Ripple is a decentralized transactional network. Transactions on the Ripple blockchain are confirmed by consensus, not cryptocurrency.

Ripple was created as a fast and inexpensive alternative to implementing an instant total payment system. Validating transactions on the Ripple blockchain is much faster than Bitcoin or Ethereum. Ethereum transactions only take a few seconds.

The network can work without the company Ripple. Verification bodies include companies, ISPs, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Used by companies such as UniCredit, UBS, and Santander, XRP is increasingly being used as a payment infrastructure technology in banking and payment networks, and Banker America notes that “from a banking point of view, distributed ledgers like the Ripple system are only a few dollars away from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. There are two advantages.” Price and security included.

4. Stellar (XLM)

Stellar (XLM) is a fully decentralized consensus platform. It is designed to support all types of currencies. It has a built-in decentralized exchange that can be used to trade any type of currency or asset.

Lumens are proprietary (digital currency) assets located on the Stellar network and serve as a bridge to facilitate multi-currency transactions. When performing transactions like transferring money in Euros and receiving US Dollars is exchanged, XLM acts as a digital intermediary that enables these transactions at a low cost.

5. Litecoin

Litecoin is a peer-to-peer internet currency that allows instant payments with near-zero value to anyone in the world. It is a global payment network with fully decentralized open-source code without a central government. Arithmetic calculations maintain the security and safety of the network and at the same time give people control over their finances.

Litecoin offers faster transaction confirmation times and better storage efficiency than major math currencies. With noteworthy industry support, trading volume, and liquidity, Litecoin is a proven trading tool that complements Bitcoin.

The Litecoin Price Index (LTX) is the world’s leading benchmark for Litecoin prices, used by the largest organizations operating in the cryptocurrency market. Asset distributors, asset managers, market participants, and stock exchanges use LTX to provide real-time Litecoin spot prices in USD. LTX is one of a collection of single and multi-asset indices offered by CoinDesk.

6. Ethereum Classic

Ethereum Classic is almost identical to Ethereum, except for the fact that Ethereum Classic uses the old blockchain rather than the new Ethereum blockchain. Ethereum Classic uses a value token called “classic ether” that can be transferred between participants.

7. EOS

EOS.IO is a blockchain protocol that runs its network with a platform’s crypto coin known as EOS. The protocol simulates most real-world computing properties, including hardware (CPU and GPU for processing, local/RAM, hard disk storage), and computer resources are evenly distributed among EOS cryptocurrency holders. EO.SIO serves as a smart contract platform and decentralized operating system designed to deploy decentralized applications on an industrial scale through a decentralized autonomous business model.

The smart contract platform claims to eliminate transaction fees and is worth millions of transactions per second. EOS platform is software that represents a blockchain architecture designed to scale and downgrade decentralized applications. The software provides accounting, authentication, database, asynchronous communication, and application scheduling across multiple CPU cores and/or clusters.

8. Bitcoin SV

The Bitcoin Satoshi concept was created based on the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) hard fork on November 15, 2018. The ecosystem sector wanted to increase and accelerate the size of blocks and limit the possibilities of smart contracts. Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (SV) is a coin developed in late 2018 that mocked the Bitcoin Cash blockchain and adapted the protocol to a larger blockchain to reduce transaction fees. The name comes from the beliefs of his followers that lower fees are in line with Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin vision. Bitcoin SV development is championed by nChain, and the new crypto coin was supported by early Bitcoin Cash opponents such as Craig Wright and Calvin Eyre.

9. Bitcoin cash

Controversy over Bitcoin’s scalability resulted in the split of the digital currency on August 1, 2017. The Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is the blockchain that emerged from the split. It sets the block size limit to 8 MB, increasing the number of transactions that the general ledger can handle with BCH.

Current software can process more transactions per unit time compared to parent blockchains. Since the launch of the young cryptocurrency, its value has risen more than 200% from the original Bitcoin Cash price of $300 to $600. Investors are wondering if this could be called “the new king of digital currency”.

