Comments on: Ask Mary

By: leso. troutman sr.

leso. troutman sr. — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:42:25 +0000

i would like to get into penny stock but i dont know how to go about it. thank’s les troutman sr.

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:15:20 +0000

Thanks for watching! Here is the info you requested. Good luck!
BB Grocery Outlet ( It’s located in the Manufacturer’s Outlet Mall in Morgantown, PA, just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike)
6180 Morgantown Rd #208
Morgantown, PA 19543
(717) 786-3210

By: H. Morton

H. Morton — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:51:33 +0000

Hi Mary, I am watching your show tonight (March 6th) on WPVI channel 6 in Philly. I was very interested in the Discount Gourmet Grocery stores, but when I put in the town that I live in (and I put in Montgomery County) nothing came up. I know you aren’t supposed to promote a specific store, but what store did that woman go to? Those were great deals!!!

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:05:02 +0000

Keysha,
You are in a tight spot. But email me by clicking on the contact us tab and we will try to get you some information. Thanks for the comment!

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:03:23 +0000

email us by hitting the contact tab and we will get you the information. Thanks for watching!

By: Keysha

Keysha — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:40:41 +0000

I am looking for some financial advice and financial planner!!! I am 9 months behind my mortgage working part time, applied for a modification several times, credit is bad, home value depreciated in value and unable to sell right now…do not have a savings … I could go on and on… want to know where to start! Please offer any suggestion!!!

By: Carrie

Carrie — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:30:26 +0000

Your TV show today, Sunday, Jan 24, 2010 is there a tape available?

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:12:18 +0000

Australia,
By all means continue to save. Unemployment compensation does not last forever and whatever cushion you can create for yourself the better off you will be. Try to maintain 3-6 months in expenses in an emergency fund. Now that you do not have credit card debt, try to keep it that way. The other bit of savings to think about is stashing some cash for retirement. One thing you may want to investigate (after you have that emergency fund) is a Roth IRA. Tax rates are the lowest they will be in our lifetime. (They will have to go up in the next few years to pay for all the gov spending). That makes a Roth IRA attractive, you pay the taxes on the front end and get the tax benefit on the back-end. Its not for everyone — so do your homework and consider meeting with a financial professional. Good luck with the job search and thanks for writing! -Mary

By: Australia McArdle

Australia McArdle — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:15:57 +0000

I used my severance to payoff my credit card debt. I get enough unemployment to pay the mortgage for now. Should I still try put something away in savings even if it’s far less than what I did when I was working?

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:01:37 +0000

Kathy,
A big loss is very tough, especially since you were trying to do the right thing by saving and investing. I think it is always healthy to question the people who handle your money. They should be comfortable answering your questions in easy to understand terms. In defense of your broker, the entire market is down. That said my answer to your question comes in two parts; 1) the advisor 2) the investments.
First the advisor. A few questions to think about when judging the person handling your investments. Did they promise a certain rate of return. Anyone who does that when talking about stocks has too much in common with Bernie Madoff for my comfort. Did they talk to you about your risk appetite and how soon you may need to dip into your investments? If they didn’t– I would drop them. I like “fee only” financial advisors who do not make commissions off of the specific investment products they recommend to you.
2) The investments. What is your time horizon for these investments? If it is 5 years or longer then stocks may be a good vehicle for you. Understand that the losses in the market over the last 6 months won’t be wiped away anytime soon. The bad economy will will take its toll on american and international companies for sometime. Some companies won’t make it– others will struggle, but there will be companies that thrive. This is where it pays to know what you are buying. What stocks or what funds does your advisor have you in and why. There are bargains in the market right now and a good argument can be made for long term investors to be dollar cost averaging into the market now. But remember cheap doesn’t mean a bargain. With a baby on the way and a mortgage, make sure you have 6-months to a years expenses in an emergency fund that is not in stocks. Kathy the bottom-line is, this is your money. If you do not feel comfortable with the losses or with the individual handling your cash, don’t invest with the person or in the investments they have you in. Keep us posted on what you decide. Thanks Mary