Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

Merrill to Discontinue 3% Withholding on Financial Advisor Pay

Posted on November 7th, 2022 at 1:16 PM
Merrill to Discontinue 3% Withholding on Financial Advisor Pay

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

Merrill Lynch has announced plans to discontinue a 2019 pay cut program in a rare concession to its sales force amidst a period of elevated attrition, according to AdvisorHub sources.
Merrill will discontinue a three-year-old policy on January 1 which withheld the first 3% of revenue financial advisors earned each month from counting toward their total payout. The pay cut, which was capped at $4,000 of eligible fees and commissions, was implemented to slow a rise in compensation that was outpacing revenue. However, the policy was unpopular among company veterans, according to sources.

While competitive attrition increased to 5% in the first half of 2021, Merrill President Andy Seig stood by the pay cut program in an October 2021 town hall call where Seig claimed that the program “brought pay rates in-line with competitors.” The policy reversal appears to attempt to give advisors a boost when managed account fees have taken a hit amidst the market downturn, according to an advisor with the firm. The advisor further noted that Merrill has been earning more on client cash due to rising interest rates, but Merrill does not have to share the revenue with advisors. The pay cut from the 3% withholding constitutes a difference of nearly $505 per month for a financial advisor who generates an average of $42,000 per month.

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Jim, Stephany and the whole team were a God send.  We felt like we were put into a situation where we had no advocate. Jim’s team came in with a strong, well laid out strategy on how to get our story heard. Where our outside compliance company had no ability to help, our Broker Dealer was impenitent, and the regulators were aggressive pursuing vague rules, Jim came like a barricade against an assault we did not understand. Though you pay member dues to be affiliated with FINRA and a B/D, you have no voice. The only thing that is truly heard in this un-level playing field is a bulldog’s bark like Jim’s. I would encourage anyone to call Jim and his team to find a real ally in the tough and complicated world of securities regulation. They are truly the best.

Greg P.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1793294906 Law
October 29, 2026
FINRA Bars Former LPL Financial Broker for Refusing to Cooperate With Investigation

?The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA?) barred Buddy Dean Mason, a former LPL Financial broker in Lakeland, Florida, after he refused to provide documents and information during an investigation into a customer complaint involving an alleged outside investment.

1793209405 Law
October 28, 2026
FINRA Panel Orders Kingswood Capital Partners and Executives to Pay Former Advisor $11.3 Million

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel has ordered Kingswood Capital Partners LLC, CEO Michael Nessim, and Chief Compliance Officer Mohamed Alsoraimi to pay former advisor Rikin Patel $11,341,369.25.

1793123026 Law
October 27, 2026
CFTC Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Crypto Asset Regulatory Framework

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on a potential regulatory framework for retail commodity transactions involving crypto assets, which the agency calls "CTXs." According to the CFTC's press release, the initiative focuses on Section 2(c)(2)(D) of th...