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It's only natural for everyone to be looking for the next breakout coin after the success of Etherium and Lite Coin last year. People have started to look at altcoins for these opportunities because they are cheaper to buy and the upside could be massive. I will caution anyone investing in cryptocurrency to only invest what you can afford to lose. There is no "sure thing" and any investment is going to be a risk, especially in the cryptocurrency markets. That being said, I believe that 2018 is going to be a huge year for cryptocurrency and there will be a lot of coins that turn average people into millionaires. Below you will find my top five altcoin picks of 2018 that might just get you rich.

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1. RIPPLE - This has been the most talked about altcoin to start the new year and there is a lot of skepticism about how high it can go due to the total market supply. This coin doesn't need to reach the heights of Bitcoin, Etherium, or Lite Coin to show huge returns. It's currently trading around $1.40 per coin and with rumors that it could be added to Coinbase I can see the potential that it reaches $5 within the next couple of months. Just buying 100 of these coins could show great returns in the coming months.

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2. STELLAR LUMENS - There are many people that think this altcoin could surpass Ripple in 2018. It's currently trading at $.50 cents per coin and that is double what it was at just a couple of weeks ago. Another great thing about Stellar is that it has partnered with IBM to help speed up cross-country transactions. It is completely decentralized and a non-profit company. This coin could see some major success in the coming months and can be purchased for less than a dollar per coin, so why not take a chance?

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3. CARDANO - This is an interesting altcoin that is currently trading at $.57 cents per coin. Since its creation it has already grown over 1,000% and the crypto world is starting to take notice. There is a good possibility that by the end of the year this coin could be trading around $5 to $10 per coin and if that's the case you can still purchase it at a discount and see some great gains over the course of the year.

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4. NEM - This altcoin (also known as XEM) is currently trading at $.96 cents and is currently the 8th largest cryptocurrency according to Coin Market Cap. This cryptocurrency draws comparisons to Etherium and numberous businesses have started to get on board with this coin. At the beginning of December this coin was trading around $.20 cents so it has already seen tremendous growth in the last 45 days. This is yet another coin that has potential to get into the $5 to $10 range during the year and could be a great buy where it's at right now.

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5. STEEM - This cryptocurrency needs no introduction to anyone reading this post and if I had to choose just one cryptocurrency to invest in for 2018, it would probably be Steem. It is currently trading around $4.40 per coin and I see a lot of potential in the growth of this coin because of the steemit community. Just a few months ago this coin was trading at $1 and its already got over $6 earlier this month. The membership to this site continues to grow with no end in sight. As our community grows, this currency will grow with it. I have a feeling that Steem could be in for a record breaking year with potential of getting up to $100 per coin.

Remember, I'm not an expert. This is just my opinion on what I believe 2018 has in store for these 5 altcoins. Please only invest what you can afford to lose and always diversify your portfolios. At the same time remember that fortune favors the bold and without great risk, there cannot be great reward. If you decide to invest in these coins I wish everyone good luck and as always, be prepared to HODL!!

Stay Cool My Friends

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*DISCLAIMER* - This article is not meant to serve as any investment advice and is meant purely as entertainment.