Locavesting Paper - by Amy Cortese (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In the wake of the financial crisis, investors are faced with a stark choice: entrust their hard-earned dollars to the Wall Street casino, or settle for anemic interest rates on savings, bonds, and CDs. Meanwhile, small businesses are being starved for the credit and capital they need to grow. There's got to be a better way.

In Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit from It, Amy Cortese takes us inside the local investing movement, where solutions to some of the nation's most pressing problems are taking shape. The idea is that, by investing in local businesses, rather than faceless conglomerates, investors can earn profits while building healthy, self-reliant communities.

• Introduces you to the ideas and pioneers behind the local investing movement
• Profiles the people and communities who are putting their money to work in their own backyards and taking control of their destinies
• Explores innovative investment strategies, from community capital and crowdfunding to local stock exchanges

With confidence in Wall Street and the government badly shaken, Americans are looking for alternatives. Local investing offers a way to rebuild our nest eggs, communities, and, just perhaps, our country.

From the Back Cover

"Investing locally makes sense as long as you do it with your eyes wide open. And this book is a realistic up-to-the-minute exploration of the field. After all, it was the local community that invested in Ben & Jerry's--and it worked out pretty well for them."
--BEN COHEN, cofounder of Ben & Jerry's

"An inspiring look at what local businesses can achieve."
--JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ, 2001 Nobel Laureate

"Buy this book before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) bans it! "Locavesting" demolishes the myth that the best investment options lie in the financial-doomsday machine we call Wall Street. Fasten your belt for a mind-blowing journey where you will learn about dozens of highly profitable community investment opportunities. Amy Cortese takes you on a breathtaking ride."
--MICHAEL SHUMAN, author of "The Small-Mart Revolution" and "Going Local"

We have witnessed the failings of an unfettered free market system, tallied in lost jobs, stagnant wages, rising inequality, and languishing Main Streets. Isn't it time for a backup plan?

"Locavesting" is a call to rethink the way we invest, so that we support the small businesses that create jobs and healthy, resilient communities. Just as "Buy Local" campaigns have found that a small shift in purchasing to locally-owned enterprises can reap outsized benefits for a local economy, so, too, can a small shift in our investment dollars. Amy Cortese explores the revolution in citizen finance taking root across the country, and shows how local investing can help rebuild our nest eggs, our communities and--just perhaps--the country.

About the Author

Amy Cortese (New York, NY) is a financial writer who has spent her career writing about business, finance, environmental issues and food, giving her a unique perspective on how these different realms are intricately linked. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Business Week, The American, Mother Jones, Wired, The DailyBeast.com, and many other publications. Cortese was previously senior vice president at online investment bank Wit Capital in the late 1990s. Throughout her career, including five years as an editor for Business Week covering high-tech and Silicon Valley, she has taken complex topics and translated them into accessible, engaging prose for a general audience.