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
Other fees may apply. Sales of ETFs 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 and mutual funds. To learn more about pricing, visit our Pricing page.
Footnote † For international wire transfers, other fees may apply in lieu of our standard wire transfer fee. These fees include, but are not limited to, those charged by the recipient's financial institution, foreign taxes, currency conversion, and other fees that may be a part of the wire transfer process. Any additional fees are determined and disclosed at the time the transaction is entered.
When deciding between sending in foreign currency or U.S. Dollars, you should consider factors that impact the total cost to send or the amount available after transfer, such as exchange rates and other fees.
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.
For broker-assisted trades through Merrill Edge, you will be charged a fee equal to the lower of $29.95 or 5.00% of the principal amount of the transaction. Further, there are indirect fees, such as annual management and other similar fees, that are charged by the manager or sponsor of an exchange-traded fund and of a closed-end fund, as disclosed in the product's prospectus.
Footnote
Exchange Traded Funds are subject to risks similar to those of stocks. Investment returns may fluctuate and are subject to market volatility, so that an investor's shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost.
Footnote
Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Certain requirements must be met to trade options. Before engaging in the purchase or sale of options, investors should understand the nature of and extent of their rights and obligations and be aware of the risks involved in investing with options. Please read the options disclosure document titled "Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (PDF)" before considering any option transaction. You may also call the Investment Center at 877.653.4732 for a copy. A separate client agreement is needed. Multi-leg option orders are charged one base commission per order, plus a per-contract charge.
The maximum loss, gain and breakeven of any options strategy only remains as defined so long as the strategy contains all original positions. Trading, rolling, assignment, or exercise of any portion of the strategy will result in a new maximum loss, gain and breakeven calculation, which will be materially different from the calculation when the strategy remains intact with all of the contemplated legs or positions. This is applicable to all options strategies inclusive of long options, short options and spreads. To learn more about Merrill's uncovered option handling practices, view
Naked Option Stress Analysis (NOSA) (PDF).
Early assignment risk is always present for option writers (specific to American-style options only). Early assignment risk may be amplified in the event a call writer is short an option during the period the underlying security has an ex-dividend date. This is referred to as dividend risk.
Long options are exercised and short options are assigned. Note that American-style options can be assigned/exercised at any time through the day of expiration without prior notice. Options can be assigned/exercised after market close on expiration day. View specific
Merrill Option Exercise & Assignment Practices (PDF).
Supporting documentation for any claims, comparison, recommendations, statistics, or other technical data, will be supplied upon request.
Footnote 3 Exercise and assignment of cash settled options are subject to a $0.65 per-contract fee. Trades commissions for trades placed with a representative will not exceed 75% of trade amount.
Footnote
Mutual Funds: While no-load funds do not assess sales charges, fund shares are subject to management fees and certain other expenses. Redemption fees may also apply. Merrill Lynch receives remuneration from participating fund companies. In addition to receiving dealer concessions and asset-based sales charges and/or services fees in connection with clients' purchasing and holding mutual fund shares, Merrill Lynch and its affiliates provide other services for which they may receive additional compensation from funds or their affiliates. This compensation is generally disclosed in a fund's prospectus which is available from an
Investment Center representative and in the
Guide to Mutual Fund Investing (PDF). For specific mutual fund family compensation information, please contact the Investment Center.
Fixed Income: Fixed income orders contain order information on Agency Discounts/Notes/Bonds, Certificates of Deposit, Corporate Bonds, Municipal Bonds and Treasury Bond investment vehicles.
Footnote
A Brokered Certificate of Deposit is different than a bank Certificate of Deposit. It is sold for a bank by a broker while a Certificate of Deposit can be purchased directly from a bank. Brokered CDs may offer higher rates of return, but their value may fluctuate with changing interest rates. Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks. Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.
Footnote
When you purchase securities, you may pay for the securities in full, or if your account has been established as a margin account with the margin lending program, you may borrow part of the purchase price from Merrill. If you choose to borrow funds for your purchase, Merrill's collateral for the loan will be the securities purchased, other assets in your margin account, and your assets in any other accounts at Merrill. If the securities in your margin account decline in value, so does the value of the collateral supporting your loan, and, as a result, we can take action, such as to issue a margin call and/or sell securities in any of your accounts held with us, in order to maintain the required equity in your account. If your account has a Visa
® card and/or checks, you may also create a margin debit if your withdrawals (by Visa card, checks, preauthorized debits, FTS or other transfers) exceed the sum of any available free credit balances plus available money account balances (such as bank deposit balances or money market funds). Please refer to your account documents for more information.
Before opening a margin account, you should carefully review the terms governing margin loans. For Individual Investor Accounts, these terms are contained in the Margin Lending Program Client Agreement. For all other accounts, the terms are in your account agreement and disclosures. It is important that you fully understand the risks involved in using margin. These risks include the following:
- You can lose more funds than you deposit in the margin account. A decline in the value of securities that are bought on margin may require you to provide additional funds to us to avoid the forced sale of those securities or other securities in your account(s).
