Merrill Edge
Zero-commission self-directed trading paired with Bank of America banking integration and a guided-advice tier.
Last verified 2026-10-04
Legal entities
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (FINRA BrokerCheck firm id 7691)
Details
| minimum to open | $0Not confirmed at a primary source in this pass. |
|---|---|
| monthly fee | $0$0 for Self-Directed accounts. Guided Investing carries an annual program fee of 0.45%, and Guided Investing with Advisor 0.85%. |
| equity trade fee | 0 USD per tradeNot confirmed at a primary source in this pass. |
| fractional min | not verified |
| etf fee | 0 USD per tradeCONFIRMED $0 online: 'Unlimited $0 online stock and ETF trades with no trade or balance minimums'. Broker-assisted is $29.95 per trade. Footnote 1 states Merrill 'waives its commissions for all online stock, ETF and option trades placed in a Merrill Edge Self-Directed brokerage account' and that broker-assisted trades through Merrill Edge cost 'the lower of $29.95 or 5.00% of the principal amount of the transaction'. Note broker-assisted is a percentage-or-flat cap, unlike Schwab's flat $25. |
| margin apr low | not verified |
| margin apr high | not verified |
| cash apy gold | 3.35%The default Merrill Lynch Bank Deposit Program pays tiered APY by balance: Tier 1 (under $250,000) 0.01%, Tier 2 ($250,000-$999,999) 0.01%, Tier 3 ($1,000,000-$9,999,999) 0.05%, Tier 4 ($10,000,000+) 0.15%. The 3.35% Tier 5 / Tier 6 rate is NOT available to ordinary Self-Directed retail accounts: per the rate sheet footnote it 'is assigned to eligible accounts enrolled in the following investment advisory programs ... Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor Program and Merrill Edge Advisory Account Program' and is also assigned to certain retirement plan accounts. Do not present 3.35% as a Merrill Edge Self-Directed cash rate. APY as of 10/2/2026. |
| cash apy standard | 0.01%The default Merrill Lynch Bank Deposit Program pays tiered APY by balance: Tier 1 (under $250,000) 0.01%, Tier 2 ($250,000-$999,999) 0.01%, Tier 3 ($1,000,000-$9,999,999) 0.05%, Tier 4 ($10,000,000+) 0.15%. The 3.35% Tier 5 / Tier 6 rate is NOT available to ordinary Self-Directed retail accounts: per the rate sheet footnote it 'is assigned to eligible accounts enrolled in the following investment advisory programs ... Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor Program and Merrill Edge Advisory Account Program' and is also assigned to certain retirement plan accounts. Do not present 3.35% as a Merrill Edge Self-Directed cash rate. APY as of 10/2/2026. |
| crypto available | not verified |
| account types | cash, taxable, ira, roth iraAccount types not published. |
| coverage | SIPC member. Merrill brokerage cash is swept to a bank deposit program; FDIC coverage applies per depositor per program bank.Coverage terms not transcribed. |
What we could not verify
Listed here rather than filled with a plausible guess. An honest gap is more useful than a confident number that turns out to be wrong.
- Fractional share minimum not published in retrievable text.
- Margin APR range not published.
Sources
Each URL and the specific claim it supports.
- www.merrilledge.com— Brokerage fees, account types, coverage and margin terms.retrieved 2026-10-04