FASB Posts Options Rule

At long last, accounting regulators have published their final rule requiring public companies to expense stock options. The question is whether it will stand.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board announced its rule at a press conference Thursday. As expected, it won't take effect until June, and it did not prescribe a specific formula that companies must use to calculate their options costs.

On a conference call, FASB Chairman Robert Herz said the regulation, approved unanimously by the agency's seven-member board, will increase the transparency and comparability of financial statements. ...