Today we review Merrill Edge IRA for you. What is Merrill Edge IRA? Do they match up against our #1 recommended companies? These are just a few questions this review will help you answer!
Name of the Company: Merrill Edge IRA
Official Website URL: https://www.merrilledge.com/
Owner: Bank of America
Overall rating: (4 / 5)
Recommended? : Yes
Important to mention (before we go into more details of this review)
We strongly recommend doing your research online before choosing a company to invest in. There are so many reviews online of clients being ripped off and scammed. So please investigate thoroughly and compare different alternatives before you make your decision.
One example: 99.9% of companies got “pushy” salespeople trying to stress you into acting fast.
Here is the thing, the #1 Recommended Gold & Silver IRA Dealer on our top-5 list got No-salesy representatives… So they won´t bother or terrorize you with phone calls.
You are a smart person, so I am sure that you understand the benefits of dealing with such a company instead, right?
+They got a couple more benefits you might appreciate as much as I do. You will understand yourself once you have visited the page (link) above.
==> See our Top-5 List of Precious Metals IRA Companies on this page <==
With that being said, let´s continue with the review on Merrill Edge!
Intro
This is a review of Merrill Edge IRA. In this review, we shall focus on establishing the nature of Merrill Edge IRA’s business and whether we can rely on the services it provides. We shall do this by providing the answers to these questions:
- What is Merrill Edge IRA?
- How does it work?
- What IRAs are offered, and how are they priced?
- What can we say about the genuineness of the services provided by this company?
- Are there any investment and income-generating opportunities that Merrill Edge offers?
- Which unique advantages and disadvantages do clients who work with this company face?
- Are there better alternatives?
Such are the main issues that we shall address in this article as we attempt to accumulate sufficient knowledge that can, in one way or another, influence our opinion of Merrill Edge IRA.
What is Merrill Edge?
Merrill Edge came to birth in 2010 as an extension of Merrill Lynch. Merrill Lynch, founded in the early 1900s, is a branch of the Bank of America. Merrill Edge strikes most of its customers as a company that takes customer services very seriously. This, coupled with their low rates of $6.95 fees for stocks trades, and the $6.95 +$0.75 (contract fees) for option trades, has attracted a very impressive number of clients to this company. This company has its hands open to all kinds of investors and has its credibility backed up by the presence of the Bank of America. Merrill Edge thus stands out as one of the best IRA investment companies globally.
By 2015, Merrill Edge had managed to accumulate a total of $118 Billion in assets belonging to more than 2 million of its customers. The company has more than 2000 qualified financial advisors whose operations are based in the Bank of America. This makes it easier for them to manage all the operations within the banking sector’s scope. These include the management of accounts, the transference of funds, and making changes in contact information.
How does it work?
Merrill Edge is an excellent option for all high-balance and Bank of America customers. Essentially, these customers get to benefit from the services provided by Merrill Edge by opening new accounts with this company. The process followed is similar to what most IRA investment companies have set out, only that with Merrill Edge, the operations are carried out by the staff who work within the Bank of America. The process followed by clients is as follows:
- Open a new Merrill Edge account.
- Rollover your 401(k) or IRA to the Merrill Edge account.
- Choose the type of IRA you want to have your funds placed in.
- Start trading with the information and research reports provided to you by the financial advisors at Merrill Edge.
If, as a new customer, you did not have an existing 401(k) account, then you are required to follow the process below:
- Open a Merrill Edge account.
- Begin putting aside some savings for your retirement.
- Make increments in your retirement savings using a wealth-building approach.
- As you near your retirement years, you can begin maximizing your savings and fine-tuning your plan.
- Finally, you can start generating retirement income through the several investment options offered by Merrill Edge.
IRA trade funds offered and how they are priced
Once you sign up for a Merrill Edge account, you are presented with several options to increase the funds in your investment account. To begin with, you have the option to trade in stocks. A flat $6.95 fee is charged for all the stock trades across the board. This fee is a bit higher than what is offered by other companies of its kind, but a great number of Merrill Edge’s customers still stick to Merrill Edge due to the efficient and reliable customer service.
For those who want to have their IRA funds grow through trading in Options, a $6.95 base fee is offered and a $0.75 contract fee. This means that the least amount you can part with as you trade in Options is $7.70.
Another option offered by Merrill Edge is having the 401(k) funds channeled into a Mutual fund. This will cost you $19.95. If you, however, choose to have your funds channeled into an OptionHouse Mutual fund, you will be charged a $20 fee per trade. If you have the IRA funds transferred into the TD Ameritrade Mutual Fund, you will be charged $49.99 per trade.
