My buddy asked me a simple question when I was a teen that I only figured out the answer to a few years ago. And it's this answer that led me to finally understand why bitcoin is a REAL life raft that millions are hanging on to for survival in chaotic times. "If minimum wage goes up and prices go up too, isn't that just a wash?" At the time, I didn't have a good answer. This innocent sounding question sounded logical. But it's wrong. Political policy and slogans that advocate for "fair" inflation is NOT fair at all. It's not even neutral. In fact, it has the OPPOSITE effect from what is intended. The reason is something most people were never taught. It's called the Cantillon Effect, coined by the 18th century author and economist Richard Cantillon. It helps explain why the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and why Bitcoin continues to be the best performing asset in human history. New Money Doesn't Hit Everyone at the Same Time When money is printed by the central bank, pushed through stimulus, or created through low interest rates for "populist political policy," it flows through a line. Sadly, it doesn't show up in everyone's wallet at the same time. Where you stand in that line decides whether the new money helps you or robs you. - First in line → Banks and institutions. (They get fresh money before prices move. They buy assets at yesterday's prices) - Middle of the line → Corporations and investors. (Prices are starting to rise, but they have capital to adjust adjust) - Dead last → Workers, hourly earners, savers (By the time wages go up,if they actually do go up, prices already moved. The "raise" basically buys less than the old wage did. This is why groceries feel insane compared to when you were young even though you make way more dollars today) In total, the result is a giant Wealth Transfer. It is NOT neutral. It does NOT fight corporate greed. It gives politicians more slogans to campaign on, it gives corporate more wealth and it leaves regular folks like us further and further behind. This is the Cantillon Effect.

Recently it's really feeling like crypto is "stuck", even with all the "good news" around regulation. So it's time I give an honest breakdown of where I see things stand and going forward for the next 2-3 months. Back in January in our previous community call before we launched The School of Bits, we discussed some downside pressure historically that happens with crypto until May/June. Usually this is driven by selling for tax payments, market liquidation cascades etc, some of what we saw last year in 2025 and in 2024. But right now...... The Iran war is the only chart that matters. Oil crossed $100/barrel. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of global oil supply, is effectively closed. There's also no clear end in sight. The "revolt" I think the administration hope would happen to help settle this conflict quickly, is simply not happening. This is leading to an oil physical supply shock the world hasn't seen since the 1970s. Every other asset, including Bitcoin, is pricing this and will continue to do so. The Clarity Act, the crypto regulation bill everyone was excited about, is still stalled. Banks are fighting it. Democrats won't sign without ethics language targeting Trump's personal crypto profits (he's made roughly $1.4 billion from his own crypto ventures while setting crypto policy, which is awkward). And even if it passes in a watered-down form, there's a real chance Democrats win back Congress in November and reverse it. My honest take: It really does seem like the market has already stopped caring. Crypto prices aren't moving on regulation headlines. They're moving on war news. The bill was supposed to be the catalyst. It probably won't be now and that's a tough pill to swallow because it means nothing unless this war in Iran is solved. So what actually turns crypto around? The Fed printing money. When the war costs pile up, when AI-driven white collar layoffs start spiraling the jobs numbers downward, the government's only real tool is to print its way out. That's been the playbook since the Gulf War in 1990. When that happens, historically Bitcoin goes up, not because of any bill, but because more fiat gets created. Remember, it's not Bitcoin becoming "more valuable" its your money "becoming worth - less".

In our 10+ years of combined experience being in this industry, we watched good, capable and smart people miss the most important financial shift of our lifetime. Not because they weren't paying attention, but because the first thing they heard was "scam" and nobody gave them an honest explanation to learn otherwise. We're not here to push a "get rich" strategy, or convince you of doing anything. We're here because the biggest financial shift of our lifetime is unfolding right now. So we built the education we wish existed, compressed it into lessons that take minutes, and made sure you never have to feel like you're already too late. This is that place. _____________________________________________________________________ Here's where to begin: Step 1 — Download The Bitcoin Castle: Before you touch a single lesson, grab our free visual guide: The Bitcoin Castle: A Visual Beginner's Guide That Explains Why Bitcoin Has Value. It's the foundation everything else is built on. If you've ever struggled to understand why Bitcoin has value at all, this is the thing that makes it click. You'll find it waiting for you at the start of the Beginner Course below. Step 2 — Start the Beginner Crypto Crash Course: This is your home base. We built this course around the questions real beginners actually ask without the weird crypto jargon and techy explanations. By the time you finish, you'll understand what Bitcoin is, why it exists, why it matters, and why the timing of this conversation is important. Step 3 — Follow the Market Breakdowns: We publish regular news breakdowns and market analysis discussions so you can start connecting what you're learning to what's actually happening in the world right now. This is where the theory you're learning becomes real and you'll start to understand that Bitcoin isn't getting more valuable, it's your dollars getting weaker. ___________________________________________________________________ What's coming: The School of Bits is a growing school and this is just the beginning.