If you’re willing to buy and hold for the long haul, Bitcoin could be a millionaire maker.

Taking a long-term approach to crypto investing can pay off big. There’s no better proof of this than Bitcoin (BTC +4.55%), which has been a stalwart market performer for more than a decade now.

According to the latest Crypto Wealth Report from Henley & Partners, there are now over 145,000 Bitcoin millionaires in the world right now. These investors have patiently held on to their Bitcoin through market ups and downs and have been richly rewarded.

The power of compounding returns

The secret to Bitcoin’s success is the power of compounding returns. Even a relatively modest initial investment can grow into a huge nest egg if allowed to compound over a long enough period of time.

In eight of the past 10 years, Bitcoin has been the top-performing asset in the world. In many of those years, Bitcoin has delivered triple-digit returns. So it’s not just that an initial investment is compounding over time. It’s literally doubling in value each year.

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Just a little back-of-the-envelope calculation will demonstrate how powerful this can be over a 10-year period. Let’s say you decide to invest $1,000 in Bitcoin today and this investment doubles every year for the next decade. By the end of that time period, you would have more than $1 million in your portfolio.

Bitcoin as a boom-or-bust asset

This almost seems too good to be true. And, in some ways, it is. That’s because Bitcoin has historically been prone to boom-and-bust cycles. Every four years, it tends to suffer a cataclysmic collapse.

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In 2022, for example, Bitcoin lost 64% of its value. And in 2018, Bitcoin lost 74% of its value. In those two years, Bitcoin was actually the worst-performing asset in the world, and it wasn’t even close.

So, in many ways, you’re counting on the really good years from Bitcoin to bail you out later. For example, right after Bitcoin lost 64% of its value in 2022, it went on an epic rally that saw it gain 157% in 2023 and 125% in 2024.

Buy and hold Bitcoin for the long haul

That’s why a patient, buy-and-hold approach to Bitcoin is so critical. Among Bitcoin investors, there’s even an entire lexicon that has developed around this notion. You don’t just hold Bitcoin: you HODL (hold on for dear life) Bitcoin. You never, ever sell your Bitcoin if you have diamond hands.

The current market environment, in which Bitcoin recently dropped below the $105,000 price level, is surely nerve-wracking for many crypto investors. There are significant outflows out of the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and the Crypto Fear and Greed Index is now flashing red. A lot of people are now fearful that Bitcoin could soon drop below the $100,000 price level.

But, if you’re really serious about becoming a Bitcoin millionaire, this is no time to bail. If anything, this is a potential buying opportunity if Bitcoin drops below $100,000. In early October, Bitcoin was trading around a new all-time high of $126,000. So you’ll be able to pick up more Bitcoin at a nice 25% discount.

Back in 2024, Cathie Wood of Ark Invest ran the numbers and showed that Bitcoin has consistently outperformed every major asset class over a long enough time horizon. According to this analysis, the minimum holding period for Bitcoin is at least five years. That’s a long enough time to profit from the power of compounding returns – and also long enough time to help you overcome the inevitable “bust” years that occur every four years.

Where will Bitcoin be a decade from now?

Better still if you can hold onto your Bitcoin for a decade or longer. That’s because many investors are now predicting that a single Bitcoin might be worth $1 million or more within the next few years. The growing consensus is that Bitcoin might top that price point sometime by 2030.

And that might be a conservative estimate for where Bitcoin is headed. Michael Saylor, founder and executive chairman of Strategy, thinks Bitcoin could hit a price of $21 million within the next two decades. If that’s the case, then even a relatively modest investment in Bitcoin today could be worth upward of $1 million by the time you’re thinking about retiring.