You’ll have to start by getting your exact score by shelling out $16 at myfico.com. (The best free scoring tool, the report card at Credit.com, gives you only a letter grade and a range your score probably falls into.)

You actually have three credit scores, one for each of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Mortgage lenders pull all three.

Though based on the same model, these scores can differ — typically by no more than 15 to 20 points, says FICO spokesman Crag Watts — depending on how lenders report to the bureaus and how the bureaus include that information in the report.

At myfico.com, you have the option of buying only your Equifax or Trans-Union score; Experian doesn’t sell its FICO score to consumers. If you’re shopping for a home loan, get the two available to you.

Scores change whenever your creditors report new information — like your credit card balance — so if you’re in the market for a big loan, start monitoring your number six to 12 months beforehand.

You might also find it useful to sign up for a tool like Equifax’s Score Watch, which for $13 a month will alert you when your score shifts. For those who aren’t loan shopping, there’s no need to check your number more than twice a year, says Wayne Sanford. owner of credit consulting firm New Start Financial Corp.

And if you find out you’re not in the promised land? Don’t worry. You don’t need to be fanatical to get to 780. Those in the know say these moves matter most:

1. Stay on top of your credit reports. You’re entitled to one free copy per year from each bureau. Get ‘em at annualcreditreport.com, and look for misreported delinquencies, over-reported loan amounts, and underreported credit limits business card design. Request corrections from the bureau in writing.

2. Pay bills within the grace period. Lenders report tardiness to the bureaus once you’re 30 days past due; if your score started at 780, it can go down to 680 after just one delinquency, says Watts. So set up payment reminders or have payments automatically deducted by a certain date.

3. Focus on paying off credit cards vs. other debt. Whittling down revolving debt will do a lot more for your score than erasing installment loans. Paying off a $250,000 mortgage when your score is already high will boost it by only five or 10 points, says Watts. But wiping away a few thousand bucks on plastic can add 100 points.

4. Stay under the magic 10%. Just paying credit card balances off every cycle doesn’t mean you have a 0% utilization; issuers report the total amount you charge each month to the bureaus. That suggests you should use credit cards sparingly, says Watts. Aim to spend no more than $2,000 on a $20,000 line; and put cards on ice a few months before applying for a loan.

5. Have a favorite credit card. The FICO model penalizes you for having multiple balances, so limit the bulk of your spending to one card. That said, issuers are closing inactive lines, which can hurt your utilization ratio. So make small charges to your other cards every three months or so.

6. Ask FICO what else will work for you. FICO offers a free Score Simulator tool to those who buy scores on myfico.com, and this allows you to see how your score would respond to certain actions, such as paying down debt or even taking on new loans.  

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It’s the end of the summer, trading volume is light, and even though company earnings are generally strong, dismal economic reports have been kicking fears of a second-half slowdown into higher gear.

Add a little uncertainty about Bush tax cuts, interest rates and the logistics of financial regulatory reform to the mix, and investors are jittery to say the least.

"We know the economy is not suffering from a lack of money or liquidity. What the economy is desperately short of is confidence and visibility and the willingness to take risk," said Adrian Cronje, chief financial officer of investment firm Balentine.

The markets are coming off two weeks of losses as traders have been struggling to find a balance between upbeat company news and downtrodden data on jobs, manufacturing, and other economic indicators.

On one hand, the positive: A slew of mergers and acquisitions announced last week shows companies are ramping up their capital spending, which is a sign that they’re preparing for better times.

Earlier this week, mining giant BHP Billiton’s (BHP) $43.8 billion unsolicited bid for Canadian fertilizer-maker Potash Corp. (POT) was the biggest deal this year, bringing weekly M&A volume to $89.8 billion.

And on Thursday, Intel (INTC, Fortune 500) agreed to buy security software maker McAfee (MFE) for $7.68 billion, in what would be the chipmaker’s biggest acquisition ever.

Historically, August is a slower month for M&A activity but last week’s total is the largest of any August week in four years, according to Thomson Reuters.

On the other hand, the negative: The headline economic indicator continues to be jobs, and the news there has been grim at best. The number of first-time filers for unemployment benefits surged to a 9-month high last week and has been stuck in the mid- to higher 400,000s since November.

