I have been navigating the crypto market for eight years, and my deepest memory is the 2017 altcoin frenzy. At that time, I was young and ambitious, choosing ADA and starting to accumulate it in stages from $0.03.

The crazy part is that, in just three months, ADA surged all the way to $1.2. The numbers in my account nearly multiplied by 40 times. Every day I would wake up and open the trading app, watching my assets grow constantly, even planning to use that money to buy a house in the city with full payment.

Unfortunately, I was too greedy. I didn't hit the sell button.

Then came the nightmare — ADA plummeted sharply, crashing back to $0.2. Unrealized gains disappeared like flowing water, with about 80% of the profit instantly evaporating. My dream of buying a house was shattered.

This experience made me realize: in the crypto market, buying is just the basic operation; true investors know how to sell.

**My take-profit strategy is as follows:**

Using the "ladder take-profit method." Suppose a coin rises from $1 to $2, I first sell 30% to recover the principal, and I remain calm no matter what happens to the remaining amount. When it reaches $3, I reduce another 30%. Finally, I leave 40% and set a trailing stop — if the price falls 15% from the high point, I sell everything. This way, I won't miss the main upward wave, and I can also protect my profits.

**Regarding stop-loss, I have only one strict rule:**

A single trade should not incur a loss exceeding 5% of the total principal. Every time I buy, I immediately set a conditional order with a -10% stop-loss. This is equivalent to buying insurance for the trade.

Don't worry about missing opportunities because of this. The crypto market never lacks opportunities. But once your principal is wiped out, you lose the qualification to turn things around.

In eight years, I have seen too many stories of overnight riches and witnessed even more people losing everything on the rollercoaster of ups and downs. Those who can hold onto profits and exit alive are often disciplined traders. This is not luck; it’s homework.