Cointrada

The guides

One Block at a Time

Three chains, one for each part of the basics. Every block is a guide; the ones you have read are confirmed.

Chain ATrading BasicsHow crypto trading works, market and limit orders, stablecoins, and the risks regulators warn about.
Block 01prev 00How Crypto Trading WorksWhat a crypto asset is, where people buy and sell it, how a trade moves from an order to a wallet, and what makes it different from a bank account or a stock. Built on plain-language explanations from the SEC, CFTC and FTC, with the risks they stress most.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 02prev 01Market Orders vs Limit OrdersA market order buys or sells right away but does not guarantee the price; a limit order guarantees the price but not that the trade happens. How each works, using the SEC’s definitions, why the difference matters more in volatile crypto markets, and where stop orders fit in.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 03prev 02Stablecoins ExplainedStablecoins are crypto assets designed to hold a steady value, usually one U.S. dollar. How reserve-backed and algorithmic designs differ, why the market price can still drift, what the SEC staff said in 2025, and what the GENIUS Act signed in July 2025 requires of issuers.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 04prev 03Crypto Volatility and RiskCrypto prices can move by large amounts within hours, but price swings are only one of the risks. Platform failure, frozen withdrawals, leverage, theft and the lack of deposit insurance all come up again and again in SEC, CFTC and FTC warnings. A plain list of the risks and the habits that limit them.4 min readPending✓ Confirmed
Chain BExchanges & WalletsWhat to ask a crypto platform, every fee between buying and selling, hot and cold wallets, and seed phrase security.
Block 05prev 04Choosing a Crypto ExchangeA checklist for evaluating any crypto trading platform, drawn from the SEC’s custody bulletin and investor alerts, the CFTC’s advisories and FinCEN’s registration rules: registration, custody practices, lending of customer assets, fees, withdrawals, security and what happens if the platform fails. No platform recommendations.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 06prev 05Crypto Exchange Fees ExplainedThe fee types the SEC tells investors to ask about (asset-based, transaction, transfer, account opening and closing), network fees when you move crypto yourself, how price and order type add hidden cost, and how fees affect your tax basis and gains under IRS rules.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 07prev 06Hot vs Cold Crypto Wallets, and Who Holds Your KeysA crypto wallet stores the private keys that control your assets, not the coins themselves. The difference between hot and cold wallets, between self-custody and leaving crypto on a platform, and the questions the SEC suggests asking before choosing either.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 08prev 07Seed Phrases and Wallet SecurityA seed phrase is a list of words that can restore a crypto wallet, which makes it the single most valuable thing you own in crypto. How seed phrases and private keys work, how to store them, account security habits from the SEC, and the impersonation scams designed to steal them.4 min readPending✓ Confirmed
Chain CRules & TaxesHow the IRS taxes crypto, how to report trades, the scams to avoid and who regulates crypto platforms.
Block 09prev 08Crypto Taxes in the USThe IRS treats digital assets as property, so selling, swapping or spending crypto can create a capital gain or loss, while staking rewards, airdrops and crypto pay are ordinary income. Which events are taxable, how gains are figured, the 2026 capital gains thresholds, and which transactions are not taxable.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 10prev 09Reporting Crypto Trades on Your Tax ReturnHow crypto activity flows onto a federal return: the digital asset question on Form 1040, Form 1099-DA from brokers (with basis reporting starting for assets bought after 2025), Form 8949 and Schedule D for sales and swaps, income from staking or pay, and the records you need when the 1099 is incomplete.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 11prev 10Crypto Scams to AvoidThe crypto scams the FTC, SEC, CFTC and IRS warn about most: relationship and romance investment scams, fake platforms that block withdrawals, impersonators of companies and regulators, celebrity giveaways, Ponzi schemes, and fake recovery services. How each one works, the warning signs, and where to report.4 min readPending✓ ConfirmedBlock 12prev 11How Crypto Exchanges Are Regulated in the USNo single agency oversees crypto platforms. FinCEN treats exchangers as money transmitters under the Bank Secrecy Act, the CFTC treats bitcoin as a commodity, the SEC oversees crypto assets that are securities, and the 2025 GENIUS Act created federal rules for stablecoin issuers. What each covers, what protections are missing, and how to check a platform.4 min readPending✓ Confirmed

Five key words

Five Words Worth Remembering

If you remember nothing else before your first trade, remember these.

