Hey, it’s Frank, Jerry, and Zoltan from Third View Private Wealth, and welcome to the Third View Next Gen Newsletter. This newsletter is designed to simplify personal finance, investing, and wealth building for next-generation wealth holders just starting their financial journey. Hope you enjoy this month’s edition and learn something new.

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The folks at A16Z put together an interesting visual that shows the relationship between hiring rates and the % of people who become entrepreneurs. Simply put, when it becomes harder to get a job, more people dip their toes into entrepreneurship. Right now? We’re seeing lots of new entrepreneurs.

Although it goes through spurts of popularity online, crypto has been on the scene for a while now. And while most people have heard of Bitcoin and probably other meme coins (like Dogecoin or Shiba Inu), we find there’s still a lot of confusion about what crypto actually is.

As advisors, we think it’s important to be educated on different investment opportunities so you can make informed decisions. So, today, we want to give a quick primer on the basics of crypto: what it is, and how it works.

Think of cryptocurrency as digital money that lives on the internet, but without a single company or bank running the system.

It runs on something called a blockchain, which you can think of like a shared Google Sheet that anyone can view, but no one can secretly edit. Every transaction gets added as a new line. Once it’s there, it’s locked in permanently.

Because everyone can see the same ledger, the system doesn’t need a central referee like a bank to confirm who owns what. The transparency is where the trust lies.

Traditional money works like a company-owned app. Governments issue it, central banks manage it, and financial institutions keep the official records.

Crypto works more like an open-source network. Instead of one authority in charge, thousands of independent computers around the world agree on what’s true. No single company or country controls it.

That independence is a big reason people are interested in crypto—but it also means there’s no safety net if something goes wrong.

Bitcoin
Bitcoin was the first crypto and is intentionally simple. There will only ever be 21 million bitcoin—no more can be created. That fixed supply is why many people think of it like digital gold: scarce, durable, and not tied to any government.

Ethereum
Ethereum isn’t just money—it’s more like a global operating system. Developers can build apps on top of it, similar to how apps run on your phone. Things like smart contracts, NFTs, and early decentralized finance all live here.

Solana
If Ethereum is a very secure but busy freeway, Solana is a high-speed toll road. It’s built for fast, low-cost transactions, especially for apps that need speed.

You don’t need to own crypto to benefit from understanding it. It’s definitely not something you’re required to invest in, but it is something that’s influencing how money, payments, and digital ownership are evolving.

Think of it like understanding how the internet works without needing to build a website. We think the perspective and knowledge are valuable.

Understanding the basics helps you:

- filter hype from reality
- ask better questions
- make decisions with less pressure and less FOMO

And that’s all valuable whether you ever invest in it or not.

If you ever want to go deeper or understand how digital assets fit into your broader financial picture, we’re always here as a resource.

No, not all debt is bad.

Some debt can make sense. A mortgage, student loans, or business debt can help you move forward if the terms are reasonable and you’re clear on why you’re taking it on.

Other debt just drags you down. High-interest debt that’s funding a lifestyle you can’t afford can easily put you in a tough financial spot, even if the payments feel manageable at first.

Our view: be intentional. Know what your debt costs, what it’s buying you, and what your plan is to pay it off. Used thoughtfully, debt can be a tool. Left unchecked, it becomes a weight and can have negative impacts on your finances.

Have a question you’d like us to answer in a future newsletter? Simply reply to this email to submit it to us.

Third View Co-Founder, Jerry Sneed, recently had an article published on Barron’s that tells the story of his personal relationship with his brother, Eric, and explains his lessons and learnings regarding special needs trusts.

That’s all for this month. If you enjoyed the newsletter, the greatest compliment would be to forward it to someone you think would like it too.

- Frank, Jerry, and Zoltan

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Past performance is not indicative of future results. The material above has been provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security or strategy. The investment strategy and themes discussed herein may be unsuitable for investors depending on their specific investment objectives and financial situation. Information obtained from third-party sources is believed to be reliable though its accuracy is not guaranteed, and Third View Private Wealth makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information, which should not be used as the basis of any investment decision. Information contained on third party websites that Third View Private Wealth may link to is not reviewed in their entirety for accuracy and Third View Private Wealth assumes no liability for the information contained on these websites. Opinions expressed in this commentary reflect subjective judgments of the author based on conditions at the time of writing and are subject to change without notice. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission from Third View Private Wealth. For more information about Third View Private Wealth, including our Form ADV brochures, please visit https://adviserinfo.sec.gov or contact us at (203) 408-0098.