Yea that’s perfectly fine to just own bitcoin itself, it’s ideal. Keep doing that. Bitcoin proxies make sense for others. Not sure where you’re located but hopefully there is some sort of Roth IRA equivalent you can use. I definitely take advantage of a Roth because come retirement I can withdrawal tax free. It’s a big benefit, especially for assets with a lot of growth. Shorting or going long isn’t exactly leverage unless you’re doing it with margin on an exchange. Bitcoin proxies provide leverage because they trade at a multiple and also are able to use low interest debt to buy more and use operating cash flows to pay for most of the interest. But if you’re comfortable with just the bitcoin itself, just keep doing that! You don’t have to use different tools like Bitcoin proxies, options, futures, etc. Simplicity can be the winner long run.