What if those rave reviews you read about a contractor are ringers posted by his daughter — or if your supposedly in-stock sink order doesn’t ship for two weeks, throwing off your entire work schedule?

Follow these tips to avoid glitches and get the most for your money.

To find a contractor: Sites that are driven by consumer ratings are your best bet. That’s because you get to see what as many as hundreds of prior customers say about all the pros in your area.

Just watch for sites with anonymous postings and ads that appear in search results that look like positive ratings. In the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles metro areas, or a few counties in New York, Connecticut, and Florida, check out Franklin-Report.com, which compiles user comments into Zagat-like ratings.

Beyond those regions, a good alternative is Angieslist.com, which charges $5 a month, and uses the credit card info to prevent anyone from creating more than one login in order to post multiple revews.

To vet a contractor: The next step is to talk to former clients and visit current and completed job sites. Sadly, there are no e-ternatives to doing this in person.

But there is one key step you can do online: a background check high quality business cards. Get a report about a contractor’s licensing, bonding, insurance, bankruptcy, civil judgments, criminal background, liens, and credit rating for $13 at contractorcheck.com, run by the credit bureau Experian.

To order supplies

Sites run by home-improvement chains (such as HomeDepot.com and Lowes.com), boutique manufacturers (BeadBoard.com, Horizon-Shutters.com), and specialty e-tailers (eFaucets.com, TileShop.com) offer bigger selections than local retailers do. But the main attraction is price: Discounts of 10% to 50% aren’t uncommon.

Just keep in mind that if something goes wrong, those savings could turn into cost overruns. As with any online purchase, you run the risk of shipping damage or late deliveries, which can derail a project with multiple tradesmen working around one another’s schedules.

So order online only if your contractor okays it and provides technical specs; you’re far enough ahead of the installation date to make other arrangements if there’s a problem; the site is an authorized dealer for the brands you’re buying; and if possible, you’ve seen the product firsthand.

Otherwise, buy locally. It’ll be easier to get matching items quickly if needed, and you’ll avoid having to deal with a faraway call center if a problem arises.  

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The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 58 points, or 0.6%, to close at 10,213 and the S&P 500 (SPX) fell 4 points, or 0.4%, to close at 1,072, according to early tallies. It was the second straight week of losses for the two indexes.

Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq (COMP) composite gained less than a point to 2,180, and up slightly overall for the week.

Stocks tumbled Thursday after three key economic reports slammed confidence. Weekly jobless claims rose to their highest level since November, manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region slowed, and a key measure of future economic activity was less than had hoped.

The Dow lost 1.4%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both shed 1.7%.

"When the area of great concern in the market place (jobs) gets a dismal report and the bright spot in the economy (manufacturing) gets whacked into oblivion, fear came back into the marketplace," Phil Flynn, a senior market analyst with PFG Best, said in a note to investors. "Some call it the risk aversion trade but I say that’s a polite way of saying people are scared."

Weak economic reports have spurred worries about a slower recovery this summer, but bullish traders have been eager to put those fears on the back burner amid some strong earnings from Fortune 500 companies in the last few weeks. Now that the quarterly reports are tapering off, some of those gloomy economic reports are once again taking over the spotlight.

"Investors remain on edge over the direction of the economy," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Avalon Partners. "Recent economic reports, especially employment data, continue to be a worry for the market and overshadow the good news, including the expansion of corporate America."

While takeover activity and merger deals are picking up steam, a sign that companies are preparing for "better times," Cardillo said the market is still debating whether the economy is headed for a double-dip recession personal loan for poor credit.

Companies: Shares of Research in Motion (RIMM) dropped 3.4% to $48.72 after analysts at Morgan Stanley downgraded the BlackBerry maker to a "sell" rating because the company could lose market share more quickly than previously anticipated.

The downgrade sent the stock inching closer to the company’s 52-week low of $47.42 a share.

