How do you account for transaction costs, financing fees, and miscellaneous expenses in a merger model?

In the “old days” you used to capitalize these expenses and then amortize them; with new accounting rules introduced at the end of 2008, you’re supposed to expense transaction and miscellaneous fees upfront, but capitalize the financing fees and amortize them over the life of the debt.

Expensed transaction fees come out of Retained Earnings when you adjust the Balance Sheet, while capitalized financing fees appear as a new Asset on the Balance Sheet and are amortized each year according to the tenor of the debt.