Please remember there's always the potential of losing money when you invest in securities.
Neither Merrill nor any of its affiliates or financial advisors provide legal, tax or accounting advice. You should consult your legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions.
Footnote
Preferred Rewards Program Eligibility. You can enroll, and maintain your membership, in the Bank of America Preferred Rewards
® program if you have an active, eligible personal checking account with Bank of America
® and maintain the balance required for one of the balance tiers. The balance tiers are $20,000 for the Gold tier, $50,000 for the Platinum tier, $100,000 for the Platinum Honors tier, $1,000,000 for the Diamond tier and $10,000,000 for the Diamond Honors tier. Balances include your combined, qualifying Bank of America deposit accounts (such as checking, savings, certificate of deposit) and/or your Merrill investment accounts (such as Cash Management Accounts, 529 Plans). You can satisfy the combined balance requirement for enrollment with either:
- a three-month combined average daily balance in your qualifying deposit and investment accounts, or
- a current combined balance, provided that you enroll at the time you open your first eligible personal checking account and satisfy the balance requirement at the end of at least one day within 30 days of opening that account.
Refer to your
Personal Schedule of Fees for details on accounts that qualify towards the combined balance calculation and receive program benefits. Eligibility to enroll is generally available three or more business days after the end of the calendar month in which you satisfy the requirements. Benefits become effective within 30 days of your enrollment, or for new accounts within 30 days of account opening, unless we indicate otherwise. Bank of America Private Bank clients qualify to enroll in the Diamond Tier regardless of balance and may qualify for the Diamond Honors tier based on their qualifying Bank of America, Merrill and Private Bank balances. Certain benefits are also available without enrolling in Preferred Rewards if you satisfy balance and other requirements. For details on Bank of America employee qualification requirements, please call Employee Financial Services or refer to the Bank of America intranet site. Employees of companies participating in the Bank of America Employee Banking and Investing Program may be eligible to participate on customized terms. Refer to
CEBI Program for details.
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.
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.
Footnote
Asset allocation, diversification, and rebalancing do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.
Footnote
To be eligible for favorable tax treatment afforded to the earnings portion of a withdrawal from a section 529 account, such withdrawal must be used for "qualified higher education expenses," as defined in the Internal Revenue Code. The earnings portion of a withdrawal that is not used for such expenses is subject to federal income tax and may be subject to a 10% additional federal tax, as well as applicable state and local income taxes. The additional tax is waived under certain circumstances. Qualified higher education expenses include tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment required for enrollment or attendance of the beneficiary at an eligible educational institution; certain room and board expenses; special needs services incurred in connection with enrollment or attendance at an eligible educational institution; and computers or peripheral equipment, computer software, or internet access and related services that are to be used primarily by the beneficiary during any of the years the beneficiary is enrolled at an eligible educational institution. The beneficiary must be attending an eligible educational institution at least half time for room and board to be considered a qualified higher education expense, subject to limitations. Institutions must be eligible to participate in federal student financial aid programs. Some foreign institutions are eligible. You can also take a federal income tax-free distribution from a 529 account of up to $10,000 per calendar year per beneficiary from all 529 accounts to help pay for tuition at an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school. Qualified higher education expenses include expenses for fees, books, supplies and equipment required for the participation of a beneficiary in an apprenticeship program registered and certified with the Secretary of Labor under the National Apprenticeship Act and amounts paid as principal or interest on any qualified education loans of the beneficiary or sibling of the beneficiary, up to a lifetime maximum of $10,000 per individual. Distributions with respect to the loans of a sibling of the beneficiary will count toward the lifetime limit of the sibling, not the beneficiary. Such repayments may impact student loan interest deductibility. State tax treatment may vary for distributions to pay for tuition in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school; apprenticeship expenses; and payment of qualified education loans.
Footnote 5 The account owner can change the beneficiary to another member of the family of the original beneficiary, without penalty. Please refer to the Internal Revenue Code definition of "member of the family." If assets are contributed from an UGMA/UTMA account, the custodian may not change the designated minor, except as permitted by applicable law.
Footnote 6 Source: Education Data Initiative, as of April 23, 2022.
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