Nino vs Merrill Guided Investing
Choose Nino to plan your financial life and get your taxes handled. Our proactive AI financial assistant helps you work through a home purchase, retirement, or a stock sale using your connected finances. Add a CPA and CFP team for a financial plan, tax optimization, and filing. Merrill Guided Investing manages a portfolio; Nino connects the decisions around it.
Compare our AI assistant, planning, and tax modules
| Feature | Nino | Merrill |
|---|---|---|
| Financial planning | Retirement and life-event forecasts in software; personalized financial planning with services | Guided Investing builds a portfolio around a goal, timeline, and risk tolerance; its advisor version adds personal guidance |
| Financial insights and answers | Chat about connected finances and major decisions; proactive insights when relevant data is available | Online portfolio dashboard; one-on-one guidance in Guided Investing with Advisor |
| Tax planning | AI estimates for eligible stock sales and income changes; CPA-led tax optimization with services | Tax-efficient portfolio overlays are available; Merrill does not provide tax or accounting advice |
| Tax preparation and filing | Human preparation and federal and state filing with services; family and business plans available | Tax-return preparation is not included in Guided Investing |
| Human team | Optional CPA and CFP team to build your plan and help carry it out; Ultra software included | Investment professionals manage both programs; direct advisor access requires the advisor version |
| Fee structure | Software from $20/month; software and services from $3,600/year | Guided Investing: 0.45% annually; with Advisor: 0.85%, before eligible discounts and fund expenses |
Why choose Nino over Merrill
Know what a home purchase could change
Before committing to a down payment, see how the purchase could affect your retirement outlook and future cash needs. Nino’s software lets you compare the plan and ask follow-up questions in chat. You can see the tradeoffs before deciding how much of your money to put into the home.
Keep the tax bill in the decision
Selling investments can provide cash for a goal, but the sale price is not necessarily what you keep. Nino uses your account and tax records to estimate the tax effect of eligible sales. Ask the AI to explain the result, then weigh the after-tax cash against what you need.
Have your financial plan and taxes handled together
Add Nino’s financial and tax services for a CPA and CFP team to build your plan, optimize taxes, prepare and file returns, and help put decisions into action. Ultra software is included. Guided Investing provides managed portfolios and tax-efficient investing; Nino’s services also include professional tax preparation and filing.
How Merrill compares
Professionally managed portfolios
Merrill Guided Investing manages portfolios around a goal, with tax-efficient investing and an online dashboard. Guided Investing with Advisor adds personal guidance. Eligible Bank of America rewards tiers can reduce the program fee. Tax-return preparation is not included.
Pricing
What you pay and what’s included.
- Nino
- Software starts at $20/month, with a 7-day free trial and no credit card required. Software and services start at $3,600/year and include our Ultra software tier and a CPA and CFP team.
- Merrill
- Merrill Guided Investing charges 0.45% annually and starts at $1,000 for growth-focused strategies. Guided Investing with Advisor charges 0.85% and starts at $20,000 for growth-focused strategies. Both require $50,000 for income-focused strategies. Fund expenses and other charges may apply; eligible Bank of America rewards tiers reduce the program fee.