- We can force the sale of securities in your account(s). If the equity in your account falls below the maintenance margin requirements or Merrill's higher "house" requirements, we can sell the securities in any of your accounts held by us to cover the margin deficiency. You also will be responsible for any shortfall in the account after such as sale.
- We can sell your securities without contacting you. Some investors mistakenly believe that they must be contacted for a margin call to be valid, and that securities in their accounts cannot be liquidated to meet the call unless they are contacted first. This is not the case. We will attempt to notify you of margin calls, but we are not required to do so. Even if we have contacted you and provided a specific date by which you can meet a margin call, we can still take necessary steps to protect our financial interests, including immediately selling the securities without notice to you.
- You are not entitled to choose which securities in your account(s) are liquidated or sold to meet a margin call. Because the securities are collateral for the margin loan, we have the right to decide which security to sell in order to protect our interests.
- We can increase our "house" maintenance margin requirements at any time including on specific securities experiencing significant volatility and are not required to provide you advance written notice. These changes in our policy may take effect immediately and may result in the issuance of a maintenance margin call. Your failure to satisfy the call may cause us to liquidate or sell securities in your account(s).
- You are not entitled to an extension of time on a margin call. While an extension of time to meet margin requirements may be available to you under certain conditions, you don't have a right to the extension.
If you have any questions or concerns about margin and the margin lending program, please contact the Merrill Investment Center at 855.332.5920.
The fee is not charged when transferring to another internal account.
Footnote
DRS Eligible refers to securities held electronically at transfer agent (Direct Registration System). Non-DRS Eligible security fee is equal to amount charged to Merrill Edge by the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation.
Footnote
The NextGen Plan is a Section 529 plan administered by the Finance Authority of Maine. Before you invest in the NextGen plan, request a NextGen College Investing Plan Program Description from us and read it carefully. The Program Description contains more complete information, including investment objectives, charges, expenses and risks of investing in the NextGen plan, which you should carefully consider before investing. You also should consider whether your home state or your designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's 529 plan. Section 529 plans are not guaranteed by any state or federal agency. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated is the program manager, underwriter and distributor.
Footnote 10 There is an annual program fee of 0.45% based on the assets held in the account. This fee is charged monthly in advance.
Footnote 11 There is an annual program fee of 0.85% based on the assets held in the account. This fee is charged monthly in advance.
Footnote
Asset allocation, diversification, and rebalancing do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.
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.
The Chief Investment Office (CIO) develops the investment strategies for Merrill Guided Investing and Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor, including providing its recommendations of ETFs, mutual funds and related asset allocations. Managed Account Advisors LLC (MAA), Merrill's affiliate, is the overlay portfolio manager responsible for implementing the Merrill Guided Investing strategies for client accounts, including facilitating the purchase & sale of ETFs and mutual funds in client accounts and updating account asset allocations when the CIO's recommendations change while also implementing any applicable individual client or firm restriction(s).
You may also be able to obtain the same or similar services or types of investments through other programs and services, both investment advisory and brokerage, offered by Merrill; these may be available at lower or higher fees than charged by the Program. The services that you receive by investing through Merrill Guided Investing or Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor will be different from the services you receive through other programs. You may also be able to obtain some or all of these types of services from other firms, and if they are available, the fees associated with them may be lower or higher than the fees we charge.
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.
Clients enrolled in Preferred Rewards receive a Preferred Rewards discount off the Merrill Guided Investing program's annual asset-based fee of 0.45%, and the Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor and Merrill Edge Advisory Account programs' annual asset-based fee of 0.85% for any of their accounts enrolled in the respective advisory programs. Preferred Rewards enrolled clients receive a discount of 0.05% off of the annual rate for the Gold tier, 0.10% for the Platinum tier, or 0.15% for the Platinum Honors, Diamond and Diamond Honors tiers based on their Preferred Rewards tier effective at the time the applicable advisory program fee is calculated. It may take up to 30 calendar days for changes to your Preferred Rewards status or tier to be associated with and effective for your accounts in the advisory programs. This fee is charged monthly in advance. In addition to the annual program fee, the expenses of the investments will vary based on the specific funds within each portfolio. Actual fund expenses will vary; please refer to each fund's prospectus.
Footnote
Merrill Guided Investing 6-Month Offer
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:
- 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.
- 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).
- 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. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Footnote 16 Treasury auction trades are not available online at this time.
Footnote
The Merrill Guided Investing program investment minimum is $1,000 for growth-focused strategies and $50,000 for income-focused strategies. The Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor program investment minimum is $20,000 for growth-focused strategies and $50,000 for income-focused strategies.
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