Merrill Lynch

In the Stock Market world, particularly when it comes to Brokers, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., stands out as one of the most recognizable names that people can easily identify with. Founded on January 6, 1914, Merrill Lynch has since grown into one of the biggest full service brokers and among the world leaders in wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies. While the advent of the Internet and online brokers may have beefed-up the competition, Merrill Lynch is still strong as shown by its total client assets of approximately $1.6 trillion. After all, it didn’t earn its nickname, “The Thundering Herd” for nothing. Merrill Lynch currently has an army of fully competent brokers (15,000+ brokers handling an average of 676 accounts each) who personally manage their client relationships.

Accessibility:

Merrill Lynch’s headquarters is located in New York City, occupying the whole stories of the Four World Financial Center building in Lower Manhattan. The company currently employs over 60,300 people operating in over 40 countries across the globe. In addition, Merrill Lynch also has a website, www.ml.com, which is accessible to its clients anytime, anywhere.

Services:

Merrill Lynch is famous for being a full-service brokerage firm. Although online brokers now also offer some of the traditional services, like investment advice and financial planning, for example, Merrill Lynch, as a full-service broker, offers more than your run-of-the-mill broker. Merrill Lynch offers Global Wealth Management, Advice & Market Intelligence, Professional Money Management, Investment Planning, Banking and Cash Services, as well as Global Research tools geared towards helping their client make informed decisions. Moreover, Merrill Lynch makes sure that investors feel safe by making sure that its “Thundering Herd” of investment professionals are readily available for intimate, face-to-face meetings.

Achievements:*

May 2004 – Ranked 1st in The Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” survey.
July 2004 – named “Top Full-Service Broker” by SmartMoney magazine for the 6th consecutive year.
October 2004 – named “Top Wealth Manager” in the US by Barron’s Magazine in its annual survey.
May 2005 – ranked 1st in The Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” survey for the 2nd year in a row.
October 2005 – named “Top Wealth Manager” in the US by Barron’s Magazine in its annual survey.
February 2006 – named “America’s most admired company” in the securities industry, according to Fortune magazine’s annual survey.
April 2006 – topped Barron’s Annual 100 Advisors List.
June 2006 – led all financial services firms on Barron’s “Top 100 Women Financial Advisers” list.
July 2006 – named “Top Full-Service Broker” by SmartMoney magazine, winning its seventh in eight years.
May 2007 – topped Barron’s Annual 100 Advisors List
June 2007 – led all financial services firms on Barron’s “Top 100 Women Financial Advisers” list for the second year in a row.

*Source: www.ml.com

Additional Information:

Merrill Lynch is a member of approximately 70 Stock Exchanges in over 40 countries. For more information, visit their website at www.ml.com.