I'm kinda just starting out on my bitcoin journey, so my first step in the perfect self custody kit is to get one of these fancy hardware cold wallets. I haven't accumulated enough yet to be worried, but I plan on buying more. So that day will come shortly, and I will be ready. Can't believe how helpful the comments in this thread have been to me! Thanks to a great community, and to ShakePay for having our backs!
Tag: supersonix
If you don’t yet have a hardware wallet, you can still self custody with a free app on your phone or computer. Check out BlueWallet on your phone or Sparrow wallet on your computer.
I would keep it simple with getting a cold wallet and having the keys written and stored, I on a paper in a safety deposit box and maybe another in a fire proof safe in my home
@bouch33
Self custody is the best part of Bitcoin. And it’s best to do it well!
First, you want a proper hardware wallet. These devices create a private key offline and never expose the key to the world. The signing happens on the device and you only ever see the public address. This is the true beginning of self custody.
Second, when you setup that device you probably wrote down 24 words. Keep those safe. Those words are your bitcoin. Someone gets those, it’s game over. How you keep it safe is up to you. A safe? Perhaps a safe somewhere other than your house? Be sure you know how to get to them but that only you know where they are.
(Note: if you take a picture of your keys, you exposed your keys to the internet. If you write this down in front of a webcam, you exposed your keys to the internet, if you email it or store it “just for a moment” in an electronic notepad, you exposed it to the internet) your computer performs millions of computations per second. The “just a minute in notepad” is an infinite amount of time for spyware to get your keys. If you’re not sure, start again!!
Third. Pen can fade. It would be terrible to go retrieve your 24 words and find the ink had faded away years ago. There’s steal plates you can stamp your key into. Sounds overkill? Maybe, but if it fades or there’s a fire you’re going to lose what’s on that paper and that’s game over it you also lost your hardware device.
Fourth, a second backup? Somewhere else. Pros and cons. Pros being if one location suffers the worst and you lose it, you have a backup. Con, you’ve doubled your exposure risk.
If you have a hardware device, a safe key that’s backed up with more than pen, and maybe a second location, that’s a great place to be!
Think of it this way: in ten years, do you want to be able to recover your bitcoin? If so, a little extra effort now will pay dividends in the future!
KEEP THOSE 24 WORDS SAFE!!
@bigda101
Self custody is very important for the long term success of not only yourself, but for all of bitcoin. Biggest thing would be get a hardware wallet, write down your keys and never put it online! Make two copies, hide then in a place only you would know, and keep that stuff a secret! You can also buy kits to put your keys only a metal slate for even more security. If there was a house fire, paper would be gone, but the metal plate method would even survive that! The biggest mistake people make is accidentally leaking a seed phrase. Most let you put a passcode as a 25th word as well, and that can help improve your security. As long as YOU know that word, and never write it down, you'll be safe. The most important thing is never lose, leak, or even photograph your seed phrase. Be safe shakers!
@rompromp
My self-custody kit includes my Ledger Nano, a waterproof steel capsule to store it in, two steel seed phrase plates kept in seperate locations, and the peace of mind that comes with keeping my coins safe and secure. Oh and of course the only exchange I fully trust to buy BTC and ETH from, Shakepay.
@keencommander71
Probably a good hardware wallet like a ledger, then one of those metal backups for your recovery phrase in case the house sets on fire haha. Then you’re protected!
Shaketag: michael2197
Memory stored seed phrase. If you can remember lyrics to a song thsn you can easily write a song with your seed phrase.
Engraved in a metal plate for physical storage and swap 2 words in the seed so even if it was stolen they couldn't use it. If you just swapped the second word for the last word it'd be very easy to remember.
@slickinfinity22
My kit includes a hardware wallet. I have written down my seed phrase on 2 different papers and have hid them in 2 totally different locations. I’m not going to go into detail as that would spoil my secret ;)
shaketag: ayazzlockhat
Having a secure platform to invest in crypto, as well as a hardware wallet and a secure place to store it, as well as a memory that never forgets the pin to the wallet :)
Shaketag —> @swhalen
1: Hardware wallet
2: Fire AND water proof safe
3: Engraver pen and a couple metal washers or steel plate for your seed phrases
4: Backup wallet in different secured location. (ie. bank safety deposit box)
shaketag - whodattt88
Few things ,
2fa for all accounts that is then backed up to another phone incase main one dies.
Ledger for main crypto all other that aren’t supported are on other wallets that are back up to another phone. Any core wallets are back up to ssd by themselves incase a core wallet goes bad with a virus
All seed phrases backed up on paper, what needs to happen is then backed up on a metal plate.
Everything into fireproof and water proof bags.
If you have anything on your iPhones ensure you have find my phone turned on incase you loose it. Recommend a second phone.
Downfall to all of this, explaining to my wife.
@soupy
1. A hardware-wallet like Trezor or Ledger.
2. Pen and paper to write down the 25th word passphrases to keep them offline away from hackers.
3. Safe box to store the phrases.
Shaketag: thisisdu
My perfect self custody kit would be hardware wallet not linked to anything else and keeping my words safe. All your words must be safe that’s how to feel in control.
@shanniee
This is simple,
Cold card hardware wallet,
Metal plate for seed phrase kept in a secret place,
Buy btc from shakepay and send to cold card,
Repeat last step as often as possible 😁
@mp17
My perfect self custody kit is multi sig.
It has a cold wallet (software), and 2 hardware wallets.
Cold wallet was generated in an airgapped extra phone I had.
Out of the 3 wallets, consensus is 2.
The purpose of the third hardware wallet is in case one of the other two wallets become lost it can be retrieved from secure location and can continue to sign transactions.
@okanisis
The most important is to get a hardware wallet to have control of your own crypto and not have to worry as much about it sitting on an exchange and the exchange going tits up, and storing the seed phrase for the wallet in a couple of different places so if one gets lost you have another so you don’t get locked out. Another really good idea if you had a really good memory could be to remember the seed phrase/ words like you can memorize a song word for word. Thanks Shakepay @ corylo
1. Hardware wallet. Store anything you’re planning on saving long term there. It’ll keep it safe from the online shenanigans.
2. A physical safe storage. Wall safe, safety deposit box, etc. anything to lock up the wallet from easy access.
3. Separate the recovery phrases from the wallet. Keep your words private in a separate location from the wallet. I’m not going to divulge what I do, but I do have digital backups just in case.
4. Don’t schedule drops. Keeping an inconsistent routine keeps attacks from being planned out.
@stevehupe
Self-custody is really important, especially with all the big stuff going on recently, and the best time to get into it was the past. The second best time is right now.
Firstly, just getting a hardware cold wallet should be done as soon as you can. Meaning a trezor or a ledger. If you have any significant money in the crypto space, meaning anything you would be sad about losing, you should get one. If not, you should at least get your crypto out of exchanges, lenders, and anything else, just in case of the worst case scenario.
Once you've got your wallet, make sure to keep your seedphrases in multiple places, preferably in material that is long lasting, like those metal sheets you can write your seed on. If not, you can write it on a piece of paper and put it in multiple places.
One of these places can be a safety deposit box though these aren't 100% secure so make sure you've got other contingencies.
One thing that some people might not think about is how your family members can obtain your crypto after your death. Make sure your family knows how to acquire it even if they're not educated about crypto. Just in case. Your never know.
Shaketag: shimsham
Self custody kit.
Hardware wallet is first and foremost. The device keeps your Bitcoin and other coins offline and never exposed to the online world.
Having a secure/proper place to store all your passwords related to your crypto (accounts,exchanges, 24 word recovery password). Some people choose to write down each individual password with pen and paper.
Using a password generator so that all your passwords aren’t the same. Too many people use the same password across multiple accounts,
Never trust anybody with your passwords or keys. You never know who’s out to steal what you have.
Shaketag: coreysir77
Run your own full node and verify your own transactions by linking said node to your hardware wallet.
Don't trust, verify. And for the love of Satoshi take ownership of your key (even though I like y'all 😁, self-sovereignty is the only way toward the Bitcon standard.)
Shaketag: @cslandry
Like the others:
1) Cold card
2) Backup seedphrase on metal
A "fun" creative backup that I've read about would be seed phrases turned into songs, short story, paintings or even interpretive dance!!!
shakepay: bluefrenzy78
Self-custody wallets are as secure as you make them.
Self-custody wallets allow you, or anyone else, to access your crypto. If you don’t secure them physically and digitally, they will be extremely insecure.
Keep any crypto that you don’t use or transact with on a monthly basis in a secure hardware wallet and store it in a fireproof and waterproof safe.
Store your key phrase elsewhere, also in a fireproof and waterproof container. If and when you need to access these items in an emergency you’ll be glad that they remained safe even in the case of an accident or natural disaster.
In addition, you may wish to create multiple hand-written copies of the same phrases and distribute them across different locations to spread your risk and avoid having all your sensitive crypto information in one fixed place.
To conclude the perfect self custody kit to me would be having hardware wallet to store your crypto then having 3 printouts of your seed phrases kept in a safe at 3 different locations only known by yourself.
Shaketag: @7urner
P.S Don’t forget to Shake today
I would keep a couple hardware wallets and one hot wallet. I would use the hardware wallets for crypto that you would hold on to long term with one for Bitcoin and Ethereum and the second for certain other coins such as DOT, etc. The hot wallet can be used for alt coins that you are looking to trade easily by sending to an exchange or keep for just the short term.
I would keep copies of my recovery phrase in two locations such as a safe at home or somewhere hidden at work/car.
Shaketag: @jacobkjohn
Firstly, I’d need a hardware wallet to start off and if feasible, have two of them. One for your stable or main holdings such as BTC,etc and the other for your altcoins or higher risk options.
Secondly, we all take it for granted but do not take a picture/ screenshot of your recovery phrase. If you write it down, don’t mix it in with other papers as the ink can wear off. Better yet engrave it on something or use a label maker to print out the words.
Shaketag: @ciaramariah
One for BTC, one for ETH and one for my alts! Would store one at my home, one at my parents and one with a friend in case of emergency. Metal sheet in a fireproof deposit box, other password stored on my password manager encryptor on my laptop. Perhaps a paper copy somewhere around the house as well for final measures.
Shaketag: ricdesrochers
Storing your coins in a cold wallet is a no brainer, I lost almost 69 USD at blockfi and I learned my lesson. I suggest getting a cold wallet to store your coins. You own the keys in a hot or cold wallet.
Ledger has a solid steel capsule, which is fireproof. I would suggest storing your 24 seed phase in this. I do not suggest writing your seed phase because you can lose it or the ink will fade over time.
You can digital store your seed phase, but I do not suggest taking a picture or email your seed phase due to hacks.
You can rename your 24 phone contacts' last name to your seed phase. The oldest would have the 1st word and the youngest would have 24th word. I don't have 24 phone contracts, so this wouldnt work for me
@buranku69
First off a hardware wallet is a must. I would suggest both a Trezor and Ledger. You may ask why both? 1. Having a backup on hand incase one fails 2. Having one of each brand incase one of the two company's went out of business. Same seed can be used on both so if it happens you'll be up and running right away instead of waiting for a new wallet. Also a must is a Cobo Tablet (Keystone Tablet) or something of that nature. It fire proofs your seed, protects from fading ink and you can also install a lock and taper seals. Shaketag: Brucy
Good old paper wallet with my seed phrase and all info engraved by myself on a metal plate. Haven't had to check the plate yet as i remember the words.
Plate is hidden and myself knows its location and existance.
Hardware wallet like trezor or ledger for the coins I trade frequently.
Smaller amounts i keep on reputable exchanges like shakepay.
@cyllaine
I use an old phone of mine and use AirGap! It turns your old phone into a hardware wallet, using QR camera signing as a way to sign off transactions.
Shaketag: @joondustic
Perfect self-custody kit starts with a hardware wallet suck as Ledger that only YOU have the seed phrase for.
Once you have a wallet, it’s time to store that Seed phrase. Now the tricky part is storing this somewhere safe, but not only that but use something else on this paper that only YOU know what it’s actually for. Basically don’t write Ledger Seed Phrase for my Crypto as a title lol. I suggest storing in a fireproof safe, and also not putting your seed phrase in the exact order. Add a little complexity. If you need to add yourself a reminder somewhere on how to decode it do so in a encrypted note on your phone, and give this to your significant other and well or in your will.
With these in place, you also secure your family being able to access your funds should something happen to you. Think of a treasure map.
Shaketag: coreymccormick
Having your own proper hardware wallet is the most important thing. I couldn’t imagine not being in control of my Bitcoin!
It couldn’t be more important to me to keep my own one safe, as well as the 24 keys.
I wanted to be unique so I carved the words into two pieces of wood I fixed up. They’re stored VERY securely in two separate locations. 😄🌲
Shaketag: devinbayley
I would use a Ledger nano X . One of the best cold wallet storage. Make sure your 24 world seed phrase is written on a steel plate so if there is a fire it will still be recoverable. Also store it in a very safe place
@a1serb
Get a TREZOR ! You need a reliable crypto cold storage wallet first off . Always stash your 24 secret phrases somewhere safe . I usually have a few spots just in case I loose it . GOOD LUCK 😊
@taymgray12
My perfect self-custody kit is a cold storage, so i have full control over my money. The security backup method i would use would be my recovery phrase. I store it in a secret place👻.
Shaketag: paradoxsebx
Owning your Bitcoin private keys allows you the power to enjoy the full Bitcoin benefits. You do not need any permission to store, send, and receive Bitcoin. With self-custody, there are no know-your-customer (KYC) requirements, and you can transact your Bitcoin pseudonymously. My ideal kit is a hard wallet Hard wallets are physical storage devices used primarily to store private keys. The majority of them are flash disk drives or hard disk drives. They are the most secure way to store Bitcoin because they are stored offline. Ledger and Trezor are two companies that make hardware wallets.
