Insights & Education Baird Wealth Insights & Education Wealth Management Perspectives What's on Your Mind? Investment Management Retirement Planning Tax Planning Education Funding Estate Planning Charitable Giving Cash & Lending Services Insurance Planning Identity Theft Business & Executive Services Topics Reset Retirement Planning Tax Planning Ten Financial Resolutions for Young Adults Now that you’re out of your parents’ house and on your own, here’s how to build a solid financial footing for yourself. Retirement Planning Education Funding Parental Loans and Paying for College Advice for parents before they agree to take on college debt for their children. Retirement Planning What’s in the New Coronavirus Relief Package In addition to the relief checks, the new Covid-19 stimulus package contains adjustments to such things as charitable giving provisions, tax credits and unemployment. Retirement Planning When Financial Health Meets Mental Health As many have learned in 2020, your finances affect your mental well-being, and vice-versa. Acknowledging this is the first step toward conquering the stress. Retirement Planning Tax Planning IRAs: To Convert or Not To Convert? Is it nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of your traditional IRA? It depends on your circumstances. Investment Management ESG Under the Microscope Baird’s John Taft and Chris Merker on how ESG is evolving and what investors should watch for. Retirement Planning Estate Planning Cash & Lending Services Planning To Be Alone 4 tips on how to financially prepare for widowhood. Charitable Giving A Smarter Way to Give With donor-advised funds, you can respond to a natural disaster in a way that fits your broader financial plans. Tax Planning Charitable Giving Potential Tax Benefits of Charitable Giving The 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA) will likely simplify filing for many taxpayers – but if you’ve traditionally deducted charitable gifts, you may have a new headache this tax season. Investment Management What Did We Learn? Baird’s Mike Antonelli and John Taft weigh in on what they took away from a tumultuous 2020. Tax Planning What To Expect From a Biden Presidency From tax brackets to estate taxes, President-elect Joe Biden has proposed many changes that could affect you. Retirement Planning Business & Executive Services Relaunching Your Career During COVID Baird Women Advisors offers five tips for women jumping back into the workforce during COVID. Education Funding Paying for Graduate School You’ve spent your kids’ entire lives saving for their college tuition – so what happens when they say they want to go to grad school, too? Retirement Planning Cash & Lending Services Small Change Investing isn’t only for the wealthy. Here’s how you can turn a weekly muffin and latte into a proper nest egg. Tax Planning Taking Advantage of Tax-Loss Harvesting After a year of great market volatility, many investors can make use of tax-loss harvesting - selling declining securities to get a tax advantage. Tax Planning Tax Strategies for 2020 An in-depth look at the strategies taxpayers can take advantage of for the 2020 tax year. Tax Planning Cash & Lending Services Helping Out a Family Member in Financial Trouble How do you offer money in a way that works for everyone? Education Funding Saving for College: A Brief Guide for Parents Key questions that can help you get started on providing for your kids’ education. Investment Management So Now What? What investors should be thinking about now that the election is over. Retirement Planning Inside the Gender Wage Gap Women make 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Here’s how – and why - that happens. Retirement Planning Clients Ask: How Should I Handle Early Retirement? The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many people into retirement earlier than they expected. Here’s how to handle the key decisions. Retirement Planning Are You Working Too Much? When do you know you’ve crossed the line from “the right amount” to “too much?” Investment Management A Final Thought on the 2020 Election How will the stock market react once all the votes are counted? Investment Management The Dangers of Portfolio Tinkering “Your money is like a bar of soap – the more you handle it, the less you’ll have.” Estate Planning Taking Control of Your Financial Future A majority of American women say they would like to be more engaged with their finances. Here’s how you can remain in control of your money. Tax Planning High-Net-Worth Tax Moves for Right Now The current environment – low taxes, low interest rates, new CARES Act regulations – adds up to several tax advantages for high-net-worth individuals. Insurance Planning Key Moves for Open Enrollment Season During this year’s open enrollment season, take some time to make sure your benefits choices are aligned with your overall financial plan. Education Funding Teaching Kids to Be Fiscally Fit For any parent, one of the most valuable lessons you can teach your children is how to be smart with money. No matter how old they are, there are lessons