Lately I keep seeing words like “blockchain builders” and “bundles,” and it feels like there's another layer of black box. To be honest, retail investors really don’t need to memorize the process; knowing two points is enough: First, between your transaction point and it being on the chain, someone can bundle and sort transactions; if the order changes, slippage, front-running, and execution prices might differ. Second, some “private bundling” methods (like bundles) can help you avoid being targeted, but don’t expect them to be necessarily cheaper or safer.

If I had tightened my slippage, placed orders in batches, and not chased the execution before jumping in out of FOMO, I probably wouldn’t have paid another “impulse tax.” Recently, the stacking of yields from staking/sharing safety protocols has been criticized as “overly nested,” and I also have some PTSD: the more layers there are, the more it seems like risks are being stacked on top, and it’s hard to tell who’s really bearing the brunt in the end. Anyway, now I only stop when I understand the source of the risk—don’t train yourself to become a leek that can memorize jargon.