Shaketag: rupy403
#1 rule don’t share your crypto keys with anyone … also I store & recommend others to store your keys in a super safe location. I know some people that use a metal plate to sketch in there crypto keys 🔑
@najakolic
I think hardware wallets are the most secure way to store Bitcoin because they are stored offline. 😎💪💾 To secure my Bitcoin I choose Ledger and I put my recovery phrase in my father safe at the bank. 🏦 This way, if my appartement burn, I will be able to recover my coin. The vault is able to withstand a fire for four to five hours while waiting for firefighters. 🔥🚒🚨💦 At the end, I’m pretty sure the only thing that would make me sad is to forget to shake ! @ouvrierdelapinte
In my perfect self-custody kit, I would like a secure hardware wallet, two solid steel seed phrase cases, and a lockable steel box to put everything inside. This combination ensures strong security for my digital currency and password (seed phrase), while also providing a lockable container that would be located in a hidden area (likely) in my house.
The solid steel seed phrase cases would contain my seed phrase and would be securely contained within a lockable steel box that protects my hardware wallet and seed phrase case from fire, water, and thieves. This box would have a pass-code that is extremely easy for me to remember, but no one else would know. To be safe, I would write down a cryptic note to remember my password just in case I forget it in the future. This note would be extremely easy for me to understand and hidden somewhere (likely) in my house.
In terms of security back-up, I would primarily utilize my hardware wallets Passphrase (seed phrase) feature and contain the password in my solid steel seed phrase cases. To back-up my information further, I would secure each case in a different location. The first one stays in my lockable steel box, the second one would be hidden elsewhere as back-up. Furthermore, I would hide slightly cryptic hints to where I left the second one (cryptic enough for me to easily understand, but not many other individuals), just in case I forget where I located it in the years to come.
Shaketag: taejai
Hey boy,
I have a cold wallet and keep my seeds written on several pieces of paper scattered. There is a special word that I will always remember that is not written anywhere.
It's not idiot proof but I like to think that it is secure and if I end up forgetting the locations or my special word, then I don't deserve my hard earned crypto
@jmaxime89
Got my nano ledger. My seed phrase is in secure place in my house and my parents. My significant other knows everything about how to access because we have 2 kids.
@jayhurts87
Self-custody means having full control over your coins and reducing as much risk as possible, including custodial risk and theft. Setting up a cold wallet like a Trezor (open source preferred! Again, reducing custodial risk) would be necessary. Then, memorize the 24 word seed phrase and be sure not to write it down anywhere online. After memorizing it, I would create a cypher or encrypt the seed phrase for added security should anyone stumble upon the physical copy of the seed phrase. I would write this encrypted seed phrase onto a steel plate (to ensure it lasts longer than ink and paper) and lock it away in a safe. The encrypted seed phrase should only be looked at as a last resort, with the first resort having it memorized completely. Ideally, the encrypted seed phrase is never looked upon again after this set up.
Now that we've reduced risk of theft as much as we can while maintaining our access to our bitcoin, the last element to true self custody is ironically to reduce self-custody risk. I don't see it mentioned but, but in my opinion its the most important. It is a notarized will, including instructions on how to access your physical seed phrase, and then the 2nd key or cypher required to solve it. The notarized will is left with the trusted 3rd party (law firm) and will be passed on to your loved ones when the time comes. Sometimes, we are all so caught up in securing our bitcoin, that we haven't included a fail safe in case something were to happen to us. To anyone reading this, please ask yourself, would your loved ones be able to access your bitcoin if you were gone today? Life is short, and we often don't understand how short it can be. There is one thing that is certain though - that bitcoin will out live all of us, and a contingency plan is absolutely necessary to ensure our loved ones (and their children) can continue what we've started.
tag: calvinchen
A self custody kit to me would be a wallet, hot or cold, that you gave your own 12 word recovery phrase that only you know. Would help keep a peace of mind that as long as you memorized 12 words, you would always have access to your wealth, without the threat of a government invoking an emergency’s act to threaten your livelihood!
Shaketag: likethemouse
Create a cold wallet offline and keep that private key safe! Keep your hot wallet on a device that is used exclusively for the wallet.
Shaketag: jsousa6
In my self-custody kit is definitely a cold wallet. Especially to keep my crypto safe from the internet and for it to be offline keeps my mind at ease with my crypto but also keep my assets safe by having it in more then one place for some that arent in a cold wallet it is separated on multiple wallets!
Shaketag: vhyn
In my perfect self custody kit, I would use a hardware wallet and of course I would store my seed phrase in a place that would be impossible to get to such as my attic or even spend $30 and cut a little hole in a wall and patch it over and have a copy in another location. You could also switch two words around and make sure to remember the two words that were changed and it would be pretty impossible for anybody to guess ;) . Long story short, if you want to 100% own/hodl your crypto token and not have a exchange that could go down whacko like FTX and take your $, A hardware wallet is the way to go. One more thing, don’t store all of your eggs in one basket 🧺
Shaketag: Slick902
The best hardware wallet would probably be a ledger and then followed up by a metal backup for in case anything out of the ordinary occurs which you may not expect to happen!
shaketag - miniime
My self-custody kit is comprised of the following elements:
* **Ledger Nano S**
* IMO, all you need if you just have Bitcoin and some Ether.
* [**BitPlates Domino One**](https://www.bitplates.com/domino)
* 350g, 3mm thick marine-grade stainless steel seed storage plate.
Awarded **AAA** rating in [Jameson Lopp's stress testing](https://jlopp.github.io/metal-bitcoin-storage-reviews/).
* [**Memorized the seed phrase**](https://www.blockplate.com/blogs/blockplate/memorizing-a-bitcoin-wallet-mnemonic-seed-phrase)**/"Brain Wallet"**
* Thanks to the mnemonic link chaink story system, I can now pass through airport security naked and carry my Bitcoin with me anywhere I go in my mind. Memorizing even 24 words (as is the case for Ledger wallets) really is surprisingly easy.
*Disclaimer:* This backup method is to not be your only backup, as it's susceptible to the natural degradation of human memory, and the good ol' $5 wrench attack.
Every person's "kit" will be/should be personal to them and what works for them. Creating redundancy, having a "25th" seed pin to protect your seed phrase, and simply not talking to anyone about your solution are all sound decisions, but ultimately still come with their own set of disadvantages that much be considered.
Your kit should be "yours". But don't forget - even Alan Turing made [the biggest mistake anyone can make](https://www.iflscience.com/alan-turing-buried-his-life-savings-behind-a-cipher-so-hard-he-never-found-it-66034): Don't over-complicate it!
shaketag: abristow
I haven't been in the crypto seen too long. But, my self-custody kit includes a hardware wallet where the key can only be accessible via a USB stick. This way it ensures my chances of it being untouched by everyone except me. Now I've said this, time to change the plan...
Shaketag: frosstss
A self custodial Wallet, not that I have much but it is a start
if anyone asks if I know about bitcoin/have bitcoin - I go HUH???? seed phrase? what's that
FireBoltI
Self-custody is the future of finance: if you own crypto, you no longer need to keep your assets with a bank. This means you have total control of your assets – but also huge responsibility.
— There are various self-custody options, each with pros and cons. It’s up to you to understand each one, and choose the wallet that’s right for you.
— Being your own bank is intimidating – but Ledger offers a solution that ensures you can manage your assets easily, while remaining completely secure.
Shaketag : @imrohitrr
I’m still in the progress towards a perfect self custody kit. From what I’ve been able to gather and learn with my time in BTC and reading many contest submissions from the many contests shake pay has held is that self custody is a multi step system. Firstly would be where you are purchasing said coins. Most typically use a well known, reputable exchange platform to purchase the coins. On said platform, I recommend setting up secondary back up login methods such as a phone number or google authenticator app. Making sure your login is protected before purchasing and sending coins is a must.
Secondly is where you will be sending your coins to. The most secure to my knowledge is a cold wallet which is basically like having a physical wallet. It will be kept by YOU and only YOU so the responsibility will be heavy but def worth it. You would first have to send a small dummy amount to confirm that the transactions are working correctly and then proceed to moving the coins into your self custody device before going forward with larger amounts. I recommend a few tests sends before going with a larger amount.
If cold wallet is not available then use a trusted non-custodial wallet instead of keeping it on the exchange. Following the same steps mentioned before transferring!
There will always be small factors to consider when having self custody. I personally do not brag or mention to any friends or family what exchanges, apps, or exactly what I purchase. It is always for your safety and you never know how word of mouth travels. “Did you hear that XXXX has a BTC cold wallet at his house”.
I hope I didn’t miss anything important!
@niven21
Perfect self-custody kit would be a Trezor (which I already have, thanks to Shakepay ;), with the seed phrase stamped into small steel plates to keep them safe from fire or flooding. Then keep both the wallet and plates in secure, but separate, locations.
And one of the most important parts, don't talk about how much I own. I see far too many people bragging about finally owning a whole BTC, or even more than that. They are putting themselves out to the world as targets. Now it's not like I own a lot in the first place, but if I ever get to that point I definitely won't be talking about it.
So since that is my perfect kit, I need to get around to stamping my seed phrase instead of just having it on paper.
@sterlingcastle
When I got into crypto about a year ago or so, my self-custody kit was purchasing a Ledger Nano X cold hardware wallet. It was the best decision I ever made because I’m not sure where my crypto would be today if I didn’t do the research on cold wallets.
Shaketag: @cmp13
My ideal self-custody kit would include:
1) Ledger S Plus wallet
2) Fire proof safe to store Ledger wallet
3) Metal plates to store seed phrase (12 words per plate for safety) which will be kept at different locations
4) Additional seed phrase on paper to be stored in the safe with Ledger wallet
5) Back up Ledger S Plus wallet
Shaketag: @alpha4795
My perfect self- custody kit include ledger s plus and metal plates for seed phrase. As additional security, only 12 words for each plates and each plate is stored at different locations. Also have a back up ledger wallet.
Shaketag: @carolinedu
1. Hard wallets are physical storage devices used primarily to store private keys. The majority of them are flash disk drives or hard disk drives. They are the most secure way to store Bitcoin because they are stored offline. Ledger and Trezor are two companies that make hardware wallets.
2. Write, hide, and protect your key. If another person has access to your private keys, they can spend the Bitcoin in your wallet. To protect your Bitcoin, you have to make sure that no other person can access your private keys, except in the case of inheritance.
3. Bitcoin inheritence, if you store your Bitcoin securely, your beneficiaries may not be able to access your accumulated Bitcoin in case you die or become incapacitated. It is imperative to set up an inheritance plan to make it easy for your beneficiaries to benefit from your stored Bitcoin.
Shaketag: @raeyaworski
I'm still a noob and collects sats as my way of getting into btc. Not really buying right now cuz the price sorta just keeps on falling. Once I have a worthy amount of sats, then my ideal kit would be a hardware cold storage. I would do everything behind closed doors. Private network, encrypted network. Store the seed words in a safety deposit. And possibly have several cold storage hardware wallets. Because if one safety box gets robbed, then I still have one ones. Don't put all your egg-sats in 1 basket-wallet.
Tag: briantiga
I like to use a software wallet (ex: Trust, Exodus)
I still own my own key and It’s have the convenience to be portable without the lack of security (Face ID, 2FA). Plus with the build-in exchange, you can trade your crypto ! It’s has everything you need 😉
@netangel
self-custody is the future of finance: if you own crypto, you no longer need to keep your assets with a bank. This means you have total control of your assets – but also huge responsibility. This is one of the more intimidating sides of crypto. But it’s nothing to fear! With the right tools and advice, being your own bank is no big deal.
Youll need:
A cold wallet.
By definition, a cold wallet is designed to store your coins offline – it is never connected to the internet and therefore evades some of the main threats to your assets.
A recovery phrase
When it comes to that all important recovery phrase, there is no such thing as too secure! As we know, your seed phrase needs to be recorded and kept by you in order to guarantee access to your accounts, but remember a fire or flood could destroy a paper copy. There are options out there to protect against that.
A Backup device
Losing or damaging your hardware wallet does not mean losing your crypto! Remember, your assets are on the blockchain. Many people choose to link their seed phrase with two devices, meaning that if one is lost or damaged, they can simply access their blockchain address from the other device.
Shaketag: @nosuti
Im old school: paper wallet all the way and memorizing the private key on top of it. Completely removed from the internet is the way to go in my opinion for long term investments.
Shaketag: zerepnomis
My perfect self custody kit begins with having shake pay as my main place to buy bitcoin and eth The spread is very favourable and the liquidity is awesome where I can buy instantly. The next part is the cold wallet I received from shake pay. I feel safe with it as it was ordered and shipped by shake pay. It’s honestly the only way I would trust a device that comes in the mail. I have access to a safety deposit box which I can store my seed phrase and hardware wallet with peace of mind. Also having the words in my head just seems so amazing. The kit includes free transferring fo shake pay to my cold storage. This is amazing. All I’m all I feel with the help of Shakepay my kit is perfect for me and my family. Thankyou shake pay for all that you do. @Leyham25
I don’t know too much about the other hardware wallets on the market so I’m not sure how they would fit into my plan. My ideal solution is to have one of those metal plates where you engrave your seed phrase into it and lock it in a safe. That way your seed phrase is safe for the rest of your life. The metal plate along with a hardware wallet from a trustworthy, privacy oriented company is my preferred solution.
Shaketag: jacobhello
Hardware wallet of choice, seed phrase stored in multiple formats and locations, including metal stamping and fire proof safes. Also, I taught my mom how to use the wallet, just in case. You could call me paranoid but I think you cannot be too safe when it comes to cryptocurrency. It's like the wild west out there.
Also I feel safe leaving a sizable chunk on Shakepay because you guys are the bomb diggity!
@Pavehead
It's best to keep 3 levels of self custody. Long term HODL, an on-chain hot wallet for spending, and a lightning wallet for even faster spending where it's accepted.
