How to stake Ethereum

Explaining the Ethereum merge in simple terms

Ethereum slowly switched the way it adds blocks to the chain. In 2022, it completed its transition from a proof-of-work model to a proof-of-stake model. That event, called “The Merge,” happened when it combined two Ethereum blockchains operating under different systems. For an explanation of proof-of-work and proof-of-stake, and the significance of switching from one to the other, read this article.

Proof-of-work is the original way cryptocurrencies added new blocks to blockchains

It’s a competitive method requiring “miners” to solve cryptographic puzzles, often using equipment that consumes massive amounts of energy. Ethereum switched to proof-of-stake, a less energy-intensive method in which “validators” stake crypto to be randomly chosen to check transactions.

Ethereum Classic and the Ethereum hard fork

One year after its launch, Ethereum was forked into two blockchains as a workaround to return funds stolen in a major hack to users. To this day, Ethereum Classic operates separately from Ethereum, and the two blockchains have different goals. Because of this split, investors must be cautious and ensure they’re interacting with the correct blockchain. Funds can’t simply be transferred from one to the other. Learn more here.

The Ethereum Foundation’s latest report

The Ethereum Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting Ethereum in several ways. These include providing grants to developers who want to build on the blockchain, and hosting events promoting crypto’s future, like Devcon. This annual report grants a peek into the nonprofit’s role in Ethereum's operations and the values it seeks to support through its work. The nonprofit’s frontline involvement is another differentiating factor between Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.

Top Ethereum dApps

Thousands of decentralized apps (dApps) run on Ethereum, including marketplaces, financial platforms, and social networks. Top apps include Uniswap, a decentralized exchange for buying and selling cryptocurrency, and OpenSea, the biggest marketplace for buying and selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs). New apps are built on Ethereum all the time, facilitating billions of dollars worth of transactions. Explore the biggest ones here.

Ethereum’s biggest risks and top criticisms

As it evolves, critics say Ethereum’s constant changes make the platform overly complex and fundamentally less secure. They also say the Ethereum Foundation and a handful of developers wield too much control over the crypto platform, and that gas fees are prohibitively expensive. Some criticisms are addressed in Ethereum’s roadmap, but others strike at the crypto platform’s core. Go deeper on why here.

Vitalik Buterin explains ethereum in 30 minutes

Every year, ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin explains what his crypto platform is in a 30-minute presentation at the Ethereum Foundation’s event, Devcon. Buterin’s explanation goes deeper than a simple 101 explanation. To learn more about the current state of ethereum, what’s changed recently, and what Buterin expects down the road, watch this video.

Solana is a blockchain designed for fast, scalable, low-cost transactions

Solana uses a unique Proof-of-History and Proof-of-Stake hybrid to process thousands of transactions per second. Solana supports a wide range of Web3 applications, offering an alternative to Ethereum with lower fees and faster speeds. Its native cryptocurrency, SOL, is used for transactions, staking, and governance.

What does the surge phase mean for Ethereum?

The Surge is the next major upgrade for Ethereum. It’s a process aiming to scale up Ethereum, letting it handle more transactions, more efficiently. A key part of this process involves “layer 2 rollups,” which bundle transactions in part of the blockchain to process them more quickly. The Surge is expected to improve Ethereum’s decentralization and lower gas fees. Learn more in this article.

How to put on a hedge

These days, hedging your portfolio isn’t just for hedge fund managers. An explainer from Robinhood delves into what a hedged position actually is, why traders put on hedges, and how you, too, can work to guard your holdings against a market downturn. The idea is to derive gains from your portfolio when markets are trending up, down, or sideways.

Learn how stablecoins function in just 4 minutes

This video explains the basics of stablecoins in a beginner-friendly manner. It also dives a bit deeper into the larger stablecoin landscape, detailing, for instance, the many stablecoins backed by fiat currency other than the US dollar, like the euro, the Turkish lira, and the Singapore dollar.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

Different types of endowments, explained

​This Investopedia article provides a comprehensive overview of financial endowments—donations made to nonprofit institutions like universities, museums, or hospitals. It explains how endowments are structured, the various types (such as restricted and quasi-endowments), and how they are managed to support an institution's mission over time.

NFTs create a unique digital signature to prove ownership

NFTs create digital certificates for unique online collectibles, mainly on the Ethereum blockchain. Artists can leverage NFTs to verify their online works.