But initially, Bitcoin Cash started slowly. It would not have been attractive to profit-seeking computer miners without the bitcoin mining algorithms that have given new life to new tools.

10. Bitcoin

Bitcoin, launched in 2009 as the first decentralized digital coin, is the most widely used cryptocurrency today. It is widely used as a long-term store of value. Bitcoin is not printed in traditional dollar or euro equivalents. It is “broken” by users running computers to verify transactions on the peer-to-peer networks that make up the blockchain. These users are rewarded with new bitcoins that match the processing power they provide to the network.

Bitcoin’s inimitable feature means that the maximum number of Bitcoins that will be mined is 21 million. This is one of the reasons why it is so popular with investors around the globe. Often described as a cryptocurrency, virtual currency, or digital currency, Bitcoin is a completely fictitious form of currency.

It’s like online money. It can be used to buy products and services, but many stores do not yet accept bitcoin and are generally banned in some countries. However, some businesses are starting to wake up with increasing influence.

For example, last October, online payment service PayPal announced that it would allow customers to buy and sell bitcoin. By default, Bitcoin data files are stored in a “digital wallet” application on your smartphone or computer.

People can send Bitcoins (or parts of them) to a digital wallet and send bitcoins to others. All transactions are registered on a publicly available list called the blockchain. This allows people to track the history of bitcoins to avoid using coins they do not own, and allows them to copy or reverse transactions.

11. Zcash

Zcash is a decentralized open-source digital currency that guarantees transaction privacy and accountability. Zcash is a fork of the Bitcoin protocol that was created by some of the most prominent Bitcoin engineers. Zcash is a digital currency that focuses on offering credible digital currencies to consumers who demand anonymity. It equally safeguards Zcash users’ privacy, but it also safeguards transactions on the network. While respecting the secrecy of private details and transaction records, the framework does not utilize analytics to verify transactions. The blockchain is built on top of the bitcoin architecture and uses the same protocol.

ZCash is based on the Bitcoin source code (BTC), but differs from Bitcoin in two respects: fairness and efficiency. When funds are transferred to the ZCash blockchain, all network members know that the payment has been made on the public blockchain. But now no one knows who sent the message, who received the message, and how much money they sent!

This is accomplished through the use of a process known as IQ testing. The crypto model enables two people to confirm a transaction without having to give any sensitive details! The second way ZCash differs from Bitcoin is that it processes transactions significantly more quickly. ZCash can confirm transactions in 2.5 minutes versus 10 minutes for Bitcoin, making it a far more convenient worldwide payment system.
Proof of work is a consensus model used by ZCash and Bitcoin. Zcash is a cryptocurrency that aims to use cryptography to give consumers more anonymity than other digital currencies. It was transformed to a zero-cash system after the Zero coin algorithm was enhanced and transformed to a zero-cash system, it was converted to the Zcash cryptocurrency in 2016.

Zcash payments are announced on a public blockchain, but users can hide the sender, recipient, and transaction amount with additional privacy features. Like Bitcoin, Zcash has a total of 21 million units. During the first four years, 20% of the coins generated during this period will be allocated as “Founders Rewards” and distributed to investors, developers, and non-profit funds.

Transactions can be “transparent” and similar to bitcoin transactions, in which case a t-addr can process the transaction, or it can be a form of zero-intelligence test called zk-SNARK. The transaction is then referred to as “secure” and monitored by the z-address. Zcash coins can be used in transparent or secure pools. As of December 2017, only about 4% of Zcash coins were in secure pools, and most wallet programs at the time did not support z-addr, nor did network wallets.

Zcash offers a “selective disclosure” option to individual participants in a transaction, allowing users to verify payments for review purposes. One of these reasons is to give negotiators the option to comply with anti-money laundering or tax laws. “Transactions are subject to review, but disclosure is under the control of participants.” Wilcox held a virtual meeting with U.S. law enforcement agencies to explain these basics, and officially said that “the currency was not developed to facilitate illegal activity.”

