Tool · reflection
Goal compass
Goal first, strategy second. Ten honest questions help you sort out your situation. The result is a profile with pointers and matching deep dives on the learning path – the path itself is the same for everyone.
In the learning pathStage 3 · Plan
- Runs
- locally, in your browser
- Inputs
- stay on your device
- Price
- $86,292 BTC/USD
- Sources
- 5 · as of 27/09/2026
- Advice
- none – education, not recommendations
A thinking aid, not investment advice: the compass recommends neither providers nor amounts or shares. It helps you sort out your situation – and shows what to read next.
Your profile
Answer all ten questions and your profile appears here.
Your goal
What to watch out for
Your learning path
These articles match your answers – in this order.
- Goals & strategyGoal firstRetirement, preserving value, returns, freedom or understanding first: how your goal shapes horizon, amount and custody – with ten guiding questions.
- Goals & strategyFinancial foundations firstBefore your first Bitcoin purchase: know your budget, cover existential risks, pay off expensive debt, build an emergency fund – the order, step by step.
- Start hereBefore you startFinal payments, sharp price swings, scams and tax: nine points you should know before you buy Bitcoin for the first time.
- CustodySpotting scamsPhishing, fake support, investment and romance scams, AI fakes: how to spot 13 typical Bitcoin scams – and what to do if the worst happens.
- Start hereBitcoin in 10 minutesWhat Bitcoin is, how it works, why people use it and which risks you should know about – explained concisely and with sources.
- BasicsWhat is Bitcoin?Bitcoin simply explained: what lies behind the network and the unit BTC, which properties define Bitcoin and why nobody sets the rules on their own.
- Goals & strategyBitcoin & retirementWhere Bitcoin stands in German retirement planning, the case for and against a small allocation, and how to think through tax, withdrawals and inheritance.
- Goals & strategyReturns & riskWhat Bitcoin has returned since 2014, how deep the crashes were and how much it fluctuates compared with shares and gold – in US dollars, with sources and limits.
- Goals & strategySavings plan or lump sum?All at once or staggered? What Vanguard and a Bitcoin backtest in US dollars show, why cost averaging is no return trick and when staggering helps.
- Goals & strategySaving & preserving valuePreserving purchasing power with Bitcoin? Which money it may suit, what historical savings plans show and why emergency funds and fixed-date goals don’t belong in it.
- Why Bitcoin?Bitcoin is freedomWhat censorship resistance means, how activists and people in crisis-hit countries use Bitcoin – and where the limits are. Sourced, without pathos.
- Why Bitcoin?Criticism & risksPrice crashes, crime, quantum computers, bans, concentration and criticism from the ECB and Bundesbank: the main objections to Bitcoin, with data and context.
- Goals & strategyPsychology & disciplineFOMO, panic, loss aversion and confirmation bias: why emotions get expensive with Bitcoin, and how an information diet, if-then rules and an investment journal help.
- Goals & strategyHolding long termWhat holding Bitcoin for years has meant historically, why the four-year cycle and stock-to-flow are no roadmap, and how to set rules before the next crash.
- CustodyUnderstanding custodyWho holds the keys to your bitcoin? Provider custody and self-custody compared – with the legal position under MiCA and KMAG and lessons from Mt. Gox, Celsius and FTX.
- CustodySetting up your first walletHow to set up your first Bitcoin wallet on your smartphone: check the app, back up the seed phrase, set a PIN, check the address – with seven example screens.
- CustodySetting up a hardware walletSet up a hardware wallet safely: buy from the manufacturer, check the seal and authenticity, write down the seed phrase, set a PIN and confirm every address on the device.
- CustodyBacking up your seed phraseHow to back up your seed phrase for the long term: why never digitally, when paper is enough, how metal backups fare in a stress test and where to keep them.
- CustodyInheritance & emergency planHow your family can reach your bitcoin if the worst happens: an emergency letter without the seed phrase, separate storage, and German law and tax in brief.
- BasicsSats & units1 BTC = 100 million sats: why you don’t have to buy a whole bitcoin, how to convert between dollars, BTC and sats, and what to watch for with small amounts.
- BuyWays to get BitcoinApp, exchange, bank or broker, peer-to-peer, ATM or earning: six ways to get Bitcoin – what they cost, whether you get real bitcoin, who they suit.
- Tax & regulationBitcoin & taxWhen Bitcoin gains are tax-free in Germany: holding period, €1,000 exemption limit, FIFO per wallet, swaps, payments and losses – with worked examples.
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Open calculationHow we calculate
Assumptions, formulas and limits – click to expand
What the compass does – and doesn’t
The compass evaluates your answers with simple, open rules across seven areas: foundation, time horizon, volatility and loss, knowledge, custody, behaviour and trigger. It names no provider, no amount and no percentage – on purpose: a personal recommendation would be investment advice, which a questionnaire cannot provide because it does not know your full financial situation.[4]
The rules behind the evaluation
- Foundation: an immediately available reserve comes before any investment – BaFin mentions about three months’ income, other guides three to six months’ expenses.[1],[2] Expensive debt goes first.
- Time horizon: the basis is daily closing prices in US dollars since 2013; every day counts as a possible purchase date. One year after buying, you were below water in 31% of cases (at worst by 83%), after two years in 19%. After five years you were in profit in 99.7% of cases. Anyone who bought at the peak waited up to 3.2 years to get back to their purchase price. Money you need within two years therefore doesn’t belong in bitcoin.[3]
- Volatility: since 2013, the price has fallen by more than 70% from its high four times, by up to 85%. The scenario in question 5 (80%) matches a typical one of these crashes. If you couldn’t bear such a crash financially, reduce the amount.[3]
- Trigger: platform recommendations via chats, calls or online acquaintances are a typical pattern of investment fraud.[5]
Your browser recalculates these figures from the price history and the current price when you open the page. If our server can’t be reached, it uses the bundled data (prices up to 4 October 2026). They describe the past – they are not a forecast.
Your data
The evaluation runs entirely in your browser. Your result is stored locally (localStorage) so you can come back to it; nothing is transmitted. “Delete result” removes it immediately.
Sources5 sources · 4 publishers
The superscript numbers in the text refer to these sources.
- Das Einmaleins der Geldanlage – BaFin (accessed 27/09/2026)
- Notgroschen: Wie viel Rücklage brauchst du? – Finanzfluss, 09.03.2026 (accessed 27/09/2026)
- BTC/USD-Tagesschlusskurse (OHLC-Daten, Grundlage unserer eigenen Berechnung) – Bitstamp (accessed 28/09/2026)
- Fünf Punkte, auf die Finfluencer achten sollten – BaFin, 19.08.2026 (accessed 27/09/2026)
- Factsheet: Krypto-Betrug und -Täuschung (deutsche Fassung) – EBA, EIOPA und ESMA, 2026 (accessed 27/09/2026)
Source
All sources ↓