Bank of America today announced the expansion of unlimited
commission-free online stock, ETF and option trading to all Merrill
Edge Self-Directed investors.1 Zero-dollar trades, together with
the firm’s powerful combination of personalized guidance,
straightforward tools, professional expertise and the
industry-leading Preferred Rewards program, ensure Bank of America
and Merrill clients can pursue their financial goals through a
complete continuum of banking and investing solutions.
“We first introduced zero-dollar trading in 2006, expanded it to
unlimited free online trading for all Preferred Rewards members
this fall, and are now making it available to all of our
self-directed clients,” said Aron Levine, head of Consumer Banking
and Investments at Bank of America. “With free trades now an
industry standard, attracting clients and building lifelong
relationships will depend even more on the value investment firms
bring to the table. Our award-winning service, innovative
solutions, and unmatched benefits support clients throughout their
entire financial journey and during every stage of their
lives.”
Turning ideas into action – The award-winning Merrill
Edge Self-Directed platform delivers a personalized investing
experience to clients through:
- Insightful research: Clients gain valuable insights into
what’s driving the market through research and perspectives from a
range of resources, including award-winning BofA Global Research,
CFRA (powered by S&P Global) and Morningstar.
- Informed investing: Self-Directed clients can evaluate
stocks, funds and their portfolios through Merrill’s patent-pending
Stock Story, Fund Story and Portfolio Story capabilities, which
provide engaging experiences that help clients make more informed
investing decisions.
- Best execution: Trade execution is a critical factor in
determining investing success. Merrill optimizes and continuously
monitors trades and does not accept payment for order flow.
Advice and guidance – Merrill Guided Investing is a
unique online advisory program, combining a convenient digital
experience with access to investment strategies developed and
managed by the company’s Chief Investment Office, rather than
algorithms. Merrill Guided Investing was expanded in June 2019 to
include the option for clients to partner with a Merrill Financial
Solutions Advisor (FSA) to help identify life priorities, chart a
course to achieving financial goals and track progress toward those
goals.
Rewarding relationships – With more than 6 million
members, Preferred Rewards is the first no-fee program of its kind
that recognizes and rewards clients for choosing to do more across
their Bank of America and Merrill accounts. The loyalty program’s
unique relationship-based approach provides members extensive
rewards and benefits across their deposit accounts, investments,
credit cards, mortgages and auto loans, along with exclusive
discounts and experiences. Members enjoy program benefits including
credit card rewards bonuses, discounts on home and auto loans,
monthly account maintenance fee waivers, and more.
Integrated banking and investing – Clients can access a
full range of Bank of America banking products and Merrill
investing strategies through a customizable dashboard – along with
an integrated view of their banking and investment accounts.
Clients can easily manage and transfer funds between their Bank of
America banking and Merrill investment accounts in real time and
with a single login.
Industry-leading client care – Merrill is continually
recognized for client service, user experience and everyday banking
rewards benefits. Most recently, the Merrill Investment Center was
recognized for the ninth consecutive year by J.D. Power for
providing "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience" for phone
support.2 The certification reflects Merrill’s ongoing commitment
to industry-leading client care. Earlier this year, the company was
also recognized in Barron’s 2019 Best Online Brokers review3 and
the 2019 annual review by StockBrokers.com, which ranked Merrill
Edge No. 1 for “Overall Client Experience” and highlighted Merrill
Edge’s “award-winning customer service.”4
1 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
https://www.merrilledge.com/pricing.
2 J.D. Power 2019 Certified Customer Service ProgramSM
recognition is based on successful completion of an evaluation and
exceeding a customer satisfaction benchmark through a survey of
recent servicing interactions. For more information, visit
www.jdpower.com/ccc. Rankings and recognition from J.D. Power 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. Participation in this survey was paid for by
Merrill.
3 Merrill Edge Self-Directed was one of 14 brokers evaluated in
the Barron’s 2019 Best Online Broker Survey, February 22, 2019.
Barron’s evaluated firms in their trading platform, usability,
mobile, research, education, news, information, international
offerings and retirement/divided-related services to rate the
firms. Merrill Edge Self-Directed earned an overall score of 28 out
of a possible 50. Learn more at
http://webreprints.djreprints.com/55958.html. Barron’s is a
trademark of Dow Jones & Co., L.P. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission of Barron’s. Rankings and recognition
from Barron’s 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.
4 Merrill Edge Self-Directed was evaluated as one of 16 online
brokers in StockBrokers.com 2019 Online Broker Review, published on
February 20, 2019. StockBrokers.com evaluated brokers using 284
variables across nine categories. The “Best-in-Class” rating
recognizes brokers that ranked in the top five in that category.
Learn more at https://www.stockbrokers.com/annual-broker-review.
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.
Bank of America Bank of America is one of the world’s leading
financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and
middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range
of banking, investing, asset management, and other financial and
risk management products and services. The company provides
unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately
66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately
4,300 retail financial centers, including approximately 2,400
lending centers, 2,600 financial centers with a Consumer Investment
Financial Solutions Advisor and 1,900 business centers;
approximately 16,600 ATMs; and award-winning digital banking with
nearly 38 million active users, including approximately 29 million
mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth
management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a
broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments,
institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America
offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small
business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online
products and services. The company serves clients through
operations across the United States, its territories and
approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock
(NYSE:BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements
and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom
and register for news email alerts.
www.bankofamerica.com
Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A., and
affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of
Bank of America Corporation.
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, Member SIPC, and
a wholly-owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.
Investment products:
Are Not FDIC Insured
Are Not Bank Guaranteed
May Lose Value
© 2019 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191209005396/en/
Reporters May Contact: Andy Aldridge, Bank of America,
1.980.387.0514 andrew.aldridge@bofa.com
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