Customer Reviews

Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green Tech Boom

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This book is a great summary of numerous clean technologies, spanning the range of power production (solar, wind, biofuels, geothermal, fuel cells), energy storage, energy conservation, food, water, vehicles, houses, materials, and more. John Rubino and his team must have spent an incredible amount of time digging into all the areas of clean tech, detailing their pros and cons, and surveying individual companies in each sector.

(I was able to get a sneak preview and comment on the book before its publication. But when the official version came out, I immediately re-read it, because there were so many pieces of valuable information that I had already forgotten.)

While I am a veteran in the field of alternative energy, I was surprised how many technologies are out there that I didn't fully know about. It can sometimes be overwhelming, or even uncomfortable, to hear about all these different technologies. But I am so glad that I now read about all these potential future developments. As an investor myself, it never hurts to have as much information as possible, and I don't even want to imagine what I would miss if I hadn't read the book.

John Rubino also blends the book with great macro-economics sections and investor advice. He is one of the few people right on the money, as he had predicted the real estate bust in his 2003 book, and he was consistently recommending to avoid or short homebuilders and investment banks, as in his regular interviews on Howestreet.com. He has certainly helped me and my investor group to stay clear of some of the collapses on Wall Street this year.

The current book is by no means just a promotion of all new clean technologies. On the contrary, it contains ample warnings about what can happen to overhyped technologies, what to look for, and how to avoid possible traps. It is an objective book for those interested in new technologies and investing.

Following several economic disaster books (which, I hasten to add, proved to be prescient), John appears to be climbing out of his bunker and looking at the bright side of coming energy crises. This book is niche play. The book does not profess to aim at techies nor does it offer high-powered investors specific alternative energy investments. (Some companies are mentioned emblematically, but these are not prominent.) What the book provides is an excellent point for those starting to think about this topic. There were some funny parts that underscore the limitations of writing a book about a fast-moving area. The mention of $140-per-barrel oil seems quaint (painfully so to energy investors), and certainly the mention of Iceland's booming economy based on energy brought out a chuckle given the recent collapse of their entire banking system, but you cannot blame John for these.

Overall, as in any technological revolution, progress will be explosive, focused and somewhat difficult to predict. Alternative energy companies may go through bubble territory at some point and transition to a legitimate, central part of our economy, provided the numbnut bankers haven't completely screwed up the the economy. Serious investors should start thinking about these topics; Clean Money is a good starting point.

Here is a great book very well written and researched right on the green money by being highly informative besides unbiased. Hats off to the author. The book has no biases or agenda and with easy reading informs us on all aspects of this huge industry in the making now*.

As one example, did you know that China's meet consumption doubles every 10 years and India consumes twice as much poultry currently then it did at the turn of the century, just 8 years ago. While global population is growing in the very low single digits, meat consumption is likely to grow far faster or by 25%, by year 2020. Producing meat is a huge user/abuser of water and so clean water will likely be a huge business -and problem- in the future.

There are many such real examples across the whole spectrum on why the green tech boom will present enormous opportunities, not just challenges. At the end of each chapter the author lists some companies which are part of the industry/tropic he reviewed.

One thing which was incomplete is the section on investing in international stocks, this was the only feeble part. As many of the most interesting green companies reside outside the US and so besides offer the investor geographical, national as well as currency diversification.

Investing in non-US country shares, in the US, is always more expensive commission wise. And its very important to get all the dividends and rights offerings, i.e. the shareholder benefits. In the past, regardless of what they say to you, US foreign specialist brokers on this have been less then good. And all are more expensive to deal with. Also, repatriation of funds and gains/dividends is rarely an issue of concern. The section on how to trade foreign stocks could/should be expanded on.

There should be a good follow-up on that, as many US residents/citizens want to get going internationally but are understandably naive on this and should not rely on US brokers for trade executions besides research on which companies to consider for investment.

What the author should state, as one example, is that true believers in foreign markets, (which lets face it more USA savers should be now, post US crisis/fallback), should consider opening a brokerage account directly in that country...even visit that country if they want, as it would be US tax deductible. That way they will save much on regular brokerage commissions which is a continued expense for the life of the investment. Depending on how much they plan investing, they can tax deduct a trip/holiday, and besides then get the local broker company research...and perhaps find an independent objective local source of information.


Paul A. Renaud.
www.thaistocks.com

* "There will be hundreds of billions of dollars worth of alternative energy investments made around the world over the next two decades, creating millions of new jobs." Change For America A progressive blueprint for the 44th President. Edited by Mark Green and Michele Jolin Just Published, 2009.

The other would be The Coming Collapse of the Dollar, also by John Rubino.

Rubino does an awesome job in Clean Money to do what he did in Collapse, he gives you a strategy for investing in an emerging market.

When I read Collapse, I was blown away. His recommendations were WAY ahead of their time and 100% accurate.