Economy: State unemployment turned gloomier in July, with jobless rates rising in 14 states and remaining unchanged in another 18. But 18 states and the District of Columbia saw a decrease in their unemployment rates, according to the Labor Department’s monthly report on state unemployment.

The state unemployment picture was slightly worse than in June, when jobless rates eased in more than half of all U.S. states for a third straight month and only five states reported jobless rate increases.

The report came a day after a separate government reading showed the number of Americans filing for unemployment insurance unexpectedly surged last week.

World markets: European shares closed lower. Germany’s DAX fell 1.2% and the CAC 40 in France slipped 1.3%. Britain’s FTSE 100 was 0.3% lower.

Asian markets ended the session in negative territory. Japan’s Nikkei led declines in the region, sinking nearly 2%. The Shanghai Composite dropped 1.7% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 0.4%.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar rose against the euro, the U.K. pound and the Japanese yen.

Oil futures for September delivery settled down 97 cents to $73.46 a barrel. Gold for December delivery slipped $6.60 to settle at $1,228.80.

Bonds: Prices for Treasurys dipped in afternoon trading, sending the yield on the 10-year note up to 2.61% from 2.57% late Thursday. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. 

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If that was true then, arrivals such as Hyundai’s 2011 Sonata now must be keeping execs up at night. The sixth-generation sedan raises the bar yet again for the Korean automaker with a roomy, smooth riding, well-equipped and neatly finished car priced below Japanese rivals. Not only that, but our Venetian red tester caused a number of double-takes with its stylish look.

The base Sonata GLS starts at $19,915, about $500 more than the 2010. That includes power, heated, folding side mirrors; chrome-tipped exhaust; air conditioning; steering-wheel controls for audio and Bluetooth systems (including phonebook download); power windows; remote locking; cruise control; and audio system with six speakers, CD player, XM and MP3 compatibility, iPOD and USB ports.

On the safety front you get antilock brakes with emergency assist feature, side airbags and curtains, traction and stability control, and tire-pressure monitor.

That price is about two thousand less than the Honda Accord, which along with the Sonata, ride at the larger end the midsize group. The smaller Toyota Camry comes closer in price, but isn’t quite as well equipped.

The base versions of all those cars come with 4-cylinder engines and manual transmissions, which means most people will upgrade. In the case of the Hyundai, you get a 2.4-liter engine rated at 198 or 200 horsepower matched to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The latter adds $1,000 to the tab.

The standard 4-cylinder gets a little buzzy when you tromp hard on the accelerator. But after a few days behind the wheel, I found it plenty powerful, even fun to drive. The 4-cylinder returns decent fuel economy 22 miles per gallon in the city, 34 on the highway with the automatic.

That’s the only engine available initially, but Hyundai has a 274-horsepower 4-cylinder turbo (expected to deliver mileage at 22/34) and a hybrid estimated at 37/39 in the pipeline.

We tested the mid-level SE, which starts at $23,315, adding the automatic, bigger alloy wheels, sportier suspension, fog lamps, dual exhaust, push-button starter, leather trim, eight-way power driver’s seat, steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles and automatic headlamps instant payday loans.

The sedan made a good first impression. Its coupe-like profile looks sharp on approach. I got in with our editor and managing editor for the first time after deadline. Randi checked out the window sticker and asked us to guess the price. I said $27,000, Ilana $30,000. Looking around at the neat fit and finish, quality materials, roomy surrounds, I said $27,000, Ilana, $30,000 – both well over the real price of $23,315.

Randi wished for a sunroof, which is available as part of a $2,600 package that also includes navigation. Only Ilana had a complaint. Pointing at the stick-figure-shapped buttons that control air-flow directions she said, “That’s cheesy, I wouldn’t buy it just because of that.”

I thought the buttons were OK, even intuitive, but I would have made it smaller and the radio controls larger. Others thought it was a little cheesy too, but certainly not a deal breaker.

