Invest On Your Own

Welcome to Merrill Edge self-directed investing
Pursue your goals with confidence.
Now you can learn, plan and act with more efficiency, value and confidence than ever before. Here’s what a self-directed investing account from Merrill Edge puts at your fingertips:
Start by exploring an account that's right for you.
Investment Account:
Retirement Accounts:
Once you open and fund your account, you can invest in a wide range of investment products:
Not sure about investing on your own? Compare this service with the Merrill Edge Advisory Center™.
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Merrill Edge self-directed investing
Tailored research, tools and resources for independent investors.

Want It All?
Open a self-directed investing account you manage on your own, and open an Advisory Center account for advice and guidance on specific portfolio needs.
Please remember there's always the potential of losing money when investing in securities.

1 This offer and investment products are provided by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S).

Banking products provided by Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC.

This offer is available with an individual or joint Merrill Edge self-directed brokerage account. MLPF&S waives its commission fee for as many as 30 online equity trades each month for self-directed brokerage customers who meet any one of the following criteria:

a. A combined total of $25,000 or more in your deposit accounts at Bank of America, N.A. When you make an online equity trade, MLPF&S determines whether you meet the balance requirement to qualify that trade for the commission fee waiver. MLPF&S adds the average collected balances in your checking and savings accounts as of the prior month to the balances in your CD and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day. If this calculation reflects a combined total of less than $25,000, MLPF&S then makes a second calculation to see if the trade qualifies by adding the balances in your checking, savings, CD and FDIC-insured IRA accounts as of the prior business day.

b. A combined balance of $25,000 or more in cash balances in one of the following sweep options in your Merrill Edge self-directed account(s) as of the prior business day:

  • Bank Deposit Accounts sweep option with your CMA
  • Retirement Assets Savings Program (RASP) sweep with your IRA

If this balance is less than $25,000, MLPF&S then makes a second calculation to see if your average collected balance as of the prior month reflects a total of $25,000 or more to determine whether you meet the balance requirements to qualify for the commission fee waiver.

Offer applies only to online equity trades, including stock and exchange traded fund (ETF) trades. Commission fees for online equity trades depend on your total relationship with Bank of America and Merrill Lynch and apply when the balance requirement is not met, or when you exceed 30 qualifying trades a month.

To determine the 30-trade limit, MLPF&S adds the qualifying trades in your individual accounts and in each joint account for which you are the account owner. Deposit accounts with the same social security number as the social security number(s) on the self-directed brokerage account are systematically included in the balance determination. Deposit accounts maintained with the Military Bank of Bank of America, N.A. are not systematically included in the balance determination.

Other brokerage fees associated with, but not limited to, margin transactions, option trading, special stock registration/gifting, account transfer and processing, account maintenance, research request and termination apply. Deposit fees apply to deposit accounts.

Relationship requirements and pricing are subject to change.

This offer applies only to self-directed brokerage accounts held at Merrill Edge. Offers available through other Merrill Lynch services may vary in terms and conditions. This offer does not apply to Business/Corporate Accounts, Investment Club Accounts, Partnership Accounts and certain fiduciary accounts held at MLPF&S.