As an energy investor and free market advocate, I love when I uncover new opportunities that show how government intervention is not always necessary to bolster the development of new energy technologies.
This is what I recently discovered through a company called WindShare.
WindShare provides marketing and financing for community wind projects while allowing investors the opportunity to invest in community wind projects with WindShare bonds.
Essentially, WindShare bonds allow you to make money by helping to develop community wind farms in the U.S. I actually like how the folks over at WindShare explain this is a renewable retirement …
Wind energy provides long-term returns to all types of investors. Whether you invest $100 or $10,000, our WindShares are engineered to provide consistent, steady returns that weather turbulent markets.
For those looking to balance their stock portfolio, WindShare bonds are designed to provide a stabilizing force. Investment advisors recommend keeping 30% of your savings in something other than stocks. Need to balance your portfolio? Looking to supplement your retirement income? You can let your WindShare interest accumulate and then pay yourself a monthly salary after the bond matures.
Meanwhile the wind turbines you help fund produce clean renewable energy, powering America’s future as you save for your own.
Here’s how it works
WindShares last 20 years and pay yearly interest from the energy proceeds of community financed farms. Returns can be withdrawn or left to accumulate. The company also pays additional interest on the returns in your account, and you aren’t taxed until you withdraw them.
At the end of the 20 years, WindShare buys back your shares for what you paid for them plus a bonus based on the performance of the S&P 500. WindShares are also transferable, and you can sell your shares to other investors before the 20 years are up with no penalties. You keep any interest you have accumulated.
The way I see it, if I’m going to have a few bonds in my portfolio, why not at least make sure those bonds are offering a social and environmental return as well as a financial return?
Of course, these are bonds, so it’s not as if you’re going to get rich with WindShares. But it beats a lot of other comparable investments.
The following is based on a $100 investment …
Now if you like the wind space, and you want exposure to individual stocks, there are also plenty of options, such as GE (NYSE: GE), Siemens (OTCBB: SIEGY), Vestas (OTCBB: VWDRY) and TPI Composites (NASDAQ: TPIC).
But if you’re looking to just sock away a few bucks – and actually do something positive with your investment dollars – WindShares could be a worthwhile investment vehicle.
You can read more about WindShares here: http://windsharellc.com/
