In these years immersed in the crypto world, I've seen too many people treat their accounts like roller coasters—dreaming about entrepreneurship when prices rise, then waking up in the middle of the night to check their bank cards, cold sweat pouring down. To be honest: if you want to survive long-term in this market and make steady profits, never focus solely on a single track. Want to navigate through bull and bear cycles? You need to master bonds.

I've been involved in both crypto and traditional investing for nearly eight years, and my biggest takeaway is this: those shouting about "diversified allocation" often have 90% of their holdings in coins and stocks. Don't misunderstand—these assets themselves are fine, but the problem is the lack of bonds as a "shock absorber." Your portfolio is like a ripe persimmon—easily crushed by market pressure.

Last year's market movement best illustrates this. Many sectors of the US stock market dropped over 13%, and cryptocurrencies were even more brutal—many halved in value. But do you know how bonds performed during the same period? High-quality bonds actually gained about 4.5%. That’s the beauty of bonds—when your high-risk assets are free-falling, they can cushion some of the impact, preventing your years of accumulation from vanishing overnight.

Why must you include bonds? The reasons are straightforward. First, they provide real stability. Daily volatility of over 20% in crypto and stocks is common now, but bonds act like a steady force, maintaining rhythm regardless of market chaos. Second, they are natural risk buffers. When high-risk assets lose value, bonds often hold the line or even generate inverse returns. Third, the psychological comfort is different. Every time the market crashes, seeing your bond holdings still appreciating provides a sense of security that crypto trading can never give.

I know some will say, "I make more in crypto in a day than bonds do in a year, so why bother?" Listen, brother, everyone wants quick gains, but true long-term profits come from stability, not gambling. The core value of bonds is precisely what crypto and stocks can't offer. Especially for those of us who have seen the market's treacherous nature and gone through several bear markets, a reasonable bond allocation isn't conservative—it's smart.