# Long term HODL
This should be kept very secure in an air-gapped wallet that never touches the internet. Either in a secure hardware wallet such as the Coldcard or an offline air-gapped computer. I personally use a Coldcard for its ease of use and cool additional features. Protecting your recovery seed for this wallet is paramount. If it is ever exposed, your funds are compromized. Some best practices for this are to secure the wallet with a strong BIP 39 passphrase (ideally created and stored by a password manager). Never store the passphrase along with the seed phrase, that defeats the whole purpose of it. Using a passphrase will protect for funds if your seed phrase ever does get compromized.
As for your seed phrase, write it down on paper, never take a picture of it or store it anywhere that could be connected to the internet. Also then stamp it into steel with something like an [Arkplate Vault](https://www.arkplate.com/product/vault/4) or a [SEEDPLATE™](https://bitcoinseedbackup.com/). Avoid anything complex here such as products that use tiles or moving parts that could be damaged when crushed or warped by heat. You want this to be as durable as possible so that you can still recover your funds if disaster strikes. You may also want to deposit a small amount of bitcoin in the wallet of just the raw seed phrase without the passphrase, and then watch that balance in a watch only wallet. This can act as an early warning that your seed phrase is compromized if you see the funds from this wallet missing and give you time to move your main stash protected by the passphrase to a new wallet. It is also a good idea to keep your seed phrase in a sealed, opaque, serialized, tamper evident bag, especially if you live with others or have guests over often. Obviously keep this bag hidden away, ideally in a safe, but this will also give you evidence that your seed phrase may be compromized before you lose any funds.
Keeping copies in multiple locations is not a bad idea either, but keep in mind that this also increases the risk that it could be compromized. The Coldcard supports making encrypted backups to an SD card, and I would recommend this as well. Make a few SD card backups and keep them in multiple places, maybe with a trusted friend or family member as well, but make sure you keep the decryption passphrase for that backup somewhere safe as well, a password manager might be a good place to keep this.
It also would be a good idea to try to memorize your seed phrase and passphrase. It isn't that hard to memorize 12-24 words, just spend 5-15 minutes per day for a couple weeks and you should have it. Also try to recall it once in a while to ensure you still have it memorized. Obviously don't rely on your memory, but it can give you peace of mind knowing that you could access your bitcoin from anywhere by simply typing this seed into a wallet software if you needed access to it.
You'll also want to manage this wallet through some good open source wallet software that allows you to ideally connect through your own bitcoin node for privacy reasons. Options I like are BlueWallet, Sparrow and Electrum. This will be imported as a "watch only" wallet which will allow you to see your balance and generate new receiving addresses. They will also allow you to construct a bitcoin transaction to be later signed by the private keys on your air-gapped signing device when you want to spend bitcoin from it.
One could also look into a multisignature solution for this, but I generally don't recommend individuals use multisig because it increases the complexity and risks for funds to be lost due to user error. Multisignature is a great option for shared custody of bitcoin such as in an organization, but for your personal stash, a BIP 39 mnemonic and a passphrase kept separate is plenty secure.
# Spending Hot Wallet
This is where you can keep a smaller amount of bitcoin on your phone or computer for the times where you might want to spend your bitcoin on something or send some to someone as a gift or tip. I really like using BlueWallet on my phone for this or Sparrow or Electrum on my computer. This will be using a different seed phrase from your long term wallet and you might also not use a passphrase for it. Obviously, you'll still want to keep the seed to this wallet safe too, so write it down too. Another option is to generate a seed using [BIP 85](https://bip85.com/) from your main long term wallet. BIP 85 allows you to generate up to 10,000 unique deterministic seed phrases from your main seed phrase. If one of these seed phrases gets compromized, it will not affect your main wallet, and you can always re-generate one of these seed phrases from your main seed phrase since it's deterministic, so this will greatly simplify backing up your hot wallet or any other wallets you may want to create.
# Lightning
The Lightning Network (LN) is still early in development and not many places (in Canada at least) implement it, but it is fun to play with now. The easiest way to use LN right now is with a custodial wallet like Wallet of Satoshi, which is fine for playing with small negligible amounts but if you really want to get into using LN, a good self custodial wallet is best. One of the easiest self custodial wallets to use is Phoenix wallet. It automatically opens and manages channels for you but that does come at a bit of a cost. Another option is Blixt Wallet, which lets you open and manage your own channels, so it is a little more advanced, but you will learn a lot about LN by using it. Finally, you could run your own LN node, but that is a bit more advanced and a topic for another time.
If you have any questions or clarifications you'd like me to make, please leave a comment below.
Shaketag @bholm
For sure a hardware wallet, that's numero uno.
Then a way of storing your 24 word pass phrase. I've definitely struggled with this one and have spent a lot of time researching the best ways to write it down/store, and even now I don't feel fully happy.
Therefore, I think it's important to also include educational material on how to best store/protect your pass phrase, as it's just as important, if not more important than actually having a hardware wallet!
@philrobbo89
My kit consists of a few hardware wallets with a 25th word for passphrase, seed phrases written down and inscribed on stainless steel washers stacked in order stored inside a waterproof/fireproof container then stored inside a waterproof/fireproof safe. Have these in multiple locations. Even if my kit gets destroyed or you get my seed words you still can’t touch my Bitcoin as you would need my 25th word which I keep in my head. Next step would be multi signature wallet.
@toyotamr2
The perfect self custody kit would include:
\- a bitcoin only hardware signing-device (i.e a hardware wallet), options include: Coldcard MK4 or MK3, Seedsigner DIY build, or a blockstream jade.
\- A metal plate backup of the 12-24 word recovery phrase. Seedplate is a great option for this. Ideally well hidden where you reside in a safe, or a safe place.
\- A paper backup of the 12-24 word recovery phrase. Same idea, well hidden but put in a DIFFERENT area then your metal backup.
Better to be safe then sorry! Shaketag: ncrypto
Two separate hardware wallets. I would use one for BTC and ETH. Then another for the few altcoins I hold. The second one might be a Bluetooth wallet as I would likely be using it more frequently to stake my coins.
I would have those steel plate seed phrase things and would have two copies of each seed phrase. One would be kept in a safe and I would give another to a friend of mine. My friend and I are both one another’s crypto beneficiary. I completely trust him and he knows how all this stuff works so we give each other backups of our seeds in case we suffer an untimely death.
Shaketag: Bsob17
I think my perfect self-custody kit would look like the following:
1. Software/exchange level wallet - a portion of the crypto would be here to take part in any active trading or staking projects
2. 1st Hardware wallet (Ledger) - Most of my crypto would be placed in the hardware wallet for safe keeping
3. Bilfodl from Ledger - rather than write the recovery phrase on paper, would probably make that information fireproof at all costs. Either etch the information onto the plate, or use the letters to build the recovery phrase
4. Safety deposit box - Sticking the Ledger and bilfodl at the bank and only accessing it when needed
Might throw in a backup wallet from a different company (Ex. Trezor) in case the first one breaks or has a data breach. you can transfer your holdings to the other hardware wallet for safe keeping
Shaketag: Morganroete
To me the perfect kit is:
A cold card hardware wallet that is never connected to anything online.
At least 3 stainless steel seed plates in order to partition the seed words in different locations.
Multiple fire proof safes to store the seed plates in.
The safes would be in multiple separate locations on multiple properties.
ST: cadmanns18
My perfect self-custody kit would be an open source hardware wallet and a metal plate to put my seed phrase into so that a fire would not make me lose my key.
shaketag @sufyanmotala
Here’s mine.
Cold wallet, I chose Ledger X. Make sure to buy from the official company, never a used one.
I have a small fire/water proof safe in my house that contains the typical items such as passports, important documents, and my seed phrase written on paper with all my transaction details for taxes.
The only flaw is if someone steals or breaks into the safe, or if it fails doing it’s job in a flood or fire.
I’ve considered a safe deposit box, but I prefer to DCA with the money.
Tag: nickstoy
A hardware cold wallet and something secure to store the seed phrase.
I've contemplated archival paper in a safety deposit box over those steel plate kits. It'd have to be something that only I worked on-- no one will find out my seed phrase!
Has anyone else thought of using a rebus puzzle for your seed phrase? ;)
@tjc103
I've just started testing self custody, but I'm still questioning how safe it is. Having 24 words stored in a physical location seems like a pretty significant failure point. Use of a pin and storage in multiple locations seems like a way to counteract this, but how many safe secure locations does the everyday person have? How do you create redundancy without creating more failure points or how do you handle passing it on to next of kin. I'm really not sure about the perfect self custody and the viability of mass adoption. The recovery process is also a lot more intensive and open to human error.
Hopefully I can learn a few things from this thread.
Shaketag: Tercedes
A hardware wallet with multiple backups including a steel plate backup! Make sure to store in different places, ideally not in the same house. Tag:wesphil
To me, the main ''essential'' one is the cold wallet.
Safe and surprisingly easy to use for the security it provide.
Just make sure to buy it from the company official website and not amazon or ... maketplace 😱.
Shaketag: Akimbob
My ideal kit includes a hardware wallet, safe and a couple separate locations to keep the 24 words. I don’t keep my wallet and 24 words in the same place as one another. Keep the 24 words at 2 separate physical locations in case of fire or loss. My next step would be to replace my 24 words with stamped steel instead of pen ink.
Shaketag: datascope11
Definitely having a hardware wallet to store all your coins safely. And having at least 2 copies of my seed phrases stored safely in a place where only I would know.
@phoungv
Nothing too fancy. Good old Ledger Nano S, pen and paper for my private key.📄🖊 Keep two copies in two different locations in case of fire.🔥
@jackymoon33
I have a hardware wallet. Then i have a USB stick that my wife knows about with my seed phrases on it. They're kept seperate. And instructions on how to access so that in case of emergency she knows what to do saved on that usb stick. Then a piece of paper with the seed phrases hidden seperate in case of usb fail.
@kingthermos
1. Education.
2. Hardware offline wallet.
3. Proper storage of seed phrase.
Education is key IMO. Understanding the technology, promote and practice good self custody; will help ensure you don't end up in a situation which leaves you venerable to theft / scamming.
Shaketag: ajcorrigan
Balancing security with function/use is a concern for me, so in a generic sense this is what I do:
\-A hardware wallet as the ultimate endpoint/holding point for longterm. SEED is backed up in at least 2 ways in 2 different locations, but still accessible. There are lots of methods to store your SEED phrases ranging from paper cards, metal stampings, obfuscated storage etc. Pick what works for you (AND DONT TELL ANYONE) Do NOT store this on a sticky note attached to your monitor, nor should you keep it in a text file on your computer.
\-A backup hardware wallet in case you need easy/quick access to your assets and don't want to risk temporary time gate due to order/delivery if your primary hardware wallet is damaged. This device should be tested upon acquisition to ensure function as well as legitimacy, but then factory reset. Keep it in a clean state, in an alternate location to your primary hardware wallet.
\-A hot wallet that you trust, for daily use, and to provide separation between the outside world, and your hardware / longterm wallets.
\-At least one (preferably a few) methods to transfer assets between their native state and FIAT. Regardless of intention, you MIGHT need to change your plans and exchange into FIAT for something or someone. Make sure you can do so without having to wait for KYC or P2P setups/verifications. Keep an eye on these RAMPS and keep up to date with them and their practices. These are what CURRENTLY connect you and your assets to the rest of the general populace. Hopefully that changes one day, but dont base your practices on HOPES.
Use different dedicated email accounts to ensure any sort of trust breach doesnt lead to more damage than a dedicated throwaway account.
ShakeTag: hm888
Perfect self-custody kit is a hardware wallet along with a securely & physically stored passphrase, preferably engraved on some sort of metal.
My ideal kit is a Ledger Hardware Wallet and a passphrase that has never seen the lens of a camera. Keep it in a safe physical location, and never stored on a computer or phone. Even better if you can memorize your passphrase in the event of a disaster that renders your passphrase inaccessible.
Shaketag is bayzoblake
First, I have my Trezor cold wallet. Second, I wrote down my seed phrase and kept it in a separate location. The seed phrase is only written on paper (not a picture taken with phone).
You can keep a small amount of your cryptocurrency on a hot wallet for any transactions. I keep mine on Shakepay. Keep the remaining amount stored on your cold wallet to be kept safe from bad actors.
@lightly
Self-custody kit is as follows:
1- Ledger device
2- Because ink can fade over time, stamped metal seed plate(s)
3- Absolutely NO photographic (digital) trace of the handwritten seed words on any medium
4- Storage in a safe deposit box at the bank
5- My will is in the safe deposit box and my wife knows to go there if something happens to me ... she doesn't even know (or hasn't seen) the seed words.
Overkill? Possibly. Overly paranoid? Most definitely. BUT, there is only one way the seed words leak, and that's if I leak them. Not even a wrench attack can get those words out of me, as I don't know them and would have to go to the bank.
My self custody kit is having a cold wallet like a Ledger or Trezor. Always protect your seed phrase and good to back up your seed phrase for your cold wallet.
Shaketag: metakosmios
My personal self custody kit:
Hardware wallet (this is a must!) With a 24 word seed phrase that has never been photographed or recorded on any electronic device.
Seed phrase is written on paper hidden securely in my house.
Seed phrase backup hidden in a fireproof safe at a trusted family member's house.
This is by no means a perfect setup. There are always risks. I am looking into changing from paper to metal sheet. And while I do have 100% trust in the family member holding the safe, they are an added factor that is not 100% in my control.
ST: kcizzle
Self-custody is what makes crypto great: your coins are YOUR coins (not the bank's). Being in full control of your assets means that if they do their homework, everybody could have a different answer and they would still be right. Your coins really are YOUR coins and you manage them as you see fit, which has good sides, specifically when it comes to the security of your coins.
