Amy Cortese

Amy Cortese wrote the book, literally, on local investing. An award-winning journalist known for spotting trends, she coined the term "locavesting" to describe the groundswell of citizen finance and community investment she saw taking place in the wake of the financial crisis. As a speaker, Amy lays bare the failings of the global financial system, which has abandoned the Main Street economy and the nation's true job creators, and offers a glimpse at a compelling alternative taking shape, from Slow Money to crowdfunding to local stock exchanges. Using a mix of real life examples and startling statistics, Amy demonstrates how a small shift in our investments to locally-owned businesses can have an outsize impact on the economy. Locavesting is more than a call to rethink the way we invest; it is a prescription for rebuilding the economy, one community at a time.

Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz calls Locavesting "an inspiring look at what local businesses can achieve." Community crowdfunding pioneer and Smallknot founder Jay Lee says: “If Michael Pollan changed the way you think about food, let Amy Cortese change the way you think about finance.”

Amy is a longtime contributor to the New York Times, as well as other publications, and was an editor at Business Week. Locavesting was published by John Wiley & Sons in June 2011, and was named a "Best Business Book of 2011." Amy has been featured in national and regional media, including MSNBC, Brian Lehrer TV, NPR's Leonard Lopate show, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Salon, Reuters and other outlets.