If you’re looking to invest in cryptocurrency, Ethereum should be on your radar. Like every other cryptocurrency, it runs on blockchain technology, and its coins are known as ether. It’s the second-largest cryptocurrency by volume and the most promising crypto, offering you features that even bitcoin lacks.

With an Ethereum wallet, you can use your Ethereum account and transact. You can also check your balance, receive and make payments, and connect to applications. Today, you only need to pick the best eth wallet app, and you can manage your crypto from your phone.

However, like every investment, you need in-depth knowledge and background information before jumping in fully. The following is what you should know before making an Ethereum crypto investment:

What’s Ethereum?

Ethereum is a blockchain network that doesn’t depend on a central body like a bank to facilitate transactions. It’s the second most popular crypto after bitcoin, and you may even hear some refer to it as bitcoin 2.0. 

Vitalik Buterin invented Ethereum in 2015. With its platform, you can achieve pleasing results. A great benefit of Ethereum you’ll enjoy is how well it works on smartphones. The software is perfect if you’re using your mobile phone, and it’s also universal, so you can use it in every state and country.

How Does It Work?

Ethereum borrows its major features, such as using blockchain from bitcoin. However, it implements a few changes that you can benefit from, such as the proof-of-work mechanism. The Ethereum platform allows you to make payments and buy and sell ether. 

Ethereum depends on node operators that process your transactions, ensuring the network is safe. You pay for these nodes’ functions of running the software and hardware facilitating your transactions. These are the famous gas fees.

Furthermore, there’s more than digital currency. It allows developers to create and run dApps using smart contacts. If someone offers you a service, you can use a smart contract to make the payment.

How To Invest In Ethereum (ETH)

You can invest in Ethereum using the following methods:

• Mining it: If your computer has a powerful graphics card, you can use it to mine eth. Mining consumes a lot of power, and it may not be feasible to invest if you don’t have access to affordable energy. 

• Buying it: You can invest in Ethereum with fiat currency like the dollar on crypto exchange sites. Also, you can trade any Ethereum you have. However, if you’re frequently transferring eth to different addresses, you should beware of the expensive gas fees.

• Investing in the fund: Ether has a few funds you can invest in exclusively. You can buy shares in the Ethereum pool owned by a professional. This mode of investment is hands-off and expensive compared with when you buy directly.

• Joining the Ethereum pool: Setting up your mining can be very tough; a simple way out is by joining an Ethereum pool. This pool contains people who come together, pool their resources, and mine efficiently. The Ethereum pool investment gives smaller rewards, but you’ll find it less risky and easier. 

Investing in Ethereum is risky, and you need to be sure of the investment you’ll make to avoid losing money.

The Cost Of Ethereum

Ethereum remains popular among prominent investors because it hasn’t traded lower than USD$1,000 since 2021. Notably, as the transaction price of other cryptocurrencies dropped by 20%, Ethereum was on a roll with a high of USD$4,800. In 2022, Ethereum keeps being volatile. In early January 2022, eth was worth about USD$3,770, and by the end of that month, its value was at USD$2,400. In July 2022, Ethereum’s value dropped below USD$1500, and its rebound keeps experiencing difficulties.

The Risks Involved 

With all its pomp and color, Ethereum still has significant risks you can encounter once you invest. These include:

• The technology is relatively new and offers no guarantee of success.
• The Ethereum currency could collapse if the network is hacked and taken down or if a network failure occurs.
• The eth value keeps fluctuating, and you may fail to get the money you invested.
• Ethereum has very many scammers, and you could fall prey.

With these tips on the risks of Ethereum, you should find ways to navigate them before you can invest your life’s work.

Other Factors To Consider 

As you choose to invest in Ethereum, the following are other things you should watch out for:

• How liquid eth is, to allow you to easily and quickly exchange it
• Identifying profitable volatility rates of Ethereum
• The inflation risk of Ethereum ensures you invest during favorable rates

Pros And Cons

The following are the benefits of investing in crypto:

• Compared with other cryptocurrencies, it has reasonable pricing.
• It’s a safe investment compared with banking which has a centralized server.
• Ethereum has high liquidity, and you can easily exchange it for fiat currencies.

The disadvantages of investing in crypto are:

• It has a lot of competition and can quickly lose value.
• It’s not always popular, so finding sellers or buyers may be challenging.

Conclusion 

Cryptocurrency, especially Ethereum, is on the rise in the market. Investing in it is something you should consider. With the above information, you should be able to make a comprehensive decision on whether to invest.