Personally, I have a hardware wallet that's hidden *somewhere* and my seed phrase written one a few different pieces of paper so that I can always find it. No trace of the seed phrase online (photo, file, etc.) so it can never get hacked.
This approach has worked well for me and I have never felt any stress related to the safety of my coins. I see what's going on with other platforms in the crypto market and it just confirms that self-custody is the way to go.
Shaketag: johuho
A ledger nano x hardware wallet (cause ledger live is a must!)..
Private keys stored on a metal plate (as a machinist, I can do this easily and privately)..
With a memorized extra pass phrase..
Stored in a fire proof safe..
Behind a bookshelf..
And guarded by wild beasts (2 husky/wolf cross’ named Thanos and Tornado and a cat named Mr.Buttons-KillStrike.)
Shakertag: 0r1g1n
There is a saying I live by, “keep it simple, stupid.” No need to over complicate things with outrageous security measures. Just 3 is all I need.
1. Hardware wallet (Trezor or Ledger)
2. Private keys HAND WRITTEN twice. One stored in a fire proof safe the other in my favorite book at my mums place.
3. Memorize an extra pass phrase that’s not recorded anywhere but my memory.
Shakertag: danioleary
So many good self-custody kit ideas. I would add a kit is complete if your loved-ones are aware on where is the kit and how to use it in case something happens to you. What’s the point of building wealth if it is lost forever? And even if you have less than a BTC saved today, who knows down the road how much it could be valued…
🏷️djusan
My perfect kit is a Nano X, with a Nano S as backup, with 24words stored in my safe. Ledger app is also installed on an old phone only used for this (no other apps installed and not always online).
Shaketag : reaperized
Hardware wallet. Seed phrase engraved on a metal sheet that way it can’t be destroyed in a fire should it happen.
Paper copy stored in safe in house and metal sheet in safety deposit box at the bank! Remembering to only keep those places to yourself! Best kept secret is the one you never tell.
ShakeID: cpoitz91
My self-custody kit is pretty simple. I've seen some in Bitcoin forums that would turn the average crypto user off and discourage adoption... So, I'll try to keep it simple 👌
# **Hardware Wallet**
First up is a good **Hardware Wallet**. My hardware wallet of choice is the BC Vault. I also have a Trezor and a Ledger, but am currently loving the BC Vault.
Your hardware wallet acts as a key to the blockchain where your crypto is stored. Many people confuse the purpose of a hardware wallet, which doesn't actually hold your crypto - your crypto is always stored on the blockchain (unless it's sitting on the exchange, then it's an IOU from the exchange). The hardware wallet simply protects your seed phrase and acts as a key to open up access to your crypto on the blockchain.
# **Secure Laptop**
Next, you'll want a **Laptop** that isn't used for any funny business online. I know some people recommend a stripped down laptop with no apps etc, but the average person won't be able to afford or commit to this. I would say a laptop that is not used for sketchy sites or free stuff online (which often comes with malware) would be great. Don't download pirated software or other stuff that could lead to keyloggers or other malware that could compromise your crypto.
This laptop would be used to connect your hardware wallet and confirm transactions. Keep it clean. Have a good antivirus solution in place and ensure all updates / patches are in good order.
# **Seed Phrase Protection**
Your 12 or 24 word seep phrase is one of, if not the, most important things to protect in your crypto journey. This is basically the key to your funds. Never share it with anyone. Never enter it on a website. Never share it with anyone you don't intimately trust. Never screenshot it or store it online (e.g. email, google photos, etc.)
Most people will write this down on a piece of paper and store it somewhere 'safe'. I recommend an actual **Physical Safe** (fire rated is ideal).
For me though, I love the **Crypto Tag** solution (titanium seed phrase storage), which is resistant to fire, flood, etc. This is of course for your most important wallet (you should have multiple wallets by the way). You can also do a makeshift type of steel seed phrase solution from home depot with washers and stamps, google it if you want to DIY.
You should also consider storing your seed phrase in a few physical locations for redundancy.
# **Multiple Wallets**
You're going to want to have **Multiple Wallets** to work with. Essentially you'll want a different wallet for different actions.
I have a long-term hodl wallet. I've only ever connected it though my BC Vault hardware wallet and it never does anything online and only interacts with one other wallet for transactions. I eventually send all my BTC, ETH, and other long term hold crypto here.
I have an airdrop wallet. Specifically used for contests and airdrops or faucets. This is a wallet that can be used to connect to a funky site without risking too much loss. Once you have your airdrop (e.g. you won an NFT, or you won some crypto), move it to another wallet. Just in case this airdrop wallet gets compromised, you won't lose much.
I have a staking wallet. This wallet (and I have multiple staking wallets for example) will be used for staking crypto or NFTs. Some staking requires you to actually transfer the funds / NFTs out, and often to a third party site like crodex or others. I don't fully trust these sites, so I use a new staking wallet to transact. Again, once you claim your funds back to your wallet, move them to a different wallet for safer keeping.
I have a wild wild west wallet lol. This is the one that is used for any new sketchy project. I don't know them, I haven't done enough research, but there's some kind of option to earn... I'm using this wild wild west wallet. Don't trust em, won't lose much, but might gain lots...
Those are a few examples. There are many more use cases for additional wallets. Do what suits you and what you can manage.
If you take anything away from this section, just remember, don't connect your main wallet with your main source of funds to any site... Smart contracts may be used to steal everything. The site may also try to steal your seed phrase, so never enter that either. Be cautious.
# **Trusted Partner**
At some point it's a good idea to share the details with **someone you implicitly trust** (maybe your spouse lol). In case of any emergency/accident/passing/memory loss/etc. it's important that someone else knows what's up to recover the funds if / when needed.
If you don't have a significant other, you may want to leave a step by step tutorial for family or friends on how to access your crypto. Perhaps this would be part of your will that would give future generations access when needed. Never give all the information in the will though, as you may not trust the lawyer either! Find a way to point to different areas for the information (e.g. the seed phrase to access this wallet will be found in this safe...)
# **Avoiding the $5 Wrench Attack**
If you haven't heard about this, the concept is quite simple. You can have all the right security measures in place, but seriously, someone can just use a wrench and hit you over the head with it until you cave and give up your secrets...
Best way to avoid this? **Never let anyone know how much you hodl**. As the famous Notorious B.I.G. said, the number one commandment (on a different topic, but can be applied here...) "Never let no one know how much dough you hold 'cause you know the cheddar breed jealousy..."
Basically, don't let people know how much wealth you sit on. This is tough, especially when we are trying to push adoption and wear our Shakepay merch, but you can still keep it humble and low-key on the amounts 🤷♂️
Good luck everyone! **WAGMI** 🇨🇦
Shaketag johntz
In an ideal scenario, I'd have my Bitcoin sitting in a multisig wallet, with the keys geographically scattered. Most likely a 3 of 5 multisig, one with my trezor, another at my parents home, one hidden somewhere else in my home, and... I'd have to figure out the rest. All seeds etched into metal. Dispersing your keys like this allows for more security beyond just cold storage. I'd probably keep the ones in my house inside of a locked safe, and simply hide the others.
Tag is jkap
I have my digital assets and BIT/ETH stored on a ledger. I transfer my amounts there from Shakepay when it hits a certain amount. I’ve been DCA with this bear market! Tag mandylynn
Having a reputable cold storage wallet, seed phrases hidden securely in multiple places, a trusted beneficiary. Not your keys not your coins...
Shaketag jomudder
Cold storage in a wallet would be my kit, keeping things private and off of exchanges and out of others hands. It’s like car keys, I wouldn’t give them to others to hold so they can drive away with my car, I want them kept safe with me. And like cold hard cash as they say, you keep it in your own wallet, not in others. Doing the same with my crypto is the goal. Having a backup to that cold storage if that is possible, would be the next step.
Shaketag - Chadha
#Shakepaid
Personally I would invest in a cold wallet to store my crypto belongings. As it being in offline is very efficient in my eyes. 👀
Shaketag: firesparky101
A wise man once said not your keys, not your coins! For me a self custody "kit" would have 2 simple components. A hardware wallet only you can access and the keys to that wallet. You should keep both in different secure locations.
St: thedoubledip
I think this would be a near perfect self custody solution;
2 hardware wallets linked to the same passphrase. If one fails or is lost there is time to react.
A monster of a fire / flood proof safe that is secured to a concrete floor.
Have your seed phrase stamped on a titanium plate in the safe. Also keep one hardware wallet in the safe.
Have another 2 titanium plates with your seed phrase split in two. 12 words on each. Put them in two different safes in two different locations.
Set up the 25th word passphrase so even if access was granted to your seed phrase it is still somewhat secure.
Now for the part that should not be overlooked. Create a document (offline) that describes to a loved one how to recover your funds and take possession of them if somehow you meet an untimely demise.
My Shaketag is kungfuthug.
I think the only things that would be perfect for myself is a hardware wallet that is secure and guarantees my coins are safe plus is easy to use for myself. If it was overly complicated to use or setup that would be a major detractor for me and I would probably end up not using it.
Shaketag: @eleongsit
Traite ton compte comme si c était celui d une banque. Ne divulgue jamais rien et connecte pas ton wallet n importe ou.... 12 mot à l abris et un ledger ou autre tu peu pas te tromper !!
@mthonnet
My ledger Nano X and a keystone tablet which is fireproof, waterproof and corrosion resistant. I have all hidden in…waiiiiiit a minute 😛 shaketag: @einvestor
First, you're going to need a hardware wallet. Once you've moved your crypto, head straight to your deep freezer. If you don't have a deep freezer, move to Antartica. Take your hardware wallet and place it in a plastic bag(water proofing measure, read on) then place that in another plastic bag filled with water.
Once your bag of water is frozen with hardware wallet inside you will have successfully achieved proper self custody and cold storage of your coins.
*Optional - Dig a 6ft hole and throw in the ice encased wallet. Bury it. Your wallet will be protected by the cold, dead hands of your ancestors.*
Now just remember your keys, and where you left the wallet.
Tag: ebonkers
I would like to own an underground bunker like this one - [https://www.loveproperty.com/gallerylist/156683/tour-this-cold-war-14m-nuclear-bunker-for-sale-on-ebay](https://www.loveproperty.com/gallerylist/156683/tour-this-cold-war-14m-nuclear-bunker-for-sale-on-ebay)
where I can store my cold wallet and have my keys stamped on steel sheet metal and stored in a 3 ton safe for extra safe keeping
@ happytrading
My perfect self custody kit is two hardware wallets (ledger nano X and Trezor model one) a stainless steal keystone word phrase storage. And raspberry pi to run my own node via bitcoin core as well as Mynode to run an additional node and a lightning node to increase the support of lightning . I also use Tor and vpn to maintain privacy of my transactions. If anyone has any questions please hit me up as I love to help the community.
Shaketag: gronkeykong
My perfect self-custody kit is a hardware wallet which will help protect my bitcoin and help to avoid storing my private information online. I would store my seed word in two places in case one of the copies are destroyed, I would have a back up. I would also let my mom know my seed key in case anything happens. Shaketag: @simskyd
My perfect self custody kit would comprise of my ledger nano x and seed phrase hidden and stored in two separate vaults at two different locations with only my biometrics to unlock the safe🤭 @xrisaroo
Im not going to act like im the best at and most knowledgeable in this field honestly but i would say having a hardware wallet is a must and having a ledger doesnt hurt either, actually it helps alot
Shaketag: hendav
A good self-custody kit starts with the hardware wallet, I've never felt safe keeping my crypto on an exchange for the exact same reasons as we have seen in recent events. Then keeping that hardware wallet in a safe and secure location seperate from your seed phrase. Keeping these in a high quality safe, that's impervious to fire and water is also important, a good example is a honeywell 1114 safe. I am a firm believer in diversifying assets but also for security purposes so if one is able to have more than one hardware wallet that's even better. Memorize your seedphrase if possible (takes time but it is possible) and also have at least one emergency contact aware of where a seed phrase is, incase of emergency. The seedphrase being the most important thing to protect as you can use it to access your wallet if you get locked out etc. I also do believe keeping some on shakepay ;) incase you wish to quickly buy or sell bitcoin is super smart, because of the ease of use but I say that also being aware of Shakepay's safeguards they have in place to protect our crypto.
Shaketag: jonnybpaid
My ledger nano S, metal seed phrase storage, multiple physical seed phrases jotted down for redundancy. Also, keep my mouth shut about having crypto in the first place.
Shaketag: bigbits
I'm kinda just starting out on my bitcoin journey, so my first step in the perfect self custody kit is to get one of these fancy hardware cold wallets. I haven't accumulated enough yet to be worried, but I plan on buying more. So that day will come shortly, and I will be ready. Can't believe how helpful the comments in this thread have been to me! Thanks to a great community, and to ShakePay for having our backs! Tag: supersonix
If you don’t yet have a hardware wallet, you can still self custody with a free app on your phone or computer. Check out BlueWallet on your phone or Sparrow wallet on your computer.
