5 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK  ) is anything but a clean energy company. It owns 19 coal-fired power plants, 22 oil- or gas-fired plants, and seven nuclear�plants (the cleanest of the bunch), and is building more coal and gas�capacity right now. So, how did this company become a player in renewable energy almost overnight?

The utility and power plant owner followed Edison International (NYSE: EIX  ) in making an equity investment in Clean Power Finance, a residential solar finance and service company. Clean Power Finance claims to generate the financing for 40% of the residential leases in the U.S. market ���s a major player in this emerging market Duke is getting exposure to solar it sorely needs.

Earlier this week, President Obama outlined his plans to fight climate change; a big part of that plan is to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, particularly from coal plants. That hits Duke Energy where its profit center is, as is evident by the company retiring the W.S. Lee plant, one of well over 100 coal plants to be shut down in recent years.

5 Best Gold Stocks To Watch Right Now: WPP plc (WPPGY)

WPP plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Advertising and Media Investment Management segment plans and creates marketing and branding campaigns; and designs and produces advertisements for television, cable, the Internet, radio, magazines, and newspapers, as well as outdoor locations, including billboards. This segment also has media investment management capabilities in the areas of business science, consumer insight, communications and media planning implementation, interactions, content development, and sports and entertainment marketing. The company�s Consumer Insight segment offers custom research services in various sectors, including strategic market studies; brand positioning; equity research; customer satisfaction surveys; product development; international research; advanced modeling; advertising research; pre-testing, tracking, and sales modeling; and trends and futures research and consultancy. Its Public Relations & Public Affairs segment provi des advice to clients that seek to communicate with consumers, governments, and/or the business and financial communities. This segment�s activities include corporate, financial, and marketing communications; crisis management; reputation management; public affairs; and government lobbying. The company�s Branding & Identity, Healthcare, and Specialist Communications segment engages in branding and identity; healthcare communications; and direct, digital, promotional, and relationship marketing activities. This segment also offers specialist communications services, such as custom media and multicultural marketing; event, sports, youth, and entertainment marketing; corporate and business-to-business; and media, technology, and production services, as well as digital and measurable interactive marketing, digital marketing strategy, mobile solutions, and platforms services. The company has a strategic partnership with Twitter, Inc. WPP plc was founded in 1971 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alanna Petroff]

  2. Earnings expectations: Shares in advertising giant WPP (WPPGY) were higher by roughly 2% in London after the firm reported strong half-year earnings.

• [By Kevin Godbold]

  So this series aims to identify appealing FTSE 100 investment opportunities and today I'm looking at�WPP� (LSE: WPP  ) (NASDAQ: WPPGY  ) , which provides marketing communications services such as advertising and public relations.

5 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014: Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH)

Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH) is a real estate investment trust (REIT). As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned 369 properties located in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Its portfolio includes 249 senior living communities with 29,678 living units / beds and two rehabilitation hospitals with 364 licensed beds; 108 properties leased to medical providers or medical related businesses, clinics and biotech laboratory tenants (MOBs), and 10 wellness centers with approximately 812,000 square feet of interior space plus outdoor developed facilities. The first operating segment provides short term and long term residential care communities that offer dining for residents. Properties in this segment include leased and managed independent living communities, assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation hospitals. The second operating segment provides properties where medical related activities occur but where residential overnight stays or dining services are not provided. Properties in this segment include those leased to medical providers or medical related businesses, MOBs. On December 31, 2013, the Company sold two rehabilitation hospitals to a joint venture consisted of affiliates of The Sanders Trust, LLC and Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company made the following acquisitions: six properties containing 737,000 square feet, and one MOB with 84,474 square feet located in Mendota Heights, Minnesota (January); one MOB with 49,809 square feet located in Shoreview, Minnesota, and one senior living community located in Rockford, Illinois with 73 assisted living units (May); three MOBs with 125,990 square feet located in Alachua, Florida, and 14 communities (June); three communities (July); one community and 47 acres of land (August); 13 MOBs located in eight states (September); two MOBs with 45,645 square feet located in Richmond, Virginia (November), and eight communities, one senior living community! located in Walnut Creek, California with 57 assisted living units, and one MOB with 94,238 square feet located in Greenwood, Indiana (December). In May and June 2011, the Company sold seven properties, including four skilled nursing facilities, one assisted living community and two MOBs. In February 2012, it acquired one senior living community located in Priceville, Alabama with 92 assisted living units.

