Sneak Preview: Mining Potential for Transformation

And that is not because we've ceased to grow. As in the ag, oil service, and aerospace bull markets, there was so much starvation for so long that many players merged or were driven out of business. That left just a few power-houses, all of which are totally investable.

Cramer: Pay for Your Kids' College -- All of It

Countries like to have a one-stop mineral shop, like a supermarket, to produce their goods. That's why, when I think of minerals and mining, I think of CVRD(RIO), the Brazilian powerhouse linked to low-cost nickel; Freeport-McMoRan(FCX), a U.S. gold and copper producer; and BHP(BHP) and Rio Tinto(RTP), which mine and smelt just about everything.

A portfolio without a mineral or mining company will miss the greatest secular trend of our lifetime, the growth of what we used to consider Third World or less-developed countries into countries that can compete globally or eventually exceed us in the production of goods and services.

Editor's note: This is a special sneak preview of Jim Cramer's just-released book, Jim Cramer's Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer). Look for more sneak previews every day, and get your free copy with your annual subscription to Action Alerts PLUS; click here for details. Catch Cramer in person at his last book signing event: Saturday, Jan. 12, at 1 p.m. in Westbury, Long Island's Costco.

Missed the first sneak previews? Read the book intro and the rules of getting and staying rich: Rule 1, Rule 2, Rule 3, Rule 4 and Rule 5. Know what pros do right and amateurs do wrong: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5. Learn the five mini-bull markets that will stampede for years, starting with aerospace and defense, agriculture and oil and oil service.

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