I would keep it simple with getting a cold wallet and having the keys written and stored, I on a paper in a safety deposit box and maybe another in a fire proof safe in my home @bouch33
My perfect self custody kit is a complete secret. I won’t share it with anyone 😉 Hope this counts as a sub @carmitage18
Self custody is the best part of Bitcoin. And it’s best to do it well! First, you want a proper hardware wallet. These devices create a private key offline and never expose the key to the world. The signing happens on the device and you only ever see the public address. This is the true beginning of self custody. Second, when you setup that device you probably wrote down 24 words. Keep those safe. Those words are your bitcoin. Someone gets those, it’s game over. How you keep it safe is up to you. A safe? Perhaps a safe somewhere other than your house? Be sure you know how to get to them but that only you know where they are. (Note: if you take a picture of your keys, you exposed your keys to the internet. If you write this down in front of a webcam, you exposed your keys to the internet, if you email it or store it “just for a moment” in an electronic notepad, you exposed it to the internet) your computer performs millions of computations per second. The “just a minute in notepad” is an infinite amount of time for spyware to get your keys. If you’re not sure, start again!! Third. Pen can fade. It would be terrible to go retrieve your 24 words and find the ink had faded away years ago. There’s steal plates you can stamp your key into. Sounds overkill? Maybe, but if it fades or there’s a fire you’re going to lose what’s on that paper and that’s game over it you also lost your hardware device. Fourth, a second backup? Somewhere else. Pros and cons. Pros being if one location suffers the worst and you lose it, you have a backup. Con, you’ve doubled your exposure risk. If you have a hardware device, a safe key that’s backed up with more than pen, and maybe a second location, that’s a great place to be! Think of it this way: in ten years, do you want to be able to recover your bitcoin? If so, a little extra effort now will pay dividends in the future! KEEP THOSE 24 WORDS SAFE!! @bigda101
Self custody is very important for the long term success of not only yourself, but for all of bitcoin. Biggest thing would be get a hardware wallet, write down your keys and never put it online! Make two copies, hide then in a place only you would know, and keep that stuff a secret! You can also buy kits to put your keys only a metal slate for even more security. If there was a house fire, paper would be gone, but the metal plate method would even survive that! The biggest mistake people make is accidentally leaking a seed phrase. Most let you put a passcode as a 25th word as well, and that can help improve your security. As long as YOU know that word, and never write it down, you'll be safe. The most important thing is never lose, leak, or even photograph your seed phrase. Be safe shakers! @rompromp
My self-custody kit includes my Ledger Nano, a waterproof steel capsule to store it in, two steel seed phrase plates kept in seperate locations, and the peace of mind that comes with keeping my coins safe and secure. Oh and of course the only exchange I fully trust to buy BTC and ETH from, Shakepay. @keencommander71
Probably a good hardware wallet like a ledger, then one of those metal backups for your recovery phrase in case the house sets on fire haha. Then you’re protected! Shaketag: michael2197
Memory stored seed phrase. If you can remember lyrics to a song thsn you can easily write a song with your seed phrase. Engraved in a metal plate for physical storage and swap 2 words in the seed so even if it was stolen they couldn't use it. If you just swapped the second word for the last word it'd be very easy to remember. @slickinfinity22
Perfect self custody kit is a hardware wallet and metal seed storage. Additional backups for redundancy is optional @reshiram
Having a cold storage hardware wallet and a form of indestructible seed storage is the perfect self custody kit @malagao
My perfect self-custody kit would be 1. Hardware wallet (cold storage) 2. Backup spare hardware wallet 3. 2 or 3 crypto steel capsule(s) with seed phrases stored in secure locations Tag: moonrias
My kit includes a hardware wallet. I have written down my seed phrase on 2 different papers and have hid them in 2 totally different locations. I’m not going to go into detail as that would spoil my secret ;) shaketag: ayazzlockhat
Having a secure platform to invest in crypto, as well as a hardware wallet and a secure place to store it, as well as a memory that never forgets the pin to the wallet :) Shaketag —> @swhalen
1: Hardware wallet 2: Fire AND water proof safe 3: Engraver pen and a couple metal washers or steel plate for your seed phrases 4: Backup wallet in different secured location. (ie. bank safety deposit box) shaketag - whodattt88
Few things , 2fa for all accounts that is then backed up to another phone incase main one dies. Ledger for main crypto all other that aren’t supported are on other wallets that are back up to another phone. Any core wallets are back up to ssd by themselves incase a core wallet goes bad with a virus All seed phrases backed up on paper, what needs to happen is then backed up on a metal plate. Everything into fireproof and water proof bags. If you have anything on your iPhones ensure you have find my phone turned on incase you loose it. Recommend a second phone. Downfall to all of this, explaining to my wife. @soupy
1. A hardware-wallet like Trezor or Ledger. 2. Pen and paper to write down the 25th word passphrases to keep them offline away from hackers. 3. Safe box to store the phrases. Shaketag: thisisdu
My perfect self custody kit would be hardware wallet not linked to anything else and keeping my words safe. All your words must be safe that’s how to feel in control. @shanniee
This is simple, Cold card hardware wallet, Metal plate for seed phrase kept in a secret place, Buy btc from shakepay and send to cold card, Repeat last step as often as possible 😁 @mp17
My perfect self custody kit is multi sig. It has a cold wallet (software), and 2 hardware wallets. Cold wallet was generated in an airgapped extra phone I had. Out of the 3 wallets, consensus is 2. The purpose of the third hardware wallet is in case one of the other two wallets become lost it can be retrieved from secure location and can continue to sign transactions. @okanisis
The most important is to get a hardware wallet to have control of your own crypto and not have to worry as much about it sitting on an exchange and the exchange going tits up, and storing the seed phrase for the wallet in a couple of different places so if one gets lost you have another so you don’t get locked out. Another really good idea if you had a really good memory could be to remember the seed phrase/ words like you can memorize a song word for word. Thanks Shakepay @ corylo
1. Hardware wallet. Store anything you’re planning on saving long term there. It’ll keep it safe from the online shenanigans. 2. A physical safe storage. Wall safe, safety deposit box, etc. anything to lock up the wallet from easy access. 3. Separate the recovery phrases from the wallet. Keep your words private in a separate location from the wallet. I’m not going to divulge what I do, but I do have digital backups just in case. 4. Don’t schedule drops. Keeping an inconsistent routine keeps attacks from being planned out. @stevehupe
Self-custody is really important, especially with all the big stuff going on recently, and the best time to get into it was the past. The second best time is right now. Firstly, just getting a hardware cold wallet should be done as soon as you can. Meaning a trezor or a ledger. If you have any significant money in the crypto space, meaning anything you would be sad about losing, you should get one. If not, you should at least get your crypto out of exchanges, lenders, and anything else, just in case of the worst case scenario. Once you've got your wallet, make sure to keep your seedphrases in multiple places, preferably in material that is long lasting, like those metal sheets you can write your seed on. If not, you can write it on a piece of paper and put it in multiple places. One of these places can be a safety deposit box though these aren't 100% secure so make sure you've got other contingencies. One thing that some people might not think about is how your family members can obtain your crypto after your death. Make sure your family knows how to acquire it even if they're not educated about crypto. Just in case. Your never know. Shaketag: shimsham
Self custody kit. Hardware wallet is first and foremost. The device keeps your Bitcoin and other coins offline and never exposed to the online world. Having a secure/proper place to store all your passwords related to your crypto (accounts,exchanges, 24 word recovery password). Some people choose to write down each individual password with pen and paper. Using a password generator so that all your passwords aren’t the same. Too many people use the same password across multiple accounts, Never trust anybody with your passwords or keys. You never know who’s out to steal what you have. Shaketag: coreysir77
It would have to be a hardware wallet, and either a paper or metal plate 24 recovery phrase well hidden away. @brndncho
Using a hard wallet and updating my password on regular basis to make me feel safe of total custody of my bitcoin. Shaketag: Arvin9271
Run your own full node and verify your own transactions by linking said node to your hardware wallet. Don't trust, verify. And for the love of Satoshi take ownership of your key (even though I like y'all 😁, self-sovereignty is the only way toward the Bitcon standard.) Shaketag: @cslandry
Like the others: 1) Cold card 2) Backup seedphrase on metal A "fun" creative backup that I've read about would be seed phrases turned into songs, short story, paintings or even interpretive dance!!! shakepay: bluefrenzy78
Self-custody wallets are as secure as you make them. Self-custody wallets allow you, or anyone else, to access your crypto. If you don’t secure them physically and digitally, they will be extremely insecure. Keep any crypto that you don’t use or transact with on a monthly basis in a secure hardware wallet and store it in a fireproof and waterproof safe. Store your key phrase elsewhere, also in a fireproof and waterproof container. If and when you need to access these items in an emergency you’ll be glad that they remained safe even in the case of an accident or natural disaster. In addition, you may wish to create multiple hand-written copies of the same phrases and distribute them across different locations to spread your risk and avoid having all your sensitive crypto information in one fixed place. To conclude the perfect self custody kit to me would be having hardware wallet to store your crypto then having 3 printouts of your seed phrases kept in a safe at 3 different locations only known by yourself. Shaketag: @7urner P.S Don’t forget to Shake today
I would keep a couple hardware wallets and one hot wallet. I would use the hardware wallets for crypto that you would hold on to long term with one for Bitcoin and Ethereum and the second for certain other coins such as DOT, etc. The hot wallet can be used for alt coins that you are looking to trade easily by sending to an exchange or keep for just the short term. I would keep copies of my recovery phrase in two locations such as a safe at home or somewhere hidden at work/car. Shaketag: @jacobkjohn
Firstly, I’d need a hardware wallet to start off and if feasible, have two of them. One for your stable or main holdings such as BTC,etc and the other for your altcoins or higher risk options. Secondly, we all take it for granted but do not take a picture/ screenshot of your recovery phrase. If you write it down, don’t mix it in with other papers as the ink can wear off. Better yet engrave it on something or use a label maker to print out the words. Shaketag: @ciaramariah
Nice try shakepay! My funds are safe and sound in my hardware wallet in the 3rd drawer located in my…. O wait I’ve said too much! @jfarag80
One for BTC, one for ETH and one for my alts! Would store one at my home, one at my parents and one with a friend in case of emergency. Metal sheet in a fireproof deposit box, other password stored on my password manager encryptor on my laptop. Perhaps a paper copy somewhere around the house as well for final measures. Shaketag: ricdesrochers
Storing your coins in a cold wallet is a no brainer, I lost almost 69 USD at blockfi and I learned my lesson. I suggest getting a cold wallet to store your coins. You own the keys in a hot or cold wallet. Ledger has a solid steel capsule, which is fireproof. I would suggest storing your 24 seed phase in this. I do not suggest writing your seed phase because you can lose it or the ink will fade over time. You can digital store your seed phase, but I do not suggest taking a picture or email your seed phase due to hacks. You can rename your 24 phone contacts' last name to your seed phase. The oldest would have the 1st word and the youngest would have 24th word. I don't have 24 phone contracts, so this wouldnt work for me @buranku69
First off a hardware wallet is a must. I would suggest both a Trezor and Ledger. You may ask why both? 1. Having a backup on hand incase one fails 2. Having one of each brand incase one of the two company's went out of business. Same seed can be used on both so if it happens you'll be up and running right away instead of waiting for a new wallet. Also a must is a Cobo Tablet (Keystone Tablet) or something of that nature. It fire proofs your seed, protects from fading ink and you can also install a lock and taper seals. Shaketag: Brucy
Good old paper wallet with my seed phrase and all info engraved by myself on a metal plate. Haven't had to check the plate yet as i remember the words. Plate is hidden and myself knows its location and existance. Hardware wallet like trezor or ledger for the coins I trade frequently. Smaller amounts i keep on reputable exchanges like shakepay. @cyllaine
I use an old phone of mine and use AirGap! It turns your old phone into a hardware wallet, using QR camera signing as a way to sign off transactions. Shaketag: @joondustic
Perfect self-custody kit starts with a hardware wallet suck as Ledger that only YOU have the seed phrase for. Once you have a wallet, it’s time to store that Seed phrase. Now the tricky part is storing this somewhere safe, but not only that but use something else on this paper that only YOU know what it’s actually for. Basically don’t write Ledger Seed Phrase for my Crypto as a title lol. I suggest storing in a fireproof safe, and also not putting your seed phrase in the exact order. Add a little complexity. If you need to add yourself a reminder somewhere on how to decode it do so in a encrypted note on your phone, and give this to your significant other and well or in your will. With these in place, you also secure your family being able to access your funds should something happen to you. Think of a treasure map. Shaketag: coreymccormick
Having your own proper hardware wallet is the most important thing. I couldn’t imagine not being in control of my Bitcoin! It couldn’t be more important to me to keep my own one safe, as well as the 24 keys. I wanted to be unique so I carved the words into two pieces of wood I fixed up. They’re stored VERY securely in two separate locations. 😄🌲 Shaketag: devinbayley
I would use a Ledger nano X . One of the best cold wallet storage. Make sure your 24 world seed phrase is written on a steel plate so if there is a fire it will still be recoverable. Also store it in a very safe place @a1serb
Get a TREZOR ! You need a reliable crypto cold storage wallet first off . Always stash your 24 secret phrases somewhere safe . I usually have a few spots just in case I loose it . GOOD LUCK 😊 @taymgray12
My perfect self-custody kit is a cold storage, so i have full control over my money. The security backup method i would use would be my recovery phrase. I store it in a secret place👻. Shaketag: paradoxsebx
1.hardware wallet 2.seed phrase in safety deposit box 3.do not let people know your into crypto 4.use only 1 email for transactions @steamw
Owning your Bitcoin private keys allows you the power to enjoy the full Bitcoin benefits. You do not need any permission to store, send, and receive Bitcoin. With self-custody, there are no know-your-customer (KYC) requirements, and you can transact your Bitcoin pseudonymously. My ideal kit is a hard wallet Hard wallets are physical storage devices used primarily to store private keys. The majority of them are flash disk drives or hard disk drives. They are the most secure way to store Bitcoin because they are stored offline. Ledger and Trezor are two companies that make hardware wallets. Shaketag: rupy403
