Harris Roen, Editor
Roen Financial Report
April 11, 2013

Three companies in solar had gains today. Duke made a significant acquisition; First Solar offered positive guidance; JinkoSolar posted an upsetting loss.

STOCK ALERT SECTORS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Individuals involved with the Roen Financial Report and Swiftwood Press LLC do not own or control shares of any companies mentioned in this article. It is also possible that individuals may own or control shares of one or more of the underlying securities contained in the Mutual Funds or Exchange Traded Funds mentioned in this article. Any advice and/or recommendations made in this article are of a general nature and are not to be considered specific investment advice. Individuals should seek advice from their investment professional before making any important financial decisions. See Terms of Use for more information.

Harris Roen, Editor
Roen Financial Report
April 9, 2013

The first three months of 2013 proved to be extremely upbeat for the stock market. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial average hit new all-time highs, and both were up double digits for the quarter. Echoing this superb performance, the top alternative energy stocks in the Roen Financial Report did even better. The Paradigm Portfolio was up 14.1% on average, with gainers beating losers by a 6 to 1 margin.

The top three gainers for January through March were Cree (CREE), Pike Electric (PIKE) and SolarCity (SCTY), all up in the 50% to 60% range. Cree advanced on excellent profit guidance from the company released back in January. Pike’s stock rose on a stellar earnings report issued in February, which showed steadily rising revenues, profits, net income and earnings per share over the past year. SolarCity remains a speculative investment, considering the company is still in start-up mode and spending more money than it makes. Apparently, though, investors (including myself) believe that SolarCity’s innovative business model, one that aspires to make it the leading U.S. solar installer, will be a winner in the long-term.

Chinese energy product manufacturer Jinpan International (JST) fared the worst, losing almost 9% for the quarter. The company expects that revenues and net income will come in well below analyst estimates for fiscal year 2013.

For more information on the Paradigm Portfolio, including subscriber access to a complete list of stocks and detailed company reports, please visit http://www.roenreport.com/about/paradigm-portfolio/.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Individuals involved with the Roen Financial Report and Swiftwood Press LLC do not own or control shares of any companies mentioned in this article. It is also possible that individuals may own or control shares of one or more of the underlying securities contained in the Mutual Funds or Exchange Traded Funds mentioned in this article. Any advice and/or recommendations made in this article are of a general nature and are not to be considered specific investment advice. Individuals should seek advice from their investment professional before making any important financial decisions. See Terms of Use for more information.

*Hypothetical gain from portfolio recommendations. It should not be assumed that recommendations made in the future will be profitable or will equal the performance of the securities on this list.

Harris Roen, Editor
Roen Financial Report
April 2, 2013

STOCK ALERT SECTORS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Individuals involved with the Roen Financial Report and Swiftwood Press LLC do not own or control shares of any companies mentioned in this article. It is also possible that individuals may own or control shares of one or more of the underlying securities contained in the Mutual Funds or Exchange Traded Funds mentioned in this article. Any advice and/or recommendations made in this article are of a general nature and are not to be considered specific investment advice. Individuals should seek advice from their investment professional before making any important financial decisions. See Terms of Use for more information.

Remember to always consult with your investment professional before making important financial decisions.

(The following is from an article that appears in USA Today Green Living.)

Terrific news: green investing is easy, good for the earth and fun! So says Harris Roen, a seasoned green investing expert at RoenReport.com. In an interview with reporter Craig Shields, Roen reveals easy ways to harmonize your morals and your money.

Q: What is ‘Green Investing’?

A: It’s a way to own a piece of companies in the business of sustainability.

What kind of companies are these?

Green companies are spread across a wide range of investment sectors, including solar, wind, smart grid, energy efficiency, alternative fuel and environmental companies. Some are large conglomerates, like GE and Johnson Controls, where alternative energy is a small but important part of what they do. Others are “pure play” companies such as First Solar and Tesla Motors, which are solely focused on a green industry.

Where do you see opportunities?

Energy efficiency is one. It is much cheaper to save a watt than to generate one, and many companies are making profits doing just that. Another trend is offshore wind. There is a big project in the pipeline off the northeast coast, and no doubt more are coming.

How risky is it?

I take a long-term perspective on green investing, and believe that sectors like solar, wind, smart grid and energy efficiency are growth industries. Any investment comes with risk, though, so invest responsibly. For example, in a volatile sector such as solar it is challenging to pick individual winners and losers, so a good strategy is to diversify across several companies. An easy way to do this is through alternative energy mutual funds or exchange traded funds (ETFs).

How much money do I need to start?

Depending on the broker or mutual fund you choose, you can start with as little as $50. A good plan is to regularly invest a part of your savings on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Where do I get started?

A little research can go a long way. At RoenReport.com, you can readily find highly ranked stocks, mutual funds and ETFs within green investing sectors. It’s fun to learn what these companies do, and you’ll feel good aligning your investments with your ethics.

The Roen Financial Report closely covers the universe of around 30 alternative energy Mutual Funds (MFs) and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). We use a proprietary ranking method to pick the best funds, looking at measures that include fees, risk, tax liability, and the financial health of individual holdings within each fund. Subscribers can see the complete list of funds, including rankings and technical breakdowns, in both Excel and PDF format, by going to www.roenreport.com/mfsetfs/ .

Mutual Funds

All of the alternative energy MFs were up handsomely in the past three months. The biggest gainer was Firsthand Alternative Energy (ALTEX), up 27.3% for the quarter, which also moved ahead in its ranking. Even the lowest three-month gainer, Brown Advisory Winslow Sustainability Fund (BAWAX), was up an impressive 9.2%.

One-year returns were more variable, ranging from a gain of 18.0% for AWATX, to a loss of 11.7% for ALTEX. This has much to do with the solar holdings in these funds. For example, companies in ALTEX such as JA Solar (JASO), Yingli Green Energy (YGE) and JinkoSolar (JKS) have had outstanding quarterly returns, but are still down substantially for the year.

Exchange Traded Funds

The average three-month return remains high for alternative energy ETFs, at 13.6%. The notable exception is GRN, which has suffered from the steep drop in carbon prices. Two solar ETFs have done the best in the past three months, TAN and KWT. Both these funds, though, have taken a beating over the longer term, as can be seen in their one-year and three-year returns.

PowerShares Global Wind Energy Portfolio (PWND) is no longer trading, and closed out at $6.23/share on February 26th. What happened was that the amount of assets under management were too low for the company to justify keeping the fund open. This is not an uncommon occurrence in the over-crowded ETF world. KWT, GRN and First Trust NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund (GRID) are also on watch for having the potential to be shut down and liquidated. This is a good reminder that care should be taken, as many alternative energy investments can be highly speculative on both the upside and the downside.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Individuals involved with the Roen Financial Report and Swiftwood Press LLC do not own or control shares of any companies mentioned in this article. It is possible that individuals may own or control shares of one or more of the underlying securities contained in the Mutual Funds or Exchange Traded Funds mentioned in this article. Any advice and/or recommendations made in this article are of a general nature and are not to be considered specific investment advice. Individuals should seek advice from their investment professional before making any important financial decisions. See Terms of Use for more information.

Remember to always consult with your investment professional before making important financial decisions.