Go to Benefits OnLine at the web address provided by Merrill or your employer. Please note, your screen may differ from the example shown.

On the home page, select the Open your brokerage account link in the To Do section.

Your tax form election (Form W-9 or W-8BEN) is pre-filled based on your citizenship/status. Confirm your election is correct and select Continue.

Your permanent residential address, phone number and email address are pre-filled with information from your employer. Your address cannot be a P.O. Box or company/office address. Review all of your information and update if needed. Select Next Page to continue.

Verify your personal information. Your officer status is pre-filled by your employer. Review the questions and check any boxes that apply to your situation. Select Next Page to continue or Previous Page to go back.

As a shareholder, you have the right to vote your shares in corporate elections. Select Yes or No to answer the question about your name and address availability. If you answer yes, your contact information will be used to send you proxy statements and information about shareholder voting issues. Select Next Page to continue.

Review your contact information and update if needed. Go to Section 2: Certify.

You must certify your tax status using Form W-9 to avoid backup withholding on proceeds from your equity awards or employee stock purchase plan. To complete your tax certification, read the information then check the Certify box. Then go to Section 3: Review Terms and Conditions.

Select the Review button to read the Account’s Terms and Conditions. To accept, select I Accept then go to Section 4: Agree and Submit.

Select Agree and Submit to complete the account opening process.

You’ll receive a confirmation page with your new account number. You can select Print Page to print your information. Your account will be active within two business days.

You can access your brokerage account from the Benefits OnLine home page. Select the three dots or account options toggle next to your account name for quick links to popular actions like selling shares, transferring cash, accessing tax documents and more.