The allure of a star is nearly irresistible, and mutual fund investors are not immune. Investors are drawn to mutual fund families that boast a stellar performer, and the less luminous funds in the family benefit from a spillover effect resulting from their proximity to the headliner.

Tax amnesties, which have been offered in 35 states and the District of Columbia since the 1980s, are enjoying a wave of popularity. Data from the Federation of Tax Administrators show that since 2000, states have offered 35 tax amnesty programs.

Multinational corporations, including some of the icons of American business, routinely cut tax liability through pricing schemes.

For the last 30 years, especially during elections, investors have speculated about the apparent link between stock market behavior and the U.S. presidential election cycle. To the observer, returns seem to be higher during the second half of a president's term than the first.

From business schools to baseball batters, we use rankings to determine who's the best. Investors, too, look to rankings to assess the performance of financial professionals.

Legislative pressure is requiring corporate America to set its financial house in order, creating an uptick in demand for accounting professionals. Business schools respond by retooling accountancy programs for the post-Enron era.

Research team discovers an unintended benefit of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Aside from tightening controls on corporate misbehavior, the law creates better board governance which, in turn, improves a corporation's credibility with the market.

Fannie Mae's recent $11 billion accounting scandal drew headlines, but even before that, critics, analysts and academics have urged that the time has come for this Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) to be completely privatized.

The corporate failures of Enron, WorldCom, HealthSouth and Tyco were separate tragedies, but they share a common theme: ethical breakdown that started at the top and permeated the organizations.

Picture the U.S.