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StockBrokers.com's best of 2026

Merrill Edge Self-Directed earned multiple honors in StockBroker.com's 2026 Annual Awards, which evaluated 14 brokers across 300+ criteria spanning investments, tools, research, mobile, education, and usability, though rankings are editorial and not indictive of future performance.
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Merrill Edge Self-Directed received 4.5 out of 5 stars Overall

StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual AwardsFootnote 2
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Merrill Edge Self-Directed received 4.5 out of 5 stars for access to "Research"

StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual AwardsFootnote 3
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Merrill Edge Self-Directed was awarded #1 for Bank Brokerage (for twelve years in a row)

StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual AwardsFootnote 4
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Merrill Edge Self-Directed received a Best in Class award for "Ease of Use" (for four years in a row)

StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual AwardsFootnote 5
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Merrill Edge Self-Directed received a Best in Class award for "Retirement Accounts" (for seven years in a row)

StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual AwardsFootnote 6
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Merrill Edge Self-Directed received a Best in Class award for "High Net Worth Investors" (for three years in a row)

StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual AwardsFootnote 7

Extel's best of 2026

Extel named BofA Global Research a Top Global Research Firm in 2025 based on weighted surveys of investment professionals, with rankings reflecting total positions earned across regional and asset-class reports published throughout the year.
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Investopedia's best of 2026

Merrill Guided Investing was named "Best for Education" and received a 4.5/5 rating in Investopedia's 2025 Best Robo-Advisors rankings, based on quantitative evaluation of 20 platforms across nine categories, though results are informational and not indicative of future performance.
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Merrill Guided Investing received an Overall Rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars

Investopedia's Best Robo-Advisors 2025 Published April 30, 2025. Rankings based on data collected April 5, 2025 to April 11, 2025.Footnote 9
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Merrill Guided Investing was named "Best for Education"

Investopedia's Best Robo-Advisors 2025 Published April 30, 2025. Rankings based on data collected April 5, 2025 to April 11, 2025.Footnote 10

Kiplinger's best of 2026

Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked Merrill Edge Self-Directed as the "Best all-in-one-bank and broker" in its 2025 Best Online Brokers and Trading Platforms survey, where it placed 6th out of 9 firms.
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Footnote 
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 our Pricing page.
Footnote 
Merrill waives its commissions for all online stock, ETF and option trades placed in a Merrill Edge® Self-Directed brokerage account. Brokerage fees associated with, but not limited to, margin transactions, special stock registration/gifting, account transfer and processing and termination apply. $0 option trades are subject to a $0.65 per-contract fee. Other fees and restrictions may apply. Pricing is subject to change without advance notice.

For broker-assisted trades through Merrill Edge, you will be charged a fee equal to the lower of $29.95 or 5.00% of the principal amount of the transaction. Further, there are indirect fees, such as annual management and other similar fees, that are charged by the manager or sponsor of an exchange-traded fund and of a closed-end fund, as disclosed in the product's prospectus.
Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Certain requirements must be met to trade options. Before engaging in the purchase or sale of options, investors should understand the nature of and extent of their rights and obligations and be aware of the risks involved in investing with options. Please read the options disclosure document titled "Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (PDF)" before considering any option transaction. You may also call the Investment Center at 877.653.4732 for a copy. A separate client agreement is needed. Options contracts are assessed a per-contract charge and may incur an additional per trade commission for rep-assisted orders.

The maximum loss, gain and breakeven of any options strategy only remains as defined so long as the strategy contains all original positions. Trading, rolling, assignment, or exercise of any portion of the strategy will result in a new maximum loss, gain and breakeven calculation, which will be materially different from the calculation when the strategy remains intact with all of the contemplated legs or positions. This is applicable to all options strategies inclusive of long options, short options and spreads. To learn more about Merrill's uncovered option handling practices, view Naked Option Stress Analysis (NOSA) (PDF).

Early assignment risk is always present for option writers (specific to American-style options only). Early assignment risk may be amplified in the event a call writer is short an option during the period the underlying security has an ex-dividend date. This is referred to as dividend risk.

Long options are exercised and short options are assigned. Note that American-style options can be assigned/exercised at any time through the day of expiration without prior notice. Options can be assigned/exercised after market close on expiration day. View specific Merrill Option Exercise & Assignment Practices (PDF).

