Skip to main content

Merrill Edge® Self-Directed Merrill Edge® Self-Directed

Enjoy investing on your terms and get up to $600Footnote 1

Navigate the markets with exclusive digital tools, guidance and $0 online stock and ETF trades.2
Other fees may applyFootnote *
Get started with Merrill Edge Self-Directed
#1
for overall
client experience
– 2023 StockBrokers.comFootnote 3

Pursue your investing and retirement goals

Online Brokerage Account

Invest in your financial goals, on your terms.

  • Invest in what interests you. With Idea Builder you can easily explore new ideas and uncover opportunities that align to your goals.Explore new investing ideas and uncover opportunities that align to your goals with Idea Builder.Footnote 4
  • Access insights from BofA Global Research to help inform your investment decisions.
  • Connect your accounts. Manage and transfer funds instantly between your Bank of America bank and Merrill investment accounts.Footnote 5

Retirement Accounts

Retirement solutions to help you achieve your goals.

  • Get greater withdrawal flexibility in retirement with the potential to earn tax-free income with a Roth IRA.Get greater withdrawal flexibility and tax free income in retirement with a Roth IRA.
  • Try a Traditional IRA for tax-deferred growth potential and possibly reduce your current taxes.Invest with a Traditional IRA for tax-deferred growth potential.
  • Understand your choices when it comes to your old 401(k). Merrill®can help you determine what best fits your needs.Merrill can help understand your choices when it comes to your old 401(k).Footnote 6
Get up to
$600
Get up to $600 when you invest in a new account.Footnote 1
Get started with Merrill
Use offer code 600ME
Another Way to Invest

Merrill Guided InvestingFootnote 7

An investment advisory program with professionally managed portfolios, plus we'll waive the program fee for six months.Footnote 8
Learn more about Merrill Guided Investing
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.
Footnote 1 Offer valid for new individual Merrill IRAs or Cash Management Accounts (CMAs). Offer is limited to one CMA and one IRA, with no more than two enrolled accounts per accountholder. Eligible Merrill Edge IRAs limited to Traditional, Roth and Sole-Proprietor SEP only. The Merrill IRA or CMA may be a Merrill Edge Self-Directed account, Merrill Edge Advisory Account or Merrill Guided Investing account. You may be eligible for a different or better offer. Please contact us for more information.

Offer Limitations: This offer does not apply to business/corporate accounts, investment club accounts, partnership accounts and certain fiduciary accounts held with Merrill Edge, or to any types of accounts (including IRAs or CMAs) held with other business units of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S). Merrill Edge reserves the right to change or cancel this offer at any time, without notice. This offer may not be used as an inducement to sell any kind of insurance, including annuities.

How it Works:

  1. You must enroll during account opening by entering the offer code in the online application or by providing it when speaking with a Merrill Edge Financial Solutions Advisor™ at 888.MER.EDGE (888.637.3343) or at select Bank of America financial centers. You are solely responsible for enrolling or asking to be enrolled in the offer.
  2. Fund your account with at least $20,000 in qualifying net new assets within 45 days of account opening. Assets transferred from other accounts at Bank of America, MLPF&S, Bank of America Private Bank, or 401(k) accounts administered by MLPF&S do not count towards qualifying net new assets.
  3. After 90 days of meeting the funding criteria described in Step 2, your cash reward will be determined by the qualifying net new assets in your account (irrespective of any losses or gains due to trading or market volatility) as follows:
    Qualifying Net New Asset Balance   Cash Reward
    Less than $20,000 $0
    $20,000 to $49,999 $100
    $50,000 to $99,999 $150
    $100,000 to $199,999 $250
    $200,000 or more $600
  4. Your one-time cash reward will be deposited into your Merrill Edge IRA or CMA within two weeks following the end of the 90 day period. If your account is enrolled in an investment advisory program, such as Merrill Edge Advisory Account or Merrill Guided Investing, any cash reward deposited into your account will be subject to the program fee and other terms of the investment advisory program.
For purposes of this offer, qualifying net new assets are calculated by adding total incoming assets or transfers (including cash, securities and/or margin debit balance transfers) from external accounts, and subtracting assets withdrawn or transferred out of the account within the preceding 24 weeks.

Tax Disclaimer: The value of the reward you receive may constitute taxable income. Merrill Lynch may issue an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) to you that reflects the value of the reward. Please consult your tax advisor. Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates and associates do not provide tax advice.

