Is it ever worth the risk?

The cryptocurrency space is expected to reach 1 billion users in 2030. While some have been known to make a fortune off of it, others have ruined their finances, chasing similar results, going as far as getting credit to buy crypto by putting up valuable assets, including their homes, as collateral.

Borrowing to invest can make sense under very specific conditions, but using a home equity loan is also extremely risky. For example, it means that an investor’s home is being put up as collateral on loan.

Cryptocurrencies have, in the past, delivered spectacular results to investors, but also saw them go through long drawn-out bear market periods in which many lost hope and sold at a loss, with those who managed to hodl on reaping the biggest rewards. As any analyst or financial adviser would say, past results are not indicative of future results.

When Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at $57,000, MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor suggested investors should use all of their money to buy Bitcoin and “figure out how to borrow more money to buy Bitcoin.” At one point, Saylor suggests they should “go mortgage their house” to get more BTC.

Never forget Michael Saylor encouraging unsophisticated investors to liquidate every asset they own to buy Bitcoin on leverage.pic.twitter.com/Wvv3c2JpOZ

— Nate Anderson (@ClarityToast) June 13, 2022

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is changing hands near $23,000, meaning investors who followed Saylor’s words would now be deeply underwater. MicroStrategy has taken out loans from Silvergate Bank and raised capital by issuing debt to buy more Bitcoin, to the point that it now holds 129,698 BTC.

While corporate lending differs from personal lending, it’s important to understand what may happen when investors borrow against their assets to buy more crypto and what’s in store for them.

Being prudent in a high-risk environment

Mortgaging a home to buy cryptocurrencies has been a strategy employed by some investors, one that, if done at the right time, could lead to significant returns. However, it could have disastrous consequences if done at the wrong time.

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Stefan Rust, CEO of inflation-tracking platform Truflation, noted it’s “definitely a high-risk strategy” that is “always an alternative” as it’s a “reasonable and cheap source of capital.” Rust added that if the house being mortgaged is paid off and there are “residual assets available to be able to take out a mortgage then why not leverage that mortgage to buy Bitcoin.”

The CEO referenced fintech startup Milo, which offers 30-year crypto-mortgages and allows users to leverage their cryptocurrency holdings to purchase real estate as an option, and added:

“I personally would not go all out and ‘maximize’ by putting all my earnings into Bitcoin. That’s basically putting all your eggs in one basket. This is a super high risk allocation of capital.”

Rust added that for investors with a family to take care of and bills to pay, mortgaging their property “might not be the most advisable strategy.” Per his words, it’s “typically best to deploy common sense and appropriate risk management.”

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Dion Guillaume, global head of PR and communications at crypto exchange Gate.io, expounded upon Rust’s words, telling Cointelegraph that the “easiest way to ruin is to play with shitcoins and try to time the market” and told investors to “never use excessive leverage” and instead “reign in” their greed.

Guillaume said that investors must avoid falling for the hype, and while “this can be tough in crypto, discipline is key.” Commenting on leveraging assets to buy more BTC, he advised caution instead of going all-in as Saylor suggested:

 “We need to be more prudent with the way we use our money. Despite all its greatness, crypto is still a high-risk asset. Are you a billionaire with seven houses? If yes, then you can probably mortgage one to buy BTC. If not, then be smarter.”

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Dennis O’Connell, chief technology officer and portfolio manager at crypto portfolio company Peregrine Digital, noted that borrowing to buy crypto is a “textbook case of what never to do with your finances,” as a “house is a great investment over the long term and one of the primary ladders to grow wealth.”

O’Connell added he has read “too many articles of destroyed families or of people who have taken their lives tragically by doing this very thing.” He added one should never take out loans or use leverage to invest in Bitcoin if they cannot afford to lose.

Cryptocurrency markets are known to be extremely volatile and filled with significant ups and downs, where leading assets can nearly double in a month and bear markets can see BTC lose over 80% of its value.

Expect the unexpected

Because of the cryptocurrency space’s inherent volatility, O’Connell noted that investors need to take…