New to Investing
 

Getting Started

Invest in your future

Investing can help you pursue your goals. Learn how to get started and discover all the resources available at Merrill.

Why invest?

What should I know before investing?

What could I invest in?

Why Merrill?

Why invest?

See how investing compares to saving and learn the benefits of getting started early.

The Effect of Time on Your Investments

[Music in background throughout]
[On Screen: Lauren Sanfilippo]
Please read important Information at the end of this video. Recorded 11.02.2022
Hi. Oh, am I going? Sorry .
Hi, I'm Lauren Sanfilippo, Senior Investment Strategist with Bank of America's Chief Investment Office.
[Text on Screen: LOWER 3rd]
Lauren Sanfilippo
Senior Investment Strategist, Chief Investment Office
Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank
A lot of people ask me, when's the best time to start investing? In my opinion, as soon as possible!
[Text on Screen]
When Should I start investing?
ASAP!
Early in your career, when every paycheck feels stretched, it's easy to tell yourself: I'll invest in a few years when I'm earning more.
[Text on Screen] "I'll Invest in a few years ..."
But when you begin investing to help meet your goals for all the things you want to do later on—like buying a house, starting a family, educating your kids, or retiring to your dream location
[Text on Screen]
Buying a house
[Icon on Screen]
House
[Text on Screen]
Starting a family
[Icon on Screen]
Baby carriage
[Text on Screen]
Educating your kids
[Icon on Screen]
Graduation cap
[Text on Screen]
Retiring to your dream location
[Icon on Screen]
Location pointer
[Text on Screen]
Start Early
[Icon on Screen]
Clock winding
—the most important thing you can do is to start early, even if you've only got a little to put away at first.
It's all about the power of compounding.
[Text on Screen]
It's all about the power of compounding.
Compounding happens when your investments produce returns such as stock dividends or interest on bonds or money market funds, which you can then reinvest.
[Text on Screen]
Investments
Contribute
Reinvest
[Icon on Screen]
Big White bubble with word investments
Red bubbles with word contribute flying into the white bubble
Red bubbles with word Reinvest flying into the white bubble
As you keep contributing and reinvesting—just like the snowball effect—momentum can really build.
Let's take a look at how this can work over a lifetime of investing.
[Graph on Screen]
What might happen if you invest $50 a month from ages 20 to 60, with a 7% annual return? Graph starts at "starting at 20 years old" and grows up past "After 20 years" and up to "after 40 years" Total contributions numbers rise as it moves up the chart; Total return rises as it moves up the chart.
[Disclosure] This is a hypothetical example for illustration purposes only. Had a different growth rate been used in the example, the results would vary. No rate can be guaranteed.
Let's say you're 20 years old and decide to invest $50 per month in a hypothetical investment with a 7% annual return.
[Text and Graph on Screen]
Text: $50 per month from ages 20 to 60
Bar graph:
White box with blue text $120K - Total Return
Blue box with white text $24K - Contributions
[Disclosure] This is a hypothetical example for illustration purposes only. Had a different growth rate been used in the example, the results would vary. No rate can be guaranteed.
