I have been asking this same question and wanting a better way as well. It honestly takes a little over a week to make a transaction from CASH to Bitcoin and then Bitcoin into Steem. In a day where blockchains should be crazy fast and in seconds I still have to use the crazy slow system to try and buy more steem and many times either the price of bitcoin has fallen or the price of steem is on the rise so I end up losing out a bit in the transaction. It honestly sucks lol

P.S I use to use EmpireAvenue a ton! What is yours im curious to check out your profile and see if we where already vested in each other. I will have to check out minds.com though never heard of that one till now.