The creator economy, explained

Many brands pay influencers to advertise their products or services on social media. Platforms such as YouTube, Substack, and Twitch also provide revenue-sharing opportunities for their top creators. Known as the creator economy, it's a system driven by individuals who produce online content for audiences that can be monetized.

There are three main ways to start investing in the bond market

Invest in the boind market through a brokerage, mutual fund or ETF, or the US government. Each has different steps and terms to follow, from starting rates to opening specific accounts. Some bonds are relatively easy to purchase, but the process differs depending on the type of bond you want.

Look inside a retail investor's portfolio

Online investing platform eToro conducted a survey of retail investors in June 2024. It explored what assets they held and what types of stocks they liked to purchase. The most commonly held asset was cash, with 76% of retail investors holding cash in their portfolios. The next most popular asset was domestic stocks, with 49% of investors.

Activist investors use large ownership positions to influence companies

By holding large ownership positions, which often come with leveraged access to a company's board or the ability to force a shareholder vote, activist shareholders can change a company's corporate governance, leadership, and overall direction. Critics argue that activist shareholders hurt companies in the long term by prioritizing short-term higher shareholder returns over sustainability and growth efforts.

A look at nodes and miners in managing bitcoin transactions

Each time a transaction involving bitcoin is carried out, the information must be relayed and recorded onto the currency’s blockchain. Multiple steps are involved, including the passage of the transaction to various nodes and miners who comprise multiple layers of verification and validation. See an illustrated guide to how these two crucial features of bitcoin processing work here.

Startup accelerators offer mentorship and seed funding in exchange for equity

Those programs, such as Y Combinator and Techstars, not only offer expert advice to founders, but also seed funding in exchange for equity. The goal is to help young startups learn from successful companies, making it more likely they attract venture capital.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

Rewards credit cards can offer points, travel miles, and more

For every dollar that a cardholder spends on a rewards credit card, they can also receive benefits such as cash back, airline miles, and more. For many, rewards are the reason they make so many purchases on credit cards in the first place.

A beginner's guide to creating your own NFT

It took 12 hours and three different Apple devices, but this 30-something poet successfully minted her first NFT, and so can you. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an NFT.

How ancient Romans invested and worked

The first stock exchange didn't open for business until the early 1600s, but that didn't stop the Ancient Romans from working and investing their money centuries before. While Romans are better known for their political inventions than their economic ones, understanding how they viewed money can help paint a better picture of the Roman mindset that created systems like democracy. Read this article to learn more.

Mark Zuckerberg has nearly exclusive decision-making authority in Meta

Meta has a dual-class stock structure, meaning there are two types of stock that have different voting rights. Zuckerberg owns 90% of the company's Class B stock, which is allotted 10 votes per share, whereas Class A shareholders get one vote per share. He's also the CEO and the chairman of the board, meaning Zuckerberg has majority control over the company. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Should you pay off debt or invest?

Some experts say you should put aside 20% of each paycheck and use that money for future goals, such as saving, investing, and paying off debt. But which should you prioritize first? It all depends on where you are in your financial journey. This article outlines the steps you should take depending on what your finances look like right now. Read it here.

Many gig economy jobs are easy to sign up for, with a low barrier to entry

That doesn’t mean being a gig worker is an easy career, however. This article provides a framework for how to succeed in the gig economy, such as getting routines in place to streamline workflows, avoiding burnout, and creating a solid network.

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

SpaceX's S-1 or 'prospectus' revealed many previously unknown details about the company, including its unprofitability despite doing $18.7B in revenue in 2025, exactly how many voting shares Elon Musk will have in the company (roughly 85%), and more.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

The 1987 Nintendo video game 'Stadium Events' isn't known for being particularly fun, but its scarcity has made it a highly sought-after item that has sold for up to $35K at auction.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

See photos of Meteora, a mountainous site in central Greece, home to 14th-century monasteries perched atop soaring outcroppings.

Stanford built a Google Maps for the Roman Empire, revealing how much it cost to travel in the ancient world

Planarian flatworms are small, aquatic worms with exceptional regenerative capabilities. When cut, the worms can regenerate multiple bodies in a matter of weeks.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is independent of Iran's regular army and is one of the most powerful and influential military-political organizations in the Middle East.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

Famed poet TS Eliot rejected the manuscript for George Orwell's political fable 'Animal Farm,' writing that its criticism of authoritarianism was not 'the right point of view.'