Skip to main content
Merrill A Bank of America Company
Merrill A Bank of America Company
Open an account
Login
Open Menu bar
Why Merrill
Overview
How Are We Different?
Pricing & Fees
BofA Preferred Rewards
Insights
Investing & Banking Connected
Mobile Investing
Sustainable Investing
Awards & Accolades
Invest
Overview
Ways to Manage Accounts
Merrill Edge
®
Self-Directed
Merrill Guided Investing
Investing with an Advisor
Compare all
Investment Accounts
General Investing
Education Accounts
Investment Products
Stocks
Mutual Funds
ETFs
Fixed Income & Bonds
Money Market Mutual Funds
CDs
Options
Trading
Margin Trading
Order Execution Quality
Investment Tools
Idea Builder
Merrill Edge MarketPro
®
Plan
Overview
Tools
Personal Retirement Calculator
College Cost Calculator
Retirement Account Selector
401(k) Rollover Tool
529 Plan State Tax Calculator
View all tools
Life Planning
New to Investing
Plan for College
Tax Plannning
Investing by Life Stages
Estate Planning
Retirement
Overview
Solutions
Rollover
Traditional IRA
Roth IRA
Retirement Resources
Income in Retirement
Plan for Retirement
Retirement Tools
Small Business
Small Business 401(k)
Individual 401(k)
SEP IRA
SIMPLE IRA
View all plans
Learn
Investing Insights & Education
Overview
Get Started Investing
Investing Basics
Market & Investing Insights
Stock Market Today
Translation, Please™
Product Education
Stocks
Mutual Funds
ETFs
Fixed Income & Bonds
Options
Help When You Want It
Find answers to
common questions
at Merrill
Schedule an
appointment
with Merrill
To find the small business retirement plan that works for you, contact:
franchise@bankofamerica.com
Open an account
with Merrill
SMALL BUSINESS RETIREMENT PLANS
Explore workplace retirement plans for your small business
Merrill has the retirement solutions to help you achieve
your goals
Get started
with Merrill
Find your ideal retirement solution, whether you're a business owner, a freelancer or a sole proprietor
Account types
Item 1 of 5:
Small Business 401(k)
Attract and retain talented employees by offering a low-cost, easy-to-manage 401(k).
Learn more
about Small Business 401(k)s at Merrill
Item 2 of 5:
Individual 401(k)
Reduce taxes and access funds with a plan for self-employed owners and spouses.
Learn more
about Individual 401(k)s at Merrill
Item 3 of 5:
SEP IRA
A SEP IRA gives you the flexibility to contribute as your cash flow allows, with contribution limits higher than traditional IRA.
Learn more
about SEP IRAs at Merrill
Item 4 of 5:
SIMPLE IRA
With this account, you may receive tax benefits and enjoy tax-deferred growth potential.
Learn more
about SIMPLE IRAs at Merrill
Item 5 of 5:
Retirement Cash Management Account
A RCMA offers a full range of investment choices for those who have an established profit sharing, 401(k), money purchase or defined benefit plan.
Learn more
about Retirement Cash Management Accounts at Merrill
Tools, benefits, and solutions
Item 1 of 3:
Which retirement account is right
for you?
Footnote
1
Compare the features of retirement accounts available at Merrill, find out which ones you're eligible for and learn about details like contribution limits and potential tax advantages.
Retirement Account Selector Tool
at Merrill
Item 2 of 3:
Enjoy all the benefits of having an IRA
at Merrill
Access investing with Merrill and banking with Bank of America with one secure login, and maximize rewards by combining balances.
Learn more
about investing and banking at Merrill
Item 3 of 3:
Looking for an IRA or Roth solution?
Potential to maximize your retirement savings with solutions for individual investors, entrepreneurs and
sole proprietors.
