Dipping Into Green Investing

If you’re looking for ways to apply your environmental passion to your investment portfolio, there’s more than one way to get your green on.Those with the right stomach for risk can bet on individual stocks of companies at the cutting edge of solar, wind and biofuel research, putting all their eco-friendly eggs into one basket.Those looking for more stability, on the other hand, can opt instead for funds that focus on clean energy stocks, letting professional managers chose the front-runners for them.Green exchange traded funds, ETFs, and mutual funds, for example, provide average investors an easy entrée into the nascent and sometimes volatile world of carbon conscious investing.In many ways, eco-friendly ETFs and mutual funds are similar—both contain a specialized basket of investments from companies engaged in alternative energy research, those that promote environmental stewardship, or those that stand to benefit from the growing demand for clean fuel.Yet, such funds also have some important differences that investors should be aware of. Here's a quick primer.Exchange Traded FundsETFs, which debuted in 1993, are a lot like an index mutual fund and trade on a stock exchange throughout the day.ETFs are also prized for their lower fees. Alternative energy ETFs, for example, have fees of around 75 basis points a year, while the expense ratio for many mutual funds can exceed 1.5 percent.There are several varieties of green ETFs from which to choose but are generally categorized as either alternative energy, solar or wind.The five alternative energy ETFs available invest in companies and products that use renewa...
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Energy ETF Cleans Up as Crude Oil Rises

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