Announcement: I’m changing the style of this newsletter.
Up until now, I’ve been writing this more or less like a blog post: giving insights, citing sources, and curating a round-up of the latest news. And to an extent, I’ll continue doing that. There are important things happening in Bitcoin, from both a tech and investing standpoint, that people need to know.
And thankfully for you, being subscribed means you get the same perspective I give to my friends and family whenever they ask (for free), as well as things I never share anywhere else.
But after giving it some thought, I realized that curation-style newsletters are everywhere these days. And they don’t take all that much creativity or originality to create. So why would someone who doesn’t know me want to subscribe to this newsletter over a larger, more established one?
For the most part, I’m not sure they do.
And for a while, I didn’t really care. I started Hard Money Dispatch – the newsletter, podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-money-dispatch/id1649814816), and accompanying YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@briannibley) – without a clear objective in mind. I just knew I needed to start creating content that I fully owned and controlled: no client or company to please or answer to, plus total creative freedom.
Then I started learning more from well-known newsletter writers and industry experts, gaining some knowledge of what gave them success and how they did it.
I won’t bore you with the details, but what I’ve decided as a result is to keep the newsletter to more of a personal message tone (more letter, less news). Meanwhile, my other content can focus a little more on the other stuff.
Again, you’ll still get the same bitcoin-focused insights, a round-up of some of the latest crypto news, and updates on recent Hard Money Dispatch podcast episodes and YouTube videos (excluding today’s edition).
It’s all part of an evolution of sorts. I don’t know how to explain it, so I’ll briefly turn to an unexpected and controversial source: astrology (skip to the next content break line below if you have no interest in this part).
Right now, in 2026, there are several alignments or “conjunctions” occurring between Venus and Jupiter. Jupiter represents an optimistic, expansionary aspect, amplifying the effect of other planets. According to AI:
Venus is considered a benefic planet in both Western and Vedic astrology, symbolizing abundance, creativity, and emotional fulfillment.
So, right now can be considered a time of good fortune, opportunity, and growth. Whether you believe in these things or not, look at it as a hypothesis for explaining the prevailing attitude, mindset, and drive of the current era. To me, it’s fitting, and if nothing else, it provides a lens through which to see the world and the human psyche’s sentiment.
And here’s one last, really mind-blowing thing (then I’ll get off the subject, promise). In 2013, the year when I discovered Bitcoin, a rare alignment that only happens a few times in a century was underway. It peaked around the exact time when I started learning everything I could, and then briefly decided Bitcoin was going nowhere when it crashed from ~$200 to ~$50. Even more unbelievable, the alignment happened in Taurus, my own zodiac sign:
The Venus-Jupiter conjunction in 2013 was part of a rare triple conjunction involving Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter, occurring between May 26 and May 29, 2013, near 23 degrees Gemini. This alignment took place between the Horns of the Bull (Taurus) and was particularly notable for its astrological significance, with Venus and Jupiter — the two most fortunate planets — joining in a close celestial dance.
Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter formed a triple conjunction within 2 degrees of each other, a rare event that happens only a few times per century.
The Venus-Jupiter conjunction occurred on May 27, 2013, at approximately 23°32′ Gemini, with Venus and Jupiter appearing just 0.5 degrees apart in the evening sky.
I first discovered Bitcoin in March of 2013, and by late May I decided it was “dead,” and mostly forgot about it for the next six months, until it soared to $1,000 in November. This lesson was the beginning of a phase that ultimately led me here, today, writing this newsletter, among other things.
Now my main endeavor is to help others know what I’ve learned, in the hopes it could change their lives the way it did mine.
With that interesting tangent out of the way, let’s return to your regularly scheduled newsletter.
The transformation of this newsletter is reminiscent of my Bitcoin journey in a way.
Almost 13 years ago, I heard about this digital commodity that had to be mined, couldn’t be printed out of thin air, couldn’t be confiscated, had a hard supply cap, allowed people to transfer value globally in seconds without needing permission from anyone, and was backed by energy.
Immediately, I had to know more, because if this was real, it could change everything. I thought that much was obvious.
Turns out, it wasn’t (and still isn’t).
Almost no one I talked to believed in bitcoin and its potential to empower the average person in a way that’s never been possible before. For the most part, I was perceived like a patient in a mental hospital ranting about the potential future he’d seen in his imaginary crystal ball.
And to be honest, I couldn’t blame anyone if they thought that. After all, I was just a 23 year-old kid, broke and unemployed, living in his mom’s basement.
But as time went on, and the things I had been saying for years started coming true, more and more people started to listen.
And the more they listened, the more their lives changed for the better.
That got me thinking…what if I could help even more people?
Because it’s not about number go up, although that’s what grabs attention and pulls people in. In fact, that’s exactly what got me excited at first (given I was broke and all).
But as I learned more, I got excited in a different way, because what I discovered is that our current system of money (central banking using fiat currency, based on Keynesian economics) is broken. It benefits a small group at the expense of the entire planet and everyone on it.
Here’s a great infographic that describes The Cantillon Effect, which is a result of central banks constantly printing money out of thin air:
Taken from a post by James Lavish, CFA on LinkedIn
The fiat paradigm creates certain conditions as a natural consequence, including:
An ever-increasing state of wealth inequality: The rich get richer while the poor get poorer, as the currency’s value erodes, leading asset prices higher. The fiat system requires inflation because it’s based on debt, and this debt can only be maintained through more debt, which can only be sustained by printing more money and devaluing the currency, making it cheaper to service the debt.