Supporting documentation for any claims, comparison, recommendations, statistics, or other technical data, will be supplied upon request.
Footnote 
Merrill Edge Self-Directed received an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and was evaluated as one of 14 online brokers in StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual Awards popup published on January 27, 2026. StockBrokers.com evaluated brokers using over 300 variables across 6 categories: Range of Investments, Advanced Trading, Research, Mobile Trading Apps, Education, and Ease of Use. Learn more about the methodology at StockBrokers.com popup. 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.
Footnote 
Merrill Edge Self-Directed received a ranking of 4.5 out of 5 stars for "Research," as well as an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from StockBrokers.com. Evaluated as one of 14 online brokers in StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual Awards popup published on January 27, 2026. StockBrokers.com evaluated brokers using over 300 variables across 6 categories: Range of Investments, Advanced Trading, Research, Mobile Trading Apps, Education, and Ease of Use. Learn more about the methodology at StockBrokers.com popup. 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.
Footnote 
Merrill Edge Self-Directed was awarded #1 for Bank Brokerage and received an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from StockBrokers.com. Evaluated as one of 14 online brokers in StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual Awards popup published on January 27, 2026. This award recognizes the broker that the editorial team believes provides the best value and experience for intermediate-level U.S. retail investors who want to consolidate their financial activities with one company. StockBrokers.com takes into consideration the breadth of banking services on offer and how well they are integrated with self-directed investing. Learn more about the methodology at StockBrokers.com popup. 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.
Footnote 
Merrill Edge Self-Directed received a Best in Class award for "Ease of Use," as well as an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from StockBrokers.com. Evaluated as one of 14 online brokers in StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual Awards popup published on January 27, 2026. StockBrokers.com evaluated brokers using over 300 variables across 6 categories: Range of Investments, Advanced Trading, Research, Mobile Trading Apps, Education, and Ease of Use. The Best In Class rating recognizes brokers that ranked in the top 5 in that category. Learn more about the methodology at StockBrokers.com popup. 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.
Footnote 
Merrill Edge Self-Directed received a Best in Class Award for "Retirement Accounts," and an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from StockBrokers.com. Evaluated as one of 14 online brokers in StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual Awards popup published on January 27, 2026. StockBrokers.com evaluated brokers using over 300 variables across 6 categories: Range of Investments, Advanced Trading, Research, Mobile Trading Apps, Education, and Ease of Use. The Best In Class rating recognizes brokers that ranked in the top 5 in that category. Learn more about the methodology at StockBrokers.com popup. 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.
Footnote 
Merrill Edge Self-Directed received a Best in Class Award for "High Net Worth Investors," and an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from StockBrokers.com. Evaluated as one of 14 online brokers in Go to third-party website StockBrokers.com 2026 Annual Awards popup published on January 27, 2026. StockBrokers.com evaluated brokers using over 300 variables across 6 categories: Range of Investments, Advanced Trading, Research, Mobile Trading Apps, Education, and Ease of Use. The Best In Class rating recognizes brokers that ranked in the top 5 in that category. Go to third-party website Learn more about the methodology at StockBrokers.com popup. 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.
Footnote 
Extel announced BofA Global Research as one of the Top Global Research Firms in 2025 based on surveys held throughout the year. Extel creates rankings of the top research analysts in a wide variety of specializations, drawn from the choices of portfolio managers and other investment professionals. The 2025 Global Research Leaders ranking lists sell-side research providers by the combined total number of positions earned across Extel's 2025 research team surveys. Results of each survey are published separately throughout the year, beginning in February 2025 with the Japan Research Team and concluding in December 2025 with the Global Fixed Income Research Team. Rankings for each poll are determined strictly by using numerical scores. Extel takes the number of votes awarded to each firm in a sector and weight it in relation to the size of the institution responding and rating it awarded. Firms are designated runners-up when their scores fall within 35 percent of the third-place scores. BofA Global Research is research produced by BofA Securities, Inc ("BofAS") and/or one or more of its affiliates. BofAS is a registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC popup, and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. Rankings and recognition from Extel 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
Footnote 
Merrill Guided Investing received an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars in Investopedia's Best Robo-Advisors 2025, April 30, 2025 popup. Rankings based on data collected April 5, 2025 to April 11, 2025. Investopedia's team of researchers and experts conducted an all-encompassing data collection and review process of 20 digital wealth management platforms across nine key categories, including Portfolio Management, Goal Planning, Portfolio Contents, Fees, User Experience, Account Services, Account Setup, Customer Service, and Security & Education. These categories were then broken down into 60 weighted criteria. Investopedia extracts critical data points that are weighted by their quantitative model. Go to third-party website Learn more about the methodology at Investopedia popup. Reprinted with permission of Investopedia. Rankings and recognition from Investopedia 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.
Footnote 
Merrill Guided Investing was named "Best for Education" and received an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars in Investopedia's Best Robo-Advisors 2025, April 30, 2025 popup. Rankings based on data collected April 5, 2025 to April 11, 2025. Investopedia's team of researchers and experts conducted an all-encompassing data collection and review process of 20 digital wealth management platforms across nine key categories, including Portfolio Management, Goal Planning, Portfolio Contents, Fees, User Experience, Account Services, Account Setup, Customer Service, and Security & Education. These categories were then broken down into 60 weighted criteria. Investopedia extracts critical data points that are weighted by their quantitative model. Go to third-party website Learn more about the methodology at Investopedia popup. Reprinted with permission of Investopedia. Rankings and recognition from Investopedia 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.
Footnote 
Merrill Edge Self-Directed was named "Best all-in-one bank and broker" and received an overall ranking of 6 out of 9 by Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "Best Online Brokers and Trading Platforms, 2025" survey published on September 4, 2025. To be included, firms had to offer online trading of stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and individual bonds. Results based on ratings in the following categories: Investment choices, Tools & education, Mobile app, Advisory services, Research, Customer service & security, and Fees. Rankings for subcategories may vary. Learn more about the methodology at Kiplinger's Personal Finance popup, September 2025 © 2025 The Kiplinger Washington Editors. Used under License. Merrill provides access to research from BofA Global Research, CFRA (powered by S&P Global), Morningstar and others. Rankings and recognition from Kiplinger'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.
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Investment products offered through Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, and insurance and annuity products offered through Merrill Lynch Life Agency Inc.:
Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value
Are Not Deposits Are Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency Are Not a Condition to Any Banking Service or Activity

