Risks of Investing in Cryptocurrency and Other Digital Assets

Updated: March 10, 2023

This is a general summary of certain risks associated with investing in digital assets, including cryptocurrencies and virtual currencies. It is for informational and educational purposes and has not been tailored for any specific investor, situation or investment. AltoIRA is not an investment advisor, financial advisor, trustee or other fiduciary, and does not provide legal, tax, investment, accounting or financial advice. By accessing Coinbase® services to buy or sell digital assets using your AltoIRA® account, you acknowledge you understand and assume the following risks.

  1. DIGITAL ASSET INVESTMENTS MAY LOSE ALL VALUE.
  2. DIGITAL ASSET INVESTMENTS SUCH AS DIGITAL CURRENCIES MAY BE SUBJECT TO LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY CHANGES OR ACTIONS AT THE STATE, FEDERAL, OR INTERNATIONAL LEVEL WHICH MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT THE USE, TRANSFER, EXCHANGE, AND VALUE OF DIGITAL/CRYPTO ASSETS.
  3. DIGITAL ASSETS AND VIRTUAL CURRENCIES ARE NOT LEGAL TENDER, ARE NOT BACKED BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND ACCOUNTS AND VALUE BALANCES ARE NOT SUBJECT TO FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION OR SECURITIES INVESTOR PROTECTION CORPORATION PROTECTIONS.
  4. ANY BOND OR TRUST ACCOUNT MAINTAINED BY COINBASE FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO COVER ALL LOSSES INCURRED BY CUSTOMERS.
  5. An investment in digital assets should be made using discretionary capital set aside strictly for speculative purposes.
  6. An investment in digital assets is not suitable or desirable for all investors.
  7. Digital asset exchanges have limited operating and performance histories.
  8. Fees and expenses associated with digital asset transactions may be substantial.
  9. Digital assets markets and exchanges are not regulated with the same controls or customer protections available in equity, option, futures, or foreign exchange investing. There is no assurance that a person who accepts a digital asset as payment today will continue to do so in the future.
  10. Investors should conduct extensive research into the legitimacy of each individual digital asset and exchange before investing. The features, functions, characteristics, operation, use and other properties of the specific digital asset may be complex, technical, or difficult to understand or evaluate. The digital asset may be vulnerable to attacks on the security, integrity or operation, including attacks using computing power sufficient to overwhelm the normal operation of the digital asset’s blockchain or other underlying technology. Some digital asset transactions will be deemed to be made when recorded on a public ledger, which is not necessarily the date or time that a transaction may have been initiated.
  11. Digital asset trading requires knowledge of digital asset markets. In attempting to profit through digital asset trading you must compete with traders worldwide. You should have appropriate knowledge and experience before engaging in substantial digital asset trading.
  12. Under certain market conditions, investors may find it difficult or impossible to liquidate a position quickly at a reasonable price. This can occur, for example, when the market for a particular digital asset suddenly drops, or if trading is halted due to recent news events, unusual trading activity, or changes in the underlying digital asset system.
  13. The greater the volatility of a particular digital asset, the greater the likelihood that problems may be encountered in executing a transaction. In addition to normal market risks, investors may experience losses due to one or more of the following: system failures, hardware failures, software failures, network connectivity disruptions, fraud, cyber attack and data corruption.
  14. Transactions in digital asset investments may be irreversible, and, accordingly, losses due to fraudulent or accidental transactions may not be recoverable.
  15. Digital asset transactions are deemed to be made when recorded on a public ledger, which is not necessarily the date or time that the customer initiates the transaction.
  16. The value of digital asset investments may be derived from the continued willingness of market participants to exchange fiat currency for digital/crypto assets, which may result in the potential for permanent and total loss of value of digital assets should the market for digital assets disappear.
  17. There is no assurance that a person who accepts digital assets as payment today will continue to do so in the future.
  18. The volatility and unpredictability of the price of digital asset investments relative to fiat currency may result in significant or total loss over a short period of time.
  19. The nature of digital asset investments may lead to an increased risk of fraud or cyber-attack; and the nature of digital assets means that any technological difficulties experienced by third parties may prevent access to or use of digital assets held for my account.
  20. The Internal Revenue Service has neither approved nor disapproved of the use of an omnibus digital asset wallet for custody of digital assets for the benefit of AltoIRA accounts, and any ruling that such assets are not maintained in compliance with the Internal Revenue Code may result in a distribution from my account or other adverse tax consequences.
  21. Additional disclosures, depending on your state of residence, are provided by Coinbase here

