I first heard about this new underground internet money called “Bitcoin” while I was in university in 2012. I read about it for just a few hours, but was hooked and couldn’t imagine turning back. Because of my mathematics background, I was fascinated by the algorithms that made Bitcoin possible. From there it’s not so difficult to be fascinated by the idea of money that’s not controlled by any government or central entity.
Most everybody has heard of the Federal Reserve, but you’re not alone if that’s about as far as your knowledge of the Fed extends. We recently conducted a study of 1,000 US consumers and when asked the question, do you know what the Federal Reserve does? Nearly 50% of respondents answered either no (34%) and I don’t know (15%).
What’s that you say? You don’t know the first thing about what fractional-reserve banking is or how it works? You’re not alone. We recently conducted a study of 1,000 US consumers and nearly 26% of respondents believed that banks were required to hold 100% of customer deposits in reserves.
When was the last time you heard mention of any central bank? During the lesson on Alexander Hamilton in your eighth grade American History class? You’re probably not alone.