Disclaimer

General

Bitcoin Straight Up provides general educational information on Bitcoin, money, and self-custody. None of it is professional, financial, tax, or legal advice. It is my personal opinion based on my own research and experience. The term "you" refers to anyone who uses, visits, or views the website.

By visiting and using this website, you accept and agree to be bound by this Disclaimer along with our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Affiliate Disclosure. Your continued use of the website constitutes your acceptance of future changes and updates. You must not access or use the website if you do not wish to be bound by this Disclaimer.

Not financial advice

This is the big one. Nothing on this website — in articles, videos, the calculator, the Security Template, the e-book, the Anti-Course, or anywhere else — constitutes financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.

I (Mike) am not a regulated financial adviser. I am not your financial adviser. I am a former PE teacher who became interested in Bitcoin after losing money on property and dabbling in the wrong coins. I share what I learned and what I do. That is education, not personal advice.

Bitcoin is volatile. The price can drop fifty percent or more in a short period. People have lost their entire stack to bad self-custody, exchange collapses, scams, hacks, and panic selling. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The historical returns shown anywhere on this site, including the Financial Freedom Calculator, are illustrative — they are not a forecast or a promise.

You are responsible for your own financial decisions. Before you do anything with money — buying Bitcoin, using a hardware wallet, transferring funds, signing up for any service mentioned here — consult an appropriately qualified, regulated adviser in your jurisdiction. Read the official guidance from your tax authority (in the UK, see HMRC's guidance on cryptoassets). Do your own research.

Financial Freedom Calculator

The Financial Freedom Calculator is a model, not a forecast. It compounds Bitcoin's price at a rate you (or the Power Law model) specify, and your spending at a rate you specify. Real life will not follow either curve. The crossover year shown is the year, on these assumptions, when your stack covers 25× your annual expenses — a rule borrowed from the FIRE community for non-Bitcoin portfolios, possibly generous for a Bitcoin one.

Use the calculator to think clearly about ranges, not to plan around a specific year. Run the model with multiple growth-rate assumptions. Stress-test it with a flat decade. The point is to make Bitcoin's compounding visible, not to pick a date.

Bitcoin security

The Bitcoin Security Template and the Anti-Course describe a self-custody approach I personally use. They are educational. They do not replace your own due diligence on hardware, software, or any specific product mentioned. Hardware wallets, seed-phrase backups, and multisig setups all carry risk, including the risk of losing access to your funds permanently if you make a mistake.

If you are not comfortable following technical instructions carefully, do not attempt self-custody alone based on this material. Either hire someone qualified, or stick with a regulated exchange until you are. I would rather you keep your Bitcoin somewhere imperfect than lose it trying to follow steps you do not understand.

Affiliate and third-party links

The website contains affiliate links to products and services I personally use and recommend. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This is described in detail in the Affiliate Disclosure.

These affiliate relationships do not compromise the integrity of the content. I only recommend products I actually use, and I have declined sponsorships from companies whose products I would not personally use (Casa, Vault). You are under no obligation to use any of the linked products. They are listed because they form part of the setup I use myself.

Testimonials and results

Where we share results — our own or others' — those are real examples but are not a guarantee or promise of similar outcomes for you. Each person's circumstances, knowledge, discipline, and starting position are different. Your results will vary accordingly.

You agree not to hold us liable for any of your successes or failures, directly or indirectly related to the information, products, or services presented here.

Sponsored content

Where any content on this site is sponsored or paid for, it will be clearly marked as such. Sponsored content is still my honest opinion in good faith. I do not accept payment to recommend products I do not use or do not believe in.

Fair use

This website reviews and references third-party products, books, and content, including occasional product images or logos. No copyright is claimed for that material. To the extent such material appears to be infringed, we assert that the use is permissible under fair-dealing / fair-use principles. If you believe material has been used in an unauthorised manner, contact us at mike@bitcoinstraightup.com.

No warranties

ALL CONTENT, INFORMATION, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES ON THE WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE, TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES THAT THE WEBSITE WILL PERFORM TO MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE INFORMATION PRESENTED HERE WILL BE COMPLETE, CURRENT, OR ERROR-FREE.

Limitation of liability

You agree that, under no circumstances, will we or anyone associated with this website be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or other damages resulting from your use of this website, including any of its content, products, or services. You expressly agree that your use is at your sole risk.

Contact

If you have any questions about this Disclaimer, contact us at mike@bitcoinstraightup.com.