All in all, the new Sonata is an impressive car offering a lot for the money. In other words, Hyundai is coming on strong in the race to catch perennial top sellers Camry and Accord. Consider stats at autos.aol.com: No. 1 Camry sold 28,435 cars in June, a 7.7 percent increase, and while Hyundai sold 17,711 Sonatas to take seventh place among all sedans, that represents a nearly 49 percent increase over June 2009.

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Now, its seems the NFL and Arizona Cardinals are avoiding (at least for now) the state's immigration fight over Senate Bill 1070.

There are no indications there will be SB 1070-related protests today at University of Phoenix Stadium for the Cardinals preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

Groups opposed to the immigration law are not planning any major protests at the Glendale stadium. The immigration issue has caused for some headaches for the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks in downtown Phoenix.

Hispanics groups opposed to 1070 want Major League Baseball to relocate the 2011 All-Star Game out of Chase Field. D-backs owner Ken Kendrick says he's personally opposed to 1070 but critics of the bill don't like that he gives to Republicans (some of whom back the measure).

A few blocks down the street Suns owner Robert Sarver and guard Steve Nash came out against the law and then wore 'Los Suns' jerseys once during the playoffs in the early days of the immigration controversy. The move earned grief from fans who like the law or don't want sports team being political, but accolades from 1070 opponents. The Cards actually got some ticket calls from a few fans irked by the Suns stance and political move.

The bill was signed in April during the NFL offseason and the team has steered clear of the debate. That's not to say the 1070 fight won't pop up later in the regular season. The Cards do have some nationally televised games and were in the playoffs the past two years.

But at least for now, it appears the immigration fight is avoiding the NFL team as it enters a crossroads season on the field and for its growing and somewhat bandwagon fan base. That fan base includes includes plenty of working class whites more friendly towards 1070, and Hispanics averse to the law.

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Project partners Clayco, Legacy Building Group, Murphy Company, Sachs Electric and the OSHA-St Louis office said they pledged support of a continued commitment to safety on the jobsite. The subcontractors involved in the project will also be incorporated into the partnership upon selection.

“The primary goal is to eliminate work-related injuries and incidents for the state-of-the-art medical facility through identification and promotion of construction safety strategies,” Clayco Chief Safety Officer Todd Friis said in a statement.

The West Pavilion project is part of a multiyear plan to add nearly a million square feet to Missouri Baptist, an affiliate of BJC HealthCare. The hospital is building a six-story, 227,000-square-foot West Pavilion patient tower at its Town & Country campus. The facility will feature 96 additional private hospital rooms and the necessary space for future expansions at Missouri Baptist Medical Center saving account pay day loan. In addition, a new 160,000-square-foot, 460-car parking garage will be constructed of structural steel and slab on deck construction.

The partnership is also supported by Missouri Baptist Medical Center, HOK, KJWW Engineering Consultants, the Associated General Contractors of St Louis, the Carpenters District Council of Greater St Louis and Vicinity, the St Louis Building & Construction Trades Council, the Eastern Missouri Laborers’ District Council, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local One, the Plumbers’ and Pipefitters’ Local 562 and the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36.

St. Louis-based Clayco Inc., led by Chairman and Chief Executive Bob Clark, is one of the largest privately held companies in the area with annual revenue of $755 million. It also has offices in Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C.

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The company’s stock closed at $37.04, up 0.14 percent from the end-of-day trading on Aug. 6.

Fifteen local stocks declined in value at the close of trading on Thursday, compared to Aug. 5.

After a triple-digit drop early in the day as the market reacted to a disappointing jobs report, the Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered late in the session to close down just 21.42 points, or 0.2 percent, at 10,653.

Friday’s closing tally:

• Abraxas Petroleum Corp.’s (NASDAQ: AXAS) — $2.84, down 2.07 percent.

• Alamo Group Inc.’s (NYSE: ALG) — $24.33, down 0.69 percent.

• CC Media Holdings’ (Pink Sheets: CCMO) — $6.5, down 2.99 percent.

• Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc.’s (NYSE: CFR) — $54.33, down 1.88 percent.