Economists are looking to see that weekly number of first-time filers tick down to 400,000 or lower before they’re truly convinced a recovery is underway easy to get unsecured personal loans. They’ll be closely watching for the government’s most recent jobs data on Thursday.

Cronje is not predicting particularly bad or good news for jobs this week, but if the numbers disappoint, watch out: "Any sign of the job market getting even worse from here will be taken badly," he said.

On the docket

Monday: No economic reports are on tap.

Tuesday: The July report on existing homes sales from the National Association of Realtors is due during morning trading Tuesday. Sales of existing homes fell 5.1% in June to a 5.37 million-unit pace — a sign of renewed turbulence in the housing market. Economists polled by Briefing.com are expecting July to show another slowdown in sales, down to 5.14 million.

Wednesday: The Commerce Department reports data on durable goods orders — a measure of products meant to last at least three years, such as cars and computers.

Recovering after the recession, orders rallied more than 20% between March 2009 and April 2010. But the measure has posted back-to-back declines for the last two months. Economists are forecasting a 3.4% increase for July.

They’re also waiting for the latest figures on new home sales, which are expected to show a slight uptick to 338,000 in July, up from 330,000 the month before.

Thursday: The government releases its weekly numbers on first-time unemployment filers. Last week, stocks took a hit when the number increased dramatically to 500,000 initial claims.

Friday: The government’s revised reading on gross domestic product is due on Friday.

GDP is the broadest measure of the nation’s economic activity. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com are expecting the government to revise the number to 1.4%, showing a significant slowdown from its previous reading of 2.4%. 

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The Australian company’s offer remains valued at $130-per-share offer, representing a 16% premium to Monday’s closing price.

"We firmly believe that Potash Corp. shareholders will find the certainty of a cash offer, at a premium of 32% to the 30-trading day period average, very attractive, and we have therefore decided to make this offer directly to those shareholders," said BHP chairman Jac Nasser in a statement payday loan.

Shares of Potash (POT), which spiked almost 28% Tuesday following the rejection, gained 3% Wednesday.

Meanwhile, BHP’s (BHP) stock, which slipped 2.4% Tuesday, lost another 3% Wednesday. 

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About 43 percent of respondents said the most qualified replacement for Mark Hurd would come from those two sources, according to the survey by executive search firm Cook Associates which is expected to be published on Monday .

The survey was made available early to the New York Times.

The Times reported that among individuals named for the job Todd Bradley, who runs HP's PC business, and Steve Mills, who runs IBM's software business, tied as the most likely choices.

Hurd actually tied with Ann Livermore, HP's corporate technology chief, for the next best choice, as unlikely as it is that will happen.

The former CEO resigned on August 6 in the wake of sexual harassment charges brought by former actress and HP contractor Jodie Fisher. An internal investigation cleared him of those charges but found that he hadn't lived up to the company's code of conduct.

Hurd has reportedly agreed to pay a settlement to Fisher related to her accusations.

Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak, 51, is acting as CEO on an interim basis. Lesjak is a 24-year veteran of the company who has served as HP’s CFO and as a member of the company’s Executive Council since January 2007.

To read more of the Business Journal's coverage of Mark Hurd's career and sudden resignation click here.

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Total revenue increased to $58.3 million from $56.7 million over the second quarter of 2009.

Assisted Living Concepts (NYSE: ALC) reported a decline, however, in net income for the quarter with $2.9 million, or 25 cents per share, compared with $3.9 million, or 33 cents per share, in the same period the year before.

The decline is the result of one-time charges totaling $1.7 million related to income tax benefits and expenses associated with the realignment of divisions, said John Buono, senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Net income would have been $4.6 million, or 39 cents per share, without those one-time charges, Buono said during a conference call Tuesday with investors.

Staffing needs have decreased because of the lower number of Medicaid residents the company is accepting and general economic conditions have allowed Assisted Living to hire employees at lower wage rates, Buono said.

At the same time, general administrative costs increased $800,000 compared with the last year.

Assisted Living increased average private-pay occupancy by 122 and eight units over the second quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, respectively payday loan.

The company does not expect to renew Medicaid contracts in 2010, which will reduce Medicaid occupancy by about 40 people in the third quarter of 2010, Laurie Bebo, president and CEO, said in a conference call.

Assisted Living gets less money in reimbursements from Medicaid residents than it does from private-pay residents and has made a conscious decision to decrease the number of Medicaid residents and replace them with private-pay residents.

