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Invest with an Advisor

Get one-on-one guidance from an advisor

Connect with a Merrill advisor to discuss your financial needs and get help putting your plan into action.

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You can meet with a Merrill advisor regardless of how much money you have to invest. They'll help you find the right option for you, whether you're looking for an affordable solution with no minimum investment or a customized solution for more complex needs.

What happens when I make an appointment with an advisor?

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To get started, call now to speak with an advisor. You can also schedule a phone call or an in-person meeting.

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An advisor will get to know you and your investing goals, and they'll provide you with a free, customized financial plan.

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Review your financial plan, make changes if you need to and start pursuing your investing goals.

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Explore the benefits of speaking one‑on‑one with an advisor

Get a free, personalized plan to help you work toward your investing goals
Learn about the different ways of investing at Merrill and get help deciding which one is best for you
If you choose to invest with an advisor long term, connect with them anytime and make changes to your plan as needed

Get rewarded with Bank of America Preferred Rewards

Investment balances can help you earn Preferred Rewards benefits and pricing discounts. Members enjoy program benefits including credit card rewards bonuses, discounts on home and auto loans, monthly account maintenance fee waivers and more.Footnote ¹

Gold

$20K to <$50K

3-month combined average daily balance

Platinum

$50K to <$100K

3-month combined average daily balance

Platinum Honors

$100K to <$1MM

3-month combined average daily balance

Diamond

$1MM to <$10MM

3-month combined average daily balance

Other ways to Invest with Merrill

Merrill Guided Investing

Combine the best features of online investing and a professionally managed portfolio with an affordable investment advisory program.Footnote ²

Learn more about Guided investing

Merrill Edge Self‑Directed

Manage your own portfolio with a personalized investing experience that gives you access to powerful tools and helpful insights.

Learn more about Self-Directed investing

Have more complex wealth management needs?

Invest with a Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor to help you grow, preserve and manage your wealth.

Ready to get started?

Schedule an appointment with Merrill

Call an advisor at 888.866.2190

Frequently Asked Questions

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How much money do I need to have to meet with a Merrill advisor?

Will I pay for an initial consultation?

What will a meeting with an advisor be like?

The advisor is focused on one priority: helping you pursue your financial goals. The initial meeting will include:

An open discussion about what's important to you in different areas of your life, including finances, home, family, work, health, leisure and giving
A review of what steps you've already taken toward each of those goals, as well as when you would like/expect each goal to happen
A dialogue about which financial resources you have available to pursue your goals
A consultation about which Bank of America banking and/or Merrill investing solutions would make sense for your unique situation as well as a personalized financial strategy to help you pursue your goals.
An agreement about next steps to take to pursue those goals

When can I meet with an advisor?

Why should I meet with an advisor?

Whether you're just starting out or have some investing experience, advisors are here to help create your strategy and put your plans into action.
Advisors can not only you help you set and prioritize your goals but also create a personalized financial plan built for you.
Advisors can help you understand how the different levels of investing risk can impact your rate of return and develop a plan so you're less likely to outlive your money in retirement.
Advisors can help you understand your choices regarding what to do with an old 401(k) after you change jobs.Footnote ³

Where can I learn more about my advisor's credentials?

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) offers a "Broker Check" program, which allows you to research your advisor's and their firm's credentials and regulatory history in the securities industry. Other credentials, such as insurance licenses or designations, may be verified with the applicable state insurance agency or sponsoring organization of the designation. Learn more about an advisor's and our firm's background on FINRA's BrokerCheck popup FINRA's BrokerCheck opens in new tab.

Footnote

Preferred Rewards Program Eligibility. You can enroll, and maintain your membership, in the Bank of America Preferred Rewards^® program if you have an active, eligible personal checking account with Bank of America^® and maintain the balance required for one of the balance tiers. The balance tiers are $20,000 for the Gold tier, $50,000 for the Platinum tier, $100,000 for the Platinum Honors tier, $1,000,000 for the Diamond tier and $10,000,000 for the Diamond Honors tier. Balances include your combined, qualifying Bank of America deposit accounts (such as checking, savings, certificate of deposit) and/or your Merrill investment accounts (such as Cash Management Accounts, 529 Plans). You can satisfy the combined balance requirement for enrollment with either:

a three-month combined average daily balance in your qualifying deposit and investment accounts, or
a current combined balance, provided that you enroll at the time you open your first eligible personal checking account and satisfy the balance requirement at the end of at least one day within 30 days of opening that account.

Refer to your Personal Schedule of Fees for details on accounts that qualify towards the combined balance calculation and receive program benefits. Eligibility to enroll is generally available three or more business days after the end of the calendar month in which you satisfy the requirements. Benefits become effective within 30 days of your enrollment, or for new accounts within 30 days of account opening, unless we indicate otherwise. Bank of America Private Bank clients qualify to enroll in the Diamond Tier regardless of balance and may qualify for the Diamond Honors tier based on their qualifying Bank of America, Merrill and Private Bank balances. Certain benefits are also available without enrolling in Preferred Rewards if you satisfy balance and other requirements. For details on Bank of America employee qualification requirements, please call Employee Financial Services or refer to the Bank of America intranet site. Employees of companies participating in the Bank of America Employee Banking and Investing Program may be eligible to participate on customized terms. Refer to CEBI Program for details.

