Merrill Edge offers a full range of IRA choices and account holders have an abundance of stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds to choose from to build a diversified portfolio. In addition to online integration with Bank of America's savings and checking products, Merrill Edge also offers retirement calculators, portfolio builders, and investment education online. Many of the same research resources of the full-fledged brokerage house, Merrill Lynch, are available to the Merrill Edge customer. With over 2000 Bank of America branches containing a Merrill Edge financial center, customers can have many of their investment questions answered in person.

As a subsidiary of a major brokerage and a part of an even larger financial corporation, it's difficult to gauge the individual reputation of Merrill Edge. As a relatively new offering for retail customers of Bank of America, Merrill Edge thus far has a good reputation for providing quality investment research, a wide selection of financial tools and products, and integration with B of A's other financial offerings. But customer reviews for Bank of America in general are average at best. Merrill Lynch was acquired by Bank of America following the losses Merrill Lynch incurred during the 2007 financial crisis; but since that time, the multinational corporation has sustained a stable and strong financial ratings.