He earned my trust with his first book, and I'm a big fan of this book. I highly recommend it to not just environmentally conscious investors, but for anyone wanting SOMETHING to invest in with this dismal economy.

John Rubino has compiled and written a new investment book, 'Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green-Tech Boom.' The author has an outstanding track record for publishing financial books way ahead of their time. Rubino wrote "How to Profit From The Coming Real Estate Bust" when everyone was making obscene profits flipping houses and years before the implosion. He also wrote "The Coming Collapse of The Dollar" before the meteoric rise in the price of precious metals. Reading and comprehending a Rubino book is very profitable, indeed.

With "Clean Money," John Rubino once again captures a potential wealth generating opportunity in the upcoming, inevitable focus on clean technology. Rubino, who also edits GreenStockInvesting.com (and DollarCollapse.com), has set his pen to the next "big thing."

As the book explains, Clean Tech will be the biggest and most enduring booms of our lifetime. What we currently face- on a global scale, mind you- is a huge ecological nightmare on many fronts. Look at the headlines today (food, water, energy, climate) and you see that we are all part of this inter-dependent world that could shut down at the same time. No country will be able to neglect these concerns.

Clean Money" presents a comprehensive breakdown of the different types of technologies being pursued today. Why is this important? Investors need a clear understanding of each industry and the potential pitfalls or obstacles that would otherwise impede the uneducated. "Clean Money" delivers.

Rubino meticulously details information on solar, wind, geo-thermal, transportation, energy storage, biofuels, hydrogen, water and others. Within each energy source description, the author also guides the reader into choosing the right green-tech stocks.

Clean Money" provides strategies to make wise choices in a tricky yet potentially prosperous era. The book discusses many ways to approach this market- even in the context of our current economic meltdown.

Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green-Tech Boom" is essential reading now and will be essential reading for years to come as these issues grow and become a raging 800 pound gorilla.

Clean Money" by John Rubino will give anyone, novice or pro, a clear grasp on how to successfully navigate their financial portfolio in the years to come.

I highly recommend it.

Bruce D. Collins (www.brucedcollins.com)
Former book reviewer on nationally syndicated Monster Radio

This is a really thorough and good book on clean tech. It goes through the pros and cons of just about every clean technology that is out there, some you may not even know about. It will show you which industries are promising, and which need to adapt or are poised to fail. Also gives you a whole list of publicly traded companies which belong in the industry which was discussed during the previous chapter. One of the greatest things I saw from it was how much info it had about different sources, and estimates on where technologies wanted to be right around now. More than once I have opened my computer to google something that caught my attention and I wanted to learn more about.
The only downside was it seems like this was written before the financial collapse, which has definitely taken a negative toll on the growth of clean tech. I would have loved some insight from the author about what this would mean for each industry or even just clean tech as a whole (if he does mention it I apologize, I am about 2/3 through the book). The good news is as the economy picks up clean tech will become a bigger issue again. I recommend this book to anyone interested in clean energy.

John Rubino has done it again! This is the second work of Mr. Rubino's that I've read. The first being, "The Collapse of the Dollar . . . " and both are fantastic. This guy has really done his homework. When I can turn on CNBC or FNN TODAY and what he wrote about is coming about as he has written about it, it's obvious John has spent a ton of time researching thngs that we may never find through any other source. The information is timely, accurate, and will be welcomed by anyone wanting to survive in todays market place. If you are looking to have and edge on tomorrows financial world with regard to CLEAN MONEY - BUY THIS BOOK.

Read this book before you invest in any green technology. I didn't and should have. It contains excellent advice, which, together with other sources will provide important and cautionary information about the relatively new field of green investing. This book is not sufficient, but it is necessary. Rubino has a knack for presenting fairly complex topics in concise and helpful sentences. I found myself often saying: "that sums up what I've read in that field and does what other sources take chapters to do in a sentence or two."

Maybe the most important theme of the book is that green tech, being such a cutting edge field, is going to be even more competitive than the tech revolution of the nineties. There will be some very big winners, but there will also be many losers. You or your mutual fund may invest in companies that appear sound and promising today only to have some new technology come along and rapidly replace your company's competitive advantage. There are so many "killer breakthroughs" out there that even though green tech overall is where the money is going and where the money is going to be made, that you have to watch out for a breakthrough by a competitor that could make your technology obsolete overnight.

Read it. Rubino is an excellent writer--one who's easy to understand and one who can provide good information.

John's book provides the beginning investor in clean technology an excellent overview of this complex and ever moving market. His writing style is clear and jargon free. If you're looking to get into clean tech investing then this is a great place to start.

I read a lot of investing book and found "Clean Money" to be one of the best I've read in the past year. Not only is it clear and concise, but it gives you many specific investing ideas in that it lists specific stocks to consider at the end of every chapter. A job well done.