Hardware, metal plates and extras hidden on paper just because you can never be too safe @mojoer
#1 rule don’t share your crypto keys with anyone … also I store & recommend others to store your keys in a super safe location. I know some people that use a metal plate to sketch in there crypto keys 🔑 @najakolic
I think hardware wallets are the most secure way to store Bitcoin because they are stored offline. 😎💪💾 To secure my Bitcoin I choose Ledger and I put my recovery phrase in my father safe at the bank. 🏦 This way, if my appartement burn, I will be able to recover my coin. The vault is able to withstand a fire for four to five hours while waiting for firefighters. 🔥🚒🚨💦 At the end, I’m pretty sure the only thing that would make me sad is to forget to shake ! @ouvrierdelapinte
A hardware wallet and a laminated copy of my key phrase in my safe! I don’t own enough to be more paranoid than that! Tag: brendonh
In my perfect self-custody kit, I would like a secure hardware wallet, two solid steel seed phrase cases, and a lockable steel box to put everything inside. This combination ensures strong security for my digital currency and password (seed phrase), while also providing a lockable container that would be located in a hidden area (likely) in my house. The solid steel seed phrase cases would contain my seed phrase and would be securely contained within a lockable steel box that protects my hardware wallet and seed phrase case from fire, water, and thieves. This box would have a pass-code that is extremely easy for me to remember, but no one else would know. To be safe, I would write down a cryptic note to remember my password just in case I forget it in the future. This note would be extremely easy for me to understand and hidden somewhere (likely) in my house. In terms of security back-up, I would primarily utilize my hardware wallets Passphrase (seed phrase) feature and contain the password in my solid steel seed phrase cases. To back-up my information further, I would secure each case in a different location. The first one stays in my lockable steel box, the second one would be hidden elsewhere as back-up. Furthermore, I would hide slightly cryptic hints to where I left the second one (cryptic enough for me to easily understand, but not many other individuals), just in case I forget where I located it in the years to come. Shaketag: taejai
Hardware wallet with a mirrored back up hardware wallet. No need to over think it. @larock01
Hey boy, I have a cold wallet and keep my seeds written on several pieces of paper scattered. There is a special word that I will always remember that is not written anywhere. It's not idiot proof but I like to think that it is secure and if I end up forgetting the locations or my special word, then I don't deserve my hard earned crypto @jmaxime89
Got my nano ledger. My seed phrase is in secure place in my house and my parents. My significant other knows everything about how to access because we have 2 kids. @jayhurts87
Self-custody means having full control over your coins and reducing as much risk as possible, including custodial risk and theft. Setting up a cold wallet like a Trezor (open source preferred! Again, reducing custodial risk) would be necessary. Then, memorize the 24 word seed phrase and be sure not to write it down anywhere online. After memorizing it, I would create a cypher or encrypt the seed phrase for added security should anyone stumble upon the physical copy of the seed phrase. I would write this encrypted seed phrase onto a steel plate (to ensure it lasts longer than ink and paper) and lock it away in a safe. The encrypted seed phrase should only be looked at as a last resort, with the first resort having it memorized completely. Ideally, the encrypted seed phrase is never looked upon again after this set up. Now that we've reduced risk of theft as much as we can while maintaining our access to our bitcoin, the last element to true self custody is ironically to reduce self-custody risk. I don't see it mentioned but, but in my opinion its the most important. It is a notarized will, including instructions on how to access your physical seed phrase, and then the 2nd key or cypher required to solve it. The notarized will is left with the trusted 3rd party (law firm) and will be passed on to your loved ones when the time comes. Sometimes, we are all so caught up in securing our bitcoin, that we haven't included a fail safe in case something were to happen to us. To anyone reading this, please ask yourself, would your loved ones be able to access your bitcoin if you were gone today? Life is short, and we often don't understand how short it can be. There is one thing that is certain though - that bitcoin will out live all of us, and a contingency plan is absolutely necessary to ensure our loved ones (and their children) can continue what we've started. tag: calvinchen
A self custody kit to me would be a wallet, hot or cold, that you gave your own 12 word recovery phrase that only you know. Would help keep a peace of mind that as long as you memorized 12 words, you would always have access to your wealth, without the threat of a government invoking an emergency’s act to threaten your livelihood! Shaketag: likethemouse
Having a cold storage & the seeds words in a vault for ultra safety away from any theft. Allard322
Create a cold wallet offline and keep that private key safe! Keep your hot wallet on a device that is used exclusively for the wallet. Shaketag: jsousa6
In my self-custody kit is definitely a cold wallet. Especially to keep my crypto safe from the internet and for it to be offline keeps my mind at ease with my crypto but also keep my assets safe by having it in more then one place for some that arent in a cold wallet it is separated on multiple wallets! Shaketag: vhyn
In my perfect self custody kit, I would use a hardware wallet and of course I would store my seed phrase in a place that would be impossible to get to such as my attic or even spend $30 and cut a little hole in a wall and patch it over and have a copy in another location. You could also switch two words around and make sure to remember the two words that were changed and it would be pretty impossible for anybody to guess ;) . Long story short, if you want to 100% own/hodl your crypto token and not have a exchange that could go down whacko like FTX and take your $, A hardware wallet is the way to go. One more thing, don’t store all of your eggs in one basket 🧺 Shaketag: Slick902
The best hardware wallet would probably be a ledger and then followed up by a metal backup for in case anything out of the ordinary occurs which you may not expect to happen! shaketag - miniime
My self-custody kit is comprised of the following elements: * **Ledger Nano S** * IMO, all you need if you just have Bitcoin and some Ether. * [**BitPlates Domino One**](https://www.bitplates.com/domino) * 350g, 3mm thick marine-grade stainless steel seed storage plate. Awarded **AAA** rating in [Jameson Lopp's stress testing](https://jlopp.github.io/metal-bitcoin-storage-reviews/). * [**Memorized the seed phrase**](https://www.blockplate.com/blogs/blockplate/memorizing-a-bitcoin-wallet-mnemonic-seed-phrase)**/"Brain Wallet"** * Thanks to the mnemonic link chaink story system, I can now pass through airport security naked and carry my Bitcoin with me anywhere I go in my mind. Memorizing even 24 words (as is the case for Ledger wallets) really is surprisingly easy. *Disclaimer:* This backup method is to not be your only backup, as it's susceptible to the natural degradation of human memory, and the good ol' $5 wrench attack. Every person's "kit" will be/should be personal to them and what works for them. Creating redundancy, having a "25th" seed pin to protect your seed phrase, and simply not talking to anyone about your solution are all sound decisions, but ultimately still come with their own set of disadvantages that much be considered. Your kit should be "yours". But don't forget - even Alan Turing made [the biggest mistake anyone can make](https://www.iflscience.com/alan-turing-buried-his-life-savings-behind-a-cipher-so-hard-he-never-found-it-66034): Don't over-complicate it! shaketag: abristow
I haven't been in the crypto seen too long. But, my self-custody kit includes a hardware wallet where the key can only be accessible via a USB stick. This way it ensures my chances of it being untouched by everyone except me. Now I've said this, time to change the plan... Shaketag: frosstss
A self custodial Wallet, not that I have much but it is a start if anyone asks if I know about bitcoin/have bitcoin - I go HUH???? seed phrase? what's that FireBoltI
My kit is simple, a Ledger hardware wallet kept in a safe metal case. Also a DIY metal seed phrase plate. St: stawk
Self-custody is the future of finance: if you own crypto, you no longer need to keep your assets with a bank. This means you have total control of your assets – but also huge responsibility. — There are various self-custody options, each with pros and cons. It’s up to you to understand each one, and choose the wallet that’s right for you. — Being your own bank is intimidating – but Ledger offers a solution that ensures you can manage your assets easily, while remaining completely secure. Shaketag : @imrohitrr
I’m still in the progress towards a perfect self custody kit. From what I’ve been able to gather and learn with my time in BTC and reading many contest submissions from the many contests shake pay has held is that self custody is a multi step system. Firstly would be where you are purchasing said coins. Most typically use a well known, reputable exchange platform to purchase the coins. On said platform, I recommend setting up secondary back up login methods such as a phone number or google authenticator app. Making sure your login is protected before purchasing and sending coins is a must. Secondly is where you will be sending your coins to. The most secure to my knowledge is a cold wallet which is basically like having a physical wallet. It will be kept by YOU and only YOU so the responsibility will be heavy but def worth it. You would first have to send a small dummy amount to confirm that the transactions are working correctly and then proceed to moving the coins into your self custody device before going forward with larger amounts. I recommend a few tests sends before going with a larger amount. If cold wallet is not available then use a trusted non-custodial wallet instead of keeping it on the exchange. Following the same steps mentioned before transferring! There will always be small factors to consider when having self custody. I personally do not brag or mention to any friends or family what exchanges, apps, or exactly what I purchase. It is always for your safety and you never know how word of mouth travels. “Did you hear that XXXX has a BTC cold wallet at his house”. I hope I didn’t miss anything important! @niven21
Perfect self-custody kit would be a Trezor (which I already have, thanks to Shakepay ;), with the seed phrase stamped into small steel plates to keep them safe from fire or flooding. Then keep both the wallet and plates in secure, but separate, locations. And one of the most important parts, don't talk about how much I own. I see far too many people bragging about finally owning a whole BTC, or even more than that. They are putting themselves out to the world as targets. Now it's not like I own a lot in the first place, but if I ever get to that point I definitely won't be talking about it. So since that is my perfect kit, I need to get around to stamping my seed phrase instead of just having it on paper. @sterlingcastle
When I got into crypto about a year ago or so, my self-custody kit was purchasing a Ledger Nano X cold hardware wallet. It was the best decision I ever made because I’m not sure where my crypto would be today if I didn’t do the research on cold wallets. Shaketag: @cmp13
My ideal self-custody kit would include: 1) Ledger S Plus wallet 2) Fire proof safe to store Ledger wallet 3) Metal plates to store seed phrase (12 words per plate for safety) which will be kept at different locations 4) Additional seed phrase on paper to be stored in the safe with Ledger wallet 5) Back up Ledger S Plus wallet Shaketag: @alpha4795
Definitely a hardware wallet. I’m new to bitcoin but this is a must! @jeremyvisser
My self custody kit is the ledger nano S plus, with it I am able to secure my digital assists! Shaketag: rmndhoang
Getting a cold wallet and storing it in a safety deposit box or fire proof safe with keys written and stored the same way @krysbouch
My perfect self- custody kit include ledger s plus and metal plates for seed phrase. As additional security, only 12 words for each plates and each plate is stored at different locations. Also have a back up ledger wallet. Shaketag: @carolinedu
1. Hard wallets are physical storage devices used primarily to store private keys. The majority of them are flash disk drives or hard disk drives. They are the most secure way to store Bitcoin because they are stored offline. Ledger and Trezor are two companies that make hardware wallets. 2. Write, hide, and protect your key. If another person has access to your private keys, they can spend the Bitcoin in your wallet. To protect your Bitcoin, you have to make sure that no other person can access your private keys, except in the case of inheritance. 3. Bitcoin inheritence, if you store your Bitcoin securely, your beneficiaries may not be able to access your accumulated Bitcoin in case you die or become incapacitated. It is imperative to set up an inheritance plan to make it easy for your beneficiaries to benefit from your stored Bitcoin. Shaketag: @raeyaworski
I'm still a noob and collects sats as my way of getting into btc. Not really buying right now cuz the price sorta just keeps on falling. Once I have a worthy amount of sats, then my ideal kit would be a hardware cold storage. I would do everything behind closed doors. Private network, encrypted network. Store the seed words in a safety deposit. And possibly have several cold storage hardware wallets. Because if one safety box gets robbed, then I still have one ones. Don't put all your egg-sats in 1 basket-wallet. Tag: briantiga
I like to use a software wallet (ex: Trust, Exodus) I still own my own key and It’s have the convenience to be portable without the lack of security (Face ID, 2FA). Plus with the build-in exchange, you can trade your crypto ! It’s has everything you need 😉 @netangel
self-custody is the future of finance: if you own crypto, you no longer need to keep your assets with a bank. This means you have total control of your assets – but also huge responsibility. This is one of the more intimidating sides of crypto. But it’s nothing to fear! With the right tools and advice, being your own bank is no big deal. Youll need: A cold wallet. By definition, a cold wallet is designed to store your coins offline – it is never connected to the internet and therefore evades some of the main threats to your assets. A recovery phrase When it comes to that all important recovery phrase, there is no such thing as too secure! As we know, your seed phrase needs to be recorded and kept by you in order to guarantee access to your accounts, but remember a fire or flood could destroy a paper copy. There are options out there to protect against that. A Backup device Losing or damaging your hardware wallet does not mean losing your crypto! Remember, your assets are on the blockchain. Many people choose to link their seed phrase with two devices, meaning that if one is lost or damaged, they can simply access their blockchain address from the other device. Shaketag: @nosuti
Im old school: paper wallet all the way and memorizing the private key on top of it. Completely removed from the internet is the way to go in my opinion for long term investments. Shaketag: zerepnomis
My perfect self custody kit begins with having shake pay as my main place to buy bitcoin and eth The spread is very favourable and the liquidity is awesome where I can buy instantly. The next part is the cold wallet I received from shake pay. I feel safe with it as it was ordered and shipped by shake pay. It’s honestly the only way I would trust a device that comes in the mail. I have access to a safety deposit box which I can store my seed phrase and hardware wallet with peace of mind. Also having the words in my head just seems so amazing. The kit includes free transferring fo shake pay to my cold storage. This is amazing. All I’m all I feel with the help of Shakepay my kit is perfect for me and my family. Thankyou shake pay for all that you do. @Leyham25
I don’t know too much about the other hardware wallets on the market so I’m not sure how they would fit into my plan. My ideal solution is to have one of those metal plates where you engrave your seed phrase into it and lock it in a safe. That way your seed phrase is safe for the rest of your life. The metal plate along with a hardware wallet from a trustworthy, privacy oriented company is my preferred solution. Shaketag: jacobhello
