Shell just cut its dividend for the first time in 75 years. Investors should take note of the meaning behind this cut. Read More
It's hard to imagine anyone better suited to covering the energy-investment waterfront than Robert Rapier.
Robert is no armchair analyst—he has two decades of in-the-trenches experience in a wide range of fossil fuel and biofuel technologies, including refining, natural gas production, gas-to-liquids, ethanol production and butanol production.
During a six-year stretch at ConocoPhillips, Robert ran a team of engineers in Scotland working on oil and gas projects in the North Sea.
For two years, Robert was an efficiency expert in a Texas petrochemical plant. The process changes he implemented saved the facility $9 million a year. He later worked as the Engineering Director for a Dutch environmental-technology company and provided engineering support for a Chinese facility the company was constructing.
Robert was also a butanol engineer in Germany for the Celanese Corporation, where he designed a novel butanol unit that cut production costs by $5 million per year.
In all, Robert has spent more than a dozen years working on liquid fuels technologies. Along the way he's picked up five patents, including one for a breakthrough way to convert ethane into ethylene (U.S. Patent 7,074,977).
Now, in addition to guiding readers to timely investments in Utility Forecaster and Rapier's Income Accelerator, Robert travels the world evaluating startup energy companies for deep-pocketed investors. After grilling management and assessing the technology on-site, he makes a go/no-go investment decision. His wealthy private investors and hedge fund backers trust him to make the right choice for the same reason we do: his vast real-world experience in just about every facet of the energy industry. If Robert votes thumbs-up, millions of dollars flow into these cutting-edge outfits.
Robert earned his master of science in chemical engineering and a bachelor of science in chemistry and mathematics (double major) at Texas A&M University. He tells us he was "this close" to finishing his Ph.D. before he decided he was having a lot more fun making money in energy stocks.
A prolific writer, Robert's articles have appeared in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor -- and he has been a featured expert on 60 Minutes and The History Channel. His new book, Power Plays: Energy Options in the Age of Peak Oil (Apress, 2012), helps investors sort through doom and gloom, hype and misinformation to understand the true costs, benefits and trade-offs for each of our major energy options.
In what little spare time he has left, Robert consults for a number of energy projects, including biodiesel, ethanol, butanol and biomass gasification facilities.
Analyst Articles
A week ago the oil markets entered uncharted waters: negative pricing. Investors must heed the lessons from this precedent. Read More
As the government takes steps to reopen the economy, you must prepare for a future that's different from the recent past. Read More
Because of COVID-19, a recession is inevitable. Here are the shrewd places to put your money during an economic downturn. Read More
We dissect the worst Q1 in stock market history. Here's how the sectors fared, with a look at the investment stance you should take. Read More
To cope with the coronavirus crisis, here's how to access your retirement funds, with little or no penalty. Read More
During the pandemic, industries that meet critical needs should weather the downturn better than most. Here are sectors to consider. Read More
The coronavirus is often described as a "black swan." But where did this term come from and what exactly does it mean? Read More
As the coronavirus takes its toll, Russia makes a surprise decision with huge implications for not only oil markets but all investors. Read More
As market volatility explodes, it's important to reassess your risk tolerance. Heed these lessons from the previous crash in 2008. Read More