View our Individual Solutions
at Merrill
Footnote
You have choices about what to do with your employer-sponsored retirement plan accounts. Depending on your financial circumstances, needs and goals, you may choose to roll over to an IRA or convert to a Roth IRA, roll over an employer-sponsored plan from your old job to your new employer, take a distribution, or leave the account where it is (if applicable). Each choice may offer different investment options and services, fees and expenses, withdrawal options, required minimum distributions, tax treatment (particularly with reference to employer stock), and different types of protection from creditors and legal judgments. These are complex choices and should be considered with care.
Visit our rollover page
or call Merrill at 888.637.3343 for more information about your choices.
Additional resources
Item 1 of 6:
INCOME IN RETIREMENT
Merrill Guided Investing offers portfolios designed for income in retirement
Item 2 of 6:
RETIREMENT TOOLS
These tools can help track your retirement and investments
Item 3 of 6:
PLAN FOR RETIREMENT
Resources to help you save for retirement
Item 4 of 6:
6 STEPS TO JUMP-START RETIREMENT SAVINGS
Help ensure that you'll have the income you need for your future
Item 5 of 6:
HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY NEED TO SAVE?
Help determine whether your retirement plan is on the right track
Item 6 of 6:
RETIREMENT PLAN CONTRIBUTIONS
Learn about saving money in an IRA and managing your account
Merrill Edge Self-Directed received a Best in Class award for “Retirement Accounts”
(for the sixth year in a row)
StockBrokers.com January, 2025
Annual Broker Review
Footnote
2
BofA Global Research was named one of the Top Global Research Firms in March, 2024
by Extel, formerly Institutional Investor Research
(12 years running)
Footnote
3
Previous slide of 2
Slide 1 of 2
Slide 2 of 2
Next slide of 2
Ready to get started?
Open an account
with Merrill
or call us at
888.637.3342
Accounts tailored to your investing goals
Find an account to help you achieve what you're investing for
Individual retirement
accounts at Merrill
General Investing
accounts at Merrill
Education
accounts at Merrill
Frequently Asked Questions
Expand all
What types of businesses can set up a Small Business 401(k)?
Corporations, partnerships and nonprofit organizations can establish Merrill Small Business 401(k) plans. If you're self-employed or a sole proprietor, you may want to consider an Individual 401(k).
Can I start a 401(k) if I'm self-employed without employees?
Yes, you can. An Individual 401(k) is designed for a business owner without W-2 employees and, if married, the owner's spouse. This applies to 1099 contractors and freelancers as well.
Who is eligible to participate in a SIMPLE IRA?
Any employee who received $5,000 or more in compensation in any 2 calendar years and is reasonably expected to earn $5,000 or more in the current year.
Why should I consider opening a SEP IRA instead of a Traditional IRA?
With a SEP IRA, your business and employees (including you) can benefit. Contributions you make to the individual accounts under your plan are generally tax deductible by your business. You also have the opportunity to contribute nearly 10 times more to a SEP IRA than a Traditional IRA.
Footnote
You have choices about what to do with your 401(k) or other type of plan-sponsored accounts. Depending on your financial circumstances, needs, goals and employer plan terms, you may choose to roll over to an IRA or convert to a Roth IRA, roll over a 401(k) from a prior employer to a 401(k) at your new employer, take a distribution, or leave the account where it is (if applicable). Each choice may offer different investments and services, fees and expenses, withdrawal options, required minimum distributions, tax treatment (particularly with reference to employer stock), and provide different protection from creditors and legal judgments. These are complex choices and should be considered with care. For more information visit
our rollover page
or call Merrill at
888.637.3343
.
Footnote
2
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 16 online brokers in
StockBrokers.com 2025 Annual Awards
popup
published on January 28, 2025. StockBrokers.com evaluated brokers using 200 variables across 7 categories. 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
Extel, formerly Institutional Investor Research, announced BofA Global Research as one of the Top Global Research Firms in 2024 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 2024 Global Research Leaders ranking lists sell-side research providers by the combined total number of positions earned across Extel's 2024 research team surveys. Results of each survey are published separately throughout the year, beginning in March 2024 with the Japan Research Team and concluding in December 2024 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.
MAP8618133-05192027