to be imparted. Retirement Planning Investing Starts at Home Thinking about a home improvement? Here are a few that could actually pay off when you go to sell your home. Retirement Planning Where Should You Retire? Where should you retire? From low taxes to high culture, here’s a quick survey of the factors to consider in choosing where you’ll spend the rest of your life. Investment Management The 2020 Surge in Retail Trading Baird’s Mike Antonelli and John Taft discuss what it means when individual stock traders take things into their own hands. Investment Management Investment Strategy Mailbag: Where Do You Invest During a Pandemic?, Investing at Age 70 Investment strategy questions posed to Baird market experts. Updated: September 4, 2020 Investment Management Staying the Course Focus too much on day-to-day market performance and you could miss the larger trend. Investment Management Making the Most of Employee Stock Ownership With companies reducing grants of options or restricting company stock in their 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plans are emerging as powerful investment vehicles. Investment Management ESG Investing During the COVID Pandemic Mike Antonelli and John Taft look at how ESG investments have fared in the face of extreme market volatility. Investment Management Investing in an Election Year Mike Antonelli and Ross Mayfield discuss the perils in letting the upcoming election influence your portfolio strategy. Investment Management How to Read the Financial News You can’t always take what you read at face value. Here’s how you can sift through the news to get to the actionable insight you’re after. Investment Management Amazon, Tesla and Hindsight Bias "In looking back, I knew it all along." Investment Management Diversification: The "Free Lunch" of Portfolio Building While diversification doesn’t guarantee against loss, it is one of the most successful strategies for portfolio building over the long term. Investment Management Market Mailbag: Have We Hit Bottom?, Understanding the National Debt Client questions posed to Baird market analysts. Updated: July 28, 2020 Retirement Planning A Retirement Guide for Today What Clients Are Asking in the Wake of COVID-19 Investment Management A Most Curious Market Rally Why is the market doing so well with so many out of work? Education Funding "Will Colleges Still Offer Classes in September?" What students should be thinking about before committing to in-person classes this fall. Investment Management Optimism vs. Pessimism Mike Antonelli and John Taft take on conventional wisdom behind the aging investor. Business & Executive Services Make the Most of Your Stock Compensation With an 83(b) Election Stock options are always tricky from a tax standpoint. Here’s one way to make them work for you. Investment Management Reg BI – A Win for All Involved Reg BI raises the bar for investor protection while preserving individuals’ ability to choose who they work with, the products that best suit them, and how to pay for them. Education Funding A Q&A on Education Planning During COVID-19 COVID-19 has had a major impact on the way people are saving – and paying – for college. Baird’s Wealth Solutions Group weighs in. Cash & Lending Services Five Do’s and Don’ts of Medical Debt It’s easy to get overwhelmed when that first big medical bill arrives. Here are five do’s and don’ts so you don’t pay more than you have to. Investment Management The COVID-19 Recession The COVID-19 recession is different from recessions in the past. Here’s why it matters. Tax Planning Estate Planning Cash & Lending Services 4 Myths When Managing Sudden Wealth Sudden wealth can be a blessing – or a curse, if not managed thoughtfully. Investment Management These Are a Few of My Favorite Quotes Mike Antonelli and John Taft turn to investing legends past and present to help make sense of these turbulent times. Retirement Planning The COVID-19 Stimulus Bill: How It Affects You In addition to direct payments and loans, the CARES Act also contains provisions dealing with your financial and tax planning. Here’s how it can help you right now. Business & Executive Services How Does Equity Compensation Fit Into Your Financial Plan? Equity compensation can be complex, but don’t let your benefits go on autopilot. Here’s why it’s important to factor them into your broader wealth management plans. Insurance Planning Life Insurance Solutions for Your Blended Family Financial planning for blended families can be uncomfortable at best, but life insurance can also help you deal with the special problems of a second family. Education Funding The Smart Way to Pay Off Student Loans When it comes to paying off your student loan debt, you may have more options than you realize. Tax Planning Education Funding Business & Executive Services Financial Planning Opportunities in a COVID-19 World Despite broad market instability and low interest rates, there are several long-term planning opportunities that you can take advantage of now. Education Funding Cash & Lending Services Identity Theft COVID-19: What Should I Be