Bitcoin Long-Term vs Short-Term Holding Strategy: Which Is Better?
- 31 Oct 2025
So you’ve got some SOL sitting in your wallet and you’re wondering whether you should stake it? I totally get it. When I first heard about Solana staking, I had the same question everyone asks: “How much should I actually stake?”
The short answer is there’s no magic number, but let me walk you through everything I’ve learned about Solana staking so you can figure out what works for your situation.
If you’re new to this, staking is basically like putting your SOL to work. Instead of just holding it and hoping the price goes up, you can delegate it to help secure the Solana network and earn rewards for doing so. Think of it like earning interest on your crypto, except you’re actually helping keep the blockchain running.
The cool thing about Solana is that your tokens never leave your wallet when you stake them. You’re just telling the network “hey, I want my SOL to vote for this validator to help secure things.” Your keys, your coins – they just happen to be working for you now.
Honestly, it was a no-brainer for me once I understood how it worked. Here’s what sold me on it:
I’m earning around 6-8% annually just for holding SOL I was planning to hold anyway. That’s way better than what my savings account pays, and I’m still bullish on Solana long-term.
Unlike some other blockchains where your tokens get locked up for weeks or months, Solana only has a few days of “warming up” and “cooling down” when you stake or unstake. So I’m not completely stuck if I need to access my funds.
There’s really minimal risk. My SOL stays in my wallet, I just delegate it to a validator. If the validator screws up, I might miss some rewards, but I won’t lose my original tokens.
This is where it gets personal, and honestly, it depends on your situation. Let me break down the key things to think about:
Starting Small is Totally Fine You don’t need to be a whale to start staking. Technically, you can stake tiny amounts – even 0.01 SOL if you want. Most validators I’ve looked at want at least 0.1 SOL, and some prefer 1 SOL or more, but those minimums are pretty low.
When I started, I threw in about 10 SOL just to see how it worked. Once I got comfortable with the process and saw those rewards hitting my wallet, I gradually increased my stake.
Think About Your Timeline This is huge. If you’re planning to trade your SOL actively or might need the cash soon, staking probably isn’t for you. Remember, there’s a 2-3 day period when you unstake before you can actually use your tokens again.
I only stake SOL that I’m planning to hold for at least a few months. My trading stack stays liquid, but my long-term holdings? Those are all staked and earning rewards.
Don’t Stake Everything I learned this lesson the hard way early on. I staked almost all my SOL, then wanted to try some new DeFi protocol and had to wait three days to unstake. Now I always keep some liquid SOL for opportunities or emergencies.
A good rule of thumb I follow: stake about 70-80% of my SOL holdings, keep the rest available for trading or unexpected opportunities.
The numbers change based on network conditions, but right now I’m seeing around 6-8% annually. Let me give you some real examples:
If you stake 10 SOL, you’re looking at roughly 0.6 to 0.8 SOL per year in rewards. Depending on SOL’s price, that could be anywhere from decent coffee money to a nice little bonus.
Got 100 SOL to stake? That’s potentially 6-8 SOL annually. At current prices, that’s actually meaningful money.
Keep in mind, validators take a commission (usually 0-10% of your rewards), so your actual returns will be a bit lower. I always factor that in when I’m calculating potential earnings.
Here’s something I wish someone had told me when I started: not all validators are the same. I made the mistake of just picking the one with the lowest fees, and ended up with a validator that had terrible uptime. I missed out on rewards because they kept going offline.
Now I look for validators that have:
I use tools like Solana Beach or Solana Compass to compare validators. Your wallet probably has some built-in tools too, but doing your own research is worth it.
After trying different approaches, here’s what works for me:
I spread my stake across 2-3 different validators. If one has issues, I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket.
I reinvest my staking rewards by adding them to my stake every few months. Compound interest is powerful, even with crypto.
I keep an eye on validator performance and switch if someone starts slacking. It’s easy to redelegate to a different validator if needed.
I always keep at least 20-30% of my SOL unstaked for flexibility. You never know when a great opportunity will come up.
The Warm-up and Cool-down Periods When you first stake, it takes one epoch (about 2-3 days) for your stake to become active. Same thing in reverse when you unstake. Plan accordingly.
Validator Risk Your validator won’t steal your SOL, but if they perform poorly or go offline, you’ll miss rewards. Do your homework before choosing.
Network Changes Solana’s still evolving, and staking rewards can change based on network inflation and other factors. What you earn today might not be exactly what you earn next year.
If you want the flexibility to use your staked SOL in DeFi while still earning rewards, liquid staking might be interesting. Platforms like Marinade Finance give you mSOL tokens that represent your staked SOL, and you can trade or use those tokens while still earning staking rewards.
I’ve tried it, and it’s pretty cool, but there’s additional complexity and some smart contract risk. For beginners, I’d probably start with regular staking first.
If you’re holding SOL for the long term anyway, stake most of it. Start small if you’re nervous – even staking 1-5 SOL will let you get familiar with the process and start earning something.
For your first time, I’d suggest:
The worst thing you can do is let your SOL sit there earning nothing while you spend months researching the “perfect” staking strategy. The best time to start was yesterday; the second-best time is today.
Yes, but remember the 2-3 day cool-down period. It’s not instant like selling on an exchange.
You might miss some rewards, but you won’t lose your principal SOL. Unlike some other blockchains, Solana doesn’t slash your stake for validator mistakes.
Probably not. I like keeping 20-30% liquid for opportunities and emergencies.
I check maybe once a month to see how my validators are performing and collect any rewards. No need to obsess over it daily.
Look, staking isn’t going to make you rich overnight, but if you’re bullish on Solana anyway, it’s basically free money for doing nothing. Just start small, learn as you go, and don’t stress too much about finding the perfect amount to stake. You can always adjust as you get more comfortable with the process.
