Our Approach
Investment Philosophy
Creating the right financial plans and investment strategies for you begins with understanding who you are and what’s important to you. Far more than a simple Q&A, our process begins with truly getting to know you – your values, hopes and concerns. We’ll engage in a conversation about your current financial situation, your priorities and your vision for the future. And this line of communication will stay open once we’ve built and implemented your comprehensive, personalized solutions so we can ensure they remain on track for the long term.
Integrated Planning. Personalized Advice.
Financial decisions rarely exist in isolation. We believe investments should support your plan—not define it.
Our process brings together:
Custom Investment Management
Portfolio Management
- Structured portfolio reviews and rebalancing
- Strategic asset allocation and objective manager selection
- Structured review process
Custom Asset Management
- Tailored portfolios including individual equities, SMAs, ETFs, mutual funds and alternative investments
- Values-aligned investing
- Outside account planning, including 401(k), HSA and 529 accounts
Comprehensive Financial Planning
Holistic Financial Planning
- Coordination across your full financial picture, working alongside your tax, estate and investment professionals
- Retirement planning and Social Security analysis (MoneyGuidePro)
- Cashflow strategies (Wealth Studios)
Tax-Aware Strategies
Tax Planning
- Annual tax return review
- Roth conversion strategies
- Tax mitigation strategies
Tax Scenario Planning
- Tax scenario modeling (HolistiPlan)
- Coordination with your CPA and other trusted professionals
Estate and Trust Coordination
Estate & Wealth Transfer Planning
- Direct coordination with your attorney and CPA
- Wealth transfer planning
- Intergenerational planning
- Generation-skipping trust strategies
Intergenerational Planning
Family & Education Planning
- Multi-generational planning for children and grandchildren
- Education planning
- 529 accounts
- UTMA/UGMA strategies
Charitable Giving Strategies
Tax & Philanthropy
- Donor Advised Funds
- Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
- Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs)
- Charitable Lead Trusts (CLTs)
- Family foundations
- Family philanthropy
Liquidity and Business Transition Planning
Relationship, Balance Sheet & Governance
- Personal balance sheet assessment covering assets, liabilities and debt strategy
- Business owner planning
- Liquidity planning
Retirement Income & Cash Management
- Income needs analysis
- Distribution strategy and RMDs
- Private-client services including secure transfers, direct deposit, eBills and 24/7 fraud protection
- Travel conveniences including foreign transaction fees paid by Baird, Mastercard ATM access, ATM fee rebates, free checks and rewards
Risk & Liability Management
- Insurance review and solutions
- Life insurance planning
- Long-term care planning
- Health and Medicare planning
- Disability analysis
By coordinating these elements, we help clients make decisions with greater clarity and confidence.
Our approach to investing is designed to provide tailored solutions aligned with your goals, supported by ongoing advice and due diligence to help simplify your financial life:
- We begin by gathering information to develop a complete understanding of your financial picture.
- We then work with you to clarify goals and objectives, prioritize them by importance and timeframe, and determine your appropriate level of risk.
- With this foundation in place, we identify gaps, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
- We leverage our internal expertise and the broader resources of Baird—including equity research, product specialists, and professionals in tax, retirement, insurance, and estate planning—to evaluate your investment options.
- Finally, we recommend a customized strategy and, with your approval, implement it in accordance with the Investment Policy Guidelines we establish together.