12. Dash

Dash comes from Litecoin, which was derived from Bitcoin. It was created by Evan Duffield in January 2014 and was originally known as Darkcoin. However, in March, 2015, it was later renamed Dash. It utilizes a mix of miners and masternodes to manage transactions. A unique feature of Dash is that it invites all major nodes to place 1000+ DASH on cold storage, keeping the network secure. You can speed up your transaction by checking only the main nodes, not the miners. Confidentiality can also be implemented via the ‘PrivateSend’ transactional mixing device. Dash has a voting system that allows you to quickly change controls as needed.

Dash is a cryptocurrency and blockchain protocol focused on integrity and fast, cheap transactions. Of course, your bitcoin transactions have nothing to do with your identity. However, with the right technology, Bitcoin transactions can be tracked for both senders and receivers.

Since transactions are anonymous, the Dash blockchain solves this problem. The Dash network is similar in many respects to Bitcoin in that it supports digital transactions between wallets.

When you use Dash to send and receive digital payments, you rarely pay transaction fees in excess of $0.01. Bitcoin transactions also take 10 minutes to confirm, but payments via Dash are instant.

This is the perfect network for cross-border payments in terms of cost and speed. But one of Dash’s main attractions is that it is a privacy coin. This means that, if you choose the right option, transactions sent over the Dash network can be kept 100% anonymous and confidential.

14. Tezos (XTZ)

Tezos (XTZ) development was championed by former Morgan Stanley analyst Arthur Breitman. XTZ is a versatile platform for the creation of dApps and smart contracts. The purpose of the platform is to manage network transitions by combining self-modifying and network management protocols.

The native currency of Tezos platform is the XTZ and unlike miners in the Bitcoin chain, the digital coin is generated by bakers. Bakers stake some deposits and receive rewards for sign up and confirming blocks. Then the witness checks the validity of the block. Fraudulent bakers are forced by the system to give up their XTZ deposits. Tezos makes use of Delegated proof-of-stakes algorithm (DPoS) and allows the development of Turing complete smart contracts.

Tezos development was done through the OCamel’s coding language, which provides a functional and essential object-oriented style.

15. Chain link

Chainlink (LINK) is a decentralized oracle service that seeks to link smart contracts with real data. Since the blockchain does not have access to data outside the network, the oracle must act as a data gatekeeper in smart contracts. Oracles provide external data (eg temperature, weather) that triggers smart contract execution when predefined conditions are met. Chainlink network members are encouraged (through rewards systems) to allow smart contracts to access external data streams.

When users want to access data offline, they can send a contact request to the ChainLink network. These contracts match the offer contract with the appropriate oracle. Contracts include Reputation Contracts, Order Reconciliation Contracts, and Total Contracts. Aggregation contracts collect data from selected oracles to find the most accurate results.

16. Ethereum

Ethereum is that the second most precious digital currency after Bitcoin. However, although the Ethereum market is supported by many of an equivalent exchanges and infrastructure on which the Bitcoin network is made, important differences remain.

Unlike Bitcoin, ether wasn’t created as a worldwide digital currency. It’s designed to pay just for certain operations on the Ethereum network using blockchain technology. Anonymous payments are often sent globally, and transactions are stored on a decentralized ledger, blockchain.

As a result, Ethereum has been adopted by online and physical stores round the world. There are quite 100 cryptocurrencies that sell for over a dollar, but as you’ll see within the table below, Ethereum is one among the most important players offering attractive financial opportunities for weekly traders.

Final words & Recomendation:

I have listed ALL the top crypto IRA companies on this website, but the absolute best one I can recommend to you is the one that actually can offer you as much as 15 out of the 16 coins listed above. That recommendation is Regal Crypto IRA Wallet as they let you invest in a broader spectrum of coins than any other in the industry, atleast at the moment, and I would NOT want to wait much longer before getting yourself a new crypto IRA in these times we are currently in! There is a reason the dinosaurs died out, right?

