My monthly portfolio ritual

BASE LAYER // Issue #16
Clarity for long-term crypto holders.

GM everyone.

Let me tell you about a mistake I used to make.

Every time something pumped, I’d panic.

Every time something dipped, I’d panic.

Every time nothing happened, I’d… somehow still panic.

It was exhausting.

Not because I didn’t have a plan—but because I wasn’t using it.

And that’s when it hit me:

Having a system is only half the game.

Returning to it is the other half.

So today, I want to give you the single most powerful habit I’ve developed in 7 years of crypto investing:

The Monthly Portfolio Ritual.

You see, most people adjust their portfolio reactively:

• They sell because they’re scared

• They buy because they’re bored

• They rebalance because someone on Twitter said “rotation”

• They chase coins based on hype, not thesis

But smart investors?

They don’t make changes based on emotion.

They make changes based on a calendar—not a candle.

That’s what this ritual protects.

It replaces knee-jerk reactions with intentional reviews.

So here’s what I do every month:

I have a recurring reminder in my calendar for the 1st of every month.

It takes me about 45 minutes. And it’s saved me more money and mistakes than I can count.

Here’s what it looks like:

1. Portfolio Snapshot

• Total net worth

• % of crypto holdings

• Allocation across categories (BTC/ETH, stables, alts, etc.)

• Winners and losers this month

I screenshot my dashboard. Not fancy—just for pattern recognition.

2. Narrative Map Check

I ask:

• What narratives are gaining traction?

• What am I seeing more of (funding, builders, Twitter noise)?

• Do I believe the narrative—or just want to believe it?

If something is rising, I consider positioning early.

If something I hold is fading, I consider trimming.

This keeps me in touch with why things are moving.

3. Conviction Check

I rate each asset:

• Green = I know why I own this

• Yellow = Thesis is fuzzy

• Red = Emotional hold / unclear exit

Reds get reviewed. Some get cut.

And if a green becomes yellow, that’s a red flag for next month.

4. Exit Plan Review

I don’t want to figure out exits in the middle of euphoria.

So I check:

• What’s my profit ladder?

• Has anything hit a trigger (2x, 5x, etc.)?

• Am I still comfortable with my sell strategy?

Even if nothing changes, just revisiting the plan keeps me steady.

5. Emotional Audit

I write down how I’ve felt about crypto this month.

• Excited?

• Scared?

• Overwhelmed?

• Addicted?

If I’m feeling compulsive, I reduce risk.

If I’m disengaged, I zoom out and review my long-term goals.

It’s like a vibe check—for my nervous system.

Here’s why this works so well:

Crypto’s 24/7 nature is designed to make you act now.

But wealth is built by those who wait, reflect, and act later.

This ritual gives me a system for deciding calmly—outside the chaos.

I know I can’t time the top.

But I can pre-decide how I’ll act when it comes.

– Alex
Founder, Base Layer

P.S. I still make a lot of my crypto buys on Kraken. It’s one of the few platforms I’ve trusted since 2017—zero weirdness, solid interface, and no shady stuff.

They asked me to share this → I said yes, because I actually use it

Even if you’re already set up somewhere else, it’s worth seeing what a battle-tested exchange actually looks like.

Not investment advice. Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to US customers through Payward Interactive, Inc. View legal disclosures.