Typically I'm a very big supporter of exchanges. They're a safe way for new users to buy small amounts of crypto, and learn how to trade.
However, I vehemently support moving your Tezos off of exchanges and, delegating to independent Bakers, for two big reasons.
1. Independent Bakers pay out much at higher rates than exchanges.
For example, Coinbase pays ~4.63% if you hold Tezos there.
If you transfer your Tezos to a wallet such as Temple or to your Ledger, you can easily delegate to a baker. Based on the stats from https://breaking-bad.org, you would make ~5.8-6% by delegating your Tez to a baker. Your Tez isn't locked up when it's baking. You are still in full control of it and can move or sell it at any time.
2. Delegating to independent bakers guarantees community centered governance.
Independent bakers can vote on new changes. Independent bakers are more in tuned to the community and more likely to support changes that benefit the whole community. When your Tez is on an exchange, you're delegating that voting power to an exchange.