An endless state of war: Central banks were initially created to, among other things, allow governments to go into debt and finance wars they would be unable to participate in if they had to rely on taxes alone for funding1. This continues today, and like everything else involving fiat, has to continue growing larger for the system to sustain itself. [Side note: for more on the subject, I highly recommend General Smedley Butler’s famous speech & book “War is a Racket.”2 Search for it online. Butler was a two-time Medal of Honor recipient and the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.]
Environmental destruction: Infinite expansion isn’t possible on a finite planet. Fiat requires endless consumption to drive inflation and GDP, backed by endless money printing. If the system stops expanding, it collapses under the weight of its own debt. That’s why deflation can’t happen. [Suggested reading: The Price of Tomorrow by Jeff Booth3]. This results in more and more pollution, wildlife extinction, water and food shortages, and so on. The system is like a plague of locusts – it consumes everything, for the benefit of a select few.
Jeff Booth summarized the situation best when he said,
“When you have corruption at the base layer of money, you have corruption at every level of society.”
This is not a complete list of the detrimental impacts of fiat currency, but you get the point.
Many of the most disastrous problems facing humanity could be solved, in whole or in part, over a period of time, if the foundation of society – money – could not be printed out of thin air, had a hard supply cap, and wasn’t controlled by any central entity.
If you don’t believe that, take 30 seconds and glance at the charts here: https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/. After the US dollar severed all ties to gold in 1971, all the aforementioned ills of society began spiraling out of control. That’s not to say the world was perfect prior to 1971, but there’s no denying that the American standard of living was much higher, at the very least.
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that Bitcoin is about more than simple “number go up” investing. Yes, it starts that way with all of us. But there can be so much more, for both individuals and the collective.
Back to what I said earlier about helping people.
Starting this year, I’ve decided to begin working as a Bitcoin consultant, doing what I’ve done over the years for many people – helping them understand Bitcoin the network, bitcoin (BTC) the currency, and how to best integrate them into their lives.
I’m not a financial advisor. While I don’t offer specific financial advice, the perspective I provide can help guide some related decisions at times. But that’s only part of the equation. I’ve taught people how to buy and store bitcoin securely, how to use hardware wallets, how the blockchain works, how to avoid scams, how to continue learning these things on their own, and more.
And thankfully, so far, no one has ever lost money in fiat terms when holding BTC for a period of four years or longer. That’s why I always recommend that timeframe as a minimum (so people win, and also so no one can sue me for losses related to “bad financial advice", because if they listened they never actually lost anything).
To apply to work with me, book a slot for a free 15-minute chat on my Calendly here:
So many people have so many questions they don’t even know where to start. And while there’s a lot of content out there, it can be hard to trust anyone in a space filled with scams, grifters, and Fartcoin.
If that’s you, and you’d rather talk one-on-one with someone who’s been studying this for nearly 13 years, then book a time slot that’s at least 48-hours in advance: https://calendly.com/brian-nibley/30min
If you made it this far, thank you. And if you found value in this letter, consider sharing it with someone else. It would help me out a lot.
That’s all for this week.
To your prosperity and sovereignty,
Brian Dean Nibley
Sources:
1):
IMF eLibrary - Debt and Entanglements Between the Wars (Chapter 2): Details how the UK borrowed heavily in domestic markets and through intergovernmental loans during WWI, with the Bank of England supporting war finance by managing debt and facilitating borrowing beyond tax revenues.
Federal Reserve History - Before the Fed: Notes that early U.S. national banks (inspired by the Bank of England) helped manage Revolutionary War debts and build credit for government financing, with central banking precedents tied to handling war-related borrowing.
Federal Reserve History - WWII to the Treasury-Fed Accord: Explains how the Federal Reserve pegged interest rates low during WWII to facilitate government debt financing for the war effort, reducing borrowing costs and enabling massive wartime deficits.
Investopedia - What Is a Central Bank?: States that early central banks like the Bank of France and Reichsbank were established to finance expensive government military operations through borrowing and debt management.
Cambridge Core - Central Banks at War (International Organization journal): Argues that central banks enhance governments' ability to borrow during wars by acting as sole direct purchasers of debt, lowering interest rates and making large-scale war finance feasible despite credibility issues.
CEPR - The wartime power of central banks: Lessons from the Napoleonic era: Highlights how the Bank of England provided liquid, low-inflation government financing and managed debt to support rapid military expenditure increases during the French Wars.
IMF - Public Debt Through the Ages (WP/19/6): Discusses historical episodes where central banks (e.g., Bank of France) limited but supported war finance through debt mechanisms, with borrowing playing a major role in funding conflicts.
Federal Reserve - Cleveland Fed Working Paper on the Federal Reserve and World War I: Describes the Fed's role in fostering Treasury funding for WWI, including encouraging debt purchases and providing liquidity to support massive government borrowing.
Encyclopedia 1914-1918-Online - War Finance: Explains how short-term "floating" debt was contracted with central banks during WWI, representing claims on the state to finance ongoing war expenditures beyond immediate taxation.