Thinking About Today? Here are steps you can take today to regain some financial control in these unprecedented times. Investment Management In the Markets Now: An Open Letter to My Fellow Twenty-Something Investors The volatility of the last few weeks has been unprecedented and unrelenting. This puts younger investors in an interesting and even enviable position. Cash & Lending Services Debt: Not Necessarily a Four-Letter Word If left unchecked, debt can cost you both money and peace of mind. Here are 6 ways to get it under control and working for you. Investment Management Retirement Planning Estate Planning Insurance Planning Financial Plans Evolve Through Every Stage of Life A financial plan must evolve with your goals, family and income level. Here's a look at how three key areas of your financial decision-making change as you move through life. Retirement Planning How the SECURE Act Will Change Your Retirement Distributions The SECURE Act raises the age for taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from a retirement plan, lifting it from age 70 ½ to 72. Here’s why that matters to you. Investment Management Lessons Learned From Investing in Volatile Times John Taft and Mike Antonelli discuss their experiences and how to avoid the most common mistakes. Retirement Planning The SECURE Act’s Impact on Your Estate Planning Thanks to the SECURE Act, certain tactics for tax and estate strategies have been curtailed. People who had been considering these tactics will now have to look elsewhere. Investment Management The Dangers of Selling During a Market Drop Timing the market can be difficult – timing the market in a panic can be devastating. Investment Management Baird Market Commentary What Investors Need To Know About the Recent Selloff Retirement Planning A Lesson From My Youth Life isn’t experienced on a balance sheet – it’s about experiencing what the world has to offer. Education Funding How the SECURE Act Can Help With College The SECURE Act, which took effect at the beginning of this year, was primarily focused on retirement savings, but there was good news for families that have made use of 529 college tuition plans, too. Retirement Planning Bridging the Gap: How to Pay for Healthcare When Retiring Early Medicare coverage begins at age 65 – so if you’re thinking of retiring early, you’ll need to bridge the healthcare gap until then. Here are some ideas. Investment Management Look Beyond the Headlines: The Coronavirus What is the coronavirus, and how will it impact your portfolio? Education Funding Wealth and the Single Parent Making smart financial choices while raising kids on your own can require additional planning and discipline. Retirement Planning Taking Advantage of the SECURE Act The new SECURE Act presents some significant changes to IRAs and other retirement vehicles. Here’s how you can take advantage of the new rules. Estate Planning A Brief Guide to Prenups Some 62% of marriage lawyers saw a rise in prenups between 2013 and 2016. If you’ve considered joining this trend, here some good reasons to do so – and the pitfalls to avoid. Identity Theft Protect Yourself From Wire Fraud Wire fraud is one of the most frightening types of theft that can happen to you, if for no other reason than wire transfers are routinely transacted in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. But a good financial professional, such as those at Baird, can help ensure your transactions are safe. Investment Management The Difficulty in Calling a Market Top Trying to “time the market” is both highly risky and incredibly difficult. Cash & Lending Services How to Cover the Cost of Your Wedding The average American wedding costs roughly $30,000 these days. If that number gives you cold feet, here are some practical ways to help you keep that special day under control. Cash & Lending Services A Budget You Can Live With A budget can be the first step toward achieving your financial goals. But it doesn’t work if it’s not realistic. Here are some steps to help get your finances under control. Retirement Planning When to Take Your Benefit: A Key Retirement Decision You should manage your Social Security like any other investment. Unfortunately, most Americans don’t, and may be missing out on as much as $100,000 in benefits. Here’s a guide to help you make the most of Social Security. Investment Management Building Portfolios for Volatile Times If the market’s sudden moves have you thinking about getting out, here are some investment strategies to reassure you. Most important: Keep your focus on the long term. Insurance Planning How Much Life Insurance Do You Need? The primary purpose of life insurance is to cover the financial needs of loved ones after you’re gone. How much is enough for your family? This guide from Baird can help. Retirement Planning Education Funding Understanding Your Benefits: Financial Planning for Service Members Service members who reach their ETS date or retire from the U.S. military are eligible for a host of financial benefits. Here’s how you can take advantage of them. Business & Executive Services