• GlobalSCAPE Inc.’s (AMEX: GSB) — $2.81, down 1.40 percent.

• Harte-Hanks Inc.’s (NYSE: HHS) — $10.90, down 1.54 percent.

• Kinetic Concepts Inc.’s (NYSE: KCI) — $37.04, up 0.14 percent.

• NuStar Energy LP’s (NYSE: NS) — $59.77, down 0.25 percent.

• NuStar GP Holdings LLC’s (NYSE: NSH) — $30.42, down 1.07 percent.

• Pioneer Drilling Co.’s (AMEX: PDC) — $6.68, down 1.47 percent.

• Rackspace Hosting’s (NYSE: RAX) — $19.31, down 1.48 percent.

• Rush Enterprises’ (NASDAQ: RUSHA) — Class A stock closed at $14.56, down 0.88 percent.

• Rush Enterprises’ (NASDAQ: RUSHB) — Class B stock closed at $13.02, down 0.08 percent.

• Tesoro Corp.’s (NYSE: TSO) — $12.77, down 0.47 percent.

• U.S. Global Investors’ (NASDAQ: GROW) — $5.98, down 2.13 percent.

• Valero Energy Corp.’s (NYSE: VLO) — $18.06, down 1.37 percent.

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Stocks were supported this month by strong quarterly financial results from major U.S. companies. About 75% of the roughly 300 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings so far have beat analysts’ estimates.

But the earnings optimism has been tempered by ongoing concerns about the economy, particularly worries that tepid job growth will eventually undermine corporate profits.

"Even though earnings and guidance have been better than expected, there’s still skepticism in the market because jobs have been missing in action," said Alec Young, an equity strategist at Standard & Poor’s.

Friday’s session was choppy, as investors weighed mixed reports on U.S. economic growth, consumer confidence and regional manufacturing activity.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 1 point, or less than 0.1%. The S&P 500 (SPX) index fell less than 1 point and the Nasdaq (COMP) composite gained 3 points, or 0.1%.

The rally this month came after stocks had drifted lower since April as investors grappled with concerns about the debt crisis in Europe and signs the recovery in the U.S. economy will be sluggish.

Stocks slipped Thursday as cautious comments from a regional Federal Reserve president about the health of the economy spooked investors.

Looking ahead, Young said the market could push higher late next week if the government’s July employment report comes in better than expected on Friday. Economists believe the report will show employers cut 160,000 jobs in July after a loss of 125,000 the month before.

Economy: Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation’s economic activity, rose at a 2.4% annual rate in the second quarter, down from an upwardly revised 3.7% in the first quarter.

Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had expected GDP to show an annualized rate increase of 2.5%.

It was the fourth straight quarter of growth, and seemed to back some economists’ views that the recession that began in December 2007 ended at some point in the middle of 2009. But the report indicated that consumer spending, which drives the bulk of U.S. economic activity, remained weak.

Separately, the Reuters-University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment index fell to 67.8 in July from 76 the month before. While the index reflected how nervous consumers were about the economy and job market, the decline was slightly smaller than expected. Economists had expected the index to fall to 67.5.

The Chicago PMI, a regional reading on manufacturing, rose more than expected in July. The index rose to 62.3 this month from 59.1 in June. Economists were expecting a reading of 56.3.

Earnings: Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500) posted second-quarter results that topped forecasts and said profit tripled in the quarter. Shares rose about 0.1%.

Merck (MRK, Fortune 500) reported earnings per share that beat analysts’ expectations, even as net income fell 52% on acquisition costs. Sales growth, however, fell short of expectations. Shares fell 1.5%.

Companies: Walt Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) said early Friday it will sell Miramax Films for about $660 million to an investor group, Filmyard Holdings.

World markets: European stocks ended the day mixed. The CAC 40 in France fell 0.2%, while Germany’s DAX gained 0.2%. The FTSE 100 in Britain fell more than 1%.

