U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 24F-2
Annual Notice of Securities Sold
Pursuant to Rule 24f-2
1. Name and address of Issuer:
Merrill Lynch Retirement Series Trust
P.O. Box 9011
Princeton, N.J. 08543-9011
2. Name of each series or class of funds for which this notice
is filed:
Merrill Lynch Retirement Reserves Money Fund
3. Investment Company Act File Number: 811-3310
Securities Act File Number: 2-74584
4. Last day of fiscal year for which this notice is filed:
October 31, 1996
5. Check box if this notice is being filed more than 180 days
after the close of the issuer's fiscal year for purposes of
reporting securities sold after the close of the fiscal year
but before termination of the issuer's 24f-2 declaration:
[ ]
6. Date of termination of issuer's declaration under rule
24f-2(a)(1), if applicable :
7. Number and amount of securities of the same class or series
which had been registered under the Securities Act of 1933
other than pursuant to rule 24f-2 in a prior fiscal year,
but which remained unsold at the beginning of the
fiscal year:
None
8. Number and amount of securities registered during the fiscal
year other than pursuant to rule 24f-2:
None
9. Number and aggregate sale price of securities sold during
the fiscal year:
27,785,847,538 shares $27,785,847,538
10. Number and aggregate sale price of securities sold during
the fiscal year in reliance upon registration pursuant to
rule 24f-2:
27,785,847,538 shares $27,785,847,538
11. Number and aggregate sale price of securities issued during
the fiscal year in connection with dividend reinvestment
plans, if applicable :
457,779,630 shares $457,779,630
12. Calculation of registration fee:
(i) Aggregate sale price of securities
sold during the fiscal year in
reliance on rule 24f-2
(from Item 10): $27,785,847,538
(ii) Aggregate price of shares issued
in connection with dividend
reinvestment plans (from Item
11, if applicable): + $457,779,630
(iii)Aggregate price of shares redeemed
or repurchased during the fiscal
year (if applicable): - $ 27,549,454,162
(iv) Aggregate price of shares redeemed
or repurchased and previously
applied as a reduction to
filing fees pursuant to rule
24e-2 (if applicable): +0
(v) Net aggregate price of securities
sold and issued during the
fiscal year in reliance upon
rule 24f-2 [line (i), plus line (ii),
less line (iii), plus line (iv)]
(if applicable): $ 694,173,006
(vi) Multiplier prescribed by Section
6(b) of the Securities Act of
1933 or other applicable law or
regulation: x 1/3300
(vii)Fee due [line (i) or line (v)
multiplied by line (vi)]: $ 210,355.46
13. Check box if fees are being remitted to the Commission's
lockbox depository as described in section 3a of the
Commission's Rules of Informal and Other Procedures
(17 CFR 202.3a).
[x]
Date of mailing or wire transfer of filing fees to the
Commission's lockbox depository:
12/23/96
SIGNATURES
This report has been signed below by the following persons
on behalf of the issuer and in the capacities and on the
dates indicated.
By
/s/Jaclyn Scheck
Jaclyn Scheck, Assistant Secretary
Date 12/23/96
One World Trade Center
New York, NY 10048
(212) 839-5300
December 19, 1996
Merrill Lynch Retirement Series Trust
P.O. Box 9011
Princeton, New Jersey 08543-9011
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This opinion is furnished in connection with the notice
(the"Notice") to be filed by Merrill Lynch Retirement Series
Trust, a Massachusetts business trust (the "Fund"), with the
Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 24f-2
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
The Notice is being filed to make definite the registration
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of 27,785,847,538
shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.10 per share, of
the Fund (the "Shares") which were sold during the Fund's
fiscal year ended October 31, 1996.
As counsel for the Fund, we are familiar with the
proceedings taken by it in connection with the authorization,
issuance and sale of the Shares. In addition, we have
examined and are familiar with the Declaration of Trust of
the Fund, the By-Laws of the Fund and such other documents
as we have deemed relevant to the matters referred to in this
opinion. Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that
the Shares were legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable,
except that shareholders of the Fund may under certain
circumstances be held personally liable for the Fund's obligations.
In rendering this opinion, we have relied as to matters
of Massachusetts law upon an opinion of Bingham, Dana & Gould,
dated December 18, 1996, rendered to the Fund.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with
the Securities and Exchange Commission as an attachment to the
Notice.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Brown & Wood LLP