At first, there's not a huge difference between what you invest and what your total return looks like, but as the years go by, see how the lines diverge?
By age 60, after 40 years of steady saving and reinvesting, your $24,000 of contributions could return nearly $120,000.
[Graph on Screen]
$50 per month from ages 20-60
White box with blue text $120K
Blue box with white text $24K
[Disclosure] This is a hypothetical example for illustration purposes only. Had a different growth rate been used in the example, the results would vary. No rate can be guaranteed.
Now let's look at the potential cost of waiting.
Say you wait until you're 30, meaning you'll invest for 30 years instead of 40. Your income is higher, so you invest $100 each month instead of $50.
Even though your contributions are higher, coming into a total of $36,000, your money has less time to grow, producing a return of a little over $113,000.
[Graph on Screen]
$100 per month from ages 30-60
White box with blue text $113K
Blue box with white text $36K
Let's say you start at 40. By now, you can put in $200 per month, but your total contribution of $48,000 over 20 years gives you just a little over $98,000.
[Graph on Screen]
$200 per month from ages 40-60
White box with blue text $98K
Blue box with white text $48K
In other words, you're contributing twice as much money as you would have by starting at 20 for a total return that's more than $20,000 lower.
Now, of course, this example is hypothetical. All investing carries risks and fees. Unlike a bank account, an investment account is not FDIC-insured or bank guaranteed and may lose value.
[Text on Screen]
All investing carries risks and fees
Not FDIC-insured or bank guaranteed
May lose value
But if you step back and look at what happens over a lifetime of investing, markets historically have produced steady growth.
That means, even factoring in the risks and uncertainties, starting early and investing steadily over time gives your money the potential to build and grow.
[Text on Screen]
Starting early and investing steadily over time
Gives your money the potential to build and grow
[Icon on Screen]
Seeds into a planters pot, begins to grow into a tree
So starting with that base and increasing your contributions as your pay goes up can give compounding even more momentum.
So why not start now? Set aside a few extra dollars, give it some time, and get your investing off to a great start.
Is that good? Yeah, this is just like my apartment. I don't even have a chair, I have a couch.
[GRAPHIC END CARD]
Bank of America
What Would you like the power to do?
Merrill
A Bank of America company
[On screen disclosure]
Disclosure:
The Chief Investment Office (CIO) provides thought leadership on wealth management, investment strategy and global markets; portfolio management solutions; due diligence; and solutions oversight and data analytics. CIO viewpoints are developed for Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., ("Bank of America") and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated ("MLPF&S" or "Merrill"), a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp.") .
Investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal.
Investment products:
Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value
© 2024 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. 5471034-022023
[-] Close transcript