Footnote

Please review the applicable Merrill Guided Investing Program Brochure (PDF) or Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor Program Brochure (PDF) for information including the program fee, rebalancing, and the details of the investment advisory program. Your recommended investment strategy will be based solely on the information you provide to us for this specific investment goal and is separate from any other advisory program offered with us. If there are multiple owners on this account, the information you provide should reflect the views and circumstances of all owners on the account. If you are the fiduciary of this account for the benefit of the account owner or account holder (e.g., trustee for a trust or custodian for an UTMA), please keep in mind that these assets will be invested for the benefit of the account owner or account holder. Merrill Guided Investing is offered with and without an advisor. Merrill, Merrill Lynch, and/or Merrill Edge investment advisory programs are offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated ("MLPF&S") and Managed Account Advisors LLC ("MAA") an affiliate of MLPF&S. MLPF&S and MAA are registered investment advisers. Investment adviser registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

Footnote

You have choices about what to do with your employer-sponsored retirement plan accounts. Depending on your financial circumstances, needs and goals, you may choose to roll over to an IRA or convert to a Roth IRA, roll over an employer-sponsored plan from your old job to your new employer, take a distribution, or leave the account where it is. Each choice may offer different investment options and services, fees and expenses, withdrawal options, required minimum distributions, tax treatment (particularly with reference to employer stock), and different types of protection from creditors and legal judgments. These are complex choices and should be considered with care. For more information visit our rollover page or call Merrill at 888.637.3343.

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Investing in securities involves risks, and there is always the potential of losing money when you invest in securities.

Asset allocation, diversification, and rebalancing do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.

Merrill, its affiliates, and financial advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.

This material is not intended as a recommendation, offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security or investment strategy. Merrill offers a broad range of brokerage, investment advisory (including financial planning) and other services. Additional information is available in our Client Relationship Summary (PDF).

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as "MLPF&S" or "Merrill") makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp."). MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, Member Securities Investor Protection (SIPC) popup and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp").

Merrill Lynch Life Agency Inc. (MLLA) is a licensed insurance agency and wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.

Investment products offered through MLPF&S and insurance and annuity products offered through MLLA:

Are Not FDIC Insured	Are Not Bank Guaranteed	May Lose Value
Are Not Deposits	Are Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency	Are Not a Condition to Any Banking Service or Activity

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© 2023 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Unlimited $0 Trades

With Merrill Edge Self‑Directed, get unlimited free online stock, ETF and option trades with no trade or balance minimumsFooter footnote ^b

Options contracts and other fees may applyFooter footnote ^a

Open an account with Merrill Edge Self-Directed

Footer footnote
Other fees may apply. Free and $0 means there is no commission charged for these trades. $0 option trades are subject to a $0.65 per-contract fee. Sales are subject to a transaction fee of between $0.01 and $0.03 per $1,000 of principal. There are costs associated with owning ETFs. To learn more about Merrill pricing, visit our Pricing page.
Footer footnote

Merrill waives its commissions for all online stock, ETF and option trades placed in a Merrill Edge^® Self-Directed brokerage account. Brokerage fees associated with, but not limited to, margin transactions, special stock registration/gifting, account transfer and processing and termination apply. $0 option trades are subject to a $0.65 per-contract fee. Other fees and restrictions may apply. Pricing is subject to change without advance notice.

Investing in securities involves risks, and there is always the potential of losing money when you invest in securities.

Asset allocation, diversification, and rebalancing do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.

The performance data contained herein represents past performance which does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. For performance information current to the most recent month end, please contact us.

Net Asset Value (NAV) returns are based on the prior-day closing NAV value at 4 p.m. ET. NAV returns assume the reinvestment of all dividend and capital gain distributions at NAV when paid.

Market price returns are based on the prior-day closing market price, which is the average of the midpoint bid-ask prices at 4 p.m. ET. Market price returns do not represent the returns an investor would receive if shares were traded at other times.

Returns include fees and applicable loads. Since Inception returns are provided for funds with less than 10 years of history and are as of the fund's inception date. 10 year returns are provided for funds with greater than 10 years of history.

Before investing consider carefully the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of the fund, including management fees, other expenses and special risks. This and other information may be found in each fund's prospectus or summary prospectus, if available. Always read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before you invest or send money. Prospectuses can be obtained by contacting us.

Expense Ratio – Gross Expense Ratio is the total annual operating expense (before waivers or reimbursements) from the fund's most recent prospectus. You should also review the fund's detailed annual fund operating expenses which are provided in the fund's prospectus.

Merrill, its affiliates, and financial advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.

Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp.").

Merrill Lynch Life Agency Inc. (MLLA) is a licensed insurance agency and wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

Investment products offered through MLPF&S and insurance and annuity products offered through MLLA:

Are Not FDIC Insured

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

May Lose Value

Are Not Deposits

Are Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency

Are Not a Condition to Any Banking Service or Activity

Merrill A Bank of America Company Merrill A Bank of America Company

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