  1. 1property

    Crypto is property

    For U.S. tax purposes, the IRS treats digital assets as property, not currency. Selling, swapping or spending crypto can create a capital gain or loss. More in Crypto Taxes in the US: What Is Taxable and How Much.

  2. 2keys

    Wallets hold keys

    Crypto wallets do not store crypto assets themselves; they store the private keys that control them, the SEC explains. Whoever holds the keys controls the crypto. More in Hot vs Cold Crypto Wallets, and Who Holds Your Keys.

  3. 3limit

    Price or speed

    A market order guarantees execution but not the price; a limit order sets the price but may never fill, according to the SEC. More in Market Orders vs Limit Orders: Choosing How Your Trade Executes.

  4. 4uninsured

    No deposit insurance

    Crypto held in accounts is not insured by the government like dollars in an FDIC-insured bank account, the FTC says. More in How Crypto Trading Works: A Beginner’s Map.

  5. 5advance

    Never pay up front

    No legitimate business is going to demand you send cryptocurrency in advance, the FTC says. That demand is the mark of a scam. More in Crypto Scams to Avoid: The Patterns Regulators See Most.

Crypto tax check

Did That Trade Create a Tax Bill?

Pick what you did with crypto. The receipt shows how the IRS treats it, which form it points to, and how to answer the digital asset question on Form 1040.

What did you do with crypto?

Transaction receipt

Form
Form 1040 digital asset question
Basis

Crypto Taxes in the US →Reporting Crypto Trades on Your Tax Return →Crypto Exchange Fees Explained →Hot vs Cold Crypto Wallets, and Who Holds Your Keys →

Educational only, not tax advice. Tax rules for digital assets are changing; check the IRS instructions for the year you file and talk to a tax professional about your own situation. Nothing you pick leaves your browser.

Questions

Ask the Terminal

Short answers from the regulators’ own guidance, each with the guide that goes further.

$Is swapping one coin for another taxable?

>Yes. The IRS treats exchanging one virtual currency for another as a taxable disposition that produces a capital gain or loss. See Crypto Taxes in the US: What Is Taxable and How Much.

$Do I report crypto trades that lost money?

>Yes. The IRS says you must report digital asset transactions whether or not they result in a taxable gain or loss. See Reporting Crypto Trades on Your Tax Return: Forms 1099-DA, 8949 and Schedule D.

$What is Form 1099-DA?

>For sales after 2025, brokers report gross proceeds of digital asset sales on Form 1099-DA, and basis only for assets that are covered securities. See Reporting Crypto Trades on Your Tax Return: Forms 1099-DA, 8949 and Schedule D.

$Is crypto on an exchange insured like a bank deposit?

>No. The FTC says crypto held in accounts is not insured by the government like dollars in an FDIC-insured bank account. See Crypto Volatility and Risk: What Regulators Warn About.

$What is a seed phrase?

>A random sequence of words that lets you restore your crypto wallet if you lose it or your private key, according to the SEC, which advises storing it securely and never sharing it. See Seed Phrases and Wallet Security: Protecting the Keys to Your Crypto.

$What fees should I ask about?

>The SEC lists asset-based fees, transaction fees, asset transfer fees and account opening and closing fees. Under IRS rules, fees you pay to buy are part of your basis. See Crypto Exchange Fees Explained: Every Cost Between Buying and Selling.

$What is a stablecoin?

>A crypto asset designed to keep a stable value relative to a reference asset such as the U.S. dollar, in the words of SEC staff. Its market price can still drift from the redemption price. See Stablecoins Explained: What Keeps a Dollar Coin at a Dollar.

$Who regulates crypto exchanges?

>No single agency. FinCEN treats exchangers as money transmitters, the CFTC treats bitcoin as a commodity, and the SEC oversees crypto assets that are securities. See How Crypto Exchanges Are Regulated in the US.