Individuals are given a digital address (think of it like a bank account) and a private key (essentially a password) that enables them, and no one else, to access their crypto funds. It's important to remember that this money is an investment — or more like a gamble — and one that still involves a lot of risk and speculation. The value of Bitcoin changes constantly and sometimes by huge magnitudes: Bitcoin values tanked in February again in April , and recently dipped in May . So if you bought a Bitcoin while the price was high (the record was £13,850 in December 2017), then sold low (yesterday, one Bitcoin was valued at £4,730), you could lose a lot of money. Most advisors say it's not worth the risk, nor does it function like a traditional investment