Baird Core Plus Bond Fund Institutional Class (BCOIX)

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Employee-owned Baird announced today that Mary Ellen Stanek, CFA, President of Baird Funds and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Baird Advisors received Morningstar’s Outstanding Portfolio Manager Award. The award is one of the 2022 U.S. Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence. The Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence recognize portfolio managers and asset-management firms that demonstrate excellent investment skill, the courage to differ from the consensus to benefit investors, and an alignment of interests with the strategies’ investors. Morningstar’s manager research analysts conduct in-depth qualitative analyses in order to select nominees and, subsequently, vote to determine the award winner. Stanek is being recognized as the Co-Chief Investment Officer of the team that manages Baird Ultra Short Bond Fund (BUBIX), Baird Short-Term Bond Fund (BSBIX), Baird Intermediate Bond Fund (BIMIX), Baird Aggregate Bond Fund (BAGIX) and Baird Core Plus Bond Fund(BCOIX). Morningstar’s methodology is available here. In its nomination of Stanek Morningstar wrote: “Stanek has an investors-first mentality. Long before it was the industry norm, Stanek and her team launched strategies with some of the lowest fees available among actively managed peers; the managers don't have to take on more risk to clear their price hurdles and beat their respective benchmarks. Stanek and her team also produce comprehensive educational content on fixed-income markets for investors and own large stakes in the funds they run.” “This recognition is extraordinarily well deserved,” said Steve Booth, Baird’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Mary Ellen and her outstanding team have a proven approach that has helped their clients navigate all types of markets. The team’s dedication to clients and consistency for more than 20 years at Baird and many years before that have been key to their long-term success.” “I’m humbled to be recognized for a career focused on stewarding our clients’ assets and controlling risk,” said Mary Ellen Stanek. “I remain grateful for our team and how they continually support our investors with our all-weather approach. We’re proud to do this work and serve our investors year after year.” The winners were announced on CNBC and will be recognized in May at the Morningstar Investment Conference. About Baird Funds Baird Funds is a no-load mutual fund family with more than $96 billion in assets as of March 31, 2022. The Baird Funds offer proven track records and a variety of portfolios spanning fixed income and equity asset classes, feature competitive fees and are managed with a careful focus on risk control. For more information, visit www.bairdfunds.com. About Baird Putting clients first since 1919, Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets, and private equity firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Baird has approximately 4,600 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients and more than $415 billion in client assets as of Dec. 31, 2021. Committed to being a great workplace, Baird ranked No. 27 on the 2022 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list – its 19th consecutive year on the list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated and Baird Trust Company 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. For more information, please visit Baird’s website at www.rwbaird.com. Please click here for current performance, ratings and maximum sales charge, load or fees that may be associated with Baird Funds. Performance data represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of the investment will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance data may be lower or higher than the data quoted. For performance data to the most recent month end, contact Baird directly at 866-442-2473 or www.bairdassetmanagement.com/baird-funds Some of the potential risks associated with fixed income investments include call risk, reinvestment risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, default risk, liquidity risk and inflation risk. Additionally, it is important that an investor is familiar with the inverse relationship between a bond’s price and its yield. Bond prices will fall as interest rates rise and vice versa. Morningstar's Manager Research Group consists of various wholly owned subsidiaries of Morningstar, Inc. including, but not limited to, Morningstar Research Services LLC. Morningstar's Manager Research Group produces various ratings and assessments including the Morningstar Analyst Rating and the Morningstar Quantitative Rating. The Morningstar Analyst Rating is derived from a qualitative assessment process performed by a manager research analyst, whereas the Morningstar Quantitative Rating uses a machine-learning model based on the decision-making processes of Morningstar's analysts, their past ratings decisions, and the data used to support those decisions. In both cases, the ratings are forward-looking assessments and include assumptions of future events, which may or may not occur or may differ significantly from what was assumed. The Morningstar Analyst Ratings and Morningstar Quantitative Ratings are statements of opinions, subject to change, are not to be considered as guarantees, and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. This press release is for informational purposes only; references to securities should not be considered an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the securities. Morningstar Awards 2022 (c). Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nomination awarded to Mary Ellen Stanek and Baird for the 2022 U.S. Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence.

