#美国证券交易委员会推进数字资产监管框架创新 # Eight years of crypto career real summary: Making money isn't hard; the hard part is how to cash out

I still remember clearly the 2017 altcoin boom—the time when $ADA soared from $0.03.

I bought in batches at low prices, and within three months, it shot up to $1.2. My account balance kept growing day by day, a fortyfold increase. Before bed, I’d glance at the market and think—this money is enough for a down payment, or even to buy a house outright.

And what happened next? Greed kills. I couldn’t bear to sell, waiting for even higher prices.

Then things turned magical. ADA suddenly dumped from $1.2 to $0.2, erasing over 80% of unrealized gains overnight. The dream of buying a house instantly became a joke.

That loss taught me a valuable lesson: in the crypto world, doing your homework and choosing the right coins are just the basics of entry. The real profit always goes to those who know when to take profits and secure gains.

# This profit-taking plan, earned with real money

**Tiered selling, to avoid missing out and not be greedy:**

When the coin doubles in value (for example, from $1 to $2), sell 30% of the total holdings—this recovers the principal. Future fluctuations are just trading with exchange funds. The mood instantly becomes relaxed.

If it rises another 50% (from $2 to $3), sell another 30%. The core gains are locked in, so even if it drops later, it’s not scary.

What about the remaining 40%? Set a trailing stop. When the price drops 15% from its recent peak, liquidate the remaining position in one go. Sounds strict, but the benefit is capturing big moves without riding a roller coaster from a high point and then cutting at a loss.

**A strict stop-loss rule must be followed:**

My rule for single trade losses is: never exceed 5% of the total principal. Basically, before entering a trade, set a stop-loss order at -10%. This is your “insurance policy” in trading—if your capital is wiped out, no matter how many opportunities are left, you’re out of the game.

What does the crypto world lack? Market opportunities. Every day, there are stories of instant riches, but also many stories of accounts wiped clean. Over eight years, I’ve seen too much of both. Those who can survive with profits and exit cleanly are disciplined traders.

# Why this method works especially well for retail investors

Don’t have much time to monitor the market? Totally fine. Set take-profit and stop-loss as conditional orders. Do your work, sleep peacefully, and let the market’s ups and downs happen on their own.

Core coins like BTC, ETH, SOL, BNB have high liquidity and participation, with relatively stable technical and capital conditions. Compared to chasing air coins or small tokens, they are much safer and more practical to trade.

Honestly, in these eight years, my biggest takeaway isn’t how many times I doubled my money but understanding this—trading's core isn’t predicting the market, but managing risks. If you predict wrong, have a stop-loss as a safety net; if right, sell in stages to lock in profits. This way, whether the market is trending upward or oscillating, there’s a mechanism to handle it.

The crypto world is always changing, but this principle remains unchanged: Discipline > Luck, Capital Preservation > Quick Gains.