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  Merrill Guided Investing
Merrill Guided Investing
in Investment Advisors from Bank of America
Unaffiliated

Merrill Guided Investing

Unaffiliated
in Investment Advisors from Bank of America
Net Recommendation Score 0  

SUPERMONEY NET RECOMMENDATION SCORE

This product is mostly not recommended by SuperMoney users with a score of 0, equating to 3 on a 5 point rating scale.

0

Recommendation score measures the loyalty between a provider and a consumer. It's at +100 if everybody recommends the provider, and at -100 when no one recommends.

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Minimum Initial Investment $5,000
Management Fee 0.30% - 0.85%

Merrill Guided Investing Review

Merrill Guided Investing is a bank founded in 1784 and based in Charlotte, NC.

Merrill Guided Investing Pros & Cons

The Good The Bad
  • Trades in low-cost ETFs.
  • Access to human advisors.
  • Wide selection of investment options.
  • Broad selection of account types.
  • Competitive investment expense ratios.
  • Tax-loss harvesting not available.
  • Higher management fee for access to a human advisor.

Merrill Guided Investing FAQ

What fees does Merrill Guided Investing charge?

Merrill Guided Investing uses a fee-only model.

This means Merrill Guided Investing gets paid a flat fee regardless of what financial products or services you use. It also means they have a fiduciary responsibility to their clients. Instead of making money on trades commissions or selling products, they recommend an asset allocation and get paid a flat-fee or a percentage of the assets under administration. That requires that they act in their client’s financial best interest at all times.

Merrill Guided Investing Fees
Description
Account Transfer Fee Up to $49.95
Fee Based?
Investment Expense Ratios 0.06% - 0.10%
Management Fee 0.30% - 0.85%

What management fees does Merrill Guided Investing charge?

Merrill Guided Investing charges an annual management fee that starts at .30% and ranges up to .85%.

Many financial advisors charge based on how much money they oversee by using a fee-structure called “assets under management,” or AUM. For instance, a 0.40% fee translates to $4 per year for every $1,000 an investment advisor manages. Management fees, also known as maintenance fees, cover the operating costs of investment advisors and are typically deducted from your account every month or quarter. The management fee does not cover the underlying expense ratios of the investment vehicles purchased by investment advisors.

What are the investment expense ratios of Merrill Guided Investing?

Hiring an investment advisor with competitive investment fees is one of the most important steps to maximizing your portfolio's performance. Investment expense ratios can vary drastically depending on the types of accounts and assets involved. A survey by the ICI puts the average expense ratio for actively managed funds at 0.76% and indexed funds at 0.08%. The investment expense ratios of an investment advisor will vary depending on the type of assets they invest in and whether they attach additional charges to fund fees.

Merrill Guided Investing charges an investment expense ratio that starts at .06% and ranges up to .10%.

What features does Merrill Guided Investing offer?

Access to human advisors: Robo-advisors are great at keeping costs down and helping investors with modest balances make good investment choices. However, it is also nice to have access to human financial advisors when you need them.

Automatic rebalancing: Having a good balance of investments is important. But a well-balanced portfolio is not something you can set up and forget. Markets are constantly changing and can easily throw your portfolio out of balance. Merrill Guided Investing allows you to rebalance your investments back to your target asset allocation at set intervals.

What type of investment accounts and asset classes does Merrill Guided Investing support?

Bank of America offers the following types of assets and account types.

Accounts Supported
Supported Options Unsupported Options
  • Individual Non-Retirement Accounts
  • Joint Non-Retirement Accounts
  • Roth IRA
  • Traditional IRA
  • Rollover IRA
  • Custodial Accounts
  • SEP IRA
  • Trusts
  • 529 College Savings Plans
  • Employer Sponsored Plans

These are the investment options Bank of America offers its clients.

Investment Choices
Supported Options Unsupported Options
  • Stocks
  • Options
  • Mutual Funds
  • Bonds
  • ETFs
  • FOREX
  • Futures
  • Pink Sheets / OTCBB
  • Real Estate
  • Startups
  • Marketplace Loans
  • International Stocks
  • Cryptocurrencies
  • Treasury Bills

What is the minimum amount you have to invest to open an account with Merrill Guided Investing?

The minimum amount to open an account with Merrill Guided Investing is 5000.
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Feature Breakdown

Account Transfer Fee Up to $49.95
Fee Based
Investment Expense Ratios 0.06% - 0.10%
Management Fee 0.30% - 0.85%
Minimum Initial Investment $5,000
Accounts Supported
  • Individual Non-Retirement Accounts
  • Joint Non-Retirement Accounts
  • Roth IRA
  • Traditional IRA
  • Rollover IRA
  • Custodial Accounts
Investment Choices
  • Stocks
  • Options
  • Mutual Funds
  • Bonds
  • ETFs
Investment Features
  • Automatic Rebalancing
  • Access to human advisors

Merrill Guided Investing Community Reviews

 

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SUPERMONEY NET RECOMMENDATION SCORE

This product is mostly not recommended by SuperMoney users with a score of 0, equating to 3 on a 5 point rating scale.

0

Recommendation score measures the loyalty between a provider and a consumer. It's at +100 if everybody recommends the provider, and at -100 when no one recommends.

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