and digital correspondent, jessica doyle is back with good news about the global economy. >> yes.is a pretty positive estimate we just got out. good morning, andrea. good morning, everybody. the international monetary fund has raise the forecast for growth around the world next year. the fund says the global economy is poised to grow by 3.1%, up from the 2 1/2% predicted in july. the u.s. is expected to grow by 1 1/2% and the imf indicates the economy here in the u.s. will be growing by year's end. >>> many grocery stores in montgomery county are getting is a facelift. the washington business journal reports that locations include damascus, bethesda and wheaton. it is time for the money-saving tip of the day. be mindful of marketing tricks the next time you are at the grocery store. you may not know this but the items with the biggest markups are placed at chest level. if you want to look for a bargain, literally look high or low, reach up and down. items such as painkillers, contact lens solutions and nonfood items can cost more at the grocery store than the drugstore. for more t

but right now we want to talk about living smart and jessica doyle is back and she has some haves and have-nots in her report. >> that's right. we will start with the haves, and they have a little less now days. now, for only the fifth time since ' 82 the collective net worth of the richest people in the nation has declined. forbes 400 saw it dropped by $300 billion in the last 12 months from 1.6 trillion to 1.3 trillion. the reason, stock market and real estate selloffs along with divorce and fraud. >>> on the flip side, the ranks are growing for people who won't need to write a check to uncle sam next april 15th. the nonpartisan tax policy center predicts 47% of house holds won't owe any federal income taxes for 2009. that works out to be 71 million mouse holds in part because of the economy and because some will get additional money from the government if they qualify for refundable tax breaks. >>> well, let me introduce you to the book. it is part video and part book. simon and schuster releases the novel from jude devereaux. promises has 131 pages of text complimented with 17 sho

and digital correspondent jessica doyle is back with the downs and ups for our 401-ks. >> yeah, switching it around. that's what happened. so many investigators took a beating in the market last year, thankfully, though, that's not the end of the story. new numbers are out from the employee benefit research group and the investment company institute. last year the average 401-k fell to $55,000. that doesn't account for the losses until the market bottomed out in march. since bottoming out on march 9th the s&p 500 which is the broadest measure of the mark has gained 51%. >>> cash for gold has turned in to a gold mine. the company urges people to send in their gold jewelry in exchange for money. it became a household name with the super bowl ads featuring ed mcmahon and mc hammer. it brought in $90 million in sales so far and on track to hit 160 million in sales by the end of the year. >>> time for the money saving tip of the day. it can be hard to put away money, especially when times are tight. here's a way to do something good for your body at this same time. each time you skip a snack o

in tonights living smart report our jessica doyle explains why. >> reporter: when pat andre made an appointment for osteoperosis treatment she was told to be prepared to pay more than her co-pay. her insurance only covers a percentage of the bill. she's responsible for the rest and the doctor wanted it before treatment. >> if you don't have the money, you don't get the care. >> in a recent survey more than half of the responding 650 doctors say they now collect the entire patient portion up front, for things like surgeries orem aging scans. the trend concerns patients advocates. >> it can be a serious, use for consumers who need to see the doctor. >> recent statistics show when bills are sent to patients after treatment, physicians typically recover only about half. dr. kent is one doctor who requires full payment up front. >> we also do tell them that they can send the results to their insurance company. the patient will get reimbursed for their visit at whatever contract amount has been negotiated with their insurance company. >> who would know even if i overpaid? >> patient advocates say you