Amid the hype, they bought crypto near its peak. Now, they cope with painful losses

Like millions of people, Michelle Milkowski bought Bitcoin and other digital currencies as the crypto industry spent millions of dollars on marketing. (Kholood Eid for NPR)

For Michelle Milkowski, who lives in Renton, Washington, one thing led to another.

Because her son's daycare closed in the early days of the pandemic, she had some extra cash. So, like millions of other people, Milkowski downloaded the Robinhood trading app.