Remember the 2019 bear market, I watched Bitcoin drop from its peak right before my eyes. The profits in my account slid from 200% all the way down, and in just seven or eight days, they were wiped out and liquidated. That’s when I realized that what destroys retail investors isn’t the market itself, but their own greed.

Over these six years, I’ve developed a system through blood, sweat, and tears—simply put, knowing when to enter isn’t enough; knowing when to exit is the real skill. During this recent bull and bear cycle, this system not only helped me preserve profits but also ensured a steady annual return of over 30%.

**Why can you make money but can’t hold onto it?**

Psychology has a phenomenon called loss aversion effect. The pain of losing ten thousand dollars makes you feel worse than the pleasure of earning twenty thousand dollars, which is needed to offset that loss. That’s why many people want to cash out quickly when they’re profitable, but cling tightly when they’re losing. After suffering big losses, I realized that truly consistent traders have a systematic approach—what they say is, “You’re not really earning from price fluctuations, but from sticking to your system.” Once clear rules are in place, short-term ups and downs won’t shake your confidence.

**The method I use now involves three stages:**

First step, capital preservation first. When my position gains 20%, I move the stop-loss up to the cost price. This way, I feel secure, and no matter how much it retraces, I won’t lose money.

It sounds simple, but this is the key to psychological stability. You no longer worry about being caught in a trap, so your focus can shift to subsequent operations. I’ve seen too many people give up at this stage, thinking the small profit isn’t worth risking, only to see a wave of retracement wipe out everything.

Second step, scaling out in parts. As the price continues to rise, I sell off in smaller increments. For example, at key points like 50%, 100%, 200% gains, I sell about one-third of the total position each time.

What’s the benefit of this? First, you lock in core profits; second, you retain some position to enjoy the leftovers. Many people either sell everything at once and miss out on further gains, or hold on and see their hard-earned profits evaporate.

Third step, betting with unrealized gains. The remaining portion can be relaxed a bit because profits are already locked in, and your mindset shifts. At this stage, you can judge trends more rationally and decide when to fully exit.

**Why is it important not to be greedy for the last penny?**

The crypto world is never short of stories—tales of tenfold or hundredfold coins are always around. But in reality, few people manage to ride the entire wave from start to finish. The core of my method is—admit you can’t predict everything, so scale out gradually. Don’t gamble on that last surge because you can’t afford to.

Once you adopt this mindset, trading becomes much simpler. It’s not about spending hours watching charts, but about diligently executing your rules. When it’s time to act, act; when it’s time to wait, wait. With this approach, you’ll feel more at ease.

Over these six years, I’ve found that truly profitable traders aren’t geniuses. They just follow the simplest logic—clear entry conditions, layered take-profit plans, strict risk management. Then they repeat this system over and over, slowly accumulating wealth through compound growth over time.

If you’re also troubled by how to exit, give this approach a try. It’s not about getting rich overnight, but about achieving steady returns every year. That’s more realistic than anything else.