There is always the possibility of the rise in interest rates, especially when in comes to bonds. Investing in bonds has becomes an ongoing trend. Sometimes the investment can be a safe one, others times it won't be. There is nothing you can do to stop it, but you can protect yourself from it. How? Below are some tips on how you can invest wisely. Below are also some tips on what to be aware of. This will ensure your investments are secure enough to handle the rising rates, especially during the summer months.

THE MARKET AND THE ECONOMY
Always keep your eyes peeled on the market. There are two places where the rates rise. One place is in the bonds. The other place is in the bonds with long maturities. Why? It's going to take a long time for the bond to be repaid. The coupons will do very little to help offset the problem.
Your best bet is to look for bonds with higher coupons and shorter periods. These bonds will work better with rising prices. The best type of bond you can get is a junk bond. They usually go for ten years or less. They can bounce back more when it comes to time-sensitive issues.

Floating rate bonds are also a good way to go. If a company is doing well, this is a good sign. A well-balanced economy is also a good sign. If both of these are in tact, this will offset any issues that might arise. Keep your eyes peeled for these indicators.

The large US retailer, Wal-Mart, missed its first quarter earnings with slower sales and currency issues. Analyst were looking for profit of $1.05 a share but the company was only able to report $1.03 a share. Sales were also light with both Wal-Mart and Sam’s Wholesale seeing a slowing a sales growth. International revenue struggled due to the strong US currency in comparison to the devaluation of almost every other currency. $14 billion in sales is to be lost this year from currency issues, that equates to 13 cents a year in profit.

The trade deficit in March reached a 6 year high which makes many feel the economy contracted in the first quarter of the year. Yet the general feeling is that the economy rebounded in April with stronger service sector activity. The issues faced in the first quarter are not present in the second quarter, giving people a positive perspective on GDP.

The trade deficit moved higher by 43% to over $53 billion in March of 2015. The jump was 9 year high with the number itself being a 6 year high. West Coast ports were stalled with trade talks until just recently, creating the surge. US Stocks, Treasuries, and the Dollar all fell today.

Exxon Mobile Corp was the largest dividend payer in the S&P 500, paying out over $11.5 billion per year to stock holders. But with Apple increasing their dividend by 10% with their most recent earnings report, they will now be paying out over $12 billion yearly in dividends. This dividend raise was in addition to the companies large stock buyback program which is investing $140 billion in Apple stock.

The company has become a cash cow with the popularity of its phone and tablet products. Even with the large stock buyback and the huge dividend payouts, the company still has plenty of cash on hand to invest in research and development of new products.

The stock market jumped higher today with some considering the market oversold, government reports due this week, and new stimulus in Asia. Personal income came in a little bit better than expected and homes sales were higher last month thanks to the mid-west and sales in the west. The Dow Jones was up almost 300 points while the S&P 500 moved up 1.25% overall. Energy stocks were the strongest even as oil prices declined more.

Winning the office pool this March for the NCAA Tournament is something that needs to be claimed on your taxes as a gambling win. Luckily you can offset the win with any gambling loses that you had during the year. Keep track of your loses so you do not need to pay taxes this year on the gain. Winning the brackets is never easy but in case you have the best one in your office, keep some things in mind.

General Motors has had a rough year with record numbers of recalls for ignition issues. And  now they are facing disgruntled investors ready for a proxy fight. To calm the anger of the investors, the company is going to buy back $5 billion in stock giving support to the stock.

Americans have utilized the popular 529 plans to save for college to the tune of $248 billion. The amount in those plans grew by 9% last year. And it has become very popular to save for college as early as when a child is one years old. The College Savings Plans Network advices that this is a smart move by parents as the cost of college continues to rise. The average value of these accounts is now at $20,000. But costs continue to rise and the government only finds new ways to keep the cost of college on an upward trend.

Labor markets improved last week according to government reports showing the number filing for unemployment benefits decreased more than expected. Initial claims came in at 283,000, which was 21,000 people lower than the previous period and lower than anticipated. The general consensus was initial claims would come in closer to 295,000. Some economist have become very optimistic about labor markets while others point to real employment and the low participation rates among other negative signs.

Declines in IBM offset some of the gains made by investors looking forward to the European Central Bank announcement Thursday, where the group is expected to purchase more bonds to stimulate the economy. The Euro Zone has had some economic troubles as of late and investors see the new stimulus as overdue. Asian stocks also moved higher later in the day after the US markets rose.