By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Like many Americans, retired dentist Norman Alpher feels the economy is going strong these days and he expects the good times to last a while. Almost nine of 10 Americans in an Associated Press poll say their finances are better or the same as a year ago.

More than half said they expect things to get better in the next year.

"I'm pretty upbeat about it," says Alpher, a 67-year-old resident of Silver Spring, Md. "Everybody seems to be working and seems to be making a living."

Public optimism about the nation's generally strong economy is about the same now as it was in an AP poll in the late summer of 1998.

Almost a third in the poll conducted for the AP by ICR of Media, Pa., said their finances are better than a year ago, while just about six in 10 say their finances are about the same.

Almost four in 10 of those with money invested in the stock market said things were better financially than a year ago, while just over a fourth of those with no investments felt that way. Those who made $25,000 or more were more likely to feel things were getting better than those who made less than that.

"The economy should keep going for a while unless they artificially hold it up," said Alpher, referring to recent increases in interest rates intended to harness inflation. "But I don't think there's much they can do to slow it down."

Two-thirds of Americans said they have not changed their spending habits because of recent financial news such as fluctuations in the stock market. Three of 10 said they are more cautious.

"I'm not a person who allows myself to get too fidgety or nervous over what I'm hearing," said Romona Murdock, 40, a real estate agent from Cincinnati. "I am optimistic. I set a plan for myself and keep my debt load low."

But she worries things are tougher on some people, who must work long hours or two jobs to make ends meet.

The generally stable outlook on personal finances comes at a time when the stock market has seen sharp ups and downs both in the Dow Jones industrial average, which dipped 250 points Wednesday, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq, which lost 78 points.

Amid the market fluctuations, the economy continues to signal its strength with recent reports on strong income growth and surging home sales.

"Where I live, things are booming in construction work and things like that," said Dana Thompson, 29, a house painter and mother of two from Gulfport, Miss. She pays little attention to the news from Wall Street.

"I've never gotten into that ... probably should," she said. "But it has no effect on me."

More than a third in the poll said they had investments, while six in 10 said they did not. A third said the job market affects them the most personally, while four in 10 said interest rates do. Only one in eight said the stock market had the most influence on them personally.

Half of Americans expect their own family's financial situation to be better a year from now, while four of 10 say they expect it to be about the same, according to the poll of 1,017 people conducted from April 27 through Tuesday. It had an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Younger adults were more likely to say their financial situation was better, with four-in-10 of adults between 18 and 34 saying that and just over a third of people between 35 and 44.

Only one in six adults 65 and over said they were doing better financially, while three-fourths said their situation was about the same. And having the same financial situation can be tough when everything around you is getting more expensive and you're on a fixed income.

Agnes Noto, a 73-year-old widow who lives in a seniors' center in Boynton Beach, Fla., said she feels the squeeze every time she goes out to eat, buys her medicine or purchases clothes.

"I think everything's too high and they don't pay me much," said Noto, whose income is largely based on Social Security. "Everybody's struggling, especially senior citizens.

"The medicine prices are atrocious, even aspirin," she said. "You can't even go to a restaurant without spending $20. Then you have to worry whether you have enough money to buy a loaf of bread."

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