Merrill Edge: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

Merrill Edge blends online convenience with brick‑and‑mortar access through thousands of Bank of America branches. Investors can trade options at $0.65 per contract, choose from more than 2,300 mutual funds (including 800+ no‑transaction‑fee choices), and earn automated portfolio management via Merrill Guided Investing for 0.30 – 0.45 % in advisory fees. Bond and CD trading, margin and IRA accounts, plus a money‑market sweep round out a comprehensive product lineup—available with no account minimum.

Detailed feature breakdown for Merrill Edge brokerage (2026)
Feature
Website https://www.merrilledge.com/
Broker Type Self-directed discount/online brokerage
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 online commissions (ETF sales $0.01–$0.03 per $1,000 principal)
Fractional Shares? No
Percent Allocations? No
Crypto Trading? No
Crypto Fees N/A
Options Trading? Yes
Options Fee $0 + $0.65 per contract online; $0 exercise/assignment. Broker-assisted extra.
Bond Trading Available? Yes
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? No; limited options-exchange payments
Interface: Web trading? Yes
Desktop trading? No (MarketPro is browser-based, not a downloadable desktop app)
API Trading? No (no public retail trading API)
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes
Total Mutual Funds Thousands
NTF Mutual Funds Many NTF (exact count unpublished)
Non-NTF Fund Fee $19.95 per online transaction (buys, sells, exchanges) for no-load TF funds
Early Redemption Fee? No ($39.95 short-term redemption fee on NTF funds held <90 days)
Redemption Hold (Days) 90 days (NTF funds)
Early Redemption Fee $39.95 (NTF funds held <90 days)
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP)
HSAs Offered? Yes (Individual HSA)
Money Market Sweep? Yes
CDs Offered? Yes (brokered CDs)
Robo-Advisor: Offered Yes
Robo-Advisor Service Merrill Guided Investing
Robo-Advisor Fees 0.45% AUM online; 0.85% with advisor (monthly in advance). Preferred Rewards discounts 0.05-0.15%. Fund expenses extra.
Basics: Headquarters New York, NY
Year Founded 2010
Clearing Firm Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. (self-clearing)
Local Branches? Yes (~3,530 Bank of America financial centers, U.S., as of Q2 2026)
New Account Minimum $0 (self-directed)

Once you’ve chosen a broker, find high-performing, investable model portfolios at RecipeInvesting.com


Picked a Broker? Now Build Your Perfect Portfolio

Find high-performing, investable model portfolios (Tactical, Strategic, and Managed) at RecipeInvesting.com.

Get FREE Access
Recipe Investing Logo

Compare Merrill Edge to All Brokers