Picking the Right Corporate Structure for Your Business How you structure your business can impact taxes, fundraising and what you’re responsible for if things go wrong. Tax Planning So You Won the Lottery Don’t assume that all your problems are over. Sometimes more money can create issues you didn’t see coming. Here are some simple steps to take to protect your Mega Millions. Estate Planning Insurance Planning Planning for a Child With Special Needs More than 50 million Americans have some sort of special needs that their families are coping with? Here’s how to start addressing the financial challenges that these families are facing. Investment Management Modeling Good Financial Behavior for Your Kids How do kids learn to handle their money? From watching you! Here are a few steps you can take to show them, by example, to be responsible savers and consumers. Retirement Planning Education Funding Cash & Lending Services How Much Should You Support Your Kids in College? We all want what’s best for our kids, but you want them to learn the value of money too. Insurance Planning What to Expect (Financially) When You’re Expecting You’re never fully prepared for how a child will change your life. But at least you can anticipate some of the financial challenges. Investment Management Retirement Planning Modern-Day Wealth Management Wealth management is about more than stocks or annuities. For Mike Antonelli, it’s about driving your beat-up old station wagon 2,000 miles to your happy place. Estate Planning Wealth Management in Real Life: What to Do When a Loved One Is Dying When a parent is approaching the end of their days, there are a lot of uncomfortable decisions to be made. Here’s a guide to help organize and clarify your thinking at this difficult time. Retirement Planning "Are We Going to Be Okay?" Bull and Baird blog author Mike Antonelli and John Taft, author of the blog Finance for the Greater Good, discuss the most important question they get from Baird clients. Retirement Planning 5 Financial Mistakes You Might Be Making Right Now Five of the most common money mistakes people make – and how to avoid them. Estate Planning Wealth Management Is a Family Affair It may be awkward and uncomfortable to involve your children in your long-term financial planning. But it can make things easier for everyone involved, both now and into the future. Estate Planning When a Loved One Is Diagnosed With Alzheimer’s Financial considerations you should keep in mind as you plan for care. Insurance Planning Managing Health Care for an Elderly Loved One For many caregivers, this can be a very difficult choice. This article can help you with both the practical and emotional sides of this decision. Insurance Planning Long-Term Care Insurance: A Beginner’s Guide More than two thirds of us are likely to need some form of long-term care in our lives. Will you be able to cover that expense? The time to start getting prepared for it is right now. Retirement Planning Have You Planned for All 3 Phases of Retirement? The key to a fulfilling, happy retirement is being prepared – mentally and financially – for all 3 phases. Cash & Lending Services Should You Buy or Lease Your Next Car? Four questions to ask yourself before signing on the dotted line. Education Funding To Consolidate or Not To Consolidate Your Student Debt Consolidating or refinancing your student loans could save you time and hassle – and even reduce your monthly payments. But is it the smart decision? Cash & Lending Services ‘Til Debt Do Us Part Thinking about taking the financial plunge and combining your finances? Here are six relationship-saving strategies to consider before merging your accounts. Education Funding Giving Love – and Money – to the Grandkids In addition to being an incredibly loving gesture, paying for a grandchild’s education is a substantial investment in their future. Baird has thoughts about how you – and they – can get the most out of it. Retirement Planning Don’t Believe the Word on the Tweet As a Millennial, you’ve probably read a million social media posts trying to tell you who you are and where you’re going in life. Let us help you prove them wrong. Identity Theft Cyber Self-Defense: Protecting Yourself Online Between online commerce and social media, we’re all spending more time on the internet these days. So are cyber criminals. Learn to protect yourself from their most common scams. Investment Management Some Things Are Just Too Hard How is landscaping like investing? For Baird’s Mike Antonelli, they’re both things he’s happy to pay a professional to do for him. Cash & Lending Services Building Your Emergency Fund Relying on credit cards in a crisis could be costly. The smarter choice? Start building your personal emergency fund. Identity Theft Safeguard Your Online Information With so much of our business happening online these days, it’s no surprise that hackers put a great deal of effort into trying to access your information. Identity Theft Gone Phishing 7 red flags that an email you received is actually an attempt to steal your personal information Cash & Lending