Yesterday's

684 point drop of the Dow Jones Industrial Average left more than a few

people scrambling to try and find good investment advice.

But local broker

Elizabeth Whitlock at Edward Jones is urging people not to panic.

"I am

upbeat in a down market," she said.

Whitlock was

one of the first brokers to open a New York Stock Exchange office on the

southside and has seen the market weather some storms.

"Monday's

market reminded of the day after the market crashed in 1987. There was

more buying than selling," she said.

She said she

was particularly struck by the "patriotic buying" that occurred.

"We had

a number of airline employees coming into the office and buying stock

in their companies to show that they still had confidence," she said.

In front of

her office, Whitlock's sign read "God Bless America" and she

plans to change it on a regular basis to keep up the morale of the community.

Whitlock has

fielded a lot of questions from senior citizens and retired folks who

are afraid they're going to lose their life savings, but she said that's

not going to be the case.

"As long

as people are diversified in their investment strategy and are in it for

the long haul, they will be fine," she said.

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