Benjamin

In November 2024, I became a father for the first time. It was the most powerful moment of my life— and also the moment I started worrying about the world my son would inherit. Political polarization. Runaway government debt. Ecosystem stress. AI becoming our overlord… It felt like the culture was fraying at the edges. And even though I had reached financial independence through index funds, I found myself asking a hard question: “Will I be able to support my family in the future?” The fear was real. I didn’t want my son growing up in a world that felt worse than the one I grew up in. So I went searching for answers. That’s when I came across the work of Lyn Alden—an investment analyst whose research led me straight into Bitcoin. I learned that the first crypto currency isn’t just a speculative asset. It’s sound money built on a decentralized protocol. It’s finite. It’s neutral. And no government or institution can manipulate it. In plain English: It’s better money. And it gives people hope. And on top of that, it’s one of the best investment opportunities in history. I got hooked. I “went down the Bitcoin rabbit hole” as they say. I read, studied, and eventually reallocated my time, energy, and capital toward Bitcoin. Today, I’m a Bitcoiner. I’m building a local Bitcoin community in Central Florida. And I help people on the financial independence path understand how Bitcoin can fit into their long-term plan. Bitcoin won’t fix everything. But it fixes a lot. And it gave me something I didn’t expect: It turned fear into hope.

@BenJustman Love this

Everything comes in waves. When I started Peony Lane, I threw myself to the wolves and figure out how to make good wine. While waiting for it to age, I had 2 years to figure out how to sell it. In all that time, I was passively learning how to manage a vineyard, but that was ultimately my dad's responsibility. I would buy grapes from him each year. Last year I took over the vineyard. I made a few changes, but mostly ran with his tactics last year. This year its feeling much more my own. Its going to take years to get it where I want though. I can only make small changes year to year without shocking the system. I think that's what I love most about it. I love making small improvements over a long time horizon with the ability to make mistakes and learn along the way. I didn't realize it when I got into wine and Bitcoin at the same time, but long term growth systems with high short term volatility are so exciting to me. We're gonna win.

@efenigson I met her in person, and my detective skills told me she is a strong women with great energy 😀

X is full of Sherlock Holmes’s. Brilliant detective skills.

GM, Another genius found.

@basedlayer I tend to agree with your take. Using debt with fiat is how many things get built. World would be a lot different if totally constrained by BItcoin.

I know this is breaking some assumptions within the Bitcoin community, but I want to challenge these assumptions at least for the sake of discussion.

IMO the hyperbitcoinization dream will remain a dream. We need fiat. We need the worthless liquidity machine. It funds wars and garbage government programs, yes, and it also funds every unprofitable startup that ever changed the world. On a Bitcoin standard everyone becomes so risk-averse that nothing gets built. We need dirty press-of-a-button money to actually make stuff happen. Bitcoin and fiat will coexist and that's fine.

@timevalueofbtc Tick tock next block

On weekdays, I have 8 charts up across global macro so I can get a snapshot of everything with one glance. One of the 8 is bitcoin. On weekends, I change to a dual screen, bitcoin daily candles on the left and 1 hour bars on right. Peace and love!

@natbrunell @LynAldenContact Well said by Lyn

"The current proposal still lets those things into Bitcoin - it just slightly increases the cost of doing so." The protocol debate is heating up and the messaging around BIP 110 has gotten harsh and confusing so I asked @LynAldenContact for her honest take. What's actually being debated, why she's wary when changes get pushed fast, and whether any of this is an existential threat to Bitcoin.

@basedlayer Exactly

Search for BIP 110 on this app and see the choice of words among supporters: "defend Bitcoin against bad actors" "will fall in line" "immaculate history" "captured" These people are literally the definition of keyboard warriors thinking they live in war times 😂

@timevalueofbtc Being a former music major in college I can relate :-D

@BenjaminPyle I like music, and I like charts, and sometimes I pair them up

Hello, darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence

@edstromandrew I'm currently in his program and my understanding is that he does. But I don't know more specifics

@BenjaminPyle I think he has leveraged his real estate. I don't know about his BTC

We were told that #Bitcoin's volatility could be "harnessed" by leveraging it. Has anyone other than a few individuals "managing" (leveraging?) the assets of others or promoting (shilling?) such management succeeded in this method? It feels like the investors/speculators were the thing that got harnessed. And I think the only way I have managed to "harness" the volatility of #Bitcoin is to sell when I think a bear market has begun or when I see more attractive alternatives to invest my capital.

@ts_hodl And that is some of the best wine!

I know it’s fashionable to give up drinking altogether, but I like wine too much and life is too short for that.

@edstromandrew well said

This is the nub. Or one of the nubs, anyway. Today, #Bitcoin is a monetary asset. I chose those words carefully. Monetary Asset. Yes, some people and entities transact with it. But, as with gold, Bitcoin transactions for goods and services (or other assets) probably don't amount to much of the total volume. So Parker is right that it's money. And Saylor is right that it's an asset. I won't take a view on the specific term "digital capital". Someday Bitcoin may reach its potential as a transactional money. I hope that happens. In the meantime, many are financializing by putting fiat liabilities on top. Just like with gold. I.e. the struggle is playing out. Nobody knows how it will play out. So far every monetary asset in history has been fiatized. Maybe this time will be different. But it obviously isn't yet. Also in the meantime more people keep reaching out to me who are in various states of rektage because Bitcoin's purchasing power is too volatile to be monetary savings. I.e. they have adopted it fully as money and it is punishing them for doing so. This has happened every cycle. Again, maybe this time (after this bear market is over?) will be different, but it obviously isn't yet. So the reality TODAY is that Bitcoin is capital AND it's money. Similar to gold. This is one of the key pillars of Why Buy Bitcoin. So it's good to store SOME of your wealth and its good to use for transactions as much as you are able. But as long as it regularly loses half its purchasing power for months or years at a time, it will be unsuitable as savings. Someday this may change. It hasn't yet.

@timevalueofbtc This will be my new morning alarm 🤣

during the World Cup, this is my quant

@edstromandrew Update: No. Their Bitcoin products are brand new

@BenjaminPyle Have they survived a cycle yet? I should add that to my list of requirements

Sigh. This product does not interest me at all. I have been asking for multi-year term debt against BTC collateral for many years. It's the only reasonable way to borrow. 6 months is not even close. Only thing that's even in the ballpark is joint-collateral with real estate. But even that's not widely available as far as I can tell. Real solutions for borrowing against BTC are always 1 market cycle away. Meanwhile more people too far out over their skis keep reaching out to me for help.

@edstromandrew That is a great question. I will find out.

@basedlayer I love it there

Bro what is going on with this place called Edinburgh. Massive aura. I wasn’t aware of your game.

@matteopelleg @adam3us And which Fred?

@adam3us did satoshi understand economics at level details?

the smartest bitcoiners i've ever met (jeff, knut, and fred) are all in favor of BIP110

@matteopelleg @adam3us Which Jeff?

@timevalueofbtc @PhoenixWallet Awesome

Today, I taught the students Lightning Network, SegWit, & BIPs. @PhoenixWallet working great. Terrific UX for them to go between on-chain and LN in one place. For the best answers (and questions), I point and shout "TEN THOUSAND" and they pull up an invoice for 10k sats!