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Alto Solutions, Inc. d/b/a AltoIRA (“Alto”) is an administrator of self-directed individual retirement accounts and is not a registered or licensed broker, dealer, broker-dealer, funding portal, cryptocurrency exchange, investment advisor or investment manager. Neither Alto nor any of its affiliates is an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided to Alto are by BankProv (Bank) Member FDIC / Member DIF. The FDIC insures each AltoIRA account holder up to $250,000 based on deposit insurance rules in the event of bank failure. Certain conditions must be met for pass-through insurance coverage to apply. The Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF) insures all deposits above the FDIC depositor limit when placed with BankProv. Securities and Crypto assets are not insured by the FDIC, may lose value, are not deposits or other obligations of the Bank, and are not guaranteed by the Bank. Alto does not control or monitor the operation or conduct of the Bank or any third-party investment platforms, funds, cryptocurrency exchanges or issuers, or their offerings. Whenever making an investment decision, investors should consult with their tax attorney or financial professional. Investors are responsible for conducting their own due diligence regarding investments, for using their Alto accounts in compliance with law, and for all tax and other risks and obligations arising from account transactions.

Alto Securities, LLC (“Alto Securities”) is a broker-dealer and may act as the placement agent of funds and other investments offered by issuers with which it has a relationship. Neither Alto nor Alto Securities nor any of their affiliates provide any investment advice or make any investment recommendations to any persons, ever, and no communication herein or otherwise shall be construed as investment advice or a recommendation about any specific security offering, investment, asset, or fund. Information provided on this website by Alto and its affiliates does not constitute an offer, nor the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to, any securities to any person in any jurisdiction. Any communication made by Alto or any of its affiliates with regard to opening or using an IRA account shall not be construed as a recommendation, call to action, or investment strategy to establish a particular account type (e.g. traditional, Roth, or SEP). Alto provides investors self-directed accounts and neither recommends an account type to investors for a fee as part of its services or products, nor advises customers in relation to the tax consequences of accounts, including but not limited to penalties associated with withdrawals, application of required minimum distributions, holdings of employer stock, and special features of an existing account.

Investing in private securities, cryptocurrencies, securitized assets, and other alternative investments (“Private Securities”) is intended for highly sophisticated investors and involves substantial risks. These risks include but are not limited to a lack of operating history, leverage, liquidity of the portfolio, segregated portfolio fund risk, diversification and concentration risk, and long-term investment risk. Furthermore, there is a risk that investors may receive little or no return on their investment or may lose part or all of their investment. For example, the success of a fund’s investment objective depends, in part, on the effective deployment of its assets by the managers of the fund. However, there can be no assurance that the managers will successfully achieve the fund’s investment objective or deliver positive returns.

Investing in Private Securities carries a high risk and is considered speculative. There is no guarantee that an issuer or its investment strategies will succeed under all market conditions. The success or failure of a fund, for example, and its value may be affected by numerous factors, including investment performance, realized and projected market returns, fluctuations in market interest rates, and other pertinent factors.

It is important to note with regard to any reference to high-net-worth individuals and institutions, that these investors often have substantial financial resources and longer investment horizons, which may differ from those of individual investors. Potential investors should carefully consider their own financial circumstances, risk tolerance, and investment objectives before participating in these opportunities. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and all investments carry inherent risks. Diversification does not eliminate risk, and there is no guarantee of returns on investments. It is advisable to consult with financial professionals and conduct due diligence before making any investment decisions.

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