<p>In 1995, Microsoft made a major turn with Windows 95. Microsoft's stock price skyrocketed following the release of the Windows 95 operating system, quickly tripling in value and beginning an incredible 25-year run.</p><p>These "inflection points" happen frequently in technology. Windows 95 fundamentally altered the world because it was the operating system that was installed on the majority of computers at the time. </p><p>The similar-sized event, "The Merge," the imminent update of Ethereum, won't be commemorated much through conventional marketing campaigns. But because The Merge will modernize the crypto operating system, it will have an impact on society just as profound as Windows 95 did. As your mother or father could have missed Microsoft investing opportunity in 1995, you can’t just miss The Merge this time. <a href="https://www.builder.news/" alt="Builder.news" title="Builder.news" target="_blank" rel="" class="">Builder.news</a> is going to provide you with 3 strategies to invest in The Merge for the early birds.</p><p class="prosemirror-p-center"><img src="https://cdn.builder.news/news/11ed301d509b4378a8e6023f659fee92.jpg" alt="Investing strategies in The Merge" title="Investing strategies in The Merge" width="600" height="400" class="lykafe0"></p><h2>Strategy #1: Buy and hold ETH</h2><p>There are other Layer 1 blockchain platforms, but Ethereum is by far the most popular, accounting for two-thirds of the whole market:</p><p>The notion of "network effects" is enormous in the blockchain: the more individuals who use a software platform, the more valuable it gets. Ethereum has far greater network effects than any other L1 blockchain, with more users, developers, and apps. If Ethereum continues to innovate, it will extend its lead, generating a huge competitive moat.</p><p><a href="https://www.builder.news/crypto-insights/the-merge-a-pivotal-event-for-ethereum" alt="The Merge" title="The Merge: A pivotal event for Ethereum" target="_blank" rel="" class="">The Merge</a> is a huge breakthrough because it will reduce Ethereum's energy consumption by 99.95%.  All the complaints against cryptocurrency consuming too much electricity will vanish in a puff of smoke... with the exception of energy-hungry Bitcoin, which may begin to look like a poorer investment than Ethereum.</p><p class="prosemirror-p-center"><img src="https://cdn.builder.news/news/11ed301d509b4aa6a8e6023f659fee92.jpg" alt="Hold ETH" title="Hold ETH" width="600" height="400" class="lykafe1"></p><p>The new Ethereum could become deflationary as well. That's good news for investors since it indicates that instead of the supply expanding and eroding your ownership stake, the supply may begin to shrink, making your position more valuable.</p><p>The most straightforward investment option is to just buy and hold ETH. As investors awaken from their crypto winter sleep, you can already observe a correlation between The Merge and the price of ETH rising. The Flippening, in which Ethereum finally surpasses bitcoin in overall market capitalization, is very possible. Ethereum is innovating at breakneck speed; bitcoin is not.</p><h2>Strategy #2: Stake ETH</h2><p>When you stake ETH, you get incentives, which are usually in the form of extra ETH (similar to earning interest) but can be in another token. There are several staking choices available.</p><h3>Personal Staking</h3><p>If you have at least 32 ETH (about $50,000 today), you can host a validator node: basically, PCs running special validator software I n the same manner that mining computers run the bitcoin system, these devices run the upcoming Proof-of-Stake Ethereum network.</p><h3>Service staking</h3><p>If you have ETH but do not want to operate your personal node, you can deposit it into a staking service, which will operate the validators for you and divide the profit.</p><p>For most of us, staking your ETH using services like Lido or Rocket Pool is the more efficient and easier alternative. These allow you to stake lower quantities of ETH, which are then "pooled" to run their own validators. The rewards are then distributed to users.</p><p class="prosemirror-p-center"><img src="https://cdn.builder.news/news/11ed301d509b4ec3a8e6023f659fee92.jpg" alt="Staking" title="Staking" width="600" height="400" class="lykafe2"></p><p>Lido is by far the most user-friendly alternative, allowing you to stake any amount via a simple Web3 interface. Lido has become so big that a new issue has arisen: the service may wind up staking more than 50% of Ethereum, giving it power over the network.</p><p>Rocket Pool provides a similar service, but it also allows you to run mini pools with as little as 16 ETH and additional collateral. It is a less expensive solution than running a full node, but it still necessitates an IT background and a lot of free time.</p><h3>Centralized staking</h3><p>Staking your ETH through exchanges like Binance is the simplest way. Although you won't receive as many benefits, this is arguably the easiest and safest choice because the major exchanges have a lot riding on the safety of their investors.