Getting started early can help your money work harder

Time has the potential to benefit the growth of your investing accounts. See how starting early could impact your financial future.

What should I know before investing?

Before you start investing, it may be helpful to understand some of the following concepts related to the market.
Expand all

Prioritize your financial goals

Education costs, retirement savings and more — managing all your goals can sometimes seem overwhelming. These insights can help you to pursue them all.
Learn more about prioritizing your financial goals
  • Write your goals down
    Start by describing what's most important to you and what you want out of life.
  • Define your priorities
    Decide whether each goal you've listed is essential, important or aspirational.
  • Determine how much you'll need to save
    Budget for essentials first, then move onto your goals.
  • Consider the timeframe of your goals
    Decide how soon you'll need the money you are saving or investing.
  • Review your plan periodically
    Modify your goals as your life circumstances or timelines change.

What could I invest in?

Now that you're ready to invest, develop an approach for choosing the investments that may be right for you.
Expand all

Why Merrill?

Investing with Merrill isn't just simple, it's personalized. Find the ways of investing that may be right for you.

What kind of Merrill account is right for you?

If you're not sure which Merrill account to open, this is a good place to start. In this video, we'll break down the important information that will help you decide the type of account that works best for your needs as well as the amount of guidance from Merrill that you want.

How to Choose & Open an Account

Disclosure:
Please see important information at the end of this video.
When you first start investing, it can be a really exciting time. But just in case you're also feeling a bit overwhelmed… you're not alone. Most people feel that way at first.
But you only have to make two decisions before opening your account.
You choose what kind of account is right for you… and how much guidance you want for that account.
Sounds doable, right? I'll go through it on my screen and show you exactly where to find the information you need.
Okay, so most people are either going to select a general investing account… or one of Merrill's Individual Retirement accounts, also known as IRAs.
If you're focused on retirement, start here and take a look at "Compare IRAs" to understand the different options. Or you can even try Merrill's IRA selector tool if that works better for you.
If you aren't looking at retirement right now, Merrill has general investing accounts that offer more flexibility to take out money before you retire.
You just decide if it'll be in your name alone, or a joint account. And if you're opening it for someone under 18, you need to make it a "custodial" account.
One thing to keep in mind, if you're moving any assets from another investment company, the easiest thing to do is to create the same kind of account with Merrill. Anything else can impact your taxes.
Now, if you have assets from an old job or 401k, there are other things to consider. But either way, Merrill has experienced people who can help you, and they're available 24/7.
Okay, once you've decided what kind account you want to open, you can pick how you want to work with Merrill.
Would you rather go with your own investment ideas, or have one of Merrill's professionals manage and invest your account for you?
Let me tell you a bit about both choices.
If you want to be the one steering your own investments, Merrill Edge Self-Directed may be the way to go. This choice gives all kinds of access to flexible tools, research and expert insights to help you implement your investing ideas.
[Begin content appearing on screen]
Merrill Edge Self-Directed
  • Expert Insights
  • Wide range of investment choices
  • Actionable investing ideas
  • Unlimited free online stock, ETF, & options tradesFootnote asterisk *
Disclosure:
Footnote asterisk appearing on screen under list * Options contract and other fees may apply.
[End content appearing on screen]
If you aren't so interested in being a hands-on investor, you might decide on Merrill Guided Investing. You just answer a few questions online and Merrill will recommend a strategy and manage the investments for you.
With this option, you pay a monthly program fee and that covers investing and management. You can even choose to work directly with an advisor.
So, once you choose your account type and how you want to work with Merrill, it's time to actually open the account. You can do it all from your computer, or even your phone.
And if you're already a Bank of America client, use that log-in and it'll pre-fill most of your application.
Once you get email confirmation that your account is live, you can fund it and start trading from any device. But don't worry… we have other videos and plenty of support as you move along.
So, don't feel overwhelmed. You're just a few decisions and couple clicks away from building your financial future with Merrill. And that's pretty exciting. Thank you for watching.
Disclosure:
Footnote asterisk appearing in video end disclaimers 
Other fees may apply. Free and $0 means there is no commission charged for these trades. 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.
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.
Merrill Guided Investing and Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor have an annual program fee of 0.45% and 0.85%, respectively, based on the assets held in the account. This fee is charged monthly in advance. In addition to the annual program fee, the expenses of the investments will vary based on the specific funds within each portfolio. Actual fund expenses will vary; please refer to each fund's prospectus. To learn more about pricing, visit the Merrill Guided Investing Program Brochure (PDF) or the Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor Program Brochure (PDF).
Investing involves risk. 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.
Please review the applicable Merrill Guided Investing Program Brochure (PDF) or Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor Program Brochure (PDF) for information including the program fee, rebalancing, and the details of the investment advisory program. Your recommended investment strategy will be based solely on the information you provide to us for this specific investment goal and is separate from any other advisory program offered with us. If there are multiple owners on this account, the information you provide should reflect the views and circumstances of all owners on the account. If you are the fiduciary of this account for the benefit of the account owner or account holder (e.g., trustee for a trust or custodian for an UTMA), please keep in mind that these assets will be invested for the benefit of the account owner or account holder. Merrill Guided Investing is offered with and without an advisor. Merrill, Merrill Lynch, and/or Merrill Edge investment advisory programs are offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated ("MLPF&S") and Managed Account Advisors LLC ("MAA") an affiliate of MLPF&S. MLPF&S and MAA are registered investment advisers. Investment adviser registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
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, Member SIPC, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A., and affiliated banks, Members FDIC, and wholly owned subsidiaries of BofA Corp.

