加息了,怎么办?

央行昨日暗示九月加息,现有的RATE为2.5%,专家预计到明年底有可能加到4%.

我等应如何应对? 下面的一篇文章也许会有些帮助:

Rising interest rates
By Tim Dameron-business columnist/Rocky Mount Telegram

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

After decreasing rates 13 times from January 2001 through June 2003, the Fed raised interest rates in 2004 and it appears this trend will continue.

From your credit card debt to your mortgage, as well as your investments, highest interest rates can take a big bite out of your personal finances if you are not prepared.

Below are some helpful tips for dealing with rising interest rates and suggested steps you can take now to protect yourself:

Monitor your mortgage.

It is important to keep an eye on your mortgage options during an economy of interest rate hikes. For example, if you have a one-month adjustable rate mortgage, you may notice that your monthly mortgage payments will increase during any rate hikes, while a longer term adjustable-rate mortgage will only adjust after the fixed portion of the adjustable-rate mortgage has expired.

For example, a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage will remain fixed for five years, and then begin to adjust in the sixth year. If the fixed portion of your adjustable-rate mortgage is expiring soon, and you are planning on staying in this home for a long time, now may be a good time to consider switching to a long-term, fixed-rate mortgage.

With a fixed-rate mortgage you will be paying a slightly higher interest rate, but the rate will be capped so it will not change for the length of the loan, which could be as long as 30 years.

Ladder your portfolio.

As rate increases become a reality, you will notice that bond prices may suffer. The reason is that most investors don't want to pay full price for existing bonds when they can buy new ones that pay a higher rate. Yet, just because the bond market is taking a hit it does not mean you should abandon your bond investments.

Bonds are still an important part of a well diversified portfolio.

Instead, you should consider laddering your bond portfolio. In a nutshell, laddering is a strategy whereby you purchase bonds with varying maturity rates. This prevents all your money from being locked into longer-term, lower-yielding bonds.

By laddering you also can reinvest your short-term bonds, as they mature, into long-term bonds as interest rates increase. You also can practice the same laddering strategy with your certificate deposits.

Invest in quality stocks.

When choosing stocks for your portfolio, it is important to look at the company as a whole. Before investing in a company be sure to ask some key questions. Is the company's profit increasing each year? Are the company's products in demand? How has this company faired during past interest rate hikes?

Typically, long-standing, quality companies tend to prosper during an improving economy and fair better than most during an economy with increasing interest rates.

Float your investments.

Managing your portfolio requires proactive investing especially in a rising rate economy. Investing in floating rate funds is another way to combat increasing interest rates. Since floating rate funds invest largely in fixed-rate corporate bonds and reset their interest rates every 30 to 90 days, they are less sensitive to interest rate fluctuations.

They also tend to be less volatile and have traditionally offered impressive trade-offs between risk and return. Floating rate funds can be a good idea in a slowly rising interest rate environment, such as the one we are in today, and have historically offered an attractive income stream.

Consider non-publicly traded real estate investment trusts.

Non-publicly traded real estate investment trusts also can be excellent investing tools in times of rising interest rates and also have traditionally yielded steady and impressive dividends. When considering publicly-traded vs. non-publicly traded real estate investment trusts in a rising interest rate economy, note that publicly-traded real estate investment trusts are traded daily and fluctuate with the market, while non-publicly traded real estate investment trusts are not susceptible to short-term interest rate fluctuations and therefore tend to remain more stable.

Seek help.

In a rising interest rate economy, there are many steps consumers can take to protect their personal finances. Choosing which of these many options are right for you can be tricky and confusing. Meeting with a qualified financial advisor can help you build a comprehensive financial plan as well as an investment strategy and portfolio specifically designed to suit your needs.

Tim Dameron is a senior financial advisor with American Express Financial Advisors Inc. in Rocky Mount.