</p><p><em><strong>&gt;&gt;&gt; Check out:&nbsp;</strong></em><a href="https://www.builder.news/crypto-insights/best-crypto-staking-platforms" alt="best crypto staking platforms" title="7 best crypto staking platforms in 2022" target="_blank" rel="" class=""><em><strong>7 best crypto staking platforms in 2022</strong></em></a></p><h2>Strategy #3: Buy LDO or RPL</h2><p>Both Lido and Rocket Pool feature their own native tokens, which are used as extra incentives (LDO and RPL, respectively).</p><h3>Lido Finance</h3><p><a href="https://www.builder.news/project-review/lido-dao-review-what-makes-lido-the-best-ethereum-staking-platform-RQriU" alt="Lido DAO review" title="Lido DAO review: What makes Lido the best Ethereum staking platform?" target="_blank" rel="" class="">Lido DAO</a> is an easy-to-use, decentralized staking system that decreases the obstacles to staking. It allows you to make a passive income by staking even a fraction of an ETH on Ethereum 2.0.</p><p>Furthermore, it alleviates the burden of comprehending complexities or maintaining your system operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To improve matters, Lido now offers Liquid Staking, which addresses the liquidity issue mentioned above in traditional staking. As part of this, Lido will provide you another ERC20 token, stETH, in exchange for the ETH you stake. And, like ETH, stETH may be traded and transferred across DeFi protocols. When you stake your ETH on Lido, you will be eligible for ETH incentives equal to your stake size.</p><p class="prosemirror-p-center"><img src="https://cdn.builder.news/news/11ed301d509b5319a8e6023f659fee92.jpg" alt="Lido Finance" title="Lido Finance" width="600" height="333" class="lykafe3"></p><p>Purchasing a token is equivalent to purchasing stock in the underlying "business," according to our investment tenet. In other words, if you think the value of the Lido "business" will rise over time, you can just buy LDO now rather than staking ETH with Lido and progressively earning LDO rewards.</p><p>Consider the following scenario: A revolutionary new technology is on the market, but it is still considered too new for the general public. People worry that it might get even bigger once a protocol finds a method to make it more user-friendly, quickly grabbing a third of the market. That protocol is Lido Finance.</p><h3>Rocket Pool</h3><p>Rocket Pool is a system of decentralized nodes that provide Ethereum 2.0 blockchain validation services. Its objective is to enable users who do not have the requisite minimum number of ETH tokens to stake, as well as those who lack the technical abilities required to maintain a node, with an alternative. Instead of depositing the required minimum of 32 ETH, investors can stake with as little as 16 ETH. Furthermore, Rocket Pool automates the entire process, and the platform manages all validators without requiring any user participation.</p><p>Even if they employ Rocket Pool, Ethereum investors who want to stake face the long-term commitment of locking up tokens. All assets are locked once staked until Phase 2 of Ethereum PoS.</p><p>Rocket Pool, however, is feverishly attempting to keep up with Lido. Trying to set up a Rocket Pool mini pool in comparison to Lido's seamless Web3 interface is like attempting to create a quantum computer in your bathtub.</p><p>If Rocket Pool is to defeat Lido, they must concentrate on one thing: making their product user-friendly.</p><p>LDO and RPL are both high-risk high-return investments. The idea is that you're buying early in the next big thing and that their fortunes will soar once The Merge launches.</p><p><em><strong>&gt;&gt;&gt; Related article:&nbsp;</strong></em><a href="https://www.builder.news/crypto-insights/how-the-merge-affects-investors-etIkc" alt="How The Merge affects investors?" title="How The Merge affects investors?" target="_blank" rel="" class=""><em><strong>How The Merge affects investors?</strong></em></a></p><h2>The writer’s thought</h2><p>If you wish to reap the benefits of The Merge, never spend more than you can afford to lose, because there are still major risks, such as:</p><p>The Merge is not a foregone conclusion. It is becoming more likely, but it has already been postponed multiple times.</p><p>If you stake ETH today, you may not be able to cash out until The Merge occurs. If you invest in LDO or RPL, those protocols may not be able to withstand The Merge's stress test — or they may be surpassed by even better staking services.</p><p>All of the provided information is just personal opinion and not financial advice. We always encourage readers to do their own research before investing in anything.</p><div class="pr-block-special"><strong>Disclaimer:</strong><br>This article is intended for and only to be used for reference purposes only. No such information provided constitutes advice or a recommendation that any investment or trading strategy is suitable for any specific name.</div>

When The Merge is drawing near, 3 strategies to invest in The Merge is what you need right now!

3 strategies to take advantage of The Merge