Merrill Private Wealth Management is a division of MLPF&S that offers a broad array of personalized wealth management products and services. Both brokerage and investment advisory services (including financial planning) are offered by the Private Wealth Advisors through MLPF&S. The nature and degree of advice and assistance provided, the fees charged, and client rights and Merrill's obligations will differ among these services. The banking, credit and trust services sold by the Private Wealth Advisors are offered by licensed banks and trust companies, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC, and other affiliated banks.
Trust and fiduciary services are provided by Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC, a wholly owned subsidiary of 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.
Clients enrolled in Preferred Rewards receive a Preferred Rewards discount off the Merrill Guided Investing program's annual asset-based fee of 0.45%, and the Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor and Merrill Edge Advisory Account programs' annual asset-based fee of 0.85% for any of their accounts enrolled in the respective advisory programs. Preferred Rewards enrolled clients receive a discount of 0.05% off of the annual rate for the Gold tier, 0.10% for the Platinum tier, or 0.15% for the Platinum Honors, Diamond and Diamond Honors tiers based on their Preferred Rewards tier effective at the time the applicable advisory program fee is calculated. It may take up to 30 calendar days for changes to your Preferred Rewards status or tier to be associated with and effective for your accounts in the advisory programs. This fee is charged monthly in advance. In addition to the annual program fee, the expenses of the investments will vary based on the specific funds within each portfolio. Actual fund expenses will vary; please refer to each fund's prospectus.
Preferred Rewards for Wealth Management clients other than Bank of America Private Bank clients, do not receive the Merrill Guided Investing fee discount.
Investment products:
Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value
© 2024 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. 2929574
[-] Close transcript
Merrill Edge Self-Directed Tab 1 of 2 Merrill Guided Investing Tab 2 of 2

Discover tools and resources to help you find investments and manage your portfolio with Merrill Edge Self‑Directed.

Search for Ideas

Idea Builder is home to investments for your portfolio — particularly if sustainable investing is important to you. Find investing ideas from top global minds and align your portfolio with a rapidly transforming world.Footnote 3

Evaluate individual securities

Is the company you're invested in aligned with your values? With ESG ratings from MSCI in Stock Story, you can be informed about the impact of any public company.Footnotes 3,4

Evaluate your portfolio's impact

With Portfolio Story, you can see how well your investments score against environmental, social and governance criteria by MSCI.Footnotes 3,4

Need help getting started? Have your portfolio managed by Merrill investment professionals

Simplify your approach to investing

With Merrill Guided Investing, a goal-based investment advisory program, you can get a portfolio that's managed by Merrill investment professionals and focused on your goal, whether you're investing to build wealth, create a sustainable portfolio or have a specific goal in mind.Footnotes 3,5,6
Getting started is easy:
  1. Define your goal online or work directly with an advisor and identify investment strategies aligned to your goal
  2. Get a portfolio that's built, monitored and rebalanced by Merrill investment professionalsFootnotes 1,6
  3. Monitor your performance and make changes to your goal online whenever you want

Ready to get started?

Call us

888.637.3343

Set up a meeting

Schedule an appointment with Merrill
Footnote 
Asset allocation, diversification, and rebalancing do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.
Footnote 
This information should not be construed as investment advice and is subject to change. It is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be either a specific offer by Bank of America, Merrill or any affiliate to sell or provide, or a specific invitation for a consumer to apply for, any particular retail financial product or service that may be available.

