you can investigate ICO and crypto research with www.crypto-compass.io that is displaying ICO projects at presale stage with good entries. They dont pool but agree on exclusivity directly with the ICO team. So no additional risk from the investor side.
their new ANN : https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3178063.new#new
their new ANN : https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3178063.new#new
I think it's very difficult to say convincingly and convince which approach is better and which is worse. Personally, I think trading is a faster way to see if you're doing something wrong and then making changes to your investment decisions.
When you trade blindly, you will soon realize that you are doing something wrong, you do not have to wait like a few years before you understand that your strategy is not working. You should not blind yourself. But if you are, then there is no strategy that will bring you a profit, no trade or hold.