Key Points
Bank of America's consumer investment total crossed $500 billion for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Bank of America expects its consumer investment assets to hit $1 trillion in the next five years.
Consumer investments provide Bank of America with more fee-based revenue.
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is one of the largest banks in the world, operating in the U.S. and more than 35 countries worldwide. By market cap, it's the second-most valuable bank in the world, trailing only JPMorgan Chase. In the past five years, Bank of America has outperformed the S&P 500, with total returns close to 125% in that span, compared to the index's 112% (through Sept. 12).
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »
Even with Bank of America's market-beating returns over the past five years, the next five years could continue the same momentum. The reason comes down to one factor: its consumer investment business.
Image source: Getty Images.
The consumer investment business involves standard brokerage accounts, wealth management, and financial advisory services. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Bank of America's consumer investment assets crossed the $500 billion mark for the first time in the company's history.
The company noted that this amount has doubled every five years, and it expects to hit $1 trillion in the next five years. In the second quarter of this year, it reached around $540 billion (up 13% year over year).
Hitting this mark won't guarantee that Bank of America's stock will soar (nothing guarantees that), but the growth of its consumer investment business means it will earn much more fee-based income and see higher margins than from other revenue sources like traditional lending. This should be a nice boost to Bank of America's profitability, especially as we anticipate interest rates getting lowered over the next few years, which could impact the bank's main revenue source.
Should you invest $1,000 in Bank of America right now?
Before you buy stock in Bank of America, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bank of America wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $640,916!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,090,012!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,052% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 188% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 15, 2025
Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Stefon Walters has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.