Blockchain & Digital Assets

October 1, 2022

A New Way to Mine Ethereum and Reduce Its Carbon Footprint by 99%

Learn Why the Ethereum “Merge” is Big Blockchain News

There’s something going on right now in crypto, and it's the biggest thing since the creation of crypto 13 years ago. It's called The Merge. It's got everybody in the crypto community really excited. So here's the deal. You know, the two largest coins, Bitcoin, of course, the very first one and Ethereum, between the two of them, they've got about 70% of the market share. They're the Coke and Pepsi of crypto. And you've heard of crypto mining. That's how new Bitcoin are created. That's how new Ethereum are created. Mining gets a lot of criticism because it uses millions of computers around the world to do complex calculations to create to mine Bitcoin and Ethereum. All that computer energy produces a lot of CO2 emissions. And that's why you've heard that Bitcoin is bad for the planet. Ethereum does the same thing. It's bad for the planet too. But now we have “The Merge.”

Ethereum is moving to a different blockchain platform. Instead of doing mining to create more coins, it's doing something different called staking. I'm not going to bother explaining the difference between mining and staking here. It takes about a chapter. Yeah. And that's where you'll find that chapter - in my new number one bestseller, The Truth About Crypto, if you want to learn the difference between mining and staking. But the point is this, staking as a technology uses less energy than mining, how much less? Get this, 99.95% less. That's astonishing. So all the concern that people have about crypto being bad for the planet, that's only true for mining. It's not true for staking. And not only that, not only does it solve the energy problem, but one of the byproducts of this is that staking allows you to generate income at the same time you're producing more coins.

Now you begin to get an understanding as to why everybody is so excited about The Merge. But this is like talking shop. You don't have to worry about the details of all this. The point is this you shouldn't have to pay close attention to crypto on a day-to-day basis. This is why everyone is so excited about The Merge. It's the biggest thing in crypto since the launch of bitcoin 13 years ago. You've probably never even heard of The Merge, however, and frankly, nor should you have.

You shouldn't have to pay close attention to crypto on a day-to-day basis. That's no fun. You don't have the time for it anyway. You don't pay attention to the stock market every day. Why should you pay attention to the crypto market every day? That's why so many financial advisors tell their clients to use funds. Let professional money managers manage your investments for you. You use stock funds for your stock portfolio. You should use crypto funds for your crypto exposure. That's why I invest in funds from Bitwise Asset Management. In fact, it's also why I invested in the company. They're the oldest crypto fund manager. More than 1,000 financial advisors across the country have put client’s assets into their funds and that includes Jean and me. So I invite you to learn more about The Merge and more about the funds that are offered by Bitwise. So you can go to BitwiseInvestments.com or talk to your financial advisor.

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Jillian DelSignore

Global Head of Investor Distribution Strategy | Nasdaq Global Indexes

Jillian DelSignore, CIMA, is Global Head of Investor Distribution Strategy, Indexes at Nasdaq.

Prior to joining Nasdaq, Jillian was Head of ETFs & Indexing at FLX Distribution. FLX is a first of its kind technology platform that brings together asset managers, distribution professionals, wealth managers, and advisors.

Before and during her time at FLX, she was the Principal of Lakefront Advisory advising financial services firms on accelerating their growth through initiating, scaling or changing their distribution strategy. Given her depth of experience in the ETF industry, she also helps her clients demystify the ETF ecosystem by advising on the intricacies of that market.

Before starting Lakefront Advisory, Jillian was Head of ETF Distribution with J.P.Morgan’s Asset Management business. She was responsible for leading the sales and distribution efforts and strategy in the intermediary and institutional markets.

She also serves on the Board of Women in ETFs (WE), Inc, the first women’s group for the ETF industry, and served as Co-President from 2017-2019. Founded in 2014, WE achieves the mission to connect, support and inspire by organizing events globally that support our goals of education, networking, philanthropy.

Before joining J.P.Morgan in September 2015, Jillian was a Strategic Account Manager within BlackRock's iShares ETF Institutional Asset Management Group. She was responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with institutional investors, including boutique asset managers, global institutional asset managers, hedge funds and registered investment advisory firms.

Prior to joining iShares in March, 2009, Ms. DelSignore worked in the Independent Advisory Channel of Goldman Sachs Asset Management covering GSAM mutual funds, separate accounts, retirement plans, and alternative investments. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2005. Earlier, Ms. DelSignore worked in both the Institutional Corporate Cash and Global Bank Divisions at Federated Investors from 2000-2005.

