Robert W. Baird: Financial Advisor in Training – Madison, W

Becoming a Financial Advisor can be a rewarding career path for professionals who combine financial knowledge, business development skills, and a genuine interest in helping clients make important financial decisions. Baird’s Financial Advisor Training Program (FATP) is designed specifically for professionals entering the industry, providing a structured path from licensing and investment fundamentals to wealth management, client service, business development, and compliance.

For candidates with a bachelor’s degree and proven success in sales, financial services, or an entrepreneurial environment, the program offers an opportunity to develop the skills needed to build a long-term advisory practice. Through four comprehensive phases, trainees prepare for required licenses, learn Baird’s investment solutions and technology, and gain practical experience before joining veteran Financial Advisors and beginning to develop their own client relationships.

Baird is seeking talent interested in becoming a Financial Advisor through our Financial Advisor Training Program (FATP). This program is Baird’s proprietary training program specially designed for Financial Advisor Trainees who are new to the industry and the Financial Advisor role. The objective of the program is to create confident, professional Financial Advisors who fulfill the Private Wealth Management Mission. These goals are achieved through a four-phase program conducted twice per year. A brief overview of each phase is provided below:

• Phase I – Licensing: Prepare for and pass the Series 7, Series 66, and Insurance Examinations.
• Phase II – Baird Foundational: Obtain general investment knowledge and learn about Baird’s product & service solutions and technology tools. Training is conducted in the branch office via eLearning sessions, homework assignments, and exams.
• Phase III – Application: Business Development, Wealth Management, Practice Management, Client Service and Compliance education are the focus. The training is delivered at Baird’s Corporate Headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition to live, in-person instruction, there will also be case studies and panel discussions. The program concludes with case study presentations and a graduation ceremony.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s degree required; in Business, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, or Communications a plus. Master of Business Administration degree, unless obtained or in progress, strongly preferred.
• 3-5 years of experience required, preferably in a sales or financial services-oriented capacity (Mortgage or insurance sales, pharmaceutical sales, etc. or CPA, Estate Planning, Commercial Banking, Financial Wholesaler, Trust Officer, etc.), or ownership and operation of the business.
• Demonstrated success in sales with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
• Must have the ability to obtain the Series 7 & 66 licenses within three months of hire.
• Ideally has a natural market from which to develop business and prior experience in a commissioned compensation structure is ideal.
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP) or similar designation a plus.
• Superior organizational skills with the ability to prioritize, monitor, and complete multiple tasks or projects, either independently or with a team.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Upon graduation from the Financial Advisor Training Program (FATP), the FA Trainee becomes a Financial Advisor and formally joins a team of one or more veteran Financial Advisors. He/she begins cultivating a client base and works to provide financial solutions and guide clients’ decision-making.

• Acquire new assets through targeted business development efforts.
• Analyze clients’ financial circumstances, including investment portfolios, assets, and liabilities.
• Develop financial plans and make recommendations to clients, considering clients’ short-term and long-term goals.
• Determine investor suitability through analysis of customers’ investment objectives, risk tolerance, net worth, income, and investment expertise.
• Advise clients on various products and services, through education concerning clients’ objectives, risk tolerance, etc.
• Work to integrate Baird goods and services into the business.
• Guide clients’ decision-making as they position significant assets among a variety of financial instruments
• Cultivate and maintain client relationships through successful ongoing interaction, communication, and expertise.
• Responsible for marketing the products that offer the most benefit for Baird clients.

About Us

Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity, and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Established in 1919, Baird has more than $100 billion in client assets and over 2,900 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional, and municipal clients.

Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked No. 5 on FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2015 – its twelfth consecutive year on the list. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Baird’s investment banking and private equity operations.

Employee-owned Robert W. Baird & Co. brings Midwestern sensibility to the high-flying world of investment banking. The company offers brokerage, asset management, and investment banking services to middle-market corporations, institutional clients, and wealthy individuals and families. Its investment banking activities include underwriting and distributing corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions advisory, and institutional sales and trading. The company also conducts equity research on more than 600 US firms. Baird manages more than $85 billion in client assets. The firm has more than 100 offices in the US, Asia, and Europe, where it owns 48% of Baird UK.

More than half of Robert W. Baird’s locations are wealth management offices in the US. The company manages about ten bond and equity mutual funds: Baird Advisors manages fixed income investments while Baird Investment Management handles the equities side. Robert W. Baird also invests in private equity and venture capital.

The driving forces for the company’s growth have been its wealth management and investment banking operations. Unlike many financial services firms, Baird has been adding staff and opening new offices in the US. Its client assets under management also grew by more than $10 billion in 2010.

The company has also turned to the East for its fortunes. Its private equity group recently opened an office in Shanghai, hoping to capitalize on China’s increasingly business-friendly environment. The outpost focuses on small, high-growth businesses that have been overlooked by other venture capitalists. Baird has also expanded its investment banking operations in the region.

Founded in 1919, Baird had been majority-owned by Northwestern Mutual since 1982. However, employees bought back the company’s stock in a series of purchases that culminated in 2004

Job Title: Financial Advisor in Training – (Racine, WI)
Department: Private Wealth Management
Req Type: Exempt
Location: WI-Madison

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The Financial Advisor Training Program at Baird offers a structured starting point for professionals ready to build a career in private wealth management. With dedicated training, licensing preparation, hands-on education, and the opportunity to develop lasting client relationships, this role can provide a strong foundation for becoming a confident and successful Financial Advisor.