The modigliani and miller (mm) articles implicitly assumed that bankruptcy did not exist. that led to the development of the "trade-off" model, where the firm's value first rises with the use of debt due to the tax shelter of debt, but later falls as more debt is added because the potential costs of bankruptcy begin to more than offset the tax shelter benefits. under the trade-off theory, an optimal capital structure exists.
a) true
b) false

True

Explanation:

The trade off theory states that capital structure decisions involve a trade off between costs and benefits of debt financing. Originally MM argued that a firm's capital structure should be 100% debt, but after accounting for bankruptcy costs, then the firm's capital structure should be less than 100% debt. Companies must substitute debt for equity at different levels (or vice versa if needed) until they reach a balance where the firm's value is maximized.

the correct answer is b.)