So last week one of the largest crypto currency exchanges collapsed in a dramatic fashion. It seems that the founder and ten of his friends were using other people’s money to fund their lavish lifestyle in the Bahamas (in simple terms it was a sophisticated Ponzi scheme). It also seems that some very high profile celebrities had vast amounts of their net worth invested as shareholders in FTX.
Here are my thoughts.
- First, this showed the world the need for regulation of this industry. Many of these “exchanges” are not in the USA & that is for a reason. They don’t want the scrutiny of regulators.
- Second, be careful where you put your money, and be aware that if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
- Third, as this shows, diversification is very important. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
- Lastly, be aware of celebrity/cult of personality types. If they don’t let you look at the books, it’s for a reason. In my career, I’ve seen this happen over and over. People want a shortcut to get rich quick and end up being taken for a fool by a con artist.