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The Financial Accounting Standards Board has made changes in two of its standards related to off-balance-sheet items to require companies to make more disclosures of special-purpose entities, and to practically eliminate the exemption for qualifying special-purpose entities.

In the classic production Guys and Dolls, one Runyonesquecharacter went by the name of "Big Julie." Big Julie was a gruff,burly mobster who carried an oversized handgun and a pair of customized dice.They were special because they were free of spots and more resembled sugarcubes than dice. When someone had the temerity to challenge one of Big Julie'srolls, he simply took out his sidearm and informed the now-terrified questionerthat he accurately remembered "where da spots formerly wuz."

Over a third of U.S. CPAs said they want to become more familiar with international accounting standards, but most of them don’t know how much the standards will cost their companies to implement.

Are Millennials into e-mailing or not? Marketing minds want to know. A recent study has revealed that 28 percent of Generation Y recipients found email received from companies to be relevant, while 32 percent had no opinion.

Five trade groups representing banks, financial service firms and insurance companies sent a joint letter to Congress registering continued displeasure with fair value and mark-to-market accounting and impairment rules, despite recent changes.

H&R Block said it is re-aligning its tax and corporate structures and putting CEO Russ Smyth in charge of tax operations.

Research firm Audit Integrity issued a negative report to investors and auditing firms about Starbucks Corp., warning that the coffee retailer rates poorly on several risk factors, including equity risk, class-action litigation and financial restatements.

Syracuse accountant David Moynihan has taken the reins as the new president of the New York State Society of CPAs.

A court-appointed trustee has hired a team of forensic accountants to recreate customer accounts as part of the liquidation of Bernard Madoff’s scandal-scarred investment management firm.

There is a cautious optimism growing among investors who believe the current market turmoil may slow their retirement progress, but not stop it altogether. That seems to be the word out of AARP Financial, which just released the findings of a nationwide survey on that subject.