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Merrill Lynch AUM: Assets Under Management in 2026
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Merrill Lynch Assets Under Management (AUM)
Merrill Lynch is a wealth manager owned by Bank of America. With offices all around the world, the broker
attracts more than just American investors. It has a large client base and over 39,000 employees. The
following numbers reveal the sheer size of the broker-dealer:
| Merrill Lynch client assets |
$3.6 trillion |
| Merrill Lynch number of customers |
1.5 million |
| Financial advisors |
19,238 |
| Merrill Lynch review |
Merrill Lynch wealth management review |
| Merrill Edge client assets |
$500 billion |
| Merrill Edge number of customers |
4 million |
| Merrill Edge review |
Merrill Edge review |
Merrill Lynch’s massive asset base generates enormous revenue for the company every quarter—typically over four billion dollars. This in turn produces a net profit in the hundreds of millions.
With 19,000+ investment advisors and several billion dollars in revenue annually, each Merrill Lynch advisor produces around a million dollars in revenue on average every year.
Merrill Lynch has $3.6 trillion in assets under management.
It is as impressive as Charles Schwab, who has
$10.8 trillion in AUM and over 37 million customers.
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Advantages That a Large Broker Offers
A large broker-dealer like Merrill Lynch delivers many benefits that smaller firms can’t provide. As mentioned, Merrill is a truly global player with offices all around the world. Service is available in many different countries.
Because of Merrill’s size, it is also able to offer discount services through its on-line brokerage arm Merrill Edge. This low-cost brokerage alternative provides securities services at low prices, including a portfolio management service that is cheaper than Merrill Lynch’s service—just 45 basis points. Bank of America customers can receive free trades if they meet certain balance requirements.
Comparison
Merrill Lynch is actually smaller than several other firms. The company’s $3.6 trillion
in assets makes it smaller than Fidelity, who has $5.9 trillion. Vanguard is at $10.4 trillion, and Schwab has $10.8 trillion. These firms, however, have a smaller international presence. Global investors may prefer Merrill Lynch.
Merrill Lynch’s annual management fee is a little expensive, compared to some of its competitors. Raymond James charges 1.00% to 2.25%, which is more than 50 basis points less than Merrill. And Raymond James offers all the service to be expected from a full-service broker.
Merrill Lynch has the support of a multi-billion dollar bank, which most other broker-dealers don’t have. Some investors may be more comfortable with a brokerage firm that is owned by a household name.
Merrill Edge Research, Customer Service, and Advice
Merrill Edge provides comprehensive support and guidance. Investors wanting to work with local Bank of American branch banks are free to do so. The
advisors at Bank of America locations do not owe fiduciary obligations to Merrill Edge customers and may promote fund positions that carry sales fees
or high expense ratios. While Merrill Edge clients will pay no fee to meet with these advisors, they will pay for the services in the form of sales
charges and ongoing expense ratios. It should also be mentioned that these advisors are generally willing to meet with anyone free of charge and the
quality of advice varies from advisor to advisor.
Merrill Edge also offers a service that is designed to compete with Schwab and Vanguard’s managed portfolio offerings. Under
Merrill Edge Managed Portfolio, investors first complete a screening
interview with a licensed Merrill financial advisor. The advisor creates an action plan and allocates your portfolio to align with your overall goals
and risk tolerance. As time progresses, the advisor will monitor your portfolio and make necessary changes to keep you on track. Investors interested
in using Managed Portfolio will need to maintain a minimum account balance of $20,000 and will pay 0.85% per year on top of fund fees to access the
service. Even more comprehensive personal advice is offered for higher fees.
These fees are out of line with new industry standards concerning partially automated fund management. Clients looking for portfolio management
services would do better to invest with Schwab, Vanguard, or Betterment. While the integration between Bank of America account services and
Merrill Edge account information is seamless, fusing the outstanding services and competitive rates of Merrill Edge with out of date personal advice
fees ruins part of the allure of the service.
Updated on 5/12/2025.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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