Finally, in 2001, the rules changed under FAS 141 and 142 to ease how goodwill will be accounted for. Companies could now choose to write down or contribute to the impairment test. Regardless of how companies would choose to exercise their goodwill, the IRS should still take its own precautions to manage goodwill. Goodwill can often be complicated in the sense of figuring out what it's really worth. In the case of AOL Time Warner, it is best known as the worst business move in history. This is because these companies started out as very profitable and were looking to grow in the stock market. After the market crash due to the recession, the Time Warner company lost a lot of money by acquiring AOL. If Time Warner had known the true value of AOL at the time, they would not have made this transaction