After a nail-biting first round of the Totle Portfolio Tournament we decided to catch up with a few of the winners from round one to get a little more insight about who they are and what their strategies are for picking their winning portfolio. Thanks to 1st place winner Kip for sitting down with us one-on-one to talk crypto portfolios and his game plan for the future.

Kip — 1st Place Weekly Winner

TOTLE: Why did you choose the coins you did?

Kip: My choice of crypto assets really comes down to long-term viability of the team and the market’s overall sentiment towards it. I think a team and project needs to have sound fundamentals and a use-case that appeals to people.

How do you usually trade?

I usually start the day off by checking out some charts using any number of charting programs, most notably www.tradingview.com. I take various opinions as well as look at the charts from my own perspective. Once I’ve looked at the technical aspect of the charts, I usually browse social media platforms to see what news, if any, is hitting the markets and plan trades or move accordingly. There are days / weeks when it’s just okay to hold instead of actually trading.

How long have you been in crypto?

I’ve been in crypto since about 2012/2013, but never actually delved into purchasing any until February 2016. I fell out of touch with the crypto scene due to real life circumstances and then ended up jumping back in and moved forward full steam ahead the past year!

Any advice for newcomers to the world of crypto?

Research. Research. Research. Also, you can never be too secure with cryptos. Get a hardware wallet, 2 FA everything you can and understand what and where your money is at all times. Be sure to double check whenever accessing or setting up transactions or accounts and NEVER risk what you are willing to lose.

We’re keen to understand your choices around portfolio composition — can you give us a rough idea of the coins you chose and why?

Each of the coins that I chose have solid fundamentals and technologies behind the teams. We are in the wild west of this industry and vetting a company and their product/team is something we have to look at constantly. Specifically tailored for this contest I viewed a winning opportunity by trying to make a market cap play, meaning, I chose a low cost coin and heavily invested in it due to the fundamentals/ team behind it. IOTA actually shot up and helped me take the lead.

What % of your winning portfolio was Bitcoin Cash?

My portfolio consisted of of 0% BCH ironically, this was due to uncertainty of that 2x fork that BTC was headed, prior to it being announced that it wasn’t actually occurring.

Give us a few details about yourself — where are you from?

I’m 29 years old and a father of 2 boys and a stepson. We actually just had a new addition join our family on the 16th of October! Our baby boy is named Malaki. I’m from the United States, specifically the state of Illinois. I’m an Account Admin for an IT company and have been interested in crypto for a while now. My hobbies include crypto (obviously), poker, golfing and gaming with my sons.

What are some of the things you think we can improve on?

I like your platform and it’s simple to use, keep up the good work because I can’t find too many flaws.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received regarding crypto investing?

The best piece of advice I ever received regarding crypto would be to KNOW what you are investing in. This includes the company, the team, the product. I’d also like to add, be SECURE and SMART with all investments, do your own due diligence in this regard. You wouldn’t hand out your bank PIN to random strangers would you sotreat crypto as you would your bank account.

Are you going to invest your winnings or go for the long term HODL?

I am indeed going to invest my winnings, most likely I’m going to invest in a few of the cheaper coins right now (Vertcoin, Stellar, Verge) as I was able to get into ETH when it was around $40!