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Merrill Edge vs J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing 2023

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Written by StockBrokers.com

February 23, 2023

Is Merrill Edge better than J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing? After testing 17 of the best online brokers over three months, Merrill Edge (95.25%) is better than J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing (83.12%). Merrill Edge and its parent, Bank of America, make for a well-rounded offering, with $0 trades, robust research, reliable customer service; and its Stock Stories and Fund Stories are an industry standout. There are some gaps in investment offerings, including crypto and futures.

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Overall RatingMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Overall 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4.0/5 Stars N/A
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
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Review Merrill Edge Review J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Review
Trading FeesMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Minimum Deposit $0.00 $0.00
Stock Trades $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) N/A $0.00
Mutual Fund Trade Fee $19.95 $0
Options (Base Fee) $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) $0.65 $0.65
Futures (Per Contract) N/A N/A
Broker Assisted Trade Fee $29.95 Varies
Margin RatesMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Margin Rate Under $25,000 Varies 11.00%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 Varies 10.75%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 Varies 10.25%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 Varies 10.00%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 Varies 10.00%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 Varies 9.25%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 Varies 8.75%
Account FeesMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
IRA Annual Fee $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee $49.95 $75.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) $0.00 $0.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) $49.95 $75.00
Options Exercise Fee $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee $0.00 $0.00
Investment OptionsMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Stock Trading Yes Yes
Margin Trading Yes Yes
Fractional Shares No No
OTC Stocks Yes Yes
Options Trading Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs 4 1
Futures Trading No No
Forex Trading No No
Crypto Trading No No
Crypto Trading - Total Coins 0 0
Mutual Funds (No Load) 2952 3500
Mutual Funds (Total) 3466 3500
Bonds (US Treasury) Yes Yes
Bonds (Corporate) Yes Yes
Bonds (Municipal) Yes Yes
Advisor Services Yes Yes
International Countries (Stocks) 0 0
Order TypesMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Order Type - Market Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours Yes No
Order Type - Stop Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop Yes No
Order Type - OCO No No
Order Type - OTO No No
Order Type - Broker Assisted Yes Yes
BeginnersMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Education (Stocks) Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) Yes Yes
Education (Options) Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) Yes Yes
Education (Bonds) Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator Yes Yes
Investor Dictionary Yes No
Paper Trading No No
Videos Yes Yes
Webinars Yes Yes
Webinars (Archived) Yes No
Progress Tracking No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes Yes No
Stock Trading AppsMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
iPhone App Yes Yes
Android App Yes Yes
Apple Watch App Yes No
Trading - Stocks Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours Yes No
Trading - Simple Options Yes Yes
Trading - Complex Options Yes No
Order Ticket RT Quotes Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes No No
Stock App FeaturesMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Market Movers (Top Gainers) Yes Yes
Stream Live TV No No
Videos on Demand No No
Stock Alerts Yes No
Option Chains Viewable Yes Yes
Watch List (Real-time) Yes Yes
Watch List (Streaming) Yes No
Watch Lists - Create & Manage Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 285 4
Stock App ChartingMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Charting - After-Hours No No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally Yes No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies 34 35
Charting - Study Customizations Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons Yes No
Trading PlatformsMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Active Trading Platform Merrill Edge Market Pro N/A
Desktop Trading Platform No No
Desktop Platform (Mac) No No
Web Trading Platform Yes Yes
Paper Trading No No
Trade Journal No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields 285 4
Stock Chart FeaturesMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart Yes No
Charting - Indicators / Studies 104 36
Charting - Drawing Tools 23 10
Charting - Notes Yes No
Charting - Index Overlays Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades Yes No
Charting - Corporate Events Yes Yes
Charting - Custom Date Range Yes No
Charting - Custom Time Bars Yes No
Charting - Automated Analysis Yes No
Charting - Save Profiles Yes No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis Yes No
Charting - Study Customizations 8 3
Charting - Custom Studies No No
Day TradingMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Streaming Time & Sales Yes No
Streaming TV No No
Direct Market Routing - Stocks No No
Ladder Trading No No
Trade Hot Keys No No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv No No
Short Locator No No
Order Liquidity Rebates No No
Research OverviewMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Research - Stocks Yes Yes
Research - ETFs Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds Yes Yes
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB Yes Yes
Research - Bonds Yes No
Screener - Stocks Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs Yes Yes
Screener - Mutual Funds Yes Yes
Screener - Bonds Yes Yes
Misc - Portfolio Allocation Yes Yes
Stock ResearchMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Stock Research - PDF Reports 3 2
Stock Research - Earnings Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders Yes No
Stock Research - Social No No
Stock Research - News Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG Yes No
Stock Research - SEC Filings Yes No
ETF ResearchMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
ETFs - Strategy Overview Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings Yes Yes
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings Yes Yes
ETFs - Sector Exposure Yes Yes
ETFs - Risk Analysis Yes No
ETFs - Ratings Yes Yes
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap Yes Yes
ETFs - PDF Reports Yes No
Mutual Fund ResearchMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Prospectus Yes No
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation Yes Yes
Mutual Funds - StyleMap Yes Yes
Options TradingMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Option Chains - Basic View Yes Yes
Option Chains - Strategy View Yes No
Option Chains - Streaming Yes No
Option Chains - Total Columns 68 6
Option Chains - Greeks 5 0
Option Chains - Quick Analysis Yes No
Option Analysis - P&L Charts Yes No
Option Probability Analysis Yes No
Option Probability Analysis Adv No No
Option Positions - Greeks Yes No
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming Yes No
Option Positions - Adv Analysis Yes No
Option Positions - Rolling Yes No
Option Positions - Grouping Yes No
BankingMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Bank (Member FDIC) Yes Yes
Checking Accounts Yes Yes
Savings Accounts Yes Yes
Credit Cards Yes Yes
Debit Cards Yes Yes
Mortgage Loans Yes Yes
Customer ServiceMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) No No
Phone Support (Current Customers) Yes Yes
Email Support Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) Yes No
Live Chat (Current Customers) Yes No
24/7 Support Yes Yes
OverallMerrill EdgeJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Overall 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Investment Options 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 4.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Ease Of Use 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
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Review Merrill Edge Review J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Review
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Merrill Edge vs J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Comparison