Investing in securities involves risks, and there is always the potential of losing money when you invest in securities.

Asset allocation, diversification, and rebalancing do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.
The performance data contained herein represents past performance which does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. For performance information current to the most recent month end, please contact us.

Net Asset Value (NAV) returns are based on the prior-day closing NAV value at 4 p.m. ET. NAV returns assume the reinvestment of all dividend and capital gain distributions at NAV when paid.

Market price returns are based on the prior-day closing market price, which is the average of the midpoint bid-ask prices at 4 p.m. ET. Market price returns do not represent the returns an investor would receive if shares were traded at other times.

Returns include fees and applicable loads. Since Inception returns are provided for funds with less than 10 years of history and are as of the fund's inception date. 10 year returns are provided for funds with greater than 10 years of history.

Before investing consider carefully the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of the fund, including management fees, other expenses and special risks. This and other information may be found in each fund's prospectus or summary prospectus, if available. Always read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before you invest or send money. Prospectuses can be obtained by contacting us.

Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds: Expense Ratio – Gross Expense Ratio is the total annual operating expense (before waivers or reimbursements) from the fund's most recent prospectus. You should also review the fund's detailed annual fund operating expenses which are provided in the fund's prospectus.

Closed End Funds: Expense Ratio – Gross Expense Ratio is the ratio of the fund's total annual operating expense (before waivers or reimbursements) to average net assets as of the date of the fund's most recent annual report. You should also review the fund's detailed annual operating expenses disclosed by the fund in its annual reports, semi-annual reports, and other public filings.

This material is not intended as a recommendation, offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security or investment strategy. Merrill offers a broad range of brokerage, investment advisory and other services. Additional information is available in our Client Relationship Summary (Form CRS) (PDF).

Merrill, its affiliates, and financial advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.
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, registered investment adviser, Member SIPC popup and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp.").
Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp.").

Merrill Lynch Life Agency Inc. ("MLLA") is a licensed insurance agency and wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

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