I always preach that btc is always going to be your safest investment. Its upside is big longterm and you don't need to understand much to feel comfortable doing so. Buying altcoins does carry a bit more risk especially if you dont do your hw. Start reading whitepapers to get an idea for what to look for and red flags that scare you. I read about 30-40 whitepapers a week and u start to figure out which ones are legit. If you want to check out a new altcoin that I recently purchased look http://www.protexproject.io/. Top notch whitepaper, good team, and great idea. Hope that helps!!