Below is copy paste reply from nem.forum regarding questions about opt in
"The Opt In process works as below (full guides will be produced in the near future, for when it opens):
Pre-Launch Opt In: Anyone who opts in before snapshot will receive xym at genesis/nemesis of Symbol
Snapshot: Balances of NIS1 will be snapshot at a specific block height
Genesis/Nemesis: Will occur at launch and release xym to holders that opted in pre-launch, they will receive the same amount of XYM as the amount of XEM they held at snapshot
Unclaimed Balances: Any balances of XEM at launch that were not opted in, will be held for up to 6 years to allow claims
Post Launch Opt In: Anyone who held XEM at snapshot and didn’t opt in pre-launch, will be able to claim their tokens from the unclaimed balances for up to 6 years
To the question of whether exchange will receive them to be able to list before general distribution? (I’m paraphrasing). The exchanges will have to opt in, he same as other holders, in order to receive their XYM. Therefore they will not hold any XYM before other holders.
It is up to the individual exchanges to decide how/when/if they opt in and/or distribute any xym tokens since they will control the keys to the accounts.
The question is generally asked so people can ascertain the value of the token at time it is distributed, given the token will not have been in existence until genesis/nemesis and all holders will receive it at the same time, it seems a reasonable assertion (and is the one I will be using personally with my accountant) to say that the token was of 0 value at the time you received it. I am not a tax advisor or lawyer (and all the usual disclaimers you would expect here) and people do need to check it for their own personal circumstances and locations."
Ahem, i still don´t understand the advantages of "opting in early" vs "opting in late", as it seems to make no difference for me, other then being able to trade XYM early.
So the only point of interest for me is the snapshot and my NEM balance at the time then.
As i won´t lose any NEMs in the process anyway, what´s the fuzz about this "opting in moment" ?
Sure, i won´t wait for 6 years to opt in and wait for the XYM-Project to fade away in the meantime, but opting in before or after snapshot really makes no difference for me, does it ? So why is that such a talking point ?
Which leads to the next question: Why would anyone choose to NOT opt in, as he would only miss out by not doing so. It´s all a mystery to me
Sorry for my ignorance.
This project is really great from a technical standpoint, i love it and am hodling, but i´m afraid it´s all much to confusing for potential new investors, while there´s simpler to understand projects, like Bitcoin, going to the moon in the meantime . . .
Ah well, we´re in it only for the tech anyway, right ?