Why this 30-year-old swapped cash for crypto

Like most 30-year-olds, Kayla Trivieri uses her bank card anywhere it’s accepted — from buying coffee to taking the subway to paying for dinner. While her spending seems ordinary, the money behind it is anything but: she’s spending cryptocurrency.

“I used (crypto) Visa cards for literally anything that I would use a credit card for,” says Trivieri, who works as a product lead for a blockchain and cryptocurrency company in New York City. She even uses the digital currency as a workaround for splitting flight tickets and Airbnbs with friends abroad when Venmo, which only works in the U.S., isn’t an option.

The process is simple: Trivieri, who invests in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum, uses a neobank (an online-only financial platform) that converts her crypto into a dollar‑pegged stablecoin (a digital coin whose value is on par with the U.S. dollar), allowing her to make payments as usual.

Trivieri first invested in crypto in 2017, seeing it as a valuable investment. She avoids buying meme coins — digital tokens created as a joke — in favor of more established digital assets. “Once you spend more time with (crypto) and actually understand the tech (and) how powerful it is, it really changed my mind,” Trivieri says.

Trivieri says her financial approach is partly shaped by her upbringing, noting that her parents emphasized getting a job, saving money, and buying a house. But she says today’s economy feels different. “There’s this big financial burden on this generation of, like, how can I get more creative with the money that I make and save,” she says.

The Wider Trend

While roughly a quarter of Americans have tried using cryptocurrencies for purchases and investments, younger generations show far more enthusiasm: 42% of Gen Z respondents and 34% of millennials say they’ve used a stablecoin, according to a July survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by The Motley Fool

Of those who do use it, 40% of millennials prioritize crypto for travel and large purchases, according to a 2025 Bitget Wallet Onchain Report, while 39% of Gen Z prefer using it for gaming, and 35% for gifting and daily spending.

Mike Casey, a certified financial planner and early adopter of bitcoin, says that investing in cryptocurrency can be one of the smartest financial decisions a young person can make to build wealth, if done wisely. “It acts as a proven hedge against money printing and inflation, giving the next generation true ownership of a globally accepted asset they can truly self-custody,” he says. However, he notes that volatility is high and, like any other investment, crypto carries risk. “I tell every client under 40 the same rule: only risk capital you can afford to watch drop by 50% or more and still sleep at night.”

Key takeaways

Diversify to manage risk. Even though Trivieri works in crypto and uses it in her daily life, it’s part of a broader, “relatively stable” portfolio, she says.

Educate yourself before diving in. Understanding how crypto works is essential — from volatility to security to the market structure. For Trivieri, the biggest practical benefit of crypto has been for international transfers.

Expect volatility. Crypto prices can swing more sharply than traditional currencies. As Casey notes, assume a potential drop of 50% or more — and only invest what you can afford to lose.