Recently, I’ve been organizing storage options for crypto assets and found that many beginners are still a bit confused when it comes to choosing a wallet. So I decided to share my own experience, hoping to help everyone clear up their thinking.

First, the conclusion: if you plan to hold crypto assets long-term, products that rank high among cold wallets are definitely worth investing in. I personally use two mainly—Ledger and Trust Wallet. It’s a combination of one cold and one hot wallet, which basically covers my everyday needs.

When it comes to cold wallets, the Ledger Nano series is my top pick. It’s like a hardware safe—your private keys are completely under your control. Even if you lose the wallet, you don’t need to worry, because you have a backup phrase. Ledger supports more than 1000 cryptocurrencies and is relatively easy to use, which explains why it has consistently stayed near the top in cold wallet rankings. Another solid hardware option is Trezor, which is also a long-established brand. It was launched in 2014, and its security is top-notch.

For everyday transactions or small holdings, I use Trust Wallet. This wallet is decentralized, its code is open-source, and you control your own private keys—so its security is pretty good among hot wallets. The interface is also simple and easy to use, supports Chinese, and even lets you directly participate in DeFi and staking to earn rewards. You can get up to 10% back on your holdings, which is quite appealing.

Besides these two, MetaMask (the “little fox”) is also a popular choice, especially if you frequently interact with the Ethereum ecosystem. There are also ImToken and Exodus—each has its own features. They support lots of different coins and offer fairly comprehensive functionality.

When it comes to wallet selection principles, I think the most important points are: first, the code must be open-source, so you can ensure there are no backdoors; second, the development team should be reliable, with real credentials and a good reputation; third, never use wallets from teams that are opaque or that claim high returns—most of those are scams; fourth, absolutely don’t delegate custody of your private keys to the project team, because that defeats the whole purpose of self-custody.

Products that rank highly among cold wallets usually meet these criteria, but you still need to do your own homework when choosing. Check the project’s official website and verify whether the company actually exists, whether the team information is clear, and whether the code is open-source—these are the basic due-diligence steps.

My advice is: keep large assets in hardware wallets (cold wallets), keep smaller amounts for everyday transactions in mobile app wallets (hot wallets), and for the portion you trade frequently, store some funds on major exchanges. This way you get both safety and convenience.

Finally, a reminder: no matter what wallet you use, make sure to properly store your seed phrase and passwords. If you lose them, your assets are truly gone. Even a top-ranked cold wallet is useless if you don’t take responsibility for security—ultimately, the responsibility for safety still lies with you. So it’s better to spend a bit more time understanding the basic principles of wallets rather than rushing to get started.