Field Notes
Reading a lockup cliff before you bond
How to mark the week coins become movable again — and why that week matters more than the headline reward rate.
Most staking pages lead with a reward percentage. The more useful number for a desktop investor is the first calendar week when coins can move again without a penalty.
Find the three dates
Write down:
- The day the bond starts (or when the stake becomes active)
- The earliest day you can request an unbond
- The day coins actually become transferable after the unbonding period
Those three marks form the cliff. If rent, tax, or a deposit sits inside that span, the headline yield is secondary.
Use a paper calendar
Digital reminders help, but a paper month view next to the monitor makes overlaps obvious. During our Staking Yield Planning Session we often print the next two quarters and pencil unlock weeks in ink.
Watch for “flexible” language
Some protocols describe locks as soft. Soft usually still means a fee or a delayed exit. Read the penalty clause twice before treating the position as emergency cash.
If you already bonded and the cliff feels wrong, a Lockup Return Review can reconcile remaining days against what you expected at entry.