Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) is the benchmark by which thousands of money managers overseeing trillions of dollars in assets are judged. For passive index investors who believe that active management doesn't add value over the long run, choosing index-tracking exchange-traded funds tied to the S&P 500 helps them meet their goal of matching the market's overall return.

But many different ETFs track the S&P 500. Which one makes the most sense for you? Let's look at some of the more popular S&P 500-tracking ETFs to pinpoint their differences.

A look at three top S&P ETFs
The biggest S&P-tracking ETF is the SPDR S&P 500 (NYSEMKT: SPY  ) , affectionately known as the Spiders. It was the first exchange-traded fund product to gain widespread use, and it's now a giant in the industry, with $140 billion under management. Its expense ratio is 0.09%, and with average volume of about 133 million shares daily, the Spiders trade $22 billion worth of shares each day -- meaning it takes less than seven days for the entire outstanding share-count to turn over.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: Royal And Sun Alliance(RSA.L)

RSA Insurance Group plc, through its subsidiaries, provides personal and commercial general insurance products and services worldwide. Its personal insurance products include motor, household, travel, and pet insurance; and commercial products comprise motor, marine, engineering, liability, property, and professional financial insurance. It also provides insurance coverage for a range of renewable energy technologies, including wind energy, solar energy, small hydro, and bio energy. In addition, the company offers claim handling and insurance brokerage services. It distributes its products through brokers and affinity partnerships. The company was formerly known as Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group plc and changed its name to RSA Insurance Group plc in 2008. RSA Insurance Group plc was founded in 1710 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: CompuCredit Holdings Corporation(CCRT)

CompuCredit Holdings Corporation provides credit and related financial services and products to underserved consumer credit market in the United States. It operates in five segments: Credit Cards, Investments in Previously Charged-Off Receivables; Retail Micro-Loans; Auto Finance; and Internet Micro-Loans. The Credit Cards segment involves in credit card investment and servicing activities with respect to receivables underlying accounts originated and portfolios purchased by the company. The Investments in Previously Charged-Off Receivables segment acquires and sells previously charged-off credit card receivables. The Retail Micro-Loans segment, through a network of storefront locations, provides small-balance, short-term cash advance loans that are due on the customer?s next payday; state installment loans, title loans, and other credit products; money transfer, bill payment, and related financial services; and tax preparation services, money order, and wire transfer ser vices. Its loans and products are marketed through retail branch locations in Alabama, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. The Auto Finance segment purchases auto loans and services the loans to pre-qualified auto dealers. The Internet Micro-Loans segment involves in Internet micro-loan operations. The company also offers other ancillary products, such as memberships, insurance products, subscription services, and debt waiver. CompuCredit Holdings Corporation was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Top Low Price Stocks To Own For 2014: Lam Research Corporation(LRCX)

Lam Research Corporation designs, manufactures, markets, refurbishes, and services semiconductor processing equipments used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. The company offers etch products that remove portions of various films from the wafer in the creation of semiconductor devices. Its etch products include dielectric etch, conductor etch, three-dimensional integrated circuit etch, MEMS devices, CMOS image sensors, and power devices for etching process. Lam Research Corporation also provides wafer cleaning steps that comprise post-etch and post-strip cleans, and pre-diffusion and pre-deposition cleans; and single-wafer wet clean and plasma-based bevel clean systems. The company offers its products to semiconductor manufacturers. It operates in the United States, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and the Asia Pacific. Lam Research Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Fremont, California.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: Core-Mark Holding Company Inc.(CORE)

Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, markets fresh and broad-line supply solutions to the convenience retail industry in the United States and Canada. It provides various products, including cigarettes, other tobacco products, candy, snacks, fast food, groceries, fresh products, dairy, bread, beverages, general merchandise, and health and beauty care products; marketing programs; and technology solutions. The company distributes its products to traditional convenience stores, grocery stores, drug stores, liquor stores, and other specialty and small format stores that carry convenience products through a network of 26 distribution centers. Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.

Top 5 Clean Energy Stocks To Buy For 2014: Blue Dolphin Energy Company (BDCO)

Blue Dolphin Energy Company operates as an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products. The company separates crude oil and condensate into off-road diesel and jet fuel for sale into nearby markets, as well as naphtha and atmospheric gas oil for sale to nearby refineries for further processing. It also provides pipeline transportation services comprising gathering and transporting oil and natural gas for producers/shippers operating offshore in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. In addition, the company engages in the oil and gas exploration and production activities. It holds leasehold interests in the North Sumatra Basin-Langsa field located offshore Indonesia; and High Island Block 115 located to the southeast of Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston Area Block 321 located to the southeast of Galveston, and High Island Block 37 located to the south of Sabine Pass in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Blue Dolphin Energy Company operates as a subsidiary of Lazarus Energy Holdings, LLC.