Even though we might mix and match what we do and how we accumulate bitcoin, it is good to know the different possible ways of buying bitcoin so that the options can be considered.
Frequently I like to give an example of a guy who might have had been DCA buying $100 per week in bitcoin for a decently long period of time, perhaps a year, so then after a year, he would have had invested $5,200 into bitcoin.
And, then maybe all of a sudden (a surprise) at work he receives a $2k bonus for some successful project that he had been working on, and if he had otherwise gotten all of his cash flow in a good place (such as his having had already established his back up funds), maybe he might considr that the whole of the $2k is elible to invest in bitcoin, and so that $2k is equal to 20 weeks of his regular DCA, and since his DCA is ongoing, maybe he might decide to buy $1k right away and then save the other $1k for buying dips (that may or may not happen).
Another possibility is that he could put 1/3 of the amount into each of the categories, which would be $667 into each. 1) Buy $667 right away, 2) DCA $667 (perhaps add $67 to each of his DCA buys for the next 10 weeks), and then 3) allocate $667 for buying dips (that might not happen).. and maybe that would be to buy $67 every time the BTC price drops $2k, which would be right around 10 BTC buy orders between $71k and $51k (which might not end up filling).
Guys can do what they like within those three buying categories, and surely a guy who is in his first year of BTC accumulation, he might prefer to buy right away with most of the funds, but if he had already been accumulating for 6 years, then maybe he would decide differently. Any surprise funds can be allocated towards BTC buying, back up funds and/or discretionary consumption, so it is not obvious that he would allocate all of it for BTC buying. Maybe he ONLY allocates $1,200 for BTC buying and the other $800 for discretionary consumption.
I like the fact that your whole idea is kinda cycling around one crucial point, which is the fact that intentional allocation beats reactive buying, and this idea alone is exactly what separates a solid accumulation plan from just deciding to buy whenever you feel like.
I believe the most interesting part of all this isnt just the math, its more about the decision making behind the whole idea. The $2k bonus is kinda more about how the investor chooses to handle opportunity and less about how much bitcoin should be bought. The moment some investors find themselves in this situation, their first instinct would be to deploy all the funds instantly all at once, while some might feel waiting for the right opportunity (a dip) would be the best approach here. But the approach you proposed here kinda sits in the middle, which I believe is usually where the most most consistent outcomes come from.
The 3 bucket idea is effective because it tackles 3 different problems simultaneously.
-We have the problem of FOMO (you bought something immediately)
-Theres fear of volatility (you spread some overtime) and finally,
-Theres readiness for potential opportunities (you keep some dry powder, just incase)
The most crucial part about this strategy isnt necessarily about the exact split, but rather whether the strategy actually keeps you from second guessing yourself later on. What really makes a plan effective isnt really the structure but how you the investor is able to stick to it, especially when the market is moving against you or when it feels like the market is leaving you behind.
Again, I see a lot of investors carrying this misconception that every extra dollar should be used for accumulation, I like to challenge that this isnt always true because financial stability and flexibility is often focused more upon the long term impact it makes, than choosing to squeeze out a slightly appropriate entry price on Bitcoin.
In summary, choosing to set up a system thats capable of adapting to different situations is way more better than chasing a perfect strategy that may only appear to be effective in the short term.