Ms. DelSignore has a B.A. in Communications from John Carroll University and an M.B.A degree in Finance from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her CIMA designation from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and holds the Series 3, 6, 7, 24 and 66 licenses.

Jillian DelSignore

Global Head of Investor Distribution Strategy | Nasdaq Global Indexes

Jillian DelSignore, CIMA, is Global Head of Investor Distribution Strategy, Indexes at Nasdaq.

Prior to joining Nasdaq, Jillian was Head of ETFs & Indexing at FLX Distribution. FLX is a first of its kind technology platform that brings together asset managers, distribution professionals, wealth managers, and advisors.

Before and during her time at FLX, she was the Principal of Lakefront Advisory advising financial services firms on accelerating their growth through initiating, scaling or changing their distribution strategy. Given her depth of experience in the ETF industry, she also helps her clients demystify the ETF ecosystem by advising on the intricacies of that market.

Before starting Lakefront Advisory, Jillian was Head of ETF Distribution with J.P.Morgan’s Asset Management business. She was responsible for leading the sales and distribution efforts and strategy in the intermediary and institutional markets.

She also serves on the Board of Women in ETFs (WE), Inc, the first women’s group for the ETF industry, and served as Co-President from 2017-2019. Founded in 2014, WE achieves the mission to connect, support and inspire by organizing events globally that support our goals of education, networking, philanthropy.

Before joining J.P.Morgan in September 2015, Jillian was a Strategic Account Manager within BlackRock's iShares ETF Institutional Asset Management Group. She was responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with institutional investors, including boutique asset managers, global institutional asset managers, hedge funds and registered investment advisory firms.

Prior to joining iShares in March, 2009, Ms. DelSignore worked in the Independent Advisory Channel of Goldman Sachs Asset Management covering GSAM mutual funds, separate accounts, retirement plans, and alternative investments. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2005. Earlier, Ms. DelSignore worked in both the Institutional Corporate Cash and Global Bank Divisions at Federated Investors from 2000-2005.

Ms. DelSignore has a B.A. in Communications from John Carroll University and an M.B.A degree in Finance from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her CIMA designation from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and holds the Series 3, 6, 7, 24 and 66 licenses.

Tom Balcom CFP®, CAIA, MBA

Founder | 1650 Wealth Management

Tom began his career in the financial services industry in 1998, working at two of the nation’s largest brokerage firms. His passion for educating and protecting his clients’ wealth developed as he witnessed novice investors entrusting their life savings to “financial advisors” whose top priority was meeting their monthly sales quotas.

Tom aspired to differentiate himself from the crowd. He earned an MBA degree with a Specialization in Investments from the University of Miami in 2000 and became a fee-only, independent, registered investment advisor at a private wealth management firm in Miami. Tom earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation in 2003 and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation in 2005.

In 2010, after gaining over a decade of private wealth management experience, Tom took his passion for educating and protecting his clients’ wealth and founded 1650 Wealth Management. 1650 Wealth Management is a fee-only, independent, private wealth management investment advisor. Tom neither sells investment products nor does he receive sales commissions. Tom focuses on actively managing and creating custom investment management strategies with the goal of protecting and growing his clients’ wealth.

Tom has spent a majority of his career studying and investing in alternative investments. He has spoken at numerous industry conferences including: Structured Products Americas Conference, MTN-I Structured Products Conference, Super Bowl of Indexing Conference, Innovative Alternative Strategies Conference, North American Structured Products Conference, Forum on Alternative Investments, Retail Alternative Investments, Private Wealth Southeast Forum, and the Financial Planning Association of Miami.

He is a contributing guest contributor for the Structured Products Daily publication and has been interviewed by top news and financial publications including: Bloomberg Businessweek, New York Times, CNBC, Investment News, Daily Business Review, CNNMoney.com, Registered Rep, SmartMoney, Forbes, Robb Report, Worth, Structured Retail Products, NerdWallet.com, SunSentinel.com, Florida Trend Magazine and the South Florida Business Journal.

He previously was as an adjunct professor within Barry University’s Personal Financial Planning program and in 2014, Tom was asked to serve as an expert witness on behalf of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board).

Originally from Nashua, New Hampshire, Tom has made South Florida his home for nearly 30 years. Tom and his family reside in Lighthouse Point, Florida. On the weekends, you may find Tom golfing (or attending his daughter’s junior golf tournaments), traveling, spending time with his family and actively supporting the University of Miami’s football and basketball teams.

