Why Buy Bitcoin: Investing Today in the Money of Tomorrow

The book is very nicely structured but fails to approach the topic from first principles, and as such there are no real conclusions. The author falls back on historical definitions of money, which even in their time (1876) only described commodity money. The latter was at no point a relevant way for economic activity at scale. The technology for that has always been ledger. Simple observation also shows that default ‘medium of exchange’ has been bytes for decades. In that sense bitcoin (BTW: the lower-case ‘b’ differentiates the mining reward from the blockchain) is the same as 97% of all fiat in circulation. The difference is that the former exists on a public ledger while the latter - with the exception of cash - is currently solely controlled by private ledgers, which is likely to change inside of five years by the entrance of central bank digital currencies. The sole function of money is unit of account (the use cases are lending and spending). And that is why you see the translation of BTC into $ in your wallet. Discussing the “goodness” of money is like discussing if credit cards are evil; both are just technologies. And as technology money’s utility (not: value) is derived from its network effect. At the time of this writing there are still more physical dollars in circulation outside of the US than the entire market cap of BTC. That said, bitcoin is “money of last resort” if all fiats should fail. The last fiat standing would likely be USD, so your holdings of BTC should reflect your confidence in the US Dollar failing. It is definitely not zero percent, but it is also not close to fifty percent.

This book describes the current problems with the global financial system, before moving on to the solution that Bitcoin offers. Though this approach is pretty standard; I found that the focus on the legacy systems, fiat currency and ever expanding, debt continued for too long. I don’t think the book actually introduced Bitcoin until half way through its content. I’ve read better explanations of the way the Bitcoin network functions. Although most of the salient advantages and risks of Bitcoin were covered, I found the discussion a little brief. Anyway, the book still gave a good overview of the key aspects. Luckily, I have already read more than a dozen books on this subject and didn’t need a deep dive.

Andy does a great job walking the reader through his reasoning of why Bitcoin is so important.The book's progression follows a similar path to that of many Bitcoiners, including myself. First, you get an overview of money (its history, mechanisms, and features). Then, Andy brings you to the present & explains how our current monetary system works. Then, Andy dives deeply into Bitcoin - first comparing it to other forms of money & then detailing the rewards/risk of such a new system.This book does a great job of outlining many of the current topics of conversation regarding Bitcoin without diving too deep into any particular subject. The book is an easy and fast read, which I think makes it a fantastic read for beginners. Once you get the basics, there are many books available for any particular given subject. For example, I highly recommend The Bitcoin Standard for those wanting to dive deeper into the history of money or what makes Bitcoin truly unique.Also, everyone should follow Andy on Twitter (@edstromandrew)!

As a bitcoiner since 2017, I am constantly looking for good introductory books to help teach individuals about Bitcoin. Although I constantly rely on The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous, I've found it's not accessible for everybody.Why Buy Bitcoin by Andy Edstrom has now moved to the top of my list in terms of books I will recommend to newbies. Not only does it hit on the ever important topic "What is Bitcoin?" but Andy's financial advisory background really offers a unique lens on the space, and also talks through the investment thesis behind bitcoin.Simply put, this is one of the best intro-to-bitcoin books I've ever read. If you have even a basic understanding of financial concepts (like inflation or interest rates) this book is a great starting point for you

We live in unprecedented times regarding modern monetary theory and monetary policy. We are also on the cusp of a new era in regard to money, banking and the monetary system. This book helps lay out the case for what money is, how it’s changing, and why bitcoin is here to stay. Andy has an uncanny ability to simplify complex financial and technical concepts. If you’ve ever been on the fence about buying bitcoin - this book is for you.I have no doubt in my mind that Andy Edstrom’s book will be considered a classic and a must read.

Andy Edstrom's "Why Buy Bitcoin" is a thoughtful and measured review of an emerging monetary technology that is changing the world. Andy has a distinct ability to make this material approachable to all readers but those with a financial background may find it especially accessible. I would encourage one to take the time to read this work but with one request: Ignore anything that you have seen on any mainstream media and read this book as if this is the first time you have ever heard of Bitcoin. If you succeed in that challenge, I would say the odds are you will be thinking more about Bitcoin than ever before and will want to learn about this new form of money nonstop. Enjoy!

I cannot read financial news and information. I go into information overload. But I am the Financial Planner for our little family. So, I got the book and asked my husband to read it and translate it for me. He LOVED the book. For the first time in our lives he is now interested in helping me to make decisions about investing and we are definitely interested in what we're learning about Bitcoin. We are so grateful to Andy Edstrom for writing this book. I have delved into a few chapters and I can handle that because Andy is making it as easy as possible to understand the history of Bitcoin and why, at this point in time, it can be so valuable as an investment.

The price of Bitcoin caught my attention as it was featured in the news mid Nov 2017, compelled I asked myself "What is this". I've since read almost a dozen books, all of them very good on the subject matter they covered. Being in this space for over the last 3 years so many people get caught up in price, but here is where Why Buy Bitcoin set itself apart from the others. It really helped me to understand the value of what I had invested in.A polymath, Andy Edstrom took such broad subject matter and broke it down into concise concepts in his fantastic and accessible read - Why Buy Bitcoin.Thank you!

In an effort to help explain bitcoin to his wealth-management clients, Andy has put together an incredible book. It is no easy task to 'explain' bitcoin, but Andy has constructed a concise and accessible resource for people to learn about the many facets of what very well could be the 'future of money'. Read this book, and you will have a foundational understanding of why bitcoin is important, and how to determine whether or not it deserves your consideration as an investment. Godspeed down the bitcoin rabbit-hole:)

Easy to read and gives an excellent overview of issues surrounding cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin in particular.

A brilliant book that lays out the case to buy and hodl bitcoin in great detail.Being a bitcoin hodler for a few years not, I was not disappointed.

extremely informative and logically presented