Independent living communities, or congregate care communities, provides privacy to residents. Assisted living communities have one bedroom units, which include private bathrooms and kitchens. Services bundled within one charge usually include three meals per day in a central dining room, housekeeping, laundry, medical reminders and around-the-clock availability of assistance with the activities of daily living, such as dressing and bathing. Professional nursing and healthcare services are usually available at the property on call or at regularly scheduled times. Nursing homes generally provides nursing and healthcare services. A typical purpose built nursing home includes mostly rooms with one or two beds, a separate bathroom and shared dining facilities. Licensed nursing professionals staff nursing homes around-the-clock per day.

Rehabilitation hospitals, also known as inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), provide intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology services. Patients in IRFs generally receive a minimum of three hours of rehabilitation services daily. IRFs often also provide outpatient services to patients who do not remain overnight. Its two rehabilitation hospitals have beds available for inpatient services and provide outpatient services from the hospitals' premises, such as rehabilitation services for amputees, brain injury, cardio-pulmonary conditions, orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injury, stroke and neurorehabilitation. The MOBs are office or commercial buildings constructed for use or operated as medical office s! pace for ! physicians and other health personnel, and other businesses in medical related fields, including clinics and laboratory uses. Wellness centers typically have gymnasiums, strength and cardiovascular equipment areas, tennis and racquet sports facilities, pools, spas and children's centers. Professional sport training and therapist services are often available.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Charles Sizemore]

  So, with all of this said, is HCN a buy? I consider it a decent option in a diversified REIT portfolio. Truth is, there aren�� that many ��ure��on the senior living theme. The deceptively-named Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH) has about 30% of its property portfolio in medical office buildings

5 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014: SBT Bancorp Inc (SBTB)

SBT Bancorp, Inc., incorporated on February 17, 2006, is the holding company for The Simsbury Bank & Trust Company, Inc. (the Bank). The Bank provides a variety of banking and investment services. The Bank has branch offices in the towns of Granby, Avon, and Bloomfield, Connecticut. The Bank also maintains a mortgage center in Canton, Connecticut. Services to the Bank�� customers are also provided through SBT Online Internet banking. The Bank's customer base consists primarily of individual consumers and small businesses in north central Connecticut. The Bank has in excess of 21,000 deposit accounts. In January 2011, the Bank formed Simsbury Bank Passive Investment Company, a subsidiary of Passive Investment Company (PIC).

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Bank had seven automated teller machines (ATMs); two are located at each of its main office and its Bloomfield office, and one at each of the other branch/business offices. The Bank offers a range of commercial banking services to residents and businesses in its primary and secondary markets through a variety of commercial loans and residential mortgage programs, as well as home equity lines and loans, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured checking, savings, and individual retirement accounts (IRA), 401K rollover accounts, as well as safe deposit and other customary non-deposit banking services. The Bank offers investment products to customers through SBT Investment Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank, and through its affiliation with the securities broker/dealer LPL Financial Corporation.

Lending Activities

The Bank�� commercial loans are made for the purpose of providing working capital, financing the purchase of equipment, or for other business purposes. Such loans include loans with maturities ranging from thirty days to two years and term loans, which are loans with maturities normally ranging from 1 to 10 years. Short-term business loans are generally inten! ded to finance current transactions and typically provide for periodic principal payments, with interest payable monthly. Term loans normally provide for fixed or floating interest rates, with monthly payments of both principal and interest. The Bank�� construction loans are primarily interim loans made to finance the construction of commercial and single-family residential property. These loans are typically short-term. The Bank occasionally will make loans for speculative housing construction or for acquisition and development of raw land. Consumer loans are made for the purpose of financing automobiles, various types of consumer goods, and other personal purposes.

Investment Activities

As of December 31, 2011, the Bank�� investment portfolio consisted of the United States Government and agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, corporate bonds, municipal securities, and money market mutual funds. During 2011, proceeds from sales of available-for-sale securities amounted to $8,274,474.

Sources of Funds

Deposits are the Bank�� primary source of funds. At December 31, 2011, the Bank had a deposit mix of 43% checking, 34% savings, and 23% certificates of deposit. Thirty percent of the total deposits of $344.8 million were noninterest bearing at December 31, 2011. The Bank had brokered deposits of $9,017,198 as of December 31, 2011.

The Company competes with Bank of America, Webster Bank, People�� Bank, Windsor Federal Savings And Loan Association and Wells Fargo Bank.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, SBTB remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $28.20 thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 3:47PM EDT July 30, 2013).

  SBT Bancorp, Inc., previously reported net income of $401,000 or $0.43 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2013, compared to $453,000 or $0.49 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2012.

