A lot of people immediately advise newcomers to use cold wallets or hardware wallets, but my suggestion is exactly the opposite: if you’re new to the space, it's better to just keep your coins on one of the top exchanges—the bigger and more centralized, the safer.

Why do I say this?

That phrase “Not your keys, not your coins” sounds cool and decentralized, but honestly, for beginners, it’s not some golden rule—it’s more like a trap. Veteran users treat this as a belief, and that’s fine, because they understand the tech, know how to manage private keys, and can avoid phishing attempts. But if you’re just starting out and can’t even read a candlestick chart, should you really be managing your own private keys? Losing your seed phrase, choosing the wrong chain, or sending coins to a black hole address—these accidents happen every day.

On the other hand, those major platforms with regulatory backing, insurance mechanisms, and customer support can help beginners avoid 90% of basic mistakes. Once you truly understand how this space works, then you can consider going decentralized.