From neighborhood staples closing their doors to investors seriously questioning the viability of companies that have already received billions of dollars in bailout funds, the economy continues to slide on a daily basis. A dismal report released by General Motors Corp.’s auditors just this morning questioned the company’s ability to survive $82 billion in losses over the past three years.

"There is no assurance that the global automobile market will recover or that it will not suffer a significant further downturn," the company wrote.

It’s no surprise that this news, as well as concerns about China’s economy, caused the Dow to drop 200 points this morning. Analysts are already predicting that it may fall to the unfathomable low of 4,000 points in the future, but then again, 6,000 points seemed impossible less than two years ago when numbers rose above 14,000 for the first time. But how concerned should we be each time the market falters?

Carol Costello just did an informative story on how our fixation with the stock market may be misguided. Sure, your 401K may be in critical condition, but psychologist Dr. Joy Browne asks all of us an interesting question: Did you become a multi-millionaire when the Dow hit 14,000 in 2007? Probably not. Browne says that if you have a job and pay your mortgage, the crashing Dow is not likely to drain your bank account. Similarly, analysts say that while the market is a key indicator about the state of our economy, we shouldn’t be obsessing each time it ebbs and flows. While I think Browne’s argument may be a little insensitive to folks who are unemployed and/or are nearing retirement with what little is left of their 401Ks, simply worrying about your finances isn’t going to add a penny to your bank account. Why not come up plans that will make your money go further instead of panicking? You can even get started tonight by tuning into CBS 2 at 11 p.m., when one of America’s top money-managing experts will teach you how to grow your money in these tough economic times.