The company has been offering discounts such as no new residency fees or one-month free after six months to make its facilities more attractive to private-pay residents, Bebo said.

Private-pay residents increased from 92.3 percent in 2009 to 97.1 percent in 2010. Revenues from those residents increased from 93 percent to 98 percent in 2010.

“Our strategy of reducing our reliance on government funding continues to increase our margins,” Bebo said.

Assisted Living Concepts and its subsidiaries operate 211 senior living residences comprising 9,280 residents in 20 states.

The company is looking at the acquisition of other properties, but was not ready to discuss details, Buono said.

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The company, which has about 200 people at its call center in Phoenix that it shares with its parent, Farmers Group Inc., plans to split the positions among customers service and sales, said Deb West, the company’s director of operations.

The jobs will be full-time, and the company also is looking for some people with bilingual skills.

The job fair runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 4 to 7 p.m. at the call center, 16001 N. 28th Ave.

Those interested also can apply online at www.farmers.com and clicking on “corporate careers.”

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Including the impact of the bankruptcy income, Smurfi reported net income attributable to common stockholders of $1.41 billion for the second quarter, compared with a net income of $155 million a year earlier.

The company reported sales of $1.6 billion for the three months ended June 30, up 14 percent from $1.4 billion in the prior-year quarter.

Smurfit, which is dually headquartered in Creve Coeur, Mo., and Chicago, exited from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June. Smurfit has nearly all of the firm’s executives based in St. Louis. The company operates corrugated container, folding carton, recovered paper and recycling services facilities. Smurfit-Stone has 30 recycling plants in the U.S. The company reported $5.57 billion in 2009 revenue.

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The study by BDO USA LLP, a professional services firm, looked at the relationship between the change in total CEO compensation (including salary, bonus, stock options, etc.) between 2008 and 2009 and the total shareholder return of the company over the same year.

It found that the 25 top performing D.C.-area companies posted a median increase in shareholder returns of 85 percent, significantly lower than the median for top performing companies nationwide of 98 percent. Yet the CEOs of those local companies got a 37 percent increase in compensation, compared to just a 5.5 percent increase for CEOs of top performing companies nationwide. Local CEO pay hikes were second only to those of Atlanta CEOs, who received a 45 percent bump in compensation.

The CEOs at the 25 worst-performing public companies in the D.C. area also fared a bit better than their under-performing brethren nationwide.

Shareholder returns at the lowest-performing local companies decreased by a median of 5 percent, while their CEOs took a 4 percent pay cut — equivalent to 80 percent of the decline in shareholder returns. Nationally, the bottom-performing companies saw shareholder returns drop 10.5 percent, while CEO pay fell 9 percent — equivalent to 86 percent of the decline in shareholder returns. This means local under-performing CEOs didn’t receive as big a pay cut, relative to their performance, as underperforming CEOs nationwide.

“Tying pay to company performance is critical now more than ever given the increased scrutiny both from regulators and shareholders,” said Randy Ramirez, Northeast regional leader of the compensation and benefits practice at BDO in a statement. “Our analysis shows that top performing companies in Washington, D.C., are more rigorous than their poor performing counterparts when it comes to developing a performance-based strategy for CEO compensation. However, there are still some notable gaps. Performance cycles do not coincide with changes in company tactics and performance measures do not accurately reflect changes in operational focus.”

The Washington Business Journal conducted a smaller compensation study in May which found that CEO compensation at local financial services companies declined 39 percent in 2009, despite an improvement in company performance.

Here are the breakdowns on CEO pay for performance at companies in the 10 largest cities nationwide, according to the BDO study:

Top 25 performing companies

City / shareholder return / CEO pay increases

1. New York / 243 percent / 10 percent
2. San Francisco / 155 percent / -14 percent
3. Houston / 152 percent / 5 percent
4. Dallas / 135 percent / 6 percent
5. Miami / 109 percent / 2 percent
6. Boston / 86 percent / 1 percent
7. D.C. / 85 percent / 37 percent
8. Atlanta / 74 percent / 45 percent
9. Chicago / 63 percent / 4 percent
10. Los Angeles / 58 percent / 10 percent

Bottom 25 performing companies

City / shareholder return /CEO pay increases

1. San Francisco / 4 percent / -9 percent
2. Miami / -1 percent / 0 percent
3. D.C. / -5 percent / -4 percent
4. Atlanta / -7 percent / -25 percent
5. Chicago / -10 percent / -9 percent
6. LA / -11percent / 2 percent
7. Dallas / -13 percent / 0 percent
8. Boston / -13 percent / -10 percent
9. Houston / -19 percent / -10 percent
10. New York / -27 percent / -17 percent

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Since then, Landry and his cocker spaniel, Curley, have been sleeping in his 1991 Dodge Dakota in a church parking lot. He sold his possessions and applied for food stamps in order to survive.