Learn about my #1 recommended Cryptocurrency IRA provide on this page

Or,

See my top-5 list of the best cryptocurrency IRA providers on this page

I hope you found this post of 15 coins to have in a cryptocurrency IRA to be helpful and that you now have a better idea of how to diversefy your crypto IRA portfolio. Also please share your experience in the comment secton below, or if you got any questions I would be more than happy to answer them below aswell!

I wishh you success!

Michael, founder of Gold Retired

P.S. 

Please share this with a friend or someone who you think might benefit from the info!

What is carousell.sg? A Legit Platform or Just Another Scam?

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What is carousell.sg? How does it operate? Is it reliable and trustworthy? Should you turn to it for what it offers or should you simply go with the alternatives? Join me as we take a look at this unique platform as we seek to establish how relevant it is to the current needs we have, that it seeks to address. Everything there is to it will be addressed

  • What is Carousell? 
  • Which cryptocurrencies can you sell or buy on Carousell?
  • Fees charged
  • How long does it take to make the transfers when using Carousell?
  • Countries this platform is available in
  • Is Carousell Legit or is it a Scam?
  • Pros and Cons

Name of the Platform: Carousell

Official website URL: https://www.carousell.sg/

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars (2.5 / 5)

Recommended: Not Recommended

P.S.

See my #1 recommended alternative to Carousell (for the purchase and sale of cryptos)

What is carousell.sg?

Carousell exists as a Singaporean multinational smartphone and web-based consumer-to-consumer (C2C) and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketplace in which you can purchase and sell secondhand goods. Beyond that, this platform has been turned into one in which customers can also purchase and sell cryptocurrencies, in the same manner in which they’d purchase and sell other goods.

In this kind of web-based platform, customers and businesses identify potential service providers, reach out to them for the products and services they’re offering, then close a deal that sees one of the parties receive the money while the other one receives the commodity or service.

Carousell was founded in Singapore in 2012, but has since then managed to spread its roots to customers who live in:

  • Malaysia
  • Indonesia
  • Philippines
  • Cambodia
  • Taiwan
  • Hong Kong
  • Macau
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Canada

This platform is currently available for use in both IoS and Android devices.

Interesting facts :

  • The first item that was successfully sold on this platform was an Amazon Kindle e-reader that costs $75. Its operations have since then grown to the extent that Carousell Pte. Ltd has had to employ more than 200 employees.
  • This company’s CEO is Quek Siu Rui and the CTO is Lucas Ngoo.

N.B: we shall only focus on the purchase and sale of cryptos on Carousell, for this review.

Which cryptocurrencies can you sell or buy on Carousell?

Carousell exists as a marketplace in which businesses and customers can sell and purchase a wide variety of products and services, so long as they fall within the allowed domain of items that one can trade.  When it comes to cryptocurrencies, the same applies- one can look for a business or seller who has the type of cryptocurrency they need and contact them to arrange for a purchase.

Essentially, the platform can make it possible for one to meet a very wide variety of cryptocurrency sellers. At the same time, unfortunately, this may mean that there could be many sellers in this type of marketplace supplying one type of crypto, and no seller supplying other coins (this is unlike other crypto exchange platforms in which it’s quite hard for you not to access and purchase a specific type of cryptocurrency instantly, at any given time).

Fees charged

With platforms such as Carousell, transaction fees vary. Generally, the seller of the crypto may have a different crypto wallet from the buyer. In such a situation, the transaction fees will end up being unique. With most marketplaces, sellers have the liberty to price their cryptos as they please, and this may lead to unique charges for every transaction.