The Chief Investment Office (CIO) provides thought leadership on wealth management, investment strategy and global markets; portfolio management solutions; due diligence; and solutions oversight and data analytics. CIO viewpoints are developed for Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., ("Bank of America") and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated ("MLPF&S" or "Merrill"), a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation ("BofA Corp.").
Footnote 
Sustainable and Impact Investing and/or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) managers may take into consideration factors beyond traditional financial information to select securities, which could result in relative investment performance deviating from other strategies or broad market benchmarks, depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market. Further, ESG strategies may rely on certain values based criteria to eliminate exposures found in similar strategies or broad market benchmarks, which could also result in relative investment performance. Impact investing and/or ESG investing has certain risks based on the fact that ESG criteria excludes securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons and therefore, investors may forgo some market opportunities and the universe of investments available will be smaller.
Footnote 4 Certain information contained herein (the "Information") has been provided by MSCI ESG Research LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and may include data from its affiliates (including MSCI Inc. and its subsidiaries ("MSCI")), or third party suppliers (each an "Information Provider"), and it may not be reproduced or redisseminated in whole or in part without prior written permission. The Information has not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the US SEC or any other regulatory body. The Information may not be used to create any derivative works, or in connection with, nor does it constitute, an offer to buy or sell, or a promotion or recommendation of, any security, financial instrument or product or trading strategy, nor should it be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance, analysis, forecast or prediction. Some funds may be based on or linked to MSCI indexes, and MSCI may be compensated based on the fund's assets under management or other measures. MSCI has established an information barrier between equity index research and certain Information. None of the Information in and of itself can be used to determine which securities to buy or sell or when to buy or sell them. The Information is provided "as is" and the user of the Information assumes the entire risk of any use it may make or permit to be made of the Information. Neither MSCI ESG Research nor any Information Party makes any representations or express or implied warranties (which are expressly disclaimed), nor shall they incur liability for any errors or omissions in the Information, or for any damages related thereto. © 2022 MSCI Inc. All rights reserved.

Footnote 
Please review the applicable Merrill Guided Investing Program Brochure (PDF) or Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor Program Brochure (PDF) for information including the program fee, rebalancing, and the details of the investment advisory program. Your recommended investment strategy will be based solely on the information you provide to us for this specific investment goal and is separate from any other advisory program offered with us. If there are multiple owners on this account, the information you provide should reflect the views and circumstances of all owners on the account. If you are the fiduciary of this account for the benefit of the account owner or account holder (e.g., trustee for a trust or custodian for an UTMA), please keep in mind that these assets will be invested for the benefit of the account owner or account holder. Merrill Guided Investing is offered with and without an advisor. Merrill, Merrill Lynch, and/or Merrill Edge investment advisory programs are offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated ("MLPF&S") and Managed Account Advisors LLC ("MAA") an affiliate of MLPF&S. MLPF&S and MAA are registered investment advisers. Investment adviser registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Footnote 
The Chief Investment Office (CIO) develops the investment strategies for Merrill Guided Investing and Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor, including providing its recommendations of ETFs, mutual funds and related asset allocations. Managed Account Advisors LLC (MAA), Merrill's affiliate, is the overlay portfolio manager responsible for implementing the Merrill Guided Investing strategies for client accounts, including facilitating the purchase & sale of ETFs and mutual funds in client accounts and updating account asset allocations when the CIO's recommendations change while also implementing any applicable individual client or firm restriction(s).

You may also be able to obtain the same or similar services or types of investments through other programs and services, both investment advisory and brokerage, offered by Merrill; these may be available at lower or higher fees than charged by the Program. The services that you receive by investing through Merrill Guided Investing or Merrill Guided Investing with Advisor will be different from the services you receive through other programs. You may also be able to obtain some or all of these types of services from other firms, and if they are available, the fees associated with them may be lower or higher than the fees we charge.
Investing involves risk including possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Investments have varying degrees of risk. Some of the risks involved with equity securities include the possibility that the value of the stocks may fluctuate in response to events specific to the companies or markets, as well as economic, political or social events in the U.S. or abroad. Bonds are subject to interest rate, inflation and credit risks. Investments in foreign securities (including ADRs) involve special risks, including foreign currency risk and the possibility of substantial volatility due to adverse political, economic or other developments. These risks are magnified for investments made in emerging markets. Investments in a certain industry or sector may pose additional risk due to lack of diversification and sector concentration. There are special risks associated with an investment in commodities, including market price fluctuations, regulatory changes, interest rate changes, credit risk, economic changes and the impact of adverse political or financial factors.

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Investment products offered through MLPF&S and insurance and annuity products offered through MLLA:
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.
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.

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 (including financial planning) and other services. Additional information is available in our Client Relationship Summary (PDF).

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 Securities Investor Protection (SIPC) popup and a wholly owned subsidiary 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.

Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.

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