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Employee-owned Baird announced today that Mary Ellen Stanek is a nominee for the 2021 Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence in the Outstanding Portfolio Manager category for the third straight year. Morningstar analysts nominated four candidates for the award across asset classes. Stanek is being recognized as the Chief Investment Officer of the team that manages Baird Aggregate Bond (BAGIX) and Baird Core Plus Bond (BCOIX) funds, among others. The Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence recognize portfolio managers, asset-management firms, and up-and-coming managers that demonstrate excellent investment skill, the courage to differ from the consensus to benefit investors, and an alignment of interests with strategies’ investors. The winners will be announced on CNBC, the week of June 21, 2021. Morningstar’s methodology is available here. Baird Advisors is known for managing high-quality investment grade bond portfolios using a duration neutral approach. In an article published on Morningstar.com, Morningstar analysts said: “The stability of Stanek's nimble, nine-person portfolio management team speaks to its strength. Her commitment to employee development and the firm's employee-ownership structure foster a tight-knit team culture with little turnover. Stanek has also been proactive in expanding the team's roster and resources as many of the key players on this investment team are later in their careers. “Stanek has exemplified an investors-first mentality. Long before it was the industry norm, Stanek and her team launched these strategies with some of the lowest fees available for actively managed strategies. The low fees ensure the managers don't have to take on more risk to clear their price hurdles and beat their respective benchmarks.” “Being recognized for third time in three years is extraordinary,” said Steve Booth, Baird’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Mary Ellen and her team have remained dedicated to their successful approach for more than 20 years at Baird and many years before that. It is that consistent dedication that has helped their clients navigate all kinds of markets, especially the one we experienced last year.” “I’m humbled to be recognized among this distinguished group of investment professionals,” said Mary Ellen Stanek, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager. “Despite the pandemic, I’m particularly proud of how our team was able to continue supporting our investors over the last year. We’re proud to do this work and serve our investors year after year.” About Baird Funds Baird Funds is a no-load mutual fund family with more than $94 billion in assets as of May 31, 2021. The Baird Funds offer proven track records and a variety of portfolios spanning fixed income and equity asset classes. The ten bond funds and six stock funds feature competitive fees and are managed with a careful focus on risk control. For more information, visit www.bairdfunds.com. About Baird Putting clients first since 1919, Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets, and private equity firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Baird has approximately 4,500 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients and more than $350 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2020. Committed to being a great workplace, Baird ranked No. 32 on the 2021 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated 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. For more information, please visit Baird’s website at www.rwbaird.com. Please click here for current performance, ratings and maximum sales charge, load or fees that may be associated with the fund. Performance data represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of the investment will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance data may be lower or higher than the data quoted. For performance data to the most recent month end, contact Baird directly at 866-442-2473 or www.bairdassetmanagement.com/baird-funds. Some of the potential risks associated with fixed income investments include call risk, reinvestment risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, default risk, liquidity risk and inflation risk. Additionally, it is important that an investor is familiar with the inverse relationship between a bond’s price and its yield. Bond prices will fall as interest rates rise and vice versa. Morningstar's Manager Research Group consists of various wholly owned subsidiaries of Morningstar, Inc. including, but not limited to, Morningstar Research Services LLC. Morningstar's Manager Research Group produces various ratings including the Morningstar Analyst Rating and the Morningstar Quantitative Rating. The Morningstar Analyst Rating is derived from a qualitative assessment process performed by a manager research analyst, whereas the Morningstar Quantitative Rating uses a machine-learning model based on the decision-making processes of Morningstar's analysts, their past ratings decisions, and the data used to support those decisions. In both cases, the ratings are forward-looking assessments and include assumptions of future events, which may or may not occur or may differ significantly from what was assumed. The Morningstar Analyst Ratings and Morningstar Quantitative Ratings are statements of opinions, subject to change, are not to be considered as guarantees, and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. This press release is for informational purposes only; references to securities should not be considered an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the securities. Nomination awarded to Mary Ellen Stanek for the 2021 U.S. Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence.

