Go Green: Green Investing

There's a brand new type of investor in America.  They're called green investors and their ranks are swelling. These are people who want to invest in the environment as well as wall street.

Most people who support a "green" lifestyle do so by supporting efforts like recycling or conserving energy.

But there are those who want to put their money where their mouths are.  They want to invest in companies that operate in an environmentally friendly manner.  Those companies are growing in number.

Stock brokers like Chris DiMattio say the number of "green investors" is growing too.  "There are a number of charitable organizations, non profit organizations that actually have those written into their investment policies and there are some individual investors that want to be pro environment."

As a general rule, "green" investments are made with long term returns in mind.  "Could you make a quick dollar on them? Certainly, stranger things have happened. But anytime you're considering investing in a 'green portfolio' you know, talk to your financial advisor about it and keep within your asset allocation mix."

Lisa Alexander is an expert in environmentally friendly homes.  She likes to invest in "green companies" but cautions investors about "green washing."

"Green wash is actually defined as a company that spends money on marketing themselves as a green company rather than spending money and research on making sure their materials and their company and policies are truly green," she says. 

Her advice is to deal with a professional broker.  "You want to make sure that whoever you're investing in is truly green," she adds.  Brokers tell us we're likely to see a lot more so-called "green companies" in the near future. They suggest would-be investors learn all they can about a company before actually buying any stock.