Asian markets finished lower. The Shanghai Composite fell 0.4% and the Hang Seng lost 0.3%, while the Nikkei in Japan tumbled 1.6%.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar was up versus the euro, but down against the British pound and the Japanese yen.

U.S. light crude oil for September delivery rose 59 cents to $78.95 a barrel.

COMEX gold’s December contract gained $12.70 to $1,183.90 per ounce.

Bonds: Treasury prices rose, pushing the yield on the 10-year note down to 2.91% from 2.99% late Thursday. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.

How much of a hit did you take in the recent correction? Are you worried about a bear market? What changes have you made in your portfolio and what changes do you plan on making for the rest of the year? E-mail your story to realstories@cnnmoney.com and you could be featured in an upcoming article. For the CNNMoney.com Comment Policy, click here. 

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Wall Street’s top regulator said Citigroup repeatedly made misleading statements in investor presentations and in public filings about the actual size of assets it controlled that were backed by subprime mortgages.

Between July and mid-October 2007, the company maintained its holdings of what have now been dubbed "toxic assets", stood at $13 billion, when in fact the number was closer to $50 billion, according to the SEC.

"The rules of financial disclosure are simple — if you choose to speak, speak in full and not in half-truths," Robert Khuzami, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said in a statement.

Also charged in the case were two Citigroup executives, including former chief financial officer Gary Crittenden and Arthur Tildesley, Jr., who currently serves as the head of cross marketing at the company.

Crittenden agreed to pay $100,000 to settle the charges while Tildesley, the former head of investor relations, agreed to pay $80,000.

In a statement issued Thursday, Citigroup stood behind the men, calling them both "highly valued" employees.

"We are pleased that we have reached agreement with the SEC to put this matter concerning certain 2007 disclosures behind us, and that the SEC is not charging Citi or any individual with intentional or reckless misconduct," the company said in a statement.

Citigroup neither admitted or denied the SEC’s allegations. But Thursday’s settlement is the federal agency’s latest attempt to crack down on fraud and misbehavior on Wall Street during the crisis.

Earlier this month, the SEC struck an agreement with Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500). The company agreed to pay $550 million to settle charges that the company defrauded investors in the sale of an investment tied to subprime mortgages.

Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) stock edged higher in afternoon trading Thursday. 

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The health insurer reported a 4 percent increase in revenue to $1.08 billion for the quarter ended June 30, up from $1.04 billion a year earlier.

Analysts had expected an average profit of 42 cents a share on revenue of $1.1 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.

Centene said its quarter-end managed care at-risk membership totaled 1,531,800, an increase of 242,800 members, or 19 percent year-over-year No teletrack payday loans.

Last month, the city of O’Fallon, Mo., approved $24 million in bonds to help finance Centene's new data center.

St. Louis-based Centene (NYSE: CNC), led by Chairman and CEO Michael Neidorff, provides managed care programs and related services to individuals under Medicaid. It reported revenue of $4.1 billion in 2009.

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Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who is leading the multistate investigation, asked the Internet giant whether it had tested its Street View software before use.

That check "should have revealed that the program collected data transmitted over wireless computer network," Blumenthal said in a letter to the company Wednesday.

Blumenthal also asked what Google has done with the data, particularly if it has sold or used the information. He also requested that Google identify the individuals responsible for including the snooping code into the Street View software and the specific locations where the unauthorized data was collected.

"We will take all appropriate steps - including potential legal action if warranted - to obtain complete, comprehensive answers," Blumenthal said payday loans. "Our multistate investigation will determine whether laws were broken and whether legislation is necessary to prevent future privacy breaches."

Google first disclosed that it had mistakenly collected "payload data," which includes what websites people are visiting, from wi-fi networks that were not password-protected in May.

The information was gathered and stored while Google’s Street View cars drove around the world collecting images for the company’s mapping service using local wi-fi hotspots.

Blumenthal launched the investigation last month. Backing the probe are a growing number of states - including Texas, Florida and New York - as well as Washington, D.C.  

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