CZ's bull market survival guide for ordinary people: Don't go all-in like I did. Dollar-cost average 10% of your monthly income into mainstream crypto assets

Compiled & Edited by: Deep Wave TechFlow

Guest: CZ (Changpeng Zhao), Founder of Binance & Giggle Academy

Host: Jessica Walker, Binance Clubhouse Bali 2026

Podcast Source: Binance

Original Title: Should You Go ALL IN on Bitcoin? Binance Founder CZ's Answer (and Why DCA) | Bali Clubhouse 2026 Q&A

Air Date: August 23, 2026

Disclosure: CZ is the founder of Binance, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. His personal wealth and the company's business are highly correlated with crypto asset prices. This content covers assets such as BTC and BNB, as well as sectors like RWA and DeFi. The following is a faithful representation of the guest's views and does not constitute an independent third-party judgment or investment advice.

Key Takeaways

CZ sold his apartment in 2014 to go all-in on Bitcoin—a story almost everyone in crypto knows. But during this Bali Clubhouse community Q&A session, his answer surprised quite a few people: If the apartment represents most of your wealth, I wouldn't advise anyone to do that today. His alternative for the average person is DCA—putting 1% to 10% of monthly income into top-tier crypto assets like BTC, ETH, and SOL, and staying away from dubious projects.

This percentage is the most actionable figure in this episode. It means someone earning $10,000 a month could regularly invest just $100 to $1,000 into top assets, without leverage and without betting on small-cap coins. CZ's own experience is an extreme outlier: he had strong conviction at the time, and his lifestyle didn't depend on Bitcoin's price. Most people don't have the same risk tolerance.

More intriguingly, he openly admitted to changing his mind on three things. He initially dismissed NFTs, and they took off; he still doesn't understand the logic behind meme coins, but they also exploded; and RWA, which he didn't take seriously a year and a half ago, he now finds genuinely compelling. He said that when something becomes popular, he goes back to understand it rather than stubbornly holding onto his old views.

On market outlook, he didn't offer a new direction: the four-year cycle is still intact, but he can't predict the next catalyst. He couldn't have foreseen the 2020 DeFi Summer even six months in advance. What's truly worth taking away are two disciplines: on the investment side, replace all-in with DCA; on the learning side, dedicate 30 to 60 minutes daily to intentional study, digging three to five layers deep into every question.

Highlights of Key Opinions

On DCA and Risk Management

• "I wouldn't advise anyone to sell their apartment and go all-in if that's most of your wealth."
• "At the time, I had strong conviction that Bitcoin would rise in the long term, and my life didn't depend on Bitcoin's price. Even if it went to zero, I'd be fine. Not everyone is in that position."
• "I'd recommend DCA for most people—put 1%, 5%, or 10% of your monthly income into top-tier crypto assets."

On Changed Views

• "I didn't think NFTs would take off, and they did. I didn't think meme coins would take off, and they exploded. To this day, I don't fully understand the logic behind them."
• "A year and a half ago, I didn't take RWA seriously. Now I see the appeal: 24/7 trading, transparency, low fees, and global accessibility."
• "There are many things I didn't see at first, but when they become popular, I go understand them."

On the Four-Year Cycle and the Next Catalyst

• "The four-year cycle still looks strong. Four years ago, we were roughly in a bear market too, similar to now."
• "The next catalyst is very hard to predict. I couldn't have predicted the 2020 DeFi Summer even six months in advance."
• "I don't have a crystal ball."

On the Intersection of AI and Crypto

• "AI will pay for us, trade for us, and book hotels for us. That day hasn't arrived yet, but it will come."
• "Using a credit card for AI is too cumbersome—face verification, SMS verification, and random account freezes. A crypto-native payment system is the smoothest fit for AI."
• "I don't plan to have Binance protect humans from being harvested by AI bots. We should open up AI tools to everyone, just like the internet."

On How He Uses AI and How He Doesn't

• "My biggest use case for AI is: before, when I didn't know something, I'd search the web, filter out ads, and read several articles. Now I just ask AI directly."
• "I tried using AI to write code to filter Gmail spam. After a long time, I couldn't get good results, so I gave up."
• "AI might boost a developer's efficiency by 5 to 10 times, but you still need to read every line of code AI writes. You can't treat it as a black box."
• "I don't watch traditional news—too much subjective opinion. I just look at what people I follow on X are posting."

On Giggle Academy: AI Can't Teach Kids

• "Giggle Academy already has over 1 million children learning on the platform."
• "We tried pure AI to teach kids—it doesn't work. Conversational AI doesn't proactively ask questions, and kids stop engaging after three or four exchanges."
• "Pure AI-generated content is far less appealing to kids. Even very young children can sense it."
• "So our approach is: humans use AI to generate content components, but the process is human-driven."

On Iron Rules for a 25-Year-Old

• "I'd ignore most specific advice—buy this, sell that. It's too specific and may not fit your situation."
• "Spend 30 to 60 minutes a day learning. The younger you are, the more time you should invest in learning."
• "Learning must be deliberate. You can watch YouTube, browse X, or ask AI questions, but don't ask vague things like 'why is the market up or down.' Dig three to five layers deep into every question."
• "A book costs $9.99 on Amazon—it's one of the cheapest ways to acquire knowledge."

1. The All-In Story: Now Replaced by DCA

Jessica Walker: In 2014, you sold your apartment to buy Bitcoin. What's the equivalent move in 2026? Would you advise a 25-year-old to do the same?

