Guides › Financial Advisor Fees
Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: Baird is registered with the SEC as both a broker-dealer and an investment adviser. Per its own current fee brochure, a $500,000 account would run $10,000 a year under its published fee schedule; the minimum to open an account is $5,000 to $1,000,000 for Private Wealth Management (Tiered Advice Fee Schedule programs), depending on strategy. Already a client and thinking about leaving? Budget $150 transfer or closing. Is it a fiduciary? Yes, when it is acting as your investment adviser; when the same representative acts as your broker-dealer instead, the applicable standard is best-interest, not fiduciary, and its own Form CRS states representatives can earn commissions in that capacity.
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Baird at a glance
| Fact | What Baird’s own pages say |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated |
| Registration | Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (“Baird”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker-dealer and an investment adviser and is a member of FINRA and SIPC. |
| Fee on a $500,000 account | $10,000 a year, per its own current brochure |
| Minimum to open an account | $5,000 to $1,000,000 for Private Wealth Management (Tiered Advice Fee Schedule programs), depending on strategy |
| Cost to leave (exit fee) | $150 transfer or closing |
What Baird’s own fee schedule charges
“Baird generally offers two types of asset-based fee arrangements: a tiered fee schedule and a breakpoint fee schedule. Under a tiered fee schedule, the asset-based fee will vary for different segments of client assets, gradually decreasing as the Account balance increases. Tiered Advice Fee Schedule: First $1,000,000, 2.00%; Next $1,000,000, 1.50%; Next $3,000,000, 1.35%; Next $5,000,000, 1.25%; Above $10,000,000, 1.00%.”
This is Baird’s marginal (tiered) Advice Fee schedule, which applies across essentially all of Baird’s Private Wealth Management discretionary/advisory programs; each bracket’s rate applies only to the assets inside that bracket. Baird also publishes an alternative whole-balance Breakpoint Advice Fee Schedule (2.00% up to $1M, 1.75% from $1M to just under $2M, 1.50% at $2M and above) that a client and advisor may choose instead; this page uses the tiered version, the one named first in the brochure. For programs that layer on a separate Portfolio Fee (0.00% for several core programs, roughly 0.10% to 0.77% or more for SMA/UMA strategies), the total cost can run higher than the Advice Fee alone.
| Account balance | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $5,000 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $20,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $35,000 |
See the full breakdown, including how the figure is calculated, on Baird’s own fee page.
Is Baird a fiduciary?
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (“Baird”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker-dealer and an investment adviser and is a member of FINRA and SIPC.
“When we provide you with a recommendation as your broker-dealer or act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours.”
When we act as your agent, you will pay us commissions or sales charges. For certain types of investments, such as equity securities and ETFs, the transaction-based fees are typically up-front commissions based on our commission schedule.
Full detail, including the exact registration type and source: Baird’s fiduciary status, explained.
The minimum to open an account
“The minimum asset value to open an Account in a Program is set forth in the table below. … ALIGN Elements Portfolios $5,000 … BairdNext Portfolios $5,000 … Baird Advisory Choice $10,000 … Baird Equity Asset Management SAM Portfolios $250,000(2) … Baird Equity Asset Management’s SAM Strategic Portfolios have a minimum account requirement of $250,000 and its SAM Custom Portfolios have a minimum account requirement of $1,000,000.”
$5,000 to $1,000,000 for Private Wealth Management (Tiered Advice Fee Schedule programs), depending on strategy. See the full minimum-investment breakdown, including what that minimum would cost per year, on Baird’s minimum investment page.
What it costs to leave
Baird prices an account transfer or closing at $150, matched by a $150 IRA Termination Fee if the account being closed is a retirement account.
Full mechanics, sources, and the ACATS transfer process: how to leave Baird.
What we would compare it against
Before you decide, run the numbers against another firm using the financial advisor fee comparison, or price the dollar cost of any percentage fee over time with the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator and the Fee Drag Calculator.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Baird Private Wealth Management Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (March 27, 2026): https://www.bairdwealth.com/retailinvestor
- Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) (Effective as of March 27, 2026 (Rev. 03/27/2026)): https://files.brokercheck.finra.org/crs_8158.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (CRD #8158): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/8158
- Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/8158/PDF/8158.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 18, 2026, drawing directly on Baird’s own current fee brochure and Form CRS, both linked above, plus this site’s own already-published fiduciary, minimum-investment, and (where one exists) how-to-leave pages for the same firm, each independently sourced when it was built. Any distinction we could not independently confirm this session is named as an honest gap rather than presented as verified. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice, and it is not a substitute for reading Baird’s own Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS. We have not used Baird as a client. Baird did not pay for, review, or influence this content. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
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