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2023 annual broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 17 brokerages to find the best online broker. Let's compare Merrill Edge vs J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing.

Is Merrill Edge or J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing better for beginners?

Merrill Edge offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginner investors than J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing. Both Merrill Edge and J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offer Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement). Neither have Paper Trading.

What about Merrill Edge vs J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing pricing?

Merrill Edge and J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Merrill Edge and J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing both charge $0.65 per option contract. For a complete commissions summary, see our best brokers for free stock trading guide.

Does Merrill Edge or J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offer a wider range of investment options?

Both Merrill Edge and J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offer Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds and Advisor Services. Neither have Fractional Shares, Futures Trading and Forex Trading. Looking at Mutual Funds, Merrill Edge trails J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offering 3500 and Merrill Edge offering 3095.

Which trading platform is better: Merrill Edge or J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing?

To compare the trading platforms of Merrill Edge and J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Merrill Edge offers a better experience. With research, Merrill Edge offers superior market research. Finally, we found Merrill Edge to provide better mobile trading apps.

Does either broker offer banking?

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Mortgage Loans are available to customers of Merrill Edge and J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing.

Is Merrill Edge good?

Merrill Edge and its parent, Bank of America, make for a well-rounded offering, with $0 trades, robust research, reliable customer service; and its Stock Stories and Fund Stories are an industry standout. There are some gaps in investment offerings, including crypto and futures.

Is J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing good?

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing makes it easy for Chase Bank customers to invest and allows access to J.P. Morgan research. On the downside, the broker features are sparse compared to industry leaders.

Merrill Edge vs J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Winner

Overall winner: Merrill Edge

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J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing *INVESTMENT AND INSURANCE PRODUCTS ARE: NOT A DEPOSIT · NOT FDIC INSURED · NO BANK GUARANTEE · MAY LOSE VALUE
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