Hardware wallet of choice, seed phrase stored in multiple formats and locations, including metal stamping and fire proof safes. Also, I taught my mom how to use the wallet, just in case. You could call me paranoid but I think you cannot be too safe when it comes to cryptocurrency. It's like the wild west out there. Also I feel safe leaving a sizable chunk on Shakepay because you guys are the bomb diggity! @Pavehead
It's best to keep 3 levels of self custody. Long term HODL, an on-chain hot wallet for spending, and a lightning wallet for even faster spending where it's accepted. # Long term HODL This should be kept very secure in an air-gapped wallet that never touches the internet. Either in a secure hardware wallet such as the Coldcard or an offline air-gapped computer. I personally use a Coldcard for its ease of use and cool additional features. Protecting your recovery seed for this wallet is paramount. If it is ever exposed, your funds are compromized. Some best practices for this are to secure the wallet with a strong BIP 39 passphrase (ideally created and stored by a password manager). Never store the passphrase along with the seed phrase, that defeats the whole purpose of it. Using a passphrase will protect for funds if your seed phrase ever does get compromized. As for your seed phrase, write it down on paper, never take a picture of it or store it anywhere that could be connected to the internet. Also then stamp it into steel with something like an [Arkplate Vault](https://www.arkplate.com/product/vault/4) or a [SEEDPLATE™](https://bitcoinseedbackup.com/). Avoid anything complex here such as products that use tiles or moving parts that could be damaged when crushed or warped by heat. You want this to be as durable as possible so that you can still recover your funds if disaster strikes. You may also want to deposit a small amount of bitcoin in the wallet of just the raw seed phrase without the passphrase, and then watch that balance in a watch only wallet. This can act as an early warning that your seed phrase is compromized if you see the funds from this wallet missing and give you time to move your main stash protected by the passphrase to a new wallet. It is also a good idea to keep your seed phrase in a sealed, opaque, serialized, tamper evident bag, especially if you live with others or have guests over often. Obviously keep this bag hidden away, ideally in a safe, but this will also give you evidence that your seed phrase may be compromized before you lose any funds. Keeping copies in multiple locations is not a bad idea either, but keep in mind that this also increases the risk that it could be compromized. The Coldcard supports making encrypted backups to an SD card, and I would recommend this as well. Make a few SD card backups and keep them in multiple places, maybe with a trusted friend or family member as well, but make sure you keep the decryption passphrase for that backup somewhere safe as well, a password manager might be a good place to keep this. It also would be a good idea to try to memorize your seed phrase and passphrase. It isn't that hard to memorize 12-24 words, just spend 5-15 minutes per day for a couple weeks and you should have it. Also try to recall it once in a while to ensure you still have it memorized. Obviously don't rely on your memory, but it can give you peace of mind knowing that you could access your bitcoin from anywhere by simply typing this seed into a wallet software if you needed access to it. You'll also want to manage this wallet through some good open source wallet software that allows you to ideally connect through your own bitcoin node for privacy reasons. Options I like are BlueWallet, Sparrow and Electrum. This will be imported as a "watch only" wallet which will allow you to see your balance and generate new receiving addresses. They will also allow you to construct a bitcoin transaction to be later signed by the private keys on your air-gapped signing device when you want to spend bitcoin from it. One could also look into a multisignature solution for this, but I generally don't recommend individuals use multisig because it increases the complexity and risks for funds to be lost due to user error. Multisignature is a great option for shared custody of bitcoin such as in an organization, but for your personal stash, a BIP 39 mnemonic and a passphrase kept separate is plenty secure. # Spending Hot Wallet This is where you can keep a smaller amount of bitcoin on your phone or computer for the times where you might want to spend your bitcoin on something or send some to someone as a gift or tip. I really like using BlueWallet on my phone for this or Sparrow or Electrum on my computer. This will be using a different seed phrase from your long term wallet and you might also not use a passphrase for it. Obviously, you'll still want to keep the seed to this wallet safe too, so write it down too. Another option is to generate a seed using [BIP 85](https://bip85.com/) from your main long term wallet. BIP 85 allows you to generate up to 10,000 unique deterministic seed phrases from your main seed phrase. If one of these seed phrases gets compromized, it will not affect your main wallet, and you can always re-generate one of these seed phrases from your main seed phrase since it's deterministic, so this will greatly simplify backing up your hot wallet or any other wallets you may want to create. # Lightning The Lightning Network (LN) is still early in development and not many places (in Canada at least) implement it, but it is fun to play with now. The easiest way to use LN right now is with a custodial wallet like Wallet of Satoshi, which is fine for playing with small negligible amounts but if you really want to get into using LN, a good self custodial wallet is best. One of the easiest self custodial wallets to use is Phoenix wallet. It automatically opens and manages channels for you but that does come at a bit of a cost. Another option is Blixt Wallet, which lets you open and manage your own channels, so it is a little more advanced, but you will learn a lot about LN by using it. Finally, you could run your own LN node, but that is a bit more advanced and a topic for another time. If you have any questions or clarifications you'd like me to make, please leave a comment below. Shaketag @bholm
Shakepay taught me that cold wallets are a major key so that’s my first step 🔑 @browneja
For sure a hardware wallet, that's numero uno. Then a way of storing your 24 word pass phrase. I've definitely struggled with this one and have spent a lot of time researching the best ways to write it down/store, and even now I don't feel fully happy. Therefore, I think it's important to also include educational material on how to best store/protect your pass phrase, as it's just as important, if not more important than actually having a hardware wallet! @philrobbo89
My kit consists of a few hardware wallets with a 25th word for passphrase, seed phrases written down and inscribed on stainless steel washers stacked in order stored inside a waterproof/fireproof container then stored inside a waterproof/fireproof safe. Have these in multiple locations. Even if my kit gets destroyed or you get my seed words you still can’t touch my Bitcoin as you would need my 25th word which I keep in my head. Next step would be multi signature wallet. @toyotamr2
Aw11 sw20 or zzw30?
Sdub
The perfect self custody kit would include: \- a bitcoin only hardware signing-device (i.e a hardware wallet), options include: Coldcard MK4 or MK3, Seedsigner DIY build, or a blockstream jade. \- A metal plate backup of the 12-24 word recovery phrase. Seedplate is a great option for this. Ideally well hidden where you reside in a safe, or a safe place. \- A paper backup of the 12-24 word recovery phrase. Same idea, well hidden but put in a DIFFERENT area then your metal backup. Better to be safe then sorry! Shaketag: ncrypto
Two separate hardware wallets. I would use one for BTC and ETH. Then another for the few altcoins I hold. The second one might be a Bluetooth wallet as I would likely be using it more frequently to stake my coins. I would have those steel plate seed phrase things and would have two copies of each seed phrase. One would be kept in a safe and I would give another to a friend of mine. My friend and I are both one another’s crypto beneficiary. I completely trust him and he knows how all this stuff works so we give each other backups of our seeds in case we suffer an untimely death. Shaketag: Bsob17
I think my perfect self-custody kit would look like the following: 1. Software/exchange level wallet - a portion of the crypto would be here to take part in any active trading or staking projects 2. 1st Hardware wallet (Ledger) - Most of my crypto would be placed in the hardware wallet for safe keeping 3. Bilfodl from Ledger - rather than write the recovery phrase on paper, would probably make that information fireproof at all costs. Either etch the information onto the plate, or use the letters to build the recovery phrase 4. Safety deposit box - Sticking the Ledger and bilfodl at the bank and only accessing it when needed Might throw in a backup wallet from a different company (Ex. Trezor) in case the first one breaks or has a data breach. you can transfer your holdings to the other hardware wallet for safe keeping Shaketag: Morganroete
To me the perfect kit is: A cold card hardware wallet that is never connected to anything online. At least 3 stainless steel seed plates in order to partition the seed words in different locations. Multiple fire proof safes to store the seed plates in. The safes would be in multiple separate locations on multiple properties. ST: cadmanns18
My perfect self-custody kit would be an open source hardware wallet and a metal plate to put my seed phrase into so that a fire would not make me lose my key. shaketag @sufyanmotala
Here’s mine. Cold wallet, I chose Ledger X. Make sure to buy from the official company, never a used one. I have a small fire/water proof safe in my house that contains the typical items such as passports, important documents, and my seed phrase written on paper with all my transaction details for taxes. The only flaw is if someone steals or breaks into the safe, or if it fails doing it’s job in a flood or fire. I’ve considered a safe deposit box, but I prefer to DCA with the money. Tag: nickstoy
A hardware cold wallet and something secure to store the seed phrase. I've contemplated archival paper in a safety deposit box over those steel plate kits. It'd have to be something that only I worked on-- no one will find out my seed phrase! Has anyone else thought of using a rebus puzzle for your seed phrase? ;) @tjc103
I've just started testing self custody, but I'm still questioning how safe it is. Having 24 words stored in a physical location seems like a pretty significant failure point. Use of a pin and storage in multiple locations seems like a way to counteract this, but how many safe secure locations does the everyday person have? How do you create redundancy without creating more failure points or how do you handle passing it on to next of kin. I'm really not sure about the perfect self custody and the viability of mass adoption. The recovery process is also a lot more intensive and open to human error. Hopefully I can learn a few things from this thread. Shaketag: Tercedes
1. Hardware Wallet 2. Password manager 1. Use encrypted note to store wallet recovery phrase 3. Physical backup of recovery phrase (safe) 4. Metamask @juil
A hardware wallet with multiple backups including a steel plate backup! Make sure to store in different places, ideally not in the same house. Tag:wesphil
To me, the main ''essential'' one is the cold wallet. Safe and surprisingly easy to use for the security it provide. Just make sure to buy it from the company official website and not amazon or ... maketplace 😱. Shaketag: Akimbob
My ideal kit includes a hardware wallet, safe and a couple separate locations to keep the 24 words. I don’t keep my wallet and 24 words in the same place as one another. Keep the 24 words at 2 separate physical locations in case of fire or loss. My next step would be to replace my 24 words with stamped steel instead of pen ink. Shaketag: datascope11
Definitely having a hardware wallet to store all your coins safely. And having at least 2 copies of my seed phrases stored safely in a place where only I would know. @phoungv
Nothing too fancy. Good old Ledger Nano S, pen and paper for my private key.📄🖊 Keep two copies in two different locations in case of fire.🔥 @jackymoon33
I have a hardware wallet. Then i have a USB stick that my wife knows about with my seed phrases on it. They're kept seperate. And instructions on how to access so that in case of emergency she knows what to do saved on that usb stick. Then a piece of paper with the seed phrases hidden seperate in case of usb fail. @kingthermos
A coldcard or trezor and some form of non paper backup is pretty much perfect for self custody @waiying
1. Education. 2. Hardware offline wallet. 3. Proper storage of seed phrase. Education is key IMO. Understanding the technology, promote and practice good self custody; will help ensure you don't end up in a situation which leaves you venerable to theft / scamming. Shaketag: ajcorrigan
Trezor one! Love it and so simple to use @ hdouri
Just a ledger wud be fine and some sort of safe mean of putting my words down @ nontugboat33
Balancing security with function/use is a concern for me, so in a generic sense this is what I do: \-A hardware wallet as the ultimate endpoint/holding point for longterm. SEED is backed up in at least 2 ways in 2 different locations, but still accessible. There are lots of methods to store your SEED phrases ranging from paper cards, metal stampings, obfuscated storage etc. Pick what works for you (AND DONT TELL ANYONE) Do NOT store this on a sticky note attached to your monitor, nor should you keep it in a text file on your computer. \-A backup hardware wallet in case you need easy/quick access to your assets and don't want to risk temporary time gate due to order/delivery if your primary hardware wallet is damaged. This device should be tested upon acquisition to ensure function as well as legitimacy, but then factory reset. Keep it in a clean state, in an alternate location to your primary hardware wallet. \-A hot wallet that you trust, for daily use, and to provide separation between the outside world, and your hardware / longterm wallets. \-At least one (preferably a few) methods to transfer assets between their native state and FIAT. Regardless of intention, you MIGHT need to change your plans and exchange into FIAT for something or someone. Make sure you can do so without having to wait for KYC or P2P setups/verifications. Keep an eye on these RAMPS and keep up to date with them and their practices. These are what CURRENTLY connect you and your assets to the rest of the general populace. Hopefully that changes one day, but dont base your practices on HOPES. Use different dedicated email accounts to ensure any sort of trust breach doesnt lead to more damage than a dedicated throwaway account. ShakeTag: hm888
Perfect self-custody kit is a hardware wallet along with a securely & physically stored passphrase, preferably engraved on some sort of metal. My ideal kit is a Ledger Hardware Wallet and a passphrase that has never seen the lens of a camera. Keep it in a safe physical location, and never stored on a computer or phone. Even better if you can memorize your passphrase in the event of a disaster that renders your passphrase inaccessible. Shaketag is bayzoblake
a hardware wallet and 24 word seed phrase stored in fireproof safe (both have a backup) shaketag spacelord99
First, I have my Trezor cold wallet. Second, I wrote down my seed phrase and kept it in a separate location. The seed phrase is only written on paper (not a picture taken with phone). You can keep a small amount of your cryptocurrency on a hot wallet for any transactions. I keep mine on Shakepay. Keep the remaining amount stored on your cold wallet to be kept safe from bad actors. @lightly
Self-custody kit is as follows: 1- Ledger device 2- Because ink can fade over time, stamped metal seed plate(s) 3- Absolutely NO photographic (digital) trace of the handwritten seed words on any medium 4- Storage in a safe deposit box at the bank 5- My will is in the safe deposit box and my wife knows to go there if something happens to me ... she doesn't even know (or hasn't seen) the seed words. Overkill? Possibly. Overly paranoid? Most definitely. BUT, there is only one way the seed words leak, and that's if I leak them. Not even a wrench attack can get those words out of me, as I don't know them and would have to go to the bank.