Tom Balcom CFP®, CAIA, MBA

Founder | 1650 Wealth Management

Tom began his career in the financial services industry in 1998, working at two of the nation’s largest brokerage firms. His passion for educating and protecting his clients’ wealth developed as he witnessed novice investors entrusting their life savings to “financial advisors” whose top priority was meeting their monthly sales quotas.

Tom aspired to differentiate himself from the crowd. He earned an MBA degree with a Specialization in Investments from the University of Miami in 2000 and became a fee-only, independent, registered investment advisor at a private wealth management firm in Miami. Tom earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation in 2003 and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation in 2005.

In 2010, after gaining over a decade of private wealth management experience, Tom took his passion for educating and protecting his clients’ wealth and founded 1650 Wealth Management. 1650 Wealth Management is a fee-only, independent, private wealth management investment advisor. Tom neither sells investment products nor does he receive sales commissions. Tom focuses on actively managing and creating custom investment management strategies with the goal of protecting and growing his clients’ wealth.

Tom has spent a majority of his career studying and investing in alternative investments. He has spoken at numerous industry conferences including: Structured Products Americas Conference, MTN-I Structured Products Conference, Super Bowl of Indexing Conference, Innovative Alternative Strategies Conference, North American Structured Products Conference, Forum on Alternative Investments, Retail Alternative Investments, Private Wealth Southeast Forum, and the Financial Planning Association of Miami.

He is a contributing guest contributor for the Structured Products Daily publication and has been interviewed by top news and financial publications including: Bloomberg Businessweek, New York Times, CNBC, Investment News, Daily Business Review, CNNMoney.com, Registered Rep, SmartMoney, Forbes, Robb Report, Worth, Structured Retail Products, NerdWallet.com, SunSentinel.com, Florida Trend Magazine and the South Florida Business Journal.

He previously was as an adjunct professor within Barry University’s Personal Financial Planning program and in 2014, Tom was asked to serve as an expert witness on behalf of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board).

Originally from Nashua, New Hampshire, Tom has made South Florida his home for nearly 30 years. Tom and his family reside in Lighthouse Point, Florida. On the weekends, you may find Tom golfing (or attending his daughter’s junior golf tournaments), traveling, spending time with his family and actively supporting the University of Miami’s football and basketball teams.

Tom Balcom CFP®, CAIA, MBA

Founder | 1650 Wealth Management

Tom began his career in the financial services industry in 1998, working at two of the nation’s largest brokerage firms. His passion for educating and protecting his clients’ wealth developed as he witnessed novice investors entrusting their life savings to “financial advisors” whose top priority was meeting their monthly sales quotas.

Tom aspired to differentiate himself from the crowd. He earned an MBA degree with a Specialization in Investments from the University of Miami in 2000 and became a fee-only, independent, registered investment advisor at a private wealth management firm in Miami. Tom earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation in 2003 and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation in 2005.

In 2010, after gaining over a decade of private wealth management experience, Tom took his passion for educating and protecting his clients’ wealth and founded 1650 Wealth Management. 1650 Wealth Management is a fee-only, independent, private wealth management investment advisor. Tom neither sells investment products nor does he receive sales commissions. Tom focuses on actively managing and creating custom investment management strategies with the goal of protecting and growing his clients’ wealth.

Tom has spent a majority of his career studying and investing in alternative investments. He has spoken at numerous industry conferences including: Structured Products Americas Conference, MTN-I Structured Products Conference, Super Bowl of Indexing Conference, Innovative Alternative Strategies Conference, North American Structured Products Conference, Forum on Alternative Investments, Retail Alternative Investments, Private Wealth Southeast Forum, and the Financial Planning Association of Miami.

He is a contributing guest contributor for the Structured Products Daily publication and has been interviewed by top news and financial publications including: Bloomberg Businessweek, New York Times, CNBC, Investment News, Daily Business Review, CNNMoney.com, Registered Rep, SmartMoney, Forbes, Robb Report, Worth, Structured Retail Products, NerdWallet.com, SunSentinel.com, Florida Trend Magazine and the South Florida Business Journal.

He previously was as an adjunct professor within Barry University’s Personal Financial Planning program and in 2014, Tom was asked to serve as an expert witness on behalf of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board).

Originally from Nashua, New Hampshire, Tom has made South Florida his home for nearly 30 years. Tom and his family reside in Lighthouse Point, Florida. On the weekends, you may find Tom golfing (or attending his daughter’s junior golf tournaments), traveling, spending time with his family and actively supporting the University of Miami’s football and basketball teams.