Mary Dagen McDowell was born on January 7, 1969 in Brookneal, Campbell County, Virginia. She works as a professional American anchor on the Fox Business Network and as a business correspondent for the Fox News Channel.
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Background
When she was 16 years old, she got her driving license and decided that when it was time to attend college, she would leave everything behind and drive to her future. She loves racing and is a die-hard fan of the football team, the Washington Redskins.
McDowell graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from Wake Forest University. Her career as a financial journalist was not planned. She had no idea of what career to choose when she was attending college.
After graduation, she worked in Colorado, doing several odd jobs. She worked as a dressing room attendant and sold beer on a golf course.
Broadcasting Career
McDowell’s first job was working as a financial journalist at the Institutional Investor’s Newsletter Division. Prior to her entry into television broadcast news, she wrote a personal finance column called Dear Dagen for The Street.com. She also worked for Smart Money magazine and SmartMoney.com.
On The Street, she wrote a popular article about how people could handle a big inheritance, “With millions of dollars on its way, the good news is that you can now pay off any nagging credit-card debts and buy yourself a shiny new car. The bad news is that you will have to fight off innumerable hucksters and scalawags and start worrying about your own demise. This enviable predicament might seem like a pipe dream to many. But with the incredible amount of wealth that's been created in the past few decades, many adults will soon be facing similar situations as parents start passing on their wealth to the next generation. Before you go on a spending spree at Neiman Marcus or take off for Nevis, you'll need to decide who is going to handle your money while you're alive and who gets it when you're gone.”
She highly recommends to keep your new fortune a secret from others, “First and foremost, don't tell a lot of people about your windfall. By inheriting or winning a large sum of money, you become a natural target for people who would like to get their hands on that money. The fewer people who know about your newfound wealth, the fewer people you have to worry about asking you for loans and donations.”
McDowell joined the Fox Business Network in September 2007 as a broadcasting anchor. She has been a business correspondent for the Fox News Channel since 2003.
On the Imus In The Morning Radio Show she was a business contributor and she also features as a regular guest on FNC’s Hannity. She is a co-host of Markets Now and appeared frequently on Your World with Neil Cavuto. She also served as a panelist on Cavuto On Business which went on air every Saturday.
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She was also a weekly panelist for Cashin’ In which debuted in May 2001. McDowell has won the Cashin’ In Challenge for three years, beating three other panelists who are professional money managers.
She is a workaholic who enjoys her career and the success she has achieved.
Opinions on President Trump
When Donald Trump implemented massive tariffs, McDowell said that there was a lack of criticism of the policy which would have been different if Obama had done the same thing. During a Fox News broadcast, she said “If President Obama had pulled what we’ve seen in the last six months, we would be shouting to the high heavens, blowing the roof off this building about how Obama was killing the American farmer”
China accused Trump of starting a trade war when he imposed 25 percent tariffs on China, costing China around $34 billion in import duties.
McDowell attacked Trump’s plan because it would have a negative effect on American citizens, “This is just the beginning. It hits heartland, it hits the Trump voter. But the president clearly is not stopping there.”
McDowell also was doubtful that Donald Trump would tell the truth about the Russian probe when he was to testify to Special Counsel Robert Mueller. On a Fox News broadcast, she said “How in the world could he ever cooperate and sit down with Mueller for an interview knowing that if you tell one lie to Bob Mueller, he will move to file charges? From the outside looking in doesn’t it look like increasingly that the Mueller team is setting a trap for the president if he decides to speak with them?”
McDowell was skeptical that the testimony would ever take place because Donald Trump has every incentive to lie or else he would get in trouble. She also seemed to imply on air that the whole world knew Donald Trump is a constant liar that would say anything to get his way.
Personal Life
McDowell has been married to Jonas Max Ferris since 2012, In 2006, the couple on met on the show that McDowell was a panelist for, Cashin’ In. Ferris is an economist, investment advisor and economist analyst for the Fox News Channel. The Southern belle and Ferris courted each other for 6 years before deciding to tie the knot. They have adopted a Chihuahua and named it Ramon. Both McDowell and Ferris are in the same line of work, work at the same place and even their field of specialty is the same making it easy for them to support and connect to each other.
Ferris is the co-founder of MAXfunds.com and McDowell have an apartment in New York and a house in Connecticut. They split their time living in these two properties. McDowell had a previous marriage, when Ferris first met her, she was very much a married woman.
Although McDowell has been away for 14 years from her home state of Virginia, she has strong ties with her Southern roots. Of Irish blood, she is proud of her Southern upbringing and accent. Her parents still live in Brookneal’s rural community and she visits them at least twice a year. She loves living in New York because of the advantages the city offers, where it is possible to get anything at any time.
Last Modified: Apr 8, 2020
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