I wouldn't advise anyone to sell their apartment and go all-in, especially if that's most of your wealth. That's a decision you have to make yourself. Crypto prices are highly volatile, and you need to understand the risks and downside.

In my case, I had strong conviction about Bitcoin's long-term growth, and my life didn't depend on Bitcoin's price. Even if Bitcoin went to zero, I'd still be okay. Not everyone is in that position.

In the long run, crypto will keep growing. Bitcoin, BNB, and other strong projects will continue to grow. But for most people, I recommend DCA. Take 1%, 5%, or 10% of your monthly income and buy top-tier crypto assets you believe in. It's that simple.

2. I Changed My Mind on Three Things

Jessica Walker: What's one belief about crypto you've completely changed over the past decade?

There are several. I didn't think NFTs would become popular, and they did. I also didn't expect meme coins to explode, and to this day I don't fully understand the logic. As for RWA, a year and a half ago I didn't think much of it, but now I see its appeal. 24/7 trading, transparency, low fees, and global accessibility—these are real advantages.

There are many things I didn't see at first, but once they prove popular, I go back to understand them. I don't stubbornly stick to my original judgments.

3. The Four-Year Cycle Is Still Here, But I Don't Know the Next Catalyst

Jessica Walker: Does the four-year cycle still hold? What will drive the next one?

The four-year cycle still looks strong right now. Four years ago, we were roughly in a bear market too, similar to today. So far, this pattern hasn't been broken.

But the next catalyst is very hard to predict. When the 2020 DeFi Summer came, I couldn't have predicted it even six months in advance. Same now—RWA, Perp DEX, and AI agents are all rising, but which one will push the entire crypto market to new highs, I'm not sure. I don't have a crystal ball. What we can do is observe trends and see what happens next.

4. AI Will Pay for Us, But Don't Fear It Taking Your Job

Jessica Walker: AI can front-run trades and find vulnerabilities faster than humans. How do we prevent AI from becoming a nightmare for retail investors? Will Binance build guardrails?

This question assumes that only a few people will use AI. But I think basically everyone will use AI.

AI can indeed find vulnerabilities faster, but if developers use that capability, they can fix vulnerabilities faster and build more secure systems. Some people will use AI to trade earlier and better than others, but others will learn from them. Just like today, everyone uses the internet, and every trader uses some kind of technical analysis tool. Tools get democratized.

I don't plan to have Binance protect humans from being harvested by AI bots. We should open up AI tools to everyone. On trading APIs, you only see orders coming in—you don't know whether the decision engine behind them is a human or AI. Instead of blocking, let everyone have access to AI decision tools.

Jessica Walker: AI agents will own wallets, make payments, and interact with smart contracts. What role does crypto infrastructure play in the AI economy?

Blockchain will be very important for AI. When AI needs to transfer money, a crypto-native payment system is the smoothest path. It's programmable, neutral, borderless, fast, and low-cost financial infrastructure.

If AI uses a credit card, you have to keep intervening. Face verification, SMS codes, random transaction rejections—these are all hassles in payment systems designed for humans. They're not suitable for AI.

5. How CZ Uses AI, and How He Doesn't

Jessica Walker: How do you use AI in your daily life?

Same as most people. Before, when I didn't know something, I'd search the web, filter out ads, and read several articles to figure it out. Now I just ask AI directly—saves a lot of time.

I tried using AI to write code to filter Gmail spam. After working on it for a long time without good results, I gave up. I don't write much code anymore, so AI programming has limited use for me. But AI is extremely valuable for developers—it could boost efficiency by 5 to 10 times. Still, you need to read every line of code AI writes; you can't treat it as a black box.

I don't use AI for news either. I just look at what people I follow on X are posting. Traditional news has too much subjective opinion, so I skip that step.

6. AI Can't Teach a Two-Year-Old

Jessica Walker: How does Giggle Academy combine AI, decentralized identity, and gamified education?

Giggle Academy already has over 1 million children learning on it. We mainly focus on content for ages 2 to 6.

We tried pure AI to teach kids—it doesn't work. Conversational AI doesn't proactively ask questions, and kids stop engaging after three or four exchanges. Pure AI-generated content is far less appealing to kids. Even very young children can tell it wasn't made by a human.

So our approach is: content creators use AI to generate components, but it's human-driven. For example, storybooks—the ones purely generated by AI in one click aren't popular. What's popular is when a human writes the story and uses AI to generate some components. We have a team of about 60 people working on this.

As for decentralized identity, I don't think it's as important as people imagine. Blockchain itself is actually too transparent. With AI and KYC data from a few centralized exchanges, it's very easy to trace on-chain transactions. Banks and cash actually offer more privacy.

7. What Indonesia Lacks Isn't Users—It's Local Assets

Jessica Walker: What does Indonesia still need to become a leading Web3 ecosystem in Asia?

The Indonesian community is very active, but a few things are missing. There's no local stablecoin. There's no local RWA—Indonesian stocks aren't tokenized, real estate isn't tokenized, and neither are gold, oil, rare earth minerals, or government bonds. Think about it: USDT is mainly backed by US treasuries, which is essentially an indirect version of tokenized government bonds. Which country wouldn't want hundreds of millions of people globally to be able to buy your bonds directly?

Having a stablecoin pegged to your own currency is also very important—it gives you price discovery. Behind these missing pieces