Saadya Chevan – Bitcoin at Home: The Art of Self-Custody

Self-custody is one of the most personal decisions a Bitcoiner makes — and one of the most misunderstood. At BTC Prague, I shared what I’ve learned as a Trezor Expert helping people protect their Bitcoin at home, from multi-share backups to inheritance planning and filtering out the noise.

Look Ahead Down the Road

When I was learning to drive as a teenager, my instructor told me that a good driver looks 10 seconds ahead — toward the hills, not the next bush. Self-custody works the same way. You need a plan for what happens to your Bitcoin as life keeps moving. Maybe you won’t be as passionate about Bitcoin next year. Maybe something unexpected happens. The important thing is to plan ahead and build in redundancy so you can always restore your wallet when you need to.

Create Multiple Backups

One of my strongest recommendations is creating multiple copies of your backup. At Trezor, we’ve implemented a system called SLIP39 — also known as single-share or multi-share backup. With multi-share, you split your backup into several parts with a threshold number required to restore. In an example I often use: five parts exist, the threshold is three, one part burns in a fire, one gets stolen — you still have three, you’re fine. The stolen part alone is useless. Ideally, each part lives in a different location, maybe with trusted friends or family. You decide. That’s the point.

Have a Safety Net and an Inheritance Plan

Life happens. Heaven forbid there’s an accident tonight. Who do you want to inherit your Bitcoin? Your mother, your daughter? I’m speaking from personal experience here — I’ve seen this situation unfold with a family member. Write down simple instructions. Keep in mind that not everyone in your life is a Bitcoiner. If your heir has to navigate a complicated setup, they may give up entirely. Keep it simple, keep it clear, and make sure the right people know what to do.

Filter Out the Noise

There’s a huge amount of information on social media about how to self-custody Bitcoin, and not all of it is compatible. Some YouTubers swear by air-gapped wallets. Others tell you to start with a Lightning app. The problem comes when people start mixing advice from different sources. I’ve had people come to a Trezor Expert session with seed words they invented themselves in their own heads — words that don’t follow any actual backup standard and are, frankly, dangerous. The human brain is not a good random number generator. Your device can do this for you. Let it.

You Are the Best Decision-Maker for Your Own Bitcoin

I never tell people exactly where to store their backup — not under the pillow, not in a specific drawer. If I gave the same advice to everyone, anyone trying to steal Bitcoin would know exactly where to look. You know your neighborhood. You know your life. I don’t. That’s not my job, and honestly, it shouldn’t be. The Bitcoin principle of don’t trust, verify applies here too — don’t just take my word for it. Understand why you’re making the choices you’re making, and stand by them.

Confidence Comes With Time

Self-custody is a journey. The more you learn, the more confident you’ll become. If you need help along the way, get it — there’s no shame in that. Some of the best Bitcoiners I’ve worked with already had their wallets set up and came to me anyway, just to see how a professional would do it. That kind of mindset is exactly right. Be proud of protecting your own Bitcoin. Enjoy the process. You’ve already cut out most of the noise just by being here.