Merrill Edge also lets you invest your IRA funds through having broker-assisted trades. A flat fee of $29.95 is offered for such trades. If you choose to have OptionHouse broker-assisted trades, you are charged $25, and if you decide to have TD Ameritrade broker-assisted trades, you are charged $44.99).
P.S.
**Learn about my #1 recommended IRA solution on this page
Is Merrill Edge a Scam, or is it Legit?
Merrill Edge IRA is a legit company that offers legit services. There is more than enough evidence to show that it is a trustworthy firm. First, it is a branch of Merrill Lynch, which the Bank of America owns. These two firms have existed for many years, and the credibility of the services they offer is beyond question.
Second, there are positive remarks about this firm on consumer trust cites. None of those sites provides reviews that point to Merrill Edge being a scam. From Investopedia (https://www.investopedia.com/merrill-edge-vs-vanguard-4587952) to Motley Fool (https://www.fool.com/retirement/iras/2017/02/06/merrill-edge-ira-review-what-you-should-know-befor.aspx), Nerdwallet (https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/investing/merrill-edge), and DoughRoller (https://www.doughroller.net/investing/merrill-edge-review/), there is just lots of information supporting the fact that Merrill Edge is a company that is very keen on serving its customers in the best of ways. These consumer trust sites also reveal that the financial advisory services provided to the owners of the IRA accounts at Merrill Edge are backed up by exceptional and expert research. A lot of educational resources on investment options are also provided by this company. This makes them a go-to choice for those interested in securing their years after retirement financially.
P.S.
Learn about the #1 rated gold & silver company (by most 3rd party consumer protection agencies in the industry) on this page
Investment opportunities?
As seen above, there are several options that Merrill Edge can help you invest your funds to have financially-stress free post-retirement years. Merrill Edges IRA helps you build your wealth by making it easy to set aside funds for your IRA or 401(k) account. The money you accumulate is usually invested in several ways, including stocks trades, Option trades, mutual funds, and broker-assisted trades. You are guaranteed a better financial future at the end of the investment period during your retirement years.
P.S.
Learn about the #1 rated gold & silver company (by most 3rd party consumer protection agencies in the industry) on this page
Pros and Cons
It is always smart (and recommended) to look at the positive sides and the negatives to compare them against each other to get a better overall view. As always in our reviews, we provide you with some obvious points on both sides of the spectrum:
Pros
- Several diverse investment options for you to grow your IRA funds are availed.
- No minimum deposit is required to get started.
- Recognized by J.D Power for providing exceptional customer service.
- Affordable trading fees are charged.
- Sufficient educational resources are provided to clients on investment options.
- The financial advisory services are backed up by sufficient research.
Cons
- There’s a minimum balance requirement for one to have an active-trading platform.
Do You Own or represent Merrill Edge?
If you are a representative or associate of Merrill Edge and have found something not to be correct in this review, please, feel free to tell, and I will make sure to update the info on this post. The easiest way to do it is in the comment section below, or else you get the e-mail on the about page.
Final words and verdict
Verdict: Legit
Overall rating: (4.2 / 5)
Ok, I think that sums up the overall view of this company pretty well. It is a legit one for sure. However, if it is your best alternative, there is another story.
Always review and compare different alternatives against each other before you make any investment decisions.
You made a wise decision to read this review, and you are a smart person, so I am sure that you will find the right company that suits your particular need the best and that you feel comfortable doing business with.
There are many similar services out there. I have listed many of them on this website. However, the absolute best one I can recommend is GoldCo. It is the world’s #1 rated company to invest in Precious Metals and also has started to offer Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to its clients lately.
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I hope you found this short review of Merrill Edge IRA helpful, and you now have a better understanding of what it is and if it is for you. If you have used their service, share your experience in the comment section below, as it can help others! Also, if you got any questions about this review, I will be more than happy to answer them below!
I wish you success!
Michael,
founder of: Goldretired.com
My mom had a bad experience with Merrill Edge so she is very skeptical now about investments. When she retired, she took out a withdrawal and the government slammed her with taxes and the rep did not advise her that if she had taken out slightly smaller amount she would have avoided the huge tax. After that, they put her money in investments that literally was making her cents per month and she closed her account with them.
Thank you for the review!
First of all, sorry to hear about your mothers experience,
and thank you for sharing your / your mothers experience!
It is very good that you share this as it can help others to think twice.
It is always important to compared different companies against eachother to find a good one.
If you are interested in a gold IRA then this might be a good place to start researching: https://goldretired.com/best-gold-ira-companies-top-5-list-additional-resources
If you are interested in Bitcoin (and other cryptos) then here is the top 5 recommended ones: https://goldretired.com/best-bitcoin-ira-companies-our-top-5-recommended-list
Thank you again for sharing this!
/Sincerely