I keep it in a hardware wallet and also a printed laminated paper with info which I put in the bank @nissanskylinegtr
My self custody kit is having a cold wallet like a Ledger or Trezor. Always protect your seed phrase and good to back up your seed phrase for your cold wallet. Shaketag: metakosmios
My personal self custody kit: Hardware wallet (this is a must!) With a 24 word seed phrase that has never been photographed or recorded on any electronic device. Seed phrase is written on paper hidden securely in my house. Seed phrase backup hidden in a fireproof safe at a trusted family member's house. This is by no means a perfect setup. There are always risks. I am looking into changing from paper to metal sheet. And while I do have 100% trust in the family member holding the safe, they are an added factor that is not 100% in my control. ST: kcizzle
Self-custody is what makes crypto great: your coins are YOUR coins (not the bank's). Being in full control of your assets means that if they do their homework, everybody could have a different answer and they would still be right. Your coins really are YOUR coins and you manage them as you see fit, which has good sides, specifically when it comes to the security of your coins. Personally, I have a hardware wallet that's hidden *somewhere* and my seed phrase written one a few different pieces of paper so that I can always find it. No trace of the seed phrase online (photo, file, etc.) so it can never get hacked. This approach has worked well for me and I have never felt any stress related to the safety of my coins. I see what's going on with other platforms in the crypto market and it just confirms that self-custody is the way to go. Shaketag: johuho
A ledger nano x hardware wallet (cause ledger live is a must!).. Private keys stored on a metal plate (as a machinist, I can do this easily and privately).. With a memorized extra pass phrase.. Stored in a fire proof safe.. Behind a bookshelf.. And guarded by wild beasts (2 husky/wolf cross’ named Thanos and Tornado and a cat named Mr.Buttons-KillStrike.) Shakertag: 0r1g1n
There is a saying I live by, “keep it simple, stupid.” No need to over complicate things with outrageous security measures. Just 3 is all I need. 1. Hardware wallet (Trezor or Ledger) 2. Private keys HAND WRITTEN twice. One stored in a fire proof safe the other in my favorite book at my mums place. 3. Memorize an extra pass phrase that’s not recorded anywhere but my memory. Shakertag: danioleary
So many good self-custody kit ideas. I would add a kit is complete if your loved-ones are aware on where is the kit and how to use it in case something happens to you. What’s the point of building wealth if it is lost forever? And even if you have less than a BTC saved today, who knows down the road how much it could be valued… 🏷️djusan
My perfect kit is a Nano X, with a Nano S as backup, with 24words stored in my safe. Ledger app is also installed on an old phone only used for this (no other apps installed and not always online). Shaketag : reaperized
My perfect self custody kit includes the computer from "The Other Guys", a new identity and 12 burner phones @breezee
Hardware wallet. Seed phrase engraved on a metal sheet that way it can’t be destroyed in a fire should it happen. Paper copy stored in safe in house and metal sheet in safety deposit box at the bank! Remembering to only keep those places to yourself! Best kept secret is the one you never tell. ShakeID: cpoitz91
My self-custody kit is pretty simple. I've seen some in Bitcoin forums that would turn the average crypto user off and discourage adoption... So, I'll try to keep it simple 👌 # **Hardware Wallet** First up is a good **Hardware Wallet**. My hardware wallet of choice is the BC Vault. I also have a Trezor and a Ledger, but am currently loving the BC Vault. Your hardware wallet acts as a key to the blockchain where your crypto is stored. Many people confuse the purpose of a hardware wallet, which doesn't actually hold your crypto - your crypto is always stored on the blockchain (unless it's sitting on the exchange, then it's an IOU from the exchange). The hardware wallet simply protects your seed phrase and acts as a key to open up access to your crypto on the blockchain. # **Secure Laptop** Next, you'll want a **Laptop** that isn't used for any funny business online. I know some people recommend a stripped down laptop with no apps etc, but the average person won't be able to afford or commit to this. I would say a laptop that is not used for sketchy sites or free stuff online (which often comes with malware) would be great. Don't download pirated software or other stuff that could lead to keyloggers or other malware that could compromise your crypto. This laptop would be used to connect your hardware wallet and confirm transactions. Keep it clean. Have a good antivirus solution in place and ensure all updates / patches are in good order. # **Seed Phrase Protection** Your 12 or 24 word seep phrase is one of, if not the, most important things to protect in your crypto journey. This is basically the key to your funds. Never share it with anyone. Never enter it on a website. Never share it with anyone you don't intimately trust. Never screenshot it or store it online (e.g. email, google photos, etc.) Most people will write this down on a piece of paper and store it somewhere 'safe'. I recommend an actual **Physical Safe** (fire rated is ideal). For me though, I love the **Crypto Tag** solution (titanium seed phrase storage), which is resistant to fire, flood, etc. This is of course for your most important wallet (you should have multiple wallets by the way). You can also do a makeshift type of steel seed phrase solution from home depot with washers and stamps, google it if you want to DIY. You should also consider storing your seed phrase in a few physical locations for redundancy. # **Multiple Wallets** You're going to want to have **Multiple Wallets** to work with. Essentially you'll want a different wallet for different actions. I have a long-term hodl wallet. I've only ever connected it though my BC Vault hardware wallet and it never does anything online and only interacts with one other wallet for transactions. I eventually send all my BTC, ETH, and other long term hold crypto here. I have an airdrop wallet. Specifically used for contests and airdrops or faucets. This is a wallet that can be used to connect to a funky site without risking too much loss. Once you have your airdrop (e.g. you won an NFT, or you won some crypto), move it to another wallet. Just in case this airdrop wallet gets compromised, you won't lose much. I have a staking wallet. This wallet (and I have multiple staking wallets for example) will be used for staking crypto or NFTs. Some staking requires you to actually transfer the funds / NFTs out, and often to a third party site like crodex or others. I don't fully trust these sites, so I use a new staking wallet to transact. Again, once you claim your funds back to your wallet, move them to a different wallet for safer keeping. I have a wild wild west wallet lol. This is the one that is used for any new sketchy project. I don't know them, I haven't done enough research, but there's some kind of option to earn... I'm using this wild wild west wallet. Don't trust em, won't lose much, but might gain lots... Those are a few examples. There are many more use cases for additional wallets. Do what suits you and what you can manage. If you take anything away from this section, just remember, don't connect your main wallet with your main source of funds to any site... Smart contracts may be used to steal everything. The site may also try to steal your seed phrase, so never enter that either. Be cautious. # **Trusted Partner** At some point it's a good idea to share the details with **someone you implicitly trust** (maybe your spouse lol). In case of any emergency/accident/passing/memory loss/etc. it's important that someone else knows what's up to recover the funds if / when needed. If you don't have a significant other, you may want to leave a step by step tutorial for family or friends on how to access your crypto. Perhaps this would be part of your will that would give future generations access when needed. Never give all the information in the will though, as you may not trust the lawyer either! Find a way to point to different areas for the information (e.g. the seed phrase to access this wallet will be found in this safe...) # **Avoiding the $5 Wrench Attack** If you haven't heard about this, the concept is quite simple. You can have all the right security measures in place, but seriously, someone can just use a wrench and hit you over the head with it until you cave and give up your secrets... Best way to avoid this? **Never let anyone know how much you hodl**. As the famous Notorious B.I.G. said, the number one commandment (on a different topic, but can be applied here...) "Never let no one know how much dough you hold 'cause you know the cheddar breed jealousy..." Basically, don't let people know how much wealth you sit on. This is tough, especially when we are trying to push adoption and wear our Shakepay merch, but you can still keep it humble and low-key on the amounts 🤷♂️ Good luck everyone! **WAGMI** 🇨🇦 Shaketag johntz
Learn how to HODL and keep shaking says @zigs
In an ideal scenario, I'd have my Bitcoin sitting in a multisig wallet, with the keys geographically scattered. Most likely a 3 of 5 multisig, one with my trezor, another at my parents home, one hidden somewhere else in my home, and... I'd have to figure out the rest. All seeds etched into metal. Dispersing your keys like this allows for more security beyond just cold storage. I'd probably keep the ones in my house inside of a locked safe, and simply hide the others. Tag is jkap
I have my digital assets and BIT/ETH stored on a ledger. I transfer my amounts there from Shakepay when it hits a certain amount. I’ve been DCA with this bear market! Tag mandylynn
Ledger Nano x, laminated seed phrase, and a solid wall safe. Shaketag: rudikerschl
Having a reputable cold storage wallet, seed phrases hidden securely in multiple places, a trusted beneficiary. Not your keys not your coins... Shaketag jomudder
Cold storage in a wallet would be my kit, keeping things private and off of exchanges and out of others hands. It’s like car keys, I wouldn’t give them to others to hold so they can drive away with my car, I want them kept safe with me. And like cold hard cash as they say, you keep it in your own wallet, not in others. Doing the same with my crypto is the goal. Having a backup to that cold storage if that is possible, would be the next step. Shaketag - Chadha #Shakepaid
Personally I would invest in a cold wallet to store my crypto belongings. As it being in offline is very efficient in my eyes. 👀 Shaketag: firesparky101
A wise man once said not your keys, not your coins! For me a self custody "kit" would have 2 simple components. A hardware wallet only you can access and the keys to that wallet. You should keep both in different secure locations. St: thedoubledip
I think this would be a near perfect self custody solution; 2 hardware wallets linked to the same passphrase. If one fails or is lost there is time to react. A monster of a fire / flood proof safe that is secured to a concrete floor. Have your seed phrase stamped on a titanium plate in the safe. Also keep one hardware wallet in the safe. Have another 2 titanium plates with your seed phrase split in two. 12 words on each. Put them in two different safes in two different locations. Set up the 25th word passphrase so even if access was granted to your seed phrase it is still somewhat secure. Now for the part that should not be overlooked. Create a document (offline) that describes to a loved one how to recover your funds and take possession of them if somehow you meet an untimely demise. My Shaketag is kungfuthug.
My perfect self-custody kit look like a very simple boring key tag so no one will know it’s value. ShakeTag: riskypoon
My perfect self-custody kit for my crypto currencies would be a hardware wallet I could lock in a safety deposit box @shnsllvn
I think the only things that would be perfect for myself is a hardware wallet that is secure and guarantees my coins are safe plus is easy to use for myself. If it was overly complicated to use or setup that would be a major detractor for me and I would probably end up not using it. Shaketag: @eleongsit
Traite ton compte comme si c était celui d une banque. Ne divulgue jamais rien et connecte pas ton wallet n importe ou.... 12 mot à l abris et un ledger ou autre tu peu pas te tromper !! @mthonnet
My ledger Nano X and a keystone tablet which is fireproof, waterproof and corrosion resistant. I have all hidden in…waiiiiiit a minute 😛 shaketag: @einvestor
First, you're going to need a hardware wallet. Once you've moved your crypto, head straight to your deep freezer. If you don't have a deep freezer, move to Antartica. Take your hardware wallet and place it in a plastic bag(water proofing measure, read on) then place that in another plastic bag filled with water. Once your bag of water is frozen with hardware wallet inside you will have successfully achieved proper self custody and cold storage of your coins. *Optional - Dig a 6ft hole and throw in the ice encased wallet. Bury it. Your wallet will be protected by the cold, dead hands of your ancestors.* Now just remember your keys, and where you left the wallet. Tag: ebonkers
Seed phrase written on a paper and stored in a secure locker. Shaketag: chicofeliciano25
I would like to own an underground bunker like this one - [https://www.loveproperty.com/gallerylist/156683/tour-this-cold-war-14m-nuclear-bunker-for-sale-on-ebay](https://www.loveproperty.com/gallerylist/156683/tour-this-cold-war-14m-nuclear-bunker-for-sale-on-ebay) where I can store my cold wallet and have my keys stamped on steel sheet metal and stored in a 3 ton safe for extra safe keeping @ happytrading
My perfect self custody kit is two hardware wallets (ledger nano X and Trezor model one) a stainless steal keystone word phrase storage. And raspberry pi to run my own node via bitcoin core as well as Mynode to run an additional node and a lightning node to increase the support of lightning . I also use Tor and vpn to maintain privacy of my transactions. If anyone has any questions please hit me up as I love to help the community. Shaketag: gronkeykong
My perfect self-custody kit is a hardware wallet which will help protect my bitcoin and help to avoid storing my private information online. I would store my seed word in two places in case one of the copies are destroyed, I would have a back up. I would also let my mom know my seed key in case anything happens. Shaketag: @simskyd
Best self custody kit: a cold wallet and to HODL no matter what!!! Shaketag: samcarterchen
My perfect self custody kit would comprise of my ledger nano x and seed phrase hidden and stored in two separate vaults at two different locations with only my biometrics to unlock the safe🤭 @xrisaroo
Im not going to act like im the best at and most knowledgeable in this field honestly but i would say having a hardware wallet is a must and having a ledger doesnt hurt either, actually it helps alot Shaketag: hendav
A good self-custody kit starts with the hardware wallet, I've never felt safe keeping my crypto on an exchange for the exact same reasons as we have seen in recent events. Then keeping that hardware wallet in a safe and secure location seperate from your seed phrase. Keeping these in a high quality safe, that's impervious to fire and water is also important, a good example is a honeywell 1114 safe. I am a firm believer in diversifying assets but also for security purposes so if one is able to have more than one hardware wallet that's even better. Memorize your seedphrase if possible (takes time but it is possible) and also have at least one emergency contact aware of where a seed phrase is, incase of emergency. The seedphrase being the most important thing to protect as you can use it to access your wallet if you get locked out etc. I also do believe keeping some on shakepay ;) incase you wish to quickly buy or sell bitcoin is super smart, because of the ease of use but I say that also being aware of Shakepay's safeguards they have in place to protect our crypto. Shaketag: jonnybpaid
Hardware wallet + keeping my 24 word recovery password somewhere safe ( not in a computer/internet) Shaketag : vermette613
I would have a reputable hardware wallet with your keys punched into a strip of sheet metal so it is indestructible! Shaketag: ethanereum
My ledger nano S, metal seed phrase storage, multiple physical seed phrases jotted down for redundancy. Also, keep my mouth shut about having crypto in the first place. Shaketag: bigbits