Key points (TL;DR)

Why should you filter every coin before you buy?

Buying is the easy decision. A thesis sounds good and the price is moving. A written filter slows you down just enough to separate an investment from a story. In the SHIFT Method, filtering is step F, and it protects the higher-risk part of your portfolio.

Watch: Ben Simpson on this topic

Key takeaway: Ben explains token unlocks (“think of it like vested equity”), why fully diluted value matters as much as market cap, and how he tracks which sectors hold the market’s attention.

Key takeaway: A hold or sell framework for reviewing each altcoin you already own, so every position has to keep earning its place.

What are the steps to research a cryptocurrency?

1. The business. What problem does it solve, and is there a working product today?
2. Real users. Is activity coming from genuine users or from short-term incentives?
3. Revenue. Does the protocol earn fees? Step I of the SHIFT Method focuses on on-chain businesses with real users and revenue.
4. Token supply. How much exists now, how much will exist later, and who holds it?
5. Unlocks. When will team and investor tokens become transferable?
6. Dilution. How much will new supply reduce your share over time?
7. Liquidity. Can you buy and sell your planned position size without moving the price?
8. Fit and exits. How big will the position be, and what are your Profit Ladder rungs?

What are token unlocks and why do they matter?

On many projects, tokens for the team and early investors are held in contracts and released over time. These releases are called unlocks. When they happen, new supply can reach the market. Long lock-ups can also signal that insiders are aligned with the project over the long term.

Read our full token unlocks guide for the detail.

Which tools help with crypto research?

• Token unlock trackers for vesting schedules.
• Portfolio and on-chain explorers to see wallet activity.
• Protocol revenue dashboards to check fees and usage.
• Your own Strategy Sheet to record the result of every filter.

Tools give you data. The filter is what turns data into a decision.

What are the seven questions the Collective Shift research team asks?

In a June 2026 member session on altcoin research, the team set out the sequence of questions it asks about every new coin:

1. Market context. Is this a bull or bear market? The same coin can be a different decision in each.
2. Sector relevance. Is the sector current, or is it last cycle’s story that the market has moved on from?
3. Project fundamentals. What real problem does it solve? Plenty of crypto is a solution looking for a problem.
4. Token economics. Why does the token need to exist, who is the marginal buyer, and how much supply is still to come?
5. Narrative. Is the market paying attention to this theme now? Narratives matter, so the team does not ignore them.
6. Risk. What could go wrong, from a smart contract exploit to a flawed design?
7. Portfolio fit. Even if it is a good bet, do you need another higher-risk position?

“A good project doesn’t necessarily mean good token.”

the Collective Shift research team

That last point is easy to miss. A protocol can grow users and revenue while its token goes nowhere, because the token has no clear job in the system. Chainlink is the team’s example of a token with a clear job: node operators stake LINK and can lose it for bad behaviour, so the token is part of how the network works.

How do you read token supply like the research team does?

Ben uses two numbers side by side. Market cap is the value of the tokens in circulation today. Fully diluted value is the value of every token that will ever exist at the current price. A large gap between the two means a lot of supply is still to arrive.

Then check the unlock schedule. Projects often lock team and investor tokens for about 12 months (the cliff) and then release them steadily, commonly over the following two years. Ben compares this to vested equity in a startup, and pays particular attention to projects with heavy venture capital backing, where more tokens are waiting to be sold.

Finally, Ben’s low-tech test: use the product. Try the app before you buy the token, so you understand what you own. As he puts it, value and price are two separate things, and knowing the value is what gives you conviction when the price moves.

How does Collective Shift apply this filter?

Collective Shift is a Melbourne crypto research and education company founded in 2020, with 15+ staff, 1,000+ members and a rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 135+ verified Trustpilot reviews. Our research team applies the same filter in its published research, and the Live Crypto Portfolio shows analysts’ buys and sells with a dated thesis for every entry, so members can see the reasoning, not just the result.

What is your next step?

If you would like a structured way to apply this filter, the Collective Shift Accelerator membership runs for 12 months and opens with 4 live cohort weeks, followed by ongoing access to research, and carries a 14-day guarantee. You can read member results from members, or check the company facts on our page Is Collective Shift legit?

Where this guide comes from

• Our Approach to Altcoin Research, member session, June 2026
• YouTube: Exactly How I Research and Invest In Crypto Altcoins in 2026, Ben Simpson, 2025-12-07
• YouTube: My Framework To Reassess An Altcoin Portfolio (HOLD or SELL), Ben Simpson, 2024-03-11

Collective Shift live sessions and Academy lessons are available to members. This guide is general education only and is not personal financial advice.

Last updated 30 Oct 2026. Written by Ben Simpson, Founder and CEO of Collective Shift.

General information only. Collective Shift provides research and education, not personal financial advice. We don’t manage your money or hold your crypto. Consider your own circumstances and speak with a licensed adviser and a registered tax agent before acting. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.