Let’s say that you decide to purchase Bitcoin from seller X today, you may find that he or she has priced the cryptos at $10. After several days if you head to the same platform, the seller may have decided to switch the price of the same cryptos to $15 or $7, which is something that significantly influences the total fees charged. If you also look at each sellers’ profile, you’ll see the way they’ve priced their products and services uniquely.

How long does it take to make the transfers when using Carousell?

Again, the time of transfer may vary from one transaction to the other one. The transaction speed may be affected by a number of things including the fact that the seller may simply decide to act upon the buyer’s request extra fast or extra slow. To avoid a scenario in which you end up dealing with slow sellers, you can always check out their customer reviews and ratings-it’s highly likely that you’ll come across something that will help you know if the seller is reliable or not (as far as timeliness is concerned).

Countries this platform is available in

As we already saw, this platform can be accessed by customers who are living in Singapore, Canada, Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Australia. Being a web-based marketplace, it’s very easy for Carousell to get into other market countries. You can, as such, keep looking whether this platform has been granted permission to operate in your country if by the end of this review you’ll have found it to be trustworthy.

Is Carousell Legit or is it a Scam?

For starters, Carousell is not a scam (in my opinion). I think it’s one whose model we are already familiar with. Having used a platform such as Paxful, which has an almost similar model, I can attest to the fact that Carousell’s model is one that can be quite helpful to buyers and sellers. Unfortunately, this platform has been on the spotlight for having such a large number of scammers in the past. Some service providers, upon getting paid, disappear with the money and do not deliver the item that was paid for.

In 2018, for instance, Police in Singapore reported that Carousell’s e-commerce scams had increased by 136% by the first half of 2018.  Such statistics should be sufficient to tell you what to expect from this platform as you head there to purchase the cryptos you are interested in. Spare a few minutes to read through the customer reviews given by Carousell users on Reddit to get an even clearer picture of what customers go through on this platform.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Wide variety of sellers –makes it possible to compare prices
  • Simple to use (like e-bay)

Cons

  • Bad reputation for hosting scammers
  • Payment methods may be limited to what the sellers are capable of using

Final Words and Verdict

Verdict: Legit (but not recommended)

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars (2.5 / 5)

Carousell is genuine, but the sellers on this platform may not always be genuine to you. The fact that there’s a chance for you to get robbed of your hard-earned money should be enough reason to keep off. You can switch to safer alternatives in which you can purchase cryptos using the money in your bank account, without having to deal with other people. You can look at the recommended alternatives below to see how far its owners have gone into making sure that it’s a safe and reliable platform.

Full Review of my #1 Recommended alternative to Carousell

OR

Start Investing through one of the top-5 Crypto IRA companies (for the long term investors)

Thank you for making it to the end of this review on what carousell.sg is about, and what it can help you achieve. I hope you found it helpful, and that you now know whether to use it or not, based on the information you’ve gathered here. Let me know what your thoughts are about it, or what your experiences have been with this platform.

I wish you success,

Eric, investor, and team member on Gold Retired!

How To Write a Retirement Speech | 6 Tips To Get You Started

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How To Write a Retirement Speech

If you’re looking for tips on how to write a retirement speech, then congratulations! This is such a big honor since you’ve been granted the power to give another person’s (or your) work history and story in a manner that’s both inspiring and entertaining. If you can follow the tips that we shall discuss in this article today, and take confidence in your oratory skills, then you’ll deliver a memorable retirement speech. Let’s get into it right away:

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  1. Collect enough information

If you’ve been tasked with giving a retirement speech about, say a long-time employee, then the best thing you can do for them is to gather sufficient information about them. This may call for you to do some research about them, as far as the following elements are concerned:

  • How long this retiree has been working in the company?
  • His or her journey towards the position they held in the company before retiring
  • The contributions that this person made while they were working, both in the company and the industry
  • Some of the main awards they’ve received during the course of their career.

In addition to knowing the above details, be sure to know how to pronounce their name (and other nicknames too), the name of their spouse, the names of their kids, and their personal hobbies and interests. You can also ask around if the retiree would be comfortable sharing any information about their family life since not everyone is okay with this.

