Grand Rapids, MI -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/15/2011 -- Most Americans saw at least some television footage when China’s president recently visited the U.S. But as financial advisor Dennis Tubbergen points out, many Americans still may not know about the topic brought to the forefront by Hu Jintao’s January visit. If you did not know how crucial rare earth elements are until the last few weeks, you are not alone.

Tubbergen, who is a financial advisor, author, radio host and CEO of USA Wealth Management, LLC, thought the topic of rare earth elements was important enough to bring it up during one of his recent radio shows. While Tubbergen usually spends most of his time discussing such timely topics as unemployment and the economy in the U.S., he also hosts The Everything Financial Radio Show.

During his January 22, 2011 show, Tubbergen explained to his listeners what rare earth elements (or metals) are and why they are important to the highly-technical world we find ourselves in today. The 17 chemical elements that comprise rare earth elements are used in products many of us would hate to live without: cell phones, computer chips, the batteries in hybrid and electric cars, the generators in wind turbines, and many defense products such as precision-guided weaponry, stealth technology and anti-missile defense systems, to name a few.

So why did this topic become important with President Hu Jintao’s visit?

“For example, each and every Toyota Prius has 25 pounds of rare earth elements,” notes Tubbergen. “The only problem is China manufactures 95% of the elements that go in these cars.”

As Tubbergen mentions above, although these 17 elements can be found all over the earth, China currently produces a whopping 95% of rare earth elements. Tubbergen refers to a January 18, 2011 article on SFGate.com which explains the elements are not easy to process and create waste gas which includes deadly by-products fluorine and sulfur dioxide and ‘heavy water’ containing cadmium.

“China is now saying they no longer wish to pollute their environment by mining the rare earth elements,” claims Tubbergen. “Or are they simply trying to drive the price up?”

To listen to Tubbergen’s full broadcast regarding rare earth elements, go to http://www.everythingfinancialradio.com and click on Segment Two of his podcast from January 22, 2011.

Dennis Tubbergen has been in the financial industry for over 25 years and has his corporate offices in the USA Wealth Management Building in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tubbergen is CEO of USA Wealth Management, LLC and has an online blog that can be viewed at http://www.dennistubbergen.com. His weekly talk show The Everything Financial Radio Show is simulcast on two Michigan metro stations and also airs to over 600,000 financial advisors, with recent podcasts available at http://www.everythingfinancialradio.com.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the writer and not necessarily those of USA Wealth Management, LLC. This update may contain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements as to future events that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those that were forecasted. Therefore, no forecast should be construed as a guarantee. Prior to making any investment decision, individuals should consult a professional to determine the risks, costs, benefits and fees associated with a particular investment. Information obtained from third party resources is believed to be reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed.