Things I wish I had known before the end of the bull market.

This is how we learn—often the hard way. Either by losing money, or by not taking profits when prices are high. Below, I’m sharing the key lessons I’ve learned after going through my second bull market. Hopefully, this will help others avoid some of the same mistakes.

This is one of the simplest rules, yet most people ignore it. When you buy, you should already know at which price you plan to sell. Yes, you should.

For beginners, this feels strange—because we’re tempted to “sit and wait” until Bitcoin magically hits $1 million. I admit, I’ve done it too.

But markets don’t move in a straight line. They pull back, rally, and shift unexpectedly. That’s why it’s important to set entry and exit points. A plan takes the emotion out of trading, which is crucial. Trust me—trying to rely on feelings to tell you when to buy or sell is a recipe for disaster.

It sounds obvious, right? But when prices are high, we convince ourselves they’ll go even higher. That’s greed at work.

This is why so many investors never take profits. It feels uncomfortable to pull money out when everything looks like it’s still rising. But remember: your portfolio value at the top is just unrealized profits. Unless you take gains, you haven’t secured anything.

Taking profit may feel strange or even painful in the moment—but you will never regret securing profits. You will regret not doing it. You never get broke by taking a profit!

If you rely on your crypto gains, make sure you also have other savings that can cover at least one year of living expenses. And ideally, a separate emergency fund for medical or unexpected events.

This ties back to having a general financial strategy. In a bull market, everything looks great. Taking out a little profit for cash needs doesn’t feel like much. But when the bear market hits and your portfolio drops to a fraction of its previous value, things look very different.

👉 Never invest money you need for daily living. Only invest what you can afford to lose.

When markets crash and fear is at its peak, that’s when the best opportunities appear. In Crypto, this can look like up to 90–99% discounts in a bear market, up to 40% in a bull market. This is mostly on Altcoins. But if you have no cash left on the sidelines, you’ll miss them.

I’ve learned to keep long-term buy orders set at very low levels on major coins. That way, I don’t have to battle emotions—I just automatically get new positions at great prices. Ideally also you’ve placed your sell orders too directly when you bought. Did you set them?

Also, keep some funds ready throughout the bull market. Different Altcoins peak at different times, so having liquidity lets you jump on new opportunities without selling other assets at the wrong moment.

Newsflash: 99% of altcoins (a.k.a. “Shitcoins”) don’t recover after their blow-off tops. If you took profits, great. If you didn’t, consider cutting losses during small relief rallies.

There will always be new projects after the market bottoms. But remember: most are speculation. For beginners, I always suggest starting with Bitcoin (and maybe Ethereum, the number 2). Only later, once you understand Bitcoin dominance and market cycles, does it make sense to carefully explore altcoins. I emphasize on this in my crypto classes.

I did however learn to get into altcoins fairly late. Only once the Bitcoin dominance goes down. Then, we can be sure that money will circulate into altcoins and also which ones. The altcoins that performed well in the last cycle are most likely not going to perform again this time. And there are plenty of other coins to invest in as well.

👉  Go to Tradingview to look at charts of new or old altcoins and price them into BTC!

I follow several YouTubers, Twitter accounts, and news sources to stay up to date. If an exchange collapses, it often signals the top of the bull market—and usually triggers a sell-off. Staying informed helps you act before it’s too late.

If you have a full-time job, monitoring markets constantly can be tough. In that case, a more conservative, long-term portfolio might suit you better. It provides peace of mind and helps you avoid sleepless nights.

Just because something worked on one coin or in the last bull market, it is not guaranteed to work in this bull market. Things change and the space evolves. Please don’t think you know shit just because you made good gains last time. Don’t. Why? Because crypto is not base in reality. For example a coin called Fartcoin could have made you millionaire without any real value or use case. Of course! It’s crypto.

I hope these lessons help you navigate your next bull market more confidently. Remember, crypto is exciting but unpredictable. The key is to have a plan, take profits, and never risk money you can’t afford to lose.

Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. I am not a financial advisor.