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.
Footnote 
Merrill Edge Self-Directed was awarded No. 1 Overall Client Experience and received an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from StockBrokers.com. Evaluated as one of 17 online brokers in Go to third-party website StockBrokers.com 2024 Online Broker Review popup published on January 23, 2024. StockBrokers.com evaluated brokers using 181 variables across 8 categories. The Overall Client Experience award recognizes the best user experience for typical U.S. retail investors. StockBrokers.com testing simulates dozens of workflows for investors and traders alike. Key criteria include satisfying user intent, design, customer support, platform responsiveness, convenience, workflow, education, marketing communications, and transparency. Go to third-party website Learn more about the methodology at StockBrokers.com popup. Rankings and recognition from StockBrokers.com are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a current or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance results and such rankings should not be construed as an endorsement.
Footnote 
Sustainable and Impact Investing and/or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) managers may take into consideration factors beyond traditional financial information to select securities, which could result in relative investment performance deviating from other strategies or broad market benchmarks, depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market. Further, ESG strategies may rely on certain values based criteria to eliminate exposures found in similar strategies or broad market benchmarks, which could also result in relative investment performance deviating.
Footnote 
Certain banking and brokerage accounts may be ineligible for real-time money movement, including but not limited to transfers to/from bank IRAs (CD, Money Market), 529s, Bank of America Advantage SafeBalance Banking™, Credit Cards and transfers from IRAs, Loans (HELOC, LOC, Mortgage) and accounts held in the military bank. Accounts eligible for real-time transfers will be displayed online in the to/from drop down menu on the transfer screen.
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.
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 
Introductory 6-Month Program Fee Waiver Offer eligible for accounts that are newly enrolled into the Merrill Guided Investing program (MGI) starting on and after March 27, 2023.

How it Works:

  1. To be eligible for the Offer, you must input the Offer Code during the account opening step through the MGI website or you must instruct a Merrill representative to input the Offer Code for you. You are solely responsible for taking this action to be eligible for the Offer.
  2. Once your account with the Offer Code applied has enrolled into MGI, Merrill will waive MGI's annual asset-based fee of 0.45% (Program Fee) for the initial partial month, if applicable, and for 6 full months after the effective date your account's enrollment in MGI (Offer Period).
  3. This Offer is solely limited to Merrill's waiver of MGI's Program Fee. Your MGI-enrolled account will be subject to fees and expenses not covered by MGI's Program Fee during and after the Offer Period, including the internal fees and expenses of funds in your account, as described in the MGI ADV brochure (PDF). Please refer to the MGI ADV brochure section "Fees and Expenses Not Covered by the Program Fee" for a list of other fees and expenses that your MGI-enrolled account may be charged and that are not included in MGI's Program Fee.
  4. This Offer is only available to newly enrolled MGI-accounts, is not transferable to another account, and may not be combined with other offers relating to the account's advisory program fee. When the Offer Period expires, your MGI-enrolled account will be subject to MGI's annual asset-based Program Fee of 0.45% which is charged monthly in advance. If you unenroll your account from MGI before the Offer Period expires, you'll owe no Program Fee for the services provided while the account was enrolled in MGI. If you are eligible for MGI Program Fee discounts, rebates or credits under the Preferred Rewards Program offered by BANA, then those benefits will apply following the Offer Period's expiration. You may be eligible for other offers from Merrill and its affiliates. Please contact us for more information.
  5. Merrill reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions or terminate this Offer at any time without notice. Merrill also reserves the right to refuse a waiver or portion of a waiver for an MGI-enrolled account if it determines that the account obtained it under fraudulent circumstances, that you provided inaccurate or incomplete information in enrolling the account in MGI, or that you violated any terms of your MGI agreement. MGI Program enrollment requirements and guidelines apply.
Tax Disclaimer: The value of the waiver of MGI's Program Fee may constitute taxable income. Merrill may issue an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) to you that reflects the value of the waiver. Please consult your tax advisor. Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates and associates do not provide tax advice.
MAP5978995-10032024
Connect with us:
LinkedIn popup
X popup
YouTube popup
Connect with us:
LinkedIn popup
X popup
YouTube popup
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


Privacy | Security | Glossary | Advertising practices popupAdvertising Practices popup


© 2024 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

4326521