  1. Identify the qualities of the retiree

Every employee is unique in their own way. Whereas it’s not easy to tell this if you do not interact with every employee in the company, you can always ask those who spend their time with the person in question. In the case of the retiree, you can interview some work members, or their family members to get some information about them. It would be an honor to them if you found out which character traits define them best, and how they make positive contributions to their environment. In this step, you’ll discover whether the employee is brave, kind, hardworking, a peacemaker or mediator, etc.

  1. Write the outline of your speech

You may have hated the concept of writing outlines in your English classes, but this is that time to appreciate that it wasn’t all for nothing. For your retirement speech, the following outline will do:

  • Introduction – give the audience a short attention-grabbing story, and make sure the retiree features in it. The story should give a positive account of the retiree in a humorous way.
  • Point #1 – present the positive attributes of the retiree, such as how they were always first to arrive at work, or how they were useful in the work environment. Give specific examples and not generalizations.
  • Point #2- give an account of the retiree’s work, such as how long they’ve served that company, some of the main projects that participated in, and any other contributions they’ve made to the company. Note that you do not have to discuss every project at length, so mentioning the project may be enough.
  • Point #3- highlight the most important attribute of the employee and use an example to emphasize it. Another very short story highlighting the same attribute would suffice.
  • Thank the retiree for all their positive contributions – as the retiree heads out for retirement, they should know that they have your best wishes. Write a quote or two about retirement.

  1. Write the speech

If you’ve mastered the art of giving speeches, then this step may not be necessary for you. Anyone who feels like they’re not sure about their oratory skills should definitely write out the speech.

In the event that you decide to write out the retirement speech, refrain from using the word “I”, and focus more on the retiree. Nothing about the speech should seek to glorify you, but should in all manner possible honor the retiree.

  1. Get some feedback about the speech

It’s possible to leave out important details in a speech, and we may not know this until we get some feedback from other people who know the retiree well. If possible, you can get one or two people to listen to your speech before you present it to a larger audience.

You will not only get important feedback from the small audience, but you’ll also catch yourself saying some things that are not so cool. Doing this will help you streamline your speech. If the small audience comprises of the retiree’s close friends, they’ll point out which topics you should avoid, and the ones should not leave out. At the end of it all, you’ll have a speech that’s good enough to be presented to a large audience.

  1. Record a video of the speech before presenting it

Once you’ve polished the speech and are looking forward to rocking the best attire as you take to the podium, take some time to record the speech to see whether the pieces will all be intact. Practicing the speech by recording it is one good way to do this. It’s a good approach to find out whether what is on paper or on your iPad will sound equally appealing when presented to the audience.

Watching a video of yourself talking to the audience will help you identify some mannerisms that are otherwise hard to catch without a video recording. In the end, you’ll have come up with a suitable way to give the speech in a way that will have the audience chew at your every word instead of focusing on the unnecessary and unintentional facial expressions that you make.

Two retirement recommendations

As you have already (most likely) figured out, this site is mainly about gold & silver investing and retirement. We have listed pretty much each and every IRA (Individual retirement account) custodian and gold dealer out there, at least the ones in the United States, but also international companies as well.

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So please don´t be afraid to refuse to try something new, at least with a small portion of your total portfolio, I would suggest 5% for the conservative and around 10% for the brave investor. Below you got the top-5 rated IRA companies in both worlds, crypto, and precious metals:

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Conclusion

Those are some key tips that I believe will come in handy if you’re trying to figure out how to write a retirement speech. Whereas following these tips may not be the holy grail to writing the very best retirement speeches in the whole world, they’re good enough to help you put together a speech that will be remembered by the audience and retiree. I hope you found this article helpful, and that you’re now well-placed to get started with that retirement speech.

I wish you well,

Eric, Investor and Team Member at Gold Retired!

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