Services Is Now the Time To Refinance Your Mortgage? Falling interest rates have many homeowners taking a second look at their original loans. Investment Management Incorporating Responsible Investing Into Your Portfolio While investing is instrumental to achieving the future you want, you don’t have to sacrifice your principles along the way. Tax Planning So You’ve Inherited Some Property…. Inheriting a lump sum of cash is a relatively simple process. Inheriting a noncash asset, though, like a vacation home or a stock portfolio, can present a whole different set of issues. Retirement Planning Three Alternatives to a Traditional Retirement Not everyone wants a traditional retirement, but it can be tough to visualize a different path when society seems to expect you to work for four decades and bow out when you’re eligible for Social Security. Cash & Lending Services Teaching Kids to be Financially Fit As a parent, one of the most valuable lessons you can teach your children is how to be smart with money. Insurance Planning Preparing for Risks You Can’t Foresee No matter where you are in your life’s journey, there’s going to be some element of risk you’ll need to plan for. Investment Management Investing in Your Values The rise of socially responsible investing lets investors put their money where their values are. This is the first in a two-part series on Socially Responsible Investing. Investment Management Putting Your Investment Eggs in Multiple Baskets No matter how a concentration position develops, if your portfolio is overweighted in any one position, you’re exposed to undue risk. Retirement Planning Prepare for Medicare: A Guide for First-Timers Medicare is a program that includes several different forms of health care, some of which are provided by the federal government and some by private insurers. As a result, it can be a fairly complicated program to understand. Business & Executive Services Maximizing Company Stock Compensation Receiving shares of stock in the company you work for as part of your compensation is an excellent way to share in the success of the business, and can be very lucrative. But stock awards can be tricky to manage. Cash & Lending Services How To Organize Your Financial Life Keeping your financial documents organized might feel like a chore, but it can be a lifesaver in an emergency. Investment Management Does Diversification Still Work? Hindsight may be 20/20, but investing is about looking forward. Business & Executive Services A Big Decision for Small Businesses It’s critical you identify the right retirement plan for your business. Retirement Planning How to Buy a House in Eight Steps: A Guide for First-Time Homebuyers Whether "someday" is coming up soon or still a couple years down the road, you can benefit from learning about the process and the financial decisions you'll need to make. Education Funding Where should my next dollar go? Education vs. Retirement A new feature that helps readers tackle their most pressing wealth management concerns. Tax Planning Be a Good Partner to Your CPA Advice for keeping the tax return preparation process simple and cost-effective. Retirement Planning What Women Need to Know About Social Security Tips for women looking to maximize their Social Security benefits. Tax Planning Four Financial Resolutions (and Simple Ways to Keep Them) Keeping a financial resolution starts with practicing good habits every day, all year long. Here’s are a few easy steps you can take to follow through on some of the most common financial resolutions: Retirement Planning How to Prepare for the Financial Impact of Divorce While divorce can be overwhelming, there are ways to be proactive and take steps to maintain your financial well-being. Here are a few things to consider at key stages of the divorce process. Investment Management Don’t Let the Market Psych You Out Understanding the way our innate tendencies affect the decisions we make can help you be a smarter investor in any environment. Education Funding Wealth Management in Real Life Just engaged? Here’s how to financially plan ahead for marriage, a house and kids. Investment Management Getting Ahead of the Curve In December 2008, on the heels of the Great Recession, the Federal Reserve attempted to stave off deflation by lowering interest rates to near 0%. It took seven years before the Fed would raise rates again, but now – eight rate hikes later with more seemingly on the way – most economists agree we’re in a rising rate environment. Estate Planning Why Everyone Needs an Estate Plan – Yes, Even You No matter where you are in your life – just starting out, a couple years into your career or planning for retirement – you can and should have an estate plan. Estate Planning Don’t Put Off Your Estate Plan! No matter the size of your family or bank account, the conversation about estate planning needs to be had. Estate Planning Talking With Aging Parents About Their Finances How you can make conversations with your parents about their finances easier and more productive. 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