Baird Private Wealth Management is a fee-based financial advisor firm with hundreds of billions of dollars in client assets under management (AUM). It has a massive team of advisors on staff to work with its clients, who are primarily individual investors with and without a high net worth. The firm also serves a wide range of institutional clients. The firm is headquartered in Milwaukee, although it has branches throughout the U.S.
Baird Private Wealth Management Background
According to its brochure, Baird is directly owned by Baird Financial Corporation (BFC), which in turn is owned by Baird Financial Group, Inc. (BFG).
The firm’s employees own nearly all of the stock in BFG, making them the firm’s indirect owners. The firm has more than $340 billion in assets under management (AUM).
Baird Private Wealth Management Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes
Baird Private Wealth Management works with almost 225,000 individual clients with and without a high net worth. However, its client base extends beyond individual investors.
The firm also serves banking or thrift institutions, other investment companies and advisors, pooled investment vehicles, pension plans, profit-sharing plans, charities, state or municipal governments, insurance companies, Taft-Hartley plans and more.
Baird Private Wealth Management has extremely varied minimum investment requirements for its extensive service offerings. The firm’s financial planning services require no minimum investment. Other account minimums vary from $50 million for municipal bond strategies to $300 million for taxable bond strategies.
Services Offered by Baird Private Wealth Management
Considering the size of Baird Private Wealth Management, it should come as no surprise that its service offerings are extensive. The firm offers the following:
- Wealth planning services
- Individual planning services
- Ongoing planning services
- Estate plan analysis
- Insurance needs analysis
- Tax planning analysis
- Divorce financial consulting
- Custody services
- Trust services arrangements
Baird Private Wealth Management Investment Philosophy
Baird Private Wealth Management uses several investment strategies, each tailored to different client goals.
Equity strategies focus on growth through investing in company stocks, potentially across various market capitalizations, and may include fixed income investments. Fixed income strategies aim to provide current income and capital preservation by investing in bonds, including those with varying credit ratings and maturities.
Balanced strategies mix equity and fixed income investments to achieve a balance of growth, income, and capital preservation. There are also more complex strategies, like opportunistic portfolios that actively adjust asset allocations to take advantage of perceived market opportunities, which may involve higher risk.
Fees Under Baird Private Wealth Management
Baird Wealth Management has a unique fee schedule for each of its programs, portfolio models and other services. The firm has more specific fee schedules for some offerings than for others. For the purposes of this review, we have chosen to highlight the costs associated with the most common individual-centric services at Baird Wealth Management.
For its asset management services, Baird charges fees based on a percentage of assets under management. New asset management clients will adhere to Baird's "Unified Advice Fee Arrangement" for either its base asset management or consulting services. Some clients will pay a portfolio fee as well. The corresponding rates for each portfolio vary by strategy and are provided as an annual fee range.
| Breakpoint Advice Fee Schedule | |
| Value of Assets | Maximum Annual Fee |
| $0 to $249,999 | 3.00% |
| $250,000 to $499,999 | 2.50% |
| $500,000 to $999,999 | 2.25% |
| $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 | 2.00 |
| $2,000,000 to $4,999,999 | 1.75% |
| $5,000,000 and above | 1.50% |
Clients who participate in certain programs and have a unified advice fee arrangement can typically choose whether the breakpoint schedule or the tiered schedule works best for them. Below is a sampling of how many of the firm's specific investment strategies are charged. A handful of strategies do not incur additional fees.
| Portfolio Fee Schedule for PAM Recommended Managers | |
| Strategy | Annual Fee Range |
| Equity SMA Strategies | 0.20% - 0.75% |
| Balanced SMA Strategies | 0.20% - 0.52% |
| Fixed Income SMA Strategies | 0.25% - 0.40% |
| Global/International SMA Strategies | 0.25% - 0.70% |
| Alternative SMA Strategies | 0.35% - 0.60% |
| Tax Managed Strategies | 0.10% |
| Index SMA Strategies | 0.09% |
In most cases, Baird will charge clients on a quarterly basis. Note that the firm does not abide by this structure for some of its services, as it reserves the right to institute both hourly fees and fixed fees in certain situations. Fixed fees are paid either fully or in parts, and hourly fees may call for a retainer.
What to Watch Out For
Baird Private Wealth Management has 21 disclosures on its SEC-filed Form ADV.
Baird Private Wealth Management is a fee-based firm, which means that it can earn compensation from more than just the fees its clients pay. Baird and some of its advisors may earn additional compensation from the sale of particular securities or insurance products. This could create a potential conflict of interest. However, the firm is a fiduciary, so it’s bound to act in clients’ best interests at all times.
Opening an Account With Baird Private Wealth Management
On its website, Baird Private Wealth Management has an interactive map that shows where their branch offices are located around the country. You can use the map to find an advisor in your area or if you’d rather speak to a representative, you can call the firm over the phone.
All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.
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