John Wiley & Sons has acquired the J.K. Lasser tax and financial guides from IDG Books for an undisclosed price. The purchase includes all Lasser titles as well as the trademark and brand name. According to Stephen Kippur, executive v-p and president of Wiley's professional/trade group, the acquisition will strengthen the company's place in the tax and finance markets, in which Wiley already is the publisher of several bestselling Ernst & Young books.

IDG Books acquired Lasser as part of its purchase of the Macmillan General Reference group but felt the line overlapped with its existing For Dummies and Cliffs Notes tax and finance properties.