Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (Milwaukee)


Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated is a large advisory firm based in Milwaukee. It manages $140.26 billion of regulatory assets for 156,595 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2001 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, and 49 other states.

Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management for investment companies, portfolio management for pooled investment vehicles, portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients, pension consulting services, selection of other advisers, publication of newsletters, educational seminars and workshops, and non-discretionary invstmnt advice/institl conslting/ non-discretionary mdl portfolios/mutual fnd & etf asset allocation programs. It prepares financial plans for approximately 17,500 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated is $140.26 billion. The firm's AUM has grown by 1597% since the beginning of its operation, and $237.09 million of the total AUM is attributable to clients outside of the United States.

The firm manages $102.93 billion in discretionary accounts and $37.33 billion in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $1.27 million each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $493.06 thousand.
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated has custody of $61.2 billion in cash and securities for 102,692 clients in total and acts as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in investment and business development companies the most. They account for 42% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is exchange traded securities, which make up 24% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in government bonds form 11% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management, hourly charges, fixed fees, commissions, and performance-based fees. Commissions are paid and earned by the adviser when a trade or a sales of an investment is made. These fees don’t include brokerage commissions, interest, taxes, and other account expenses.

What kind of clients Patrick Steven Lawton serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, insurance companies, investment companies, charitable organizations, high net worth individuals, pooled investment vehicles, banking or thrift institutions, corporations or other businesses, pension and profit sharing plans, and state or municipal government entities. The largest group of clients of Patrick Steven Lawton is investment companies with 18 clients and $50.69 billion of assets under management. Among the 10 most similar advisory firms, Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated has the 5th lowest percentage of investment companies out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $137.11 billion for 99,805 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. 1% of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated also advises several private funds. Namely, three other private funds. The minimum investment commitment required of non-related persons is $50,000,000 for each fund.

Careers at Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated

The company employs 2,622 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 76 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 1,575 employees are registered as investment adviser representatives with the state securities authorities.

There are 41 people with the role of looking for and bringing in new clients on behalf of the firm. The firm compensates employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

Patrick Steven Lawton has been acting as President since 1 May 2004. Laura K Thurow joined the executive team most recently as the Chief Operations Officer.

Direct owners and executive officers


Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
Thomas Allen Clark Senior vice president/srop 1 Dec 1972 Other 47895
Baird Financial Corporation Shareholder 1 Dec 1982 75% - 100% 30-1289533
Russell Paul Schwei Chief operations officer 1 Jun 1984 Other 1291551
Glen Fredrick Hackmann General counsel, secretary, managing director 1 Sep 1994 Other 232973
Bryce Patrick Edwards Managing director 1 Sep 1994 Other 75704
Keith Anthony Kolb Managing director 1 Sep 1994 Other 1376063
Patrick Steven Lawton Managing director 1 Sep 1994 Other 1007318
William Walter Mahler Managing director 1 Sep 1994 Other 1545141
Terrance Patrick Maxwell Managing director 1 Sep 1994 Other 1463158
James Dick Bell Managing director 1 Dec 1996 Other 600494
John Earl Sundeen Senior vice president/compliance director 1 Jan 1997 Other 440048
Martin Veidins First vice president/crop 1 Jan 1997 Other 453980
Paul John Carbone Managing director 1 Aug 1998 Other 2147108
Jeffry Frank Freiburger Deputy compliance director 1 Jan 1999 Other 1041997
Dominick Paul Zarcone Managing director 1 Feb 1999 Other 2154034
George Frederick Jr Kasten Chairman 1 Jan 2000 Other 264812
Paul Edward Purcell President & ceo 1 Jan 2000 Other 844873
Russell Paul Schwei Managing director 1 Jan 2000 Other 1291551
Leonard Marion Rush Managing director & cfo 1 Jan 2000 Other 726159
Michael John Schroeder Managing director 1 Jan 2000 Other 1483012
Robert John Venable Managing director 1 Jan 2000 Other 2745987
Sharon Elizabeth Jensen Vice president and srop 1 Jan 2001 Other 1445692
Robert Joseph Berdan Director 1 May 2001 Other 3214645
Edward John Zore Director 1 May 2001 Other 477132
Peter Wayne Bruce Director 1 Feb 2002 Other 2798831
Jeffry Frank Freiburger Chief compliance officer 1 Jul 2002 Other 1041997
Patrick Steven Lawton Director 1 May 2004 Other 1007318
William Walter Mahler Director 1 May 2004 Other 1545141
Michael John Schroeder Director 1 May 2004 Other 1483012
Mary Ellen Stanek Director 1 May 2004 Other 2006493
Terrance Patrick Maxwell Director of investment banking 1 May 2004 Other 1463158
Robert John Venable Director of research 1 May 2004 Other 2745987
Paul John Carbone Director baird private equity 1 May 2004 Other 2147108
Todd Steven Nichol Cco of investment advisor 1 Oct 2004 Other 1121798
Steven Gregory Booth Director 1 Feb 2006 Other 2147388
Dominick Paul Zarcone Chief financial officer 1 Apr 2011 Other 2154034
Steven Gregory Booth Director, chief operating officer 1 Jan 2013 Other 2147388
Paul Lee Schultz General counsel, secretary 1 Mar 2013 Other 1965163
Paul Edward Purcell Chairman, ceo, director 1 Jan 2014 Other 844873
Steven Gregory Booth President, chief operating officer, director 1 Jan 2014 Other 2147388
Angela Marie Palmer Cco of investment advisor 1 Mar 2014 Other 4915568
Terrance Patrick Maxwell Chief financial officer 1 Mar 2015 Other 1463158
Paul Edward Purcell Chairman, director 1 Jan 2016 Other 844873
Steven Gregory Booth Chief executive officer, president, director 1 Jan 2016 Other 2147388
Laura K Thurow Chief operations officer 1 Jul 2018 Other 3193702

Indirect Owners

The SEC currently registers 4 indirect owners.

Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Shareholder 1 Dec 1982 75% - 100% 39-0509570
Baird Holding Company Shareholder 1 May 2001 75% - 100% 39-2027336
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Shareholder 1 May 2001 75% - 100% 39-0509570
Inc Baird Financial Group Shareholder 1 Oct 2012 75% - 100% 80-0844225

Based in Milwaukee

The principal office where Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated performs its advisory services is located at 777 E. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202 5391, which is also the mailing address of the firm. An additional office of the firm is in Chicago, IL. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 414-765-3500 or by fax 414-298-7800. The normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. central on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at rwbaird.com.