  For the six months ended June 30, 2013, net income amounted to $918,000, or $0.99 per diluted share. This compares to net income of $934,000 or $0.96 per diluted share for the six months ended June 30, 2012. Total assets on June 30, 2013 were $382 million compared to $340 million on June 30, 2012. 12

5 Best Clean Energy Stocks To Invest In 2014: Linn Energy LLC (LINE)

Linn Energy, LLC (LINN Energy) is an independent oil and natural gas company. The Company�� properties are located in the United States, primarily in the Mid-Continent, the Permian Basin, Michigan, California and the Williston Basin. Mid-Continent Deep includes the Texas Panhandle Deep Granite Wash formation and deep formations in Oklahoma and Kansas. Mid-Continent Shallow includes the Texas Panhandle Brown Dolomite formation and shallow formations in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Illinois. Permian Basin includes areas in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Michigan includes the Antrim Shale formation in the northern part of the state. California includes the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin. Williston Basin includes the Bakken formation in North Dakota. On December 15, 2011, the Company acquired certain oil and natural gas properties located primarily in the Granite Wash of Texas and Oklahoma from Plains Exploration & Production Company (Plains).

On November 1, 2011, and November 18, 2011, it completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Permian Basin. On June 1, 2011, it acquired certain oil and natural gas properties in the Cleveland play, located in the Texas Panhandle, from Panther Energy Company, LLC and Red Willow Mid-Continent, LLC (collectively Panther). On May 2, 2011, and May 11, 2011, it completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Williston Basin. On April 1, 2011, and April 5, 2011, the Company completed two acquisitions of certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Permian Basin. On March 31, 2011, it acquired certain oil and natural gas properties located in the Williston Basin from an affiliate of Concho Resources Inc. (Concho). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company completed other smaller acquisitions of oil and natural gas properties located in its various operating regions. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated 7,759 or 69% of its 11,230 gross productiv! e wells.

Mid-Continent Deep

The Mid-Continent Deep region includes properties in the Deep Granite Wash formation in the Texas Panhandle, which produces at depths ranging from 10,000 feet to 16,000 feet, as well as properties in Oklahoma and Kansas, which produce at depths of more than 8,000 feet. Mid-Continent Deep proved reserves represented approximately 47% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 49% were classified as proved developed reserves. The Company owns and operates a network of natural gas gathering systems consisting of approximately 285 miles of pipeline and associated compression and metering facilities that connect to numerous sales outlets in the Texas Panhandle.

Mid-Continent Shallow

The Mid-Continent Shallow region includes properties producing from the Brown Dolomite formation in the Texas Panhandle, which produces at depths of approximately 3,200 feet, as well as properties in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Illinois, which produce at depths of less than 8,000 feet. Mid-Continent Shallow proved reserves represented approximately 20% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 70% were classified as proved developed reserves. The Company owns and operates a network of natural gas gathering systems consisting of approximately 665 miles of pipeline and associated compression and metering facilities that connect to numerous sales outlets in the Texas Panhandle.

Permian Basin

The Permian Basin is an oil and natural gas basins in the United States. The Company�� properties are located in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico and produce at depths ranging from 2,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Permian Basin proved reserves represented approximately 16% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 56% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Michigan

The Michigan region includes properties producing from the Antrim Shale formation in the northern ! part of t! he state, which produces at depths ranging from 600 feet to 2,200 feet. Michigan proved reserves represented approximately 9% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 90% were classified as proved developed reserves.

California

The California region consists of the Brea Olinda Field of the Los Angeles Basin. California proved reserves represented approximately 6% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 93% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Williston Basin

The Williston Basin is one of the premier oil basins in the United States. The Company�� properties are located in North Dakota and produce at depths ranging from 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Williston Basin proved reserves represented approximately 2% of total proved reserves, as of December 31, 2011, of which 48% were classified as proved developed reserves.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Investment idea No. 1: LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) or LinnCo (NASDAQ: LNCO  )
  For those who are not familiar with these income machines, LINN is structured like an MLP, meaning investors will receive a K1 come tax time. LinnCo on the other hand is structured like a normal C-Corp meaning investors will receive a Form 1099 each year. Because LinnCo's sole assets are units of LINN you can invest in either company depending on your tax preference.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  The only other option to fund these capital needs is to form foreign joint ventures, which could jeopardize our dream of energy independence, or simply unload mature oil and gas assets. That last option has opened up a hidden opportunity for upstream oil and gas MLPs such as LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) and�Vanguard Natural Resources (NASDAQ: VNR  ) to consolidate these mature producing properties.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  It all started back in 2008, which was a trying time for us all. At that time, LINN Energy (NASDAQ: LINE  ) and the rest of its exploration and production peers were trying to figure out what to do as the economy hit the skids. In an effort to shore up its own balance sheet, the company sold its operations in the Appalachian Basin for $600 million to XTO Energy.