Too Long; Didn't Read
Bitcoin mining was no longer profitable during the year-long bear market of 2018. The retail investor was better off buying Bitcoin on the secondary market than joining mining pools to get Bitcoin. By choosing the correct altcoins to mine, profits can still be made. Mining is expensive, especially if you are a retail investor with limited resources to invest. Bitcoin mining is the most expensive and will be less so as the price continues to increase. The difficulty of mining a block has steadily increased over the past 6 months.