Greenhorn Investor (I): In the Beginning…

… there was light… and mankind has been trying to monetize it ever since…

 

Episode I

‘Green-horn’ Investing

So here I am at The Panelist, among people who have been ‘playing the market,’ so to speak, all of their lives, and are now ‘going green.’ They talk about things like ‘market capitalization’ and ‘P/E Ratios’ in the same breath as ‘sustainability,’ ‘social responsibility’ and ‘climate change.’

For a ‘greenhorn’ like myself, it’s a little overwhelming. I want to make my money work for me but I have little ‘real life’ investment experience. I also care about the environment (as well as other social concerns) and I don’t want to gain wealth at the expense of my children’s futures (or anyone else’s for that matter).

Talk about being thrown into the deep end! What’s a dude to do?

All is not as bad as it might be though, because this is exactly what The Panelist is about in the first place: we are not just here for the experienced investor.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. Maybe some of you folks out there are in a similar place, namely looking to invest in your personal futures [and fortunes], while simultaneously investing in the future of Mother Earth. Perhaps we can learn together? At least you might benefit from some of my inevitable mistakes.

 

 

Query: Can I increase my wealth without compromising my ideals?

Let’s find out.

I’ve set aside a small fund for this project, no more than I can afford to lose, and with the help of David Neubert, our esteemed founder/uber-trader, and a lot of personal mental elbow-grease, I’m going to (eventually) begin trading stocks in a socially conscious manner and see what happens.

There are some things I need to learn (or refresh myself on) before I begin though. I’ll admit that in the past, I made my trades based on less than reliable advice and research. If I am going to do this right, I will need to understand the signals that identify a particular stock as potential winner or loser as well as whether or not they fall into the category of socially conscious.

Next: Financial Terms and What They Really Mean