What Are Bitcoins?

Certified Financial Planner Robert M. Ryerson has published and spoken extensively on financial topics. One innovation which Robert M. Ryerson has taken an interest in is cryptocurrency, a form of digitally-based currency backed by computing power.

Bitcoin, the first and most popular cryptocurrency, uses a shared public ledger called a blockchain to store all confirmed transactions.

Bitcoin wallets use the blockchain to calculate their spendable balances, making sure all transactions are legitimate and individuals cannot fraudulently increase their balances. When users transfer Bitcoins between one another, they use a private key and signature to maintain the integrity of the transaction, and transactions are confirmed through a process called mining, in which computers on the network perform computations.

While secure, this transaction process has a significant energy footprint. Each transaction conducted through Bitcoin averages out to approximately 215 kilowatt-hours of power usage, about one-quarter of what a typical American household uses monthly. Due to the high level of distrust built into the system and the numerous times each transaction is computationally verified, it also requires a large amount of computing power.

Author

Robert Ryerson

Although Robert M. Ryerson completed all the necessary requirements to earn bachelor of arts degrees in both English and economics at Rutgers University, college policy at the time prohibited the issuance of dual degrees. As a result, he graduated from Rutgers with a single bachelor of arts in economics before finding employment as a stockbroker with Shearson Lehman American Express in New York City 1984. Robert M. Ryerson has since established himself as a respected estate administrator and legacy planner. In addition to his economics degree from Rutgers, Mr. Ryerson holds several professional designations including Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP)®; Certified In Long Term Care (CLTC)®; Certified Financial Fiduciary (CFF)®, and Certified Identity Theft Risk Magenament Specialist (CITRMS)®. He has shared his knowledge on the subject of identity theft as the author of the book What’s The Deal With Identity Theft?: A Plain-English Look at Our Fastest Growing Crime. He has also covered identity theft issues directly for students as the instructor of the adult education course Understanding Identity Theft: Our Fastest Growing Crime.

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