As a Merrill client, your dedicated advisor will provide you with investment choices that align to your investment objectives, liquidity needs, risk tolerance, investment time horizon, and financial situation.
An extended team of investment experts
Your Merrill advisor has the ability to work with other investment professionals in the Firm. Together, they will seek to recommend actionable investment solutions designed to help you achieve your investment goals—including:
- Access to a wide array of investments that potentially could generate income and diversify your portfolio.
- Customized investment strategies.
- Access to a team of sales traders that seek to provide you with best execution results.
- Help with complex needs that may require more sophisticated approaches, such as hedging a concentrated stock position.
An extensive lineup of investments
Equities
Equities represent an ownership interest in a publicly traded corporation or pooled investment vehicle and may offer growth potential that can help you meet longer-term goals. Includes common stock, exchange traded funds, closed-end funds, certain listed preferred stocks and American Depositary Receipts.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
An ETF is a type of pooled investment vehicle designed to track an index or can be actively managed. ETFs trade on an exchange like a stock throughout the trading day. ETFs can hold a diversified group of equities, fixed income, commodities, currencies, options, or a blend of assets.
Listed Options
Derivative instruments based on underlying assets, such as stocks. An options contract offers the buyer the opportunity to buy or sell—depending on the type of options contract they hold—the underlying asset.
Fixed Income Securities
Bonds issued by companies, governments, states, and municipalities that represent the issuer’s promise to repay the bond face amount, with interest, within a set period of time. Examples of fixed income securities include U.S. treasury securities, securities issued by government agencies, corporate bonds, municipal debt securities, and certain preferred securities.
Mutual Funds
Funds that consist of a portfolio of securities that seek to meet an identified objective, managed by a fund manager, with daily liquidity at the funds’ net asset value (NAV).
Unit Investment Trusts
Static portfolio of securities that is professionally selected by a manager that is constructed to implement a specific investment strategy with redemption at NAV available daily.
Concentrated Stock Solutions
Concentrated stock solutions include tax-efficient hedging, monetization, and diversification strategies that can help you manage the inherent risks of holding a large position of a single stock.
Risk Management Solutions
Risk management solutions include options overlay strategies1, exchange funds and hedging strategies that may help you reduce portfolio volatility, diversify your holdings, or mitigate the impact of fluctuating exchange rates, interest rates and market conditions.
Closed-End Funds (CEFs)
Closed-End Funds or CEFs, are a type of registered investment company that uses an asset manager to meet specific investment objectives. CEFs are typically traded on an exchange, giving investors intra-day liquidity at market prices.
Brokered Certificates of Deposit (CDs)
Brokered CDs offered through a broker-dealer are a deposit instrument issued by a bank or savings association that typically pays periodic interest at a fixed rate for a specified period of time.
New Issues
Access to new issue debt and equity offerings at the time of issuance, allowing you to purchase at par or the offering price.
Market Linked Investments(MLIs)2
MLIs are debt instruments linked to the performance of an underlying market measure, like an index, with targeted risk and return characteristics.
Alternative Investments3
Non-traditional investment vehicles that generally include hedge funds, private equity funds, and real assets. They may offer exposure to a broader range of markets and securities, including less liquid assets, and/or may employ investment strategies and techniques typically not found in registered investment companies.
Annuities
Contracts with an insurance company that provide for the payout of an income stream or a lump-sum amount at a future date. Consists of Fixed indexed annuities, variable indexed annuities, fixed rate annuities, income annuities and variable annuities.
You may only have access to certain limited brokerage services, based on the qualifications of your advisor and our policies. Should you have a need for other solutions relating to brokerage recommendations, then you will be referred to another appropriate advisor, if that is what you indicate.
See how our investment capabilities can help you
To learn more about our investments capabilities, talk to your Merrill advisor.
Things to consider
- Is your current investment approach helping you make progress towards your investment goals?
- Are you interested in investment strategies that can help preserve your investments against future market volatility?
- How are you managing the tax implications of your investing decisions?
Explore our other solutions
Whether you’re defining goals, addressing change or figuring out how to move forward, Merrill and Bank of America offer a widge range of solutions to help you take the next step to stay on track.
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1 Options overlay strategy is for accredited and eligible investors only.
2 Market Linked Investments are for accredited and eligible investors only.
3 Alternative investments generally are for investors that qualify as accredited investors and qualified purchasers.
Options carry a high level of risk and are not suitable for all investors. Certain requirements must be met to trade options. Please read the options disclosure document titled "Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options" before considering any option transaction. A separate client agreement is needed. Please note that you will also need to be pre-approved prior to implementing this strategy. You should consult a qualified tax advisor as to how trading options may affect your tax situation.
Supporting documentation for any claims, comparison, recommendations, statistics, or other technical data, will be supplied upon request.
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. 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.
Exchange Funds are for investors that qualify as accredited investors and qualified purchasers.
Hedging strategies are for eligible investors only (accredited investors, qualified purchasers and/or eligible contract participants, depending on the specific strategy).
All contract guarantees, or annuity payout rates for annuity contracts and all guarantees and benefits of insurance policies are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. They are not backed by Merrill or its affiliates, nor does Merrill or its affiliates make any representations or guarantees regarding the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.
Asset allocation, diversification and rebalancing do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.
Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results
Equity securities are subject to stock market fluctuations that occur in response to economic and business developments.
Investing in fixed-income securities may involve certain risks, including the credit quality of individual issuers, possible prepayments, market or economic developments and yields and share price fluctuations due to changes in interest rates. When interest rates go up, bond prices typically drop, and vice versa.
Mutual Funds, ETFs, new issue CEFs, and UITs are offered pursuant to a prospectus, which contains the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses and other important information about the UIT or fund. Investors should read the prospectus and carefully consider this information before investing. Please contact your Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor for a prospectus.
Risk management and diversification processes seek to mitigate, but cannot eliminate risk, nor do they imply low risk.
Market-Linked Investments are offered pursuant to a prospectus or offering circular, and may not be in the best interest of all investors. Market-Linked Investments typically do not pay periodic income, and returns (if any) on the investments are paid at maturity, subject to the credit risk of the issuer. Unlike traditional fixed-income securities, Market-Linked Investments are generally not principal protected. As an investor in Market-Linked Investments, you may lose all or portion of your investment.
Alternative investments such as derivatives, hedge funds, private equity funds, and funds of funds can result in higher return potential but also higher loss potential. Changes in economic conditions or other circumstances may adversely affect your investments. Before you invest in alternative investments, you should consider your overall financial situation, how much money you have to invest, your need for liquidity, and your tolerance for risk. Alternative investments are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his or her investment. There is no secondary market nor is one expected to develop and there may be restrictions on transferring fund investments. Alternative investments may be leveraged and performance may be volatile. Alternative investments have high fees and expenses that reduce returns and are generally subject to less regulation than the public markets. The information provided does not constitute an offer to purchase any security or investment or any other advice.
