So for cashing out - I use coinbase to sell litecoin, and put that money (dollars) into paypal. The litecoin can be gotten through blocktrades.us, no account needed. Coinbase set-up is a hassle, they all are.

For playing the markets, bittrex is my favorite so far - with haejin's advice I feel like I almost know what I am doing! Read his tutorial on laddering!

Make sure to post updates!