And even though President Obama signed a measure Thursday that extends benefits through November, Landry knows he won’t get his $475 weekly check anytime soon.

The last time Congress allowed the benefits to lapse, it took a month for him to start getting payments again.

"I’ll just have to scrape by," said Landry, who lost his job as a credit manager for K2 Skis in September 2008. "There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve learned to deal with it."

Though Congress has finally pushed the deadline to file for federal extended insurance through Nov. 30, it could take weeks before the jobless start getting their checks again.

Nearly 2.9 million people ran out of benefits in the nearly two months it took Congress to extend the filing deadline beyond June 2.

But just when the checks start hitting bank accounts and mailboxes again depends on the state.

The long delay wreaked havoc on the state unemployment insurance technology that process the payments. States often have to call in experts to reprogram the computer systems, which are an average of 22 years old.

And state officials have to make sure that the unemployed were eligible to receive benefits during the interim. If the jobless stopped looking for work or earned income during June or July, they may not qualify.

"States will move as quickly as possible to resume [federal unemployment] payments, but it will not happen overnight," said Rich Hobbie, executive director of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. "Because the program has lapsed for over a month, state workforce agencies need to ensure that claimants qualify for all retroactive payments."

The unemployed should check their state agency’s website for updates or wait for a letter with instructions on restarting their payments and claiming the retroactive sum, said Judy Conti, federal advocacy coordinator at the National Employment Law Project Low fee payday loans.

Some states asked the jobless to continue sending in the forms certifying they were eligible for payments. The unemployed in those places will likely see their checks sooner.

But it will still take time, said Steve Meissner, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Economic Security, which told its 64,000 claimants who were affected by the lapse to keep filing.

"We will do it as quickly as we can," he said, adding the state is still waiting to receive official guidance from the federal Department of Labor. "There are always some ambiguities because unemployment law is pretty complicated."

The checks, however, can’t come too quickly for the jobless. For many, it’s the only way they can afford housing, utilities, food and car payments, Conti said.

Vicki Wolf of Lebanon, Pa., is anxiously awaiting her $393 weekly check so she can pay her rent and buy essentials, such as shampoo. The former call center supervisor, who continued sending in her forms to the state, is behind on all her bills because she hasn’t had any income since June 5.

Pennsylvania officials said in a statement that those who kept filing their paperwork should receive payment within two weeks. The rest of the more than 200,000 state residents who lost their benefits should submit their claims online as soon as possible.

Wolf, at least, is one of the luckier ones. She starts a new job at a trucking company on Monday, though she won’t see her first paycheck until mid-August. Until then, she’ll have to walk 45 minutes to work from her home.

"I don’t have money to buy gas to put in the car," she said. 

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It’ll be a test run for the Chiefs, who are using the renovation as a springboard to improve customer service and the fan experience. The project — which includes an array of features evoking Chiefs history and highlights — added about 430,000 square feet to the stadium, for a total of more than 1.64 million square feet.

“This is the culmination of a five-year process designed to return Arrowhead to its status” as the finest stadium in the National Football League, Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt said Friday as he gave a media tour of the recently completed facility.

Kelly Kerns, a principal with Kansas City-based Populous, the project architect, said the Arrowhead work kept about 100 of the firm’s local employees busy — and gave him a welcome period of work close to home for the past five years no fax payday loan.

But more than that, the project put Populous in a good position to take advantage of what Kerns said probably is going to be the next building trend.

The professional sports marketplace has experienced a big building boom during the past several years, but those projects in large part have been completed. Now, Kerns said he expects a flurry of projects to improve existing facilities. And Arrowhead provides a showpiece as to the possibilities and Populous’ capabilities.

It’s also a sustainable, green approach, Kerns said. By tackling the project using the existing structure, masses of concrete were kept out of landfills.

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