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Baird Aggregate Bond Fund (BAGIX), Baird Core Plus Bond Fund (BCOIX) and Baird Intermediate Bond Fund (BIMIX) crossed the 20-year mark, having been led by the same core team and having delivered exceptional investment results for investors. “What is most gratifying for us is that our-time tested approach has worked for both clients who were with us from the start and the many newer clients who have joined us along the way,” said Mary Ellen Stanek, CFA, Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer and President of Baird Funds. “We could not be more proud of the hard work and dedication of our team who have consistently shown up to serve our clients day in and day out, across many different environments.” Consistent Results Across Different Environments The Baird Advisors team this year crossed $100 billion in assets under management. In addition to these three original funds, the team manages seven other bond funds, all using a risk-controlled approach. On the occasion of this 20-year milestone, several members of the portfolio management team addressed questions related to the Funds’ first 20 years. To read their full comments, click here. About Baird Advisors Baird Advisors is Baird’s fixed income asset management division and advisor to the Baird Bond Funds. As of July 31, 2020, the group manages more than $102.1 billion in taxable and tax-exempt fixed income portfolios. For more information, visit www.bairdfunds.com. About Baird Putting clients first since 1919, Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets, and private equity firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Baird has approximately 4,600 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients and more than $305 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2019. Committed to being a great workplace, Baird ranked No. 13 on the 2020 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated 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. For more information, please visit Baird’s website at www.rwbaird.com. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of each fund carefully before investing. This and other information is found in the prospectus and summary prospectus. For a prospectus or summary prospectus, contact Baird directly at 866-442-2473. Please read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing. For performance data to the most recent month end, Annual Average Total Return, gross and net expense ratios and any sales charges for both the investor and institutional classes of the funds, please visit https://www.bairdassetmanagement.com/baird-funds/funds-and-performance

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Employee-owned Baird announced today that Mary Ellen Stanek, CFA, is a nominee for the 2020 U.S. Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence in the Outstanding Portfolio Manager category for the second straight year; there are five nominees in this category. Stanek is being recognized as the Chief Investment Officer of the team that manages the Baird Core Plus Bond (BCOIX) and Baird Aggregate Bond (BAGIX) Funds, among others. The Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence recognize portfolio managers, asset-management firms, and up-and-coming managers that demonstrate excellent investment skill, the courage to differ from the consensus to benefit investors, and an alignment of interests with strategies’ investors. Winners are chosen based on research and in-depth qualitative evaluation by Morningstar’s manager research group. The winners will be announced on CNBC, the week of June 22, 2020. Morningstar’s methodology is available here. Baird Advisors is known for managing high-quality bond portfolios using a duration neutral approach. In a recent article, Morningstar described this approach: “The strategy's risk-aware approach has kept it from major missteps over its long life, and the disciplined approach has contributed to its institutional share class' 4.7% annualized gain over the trailing 15 years ended May 20, 2020--topping nearly 80% of peers and the Aggregate Index in the process.” “Being recognized for a second time in two years is extraordinary,” said Steve Booth, Baird’s President and Chief Executive Officer. ”Mary Ellen and her team have remained dedicated to their successful approach for more than 20 years at Baird and many years before that. It is that consistent dedication that has helped their clients navigate all kinds of markets, especially the one we experienced this year.” “Our entire team is humbled to be recognized again and to be among this distinguished group of investment professionals,” said Mary Ellen Stanek, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager. “We’re proud to do this work and serve the clients who entrusted our team to manage their assets and have been with us year after year.” About Baird Funds Baird Funds is a no-load mutual fund family with more than $71.6 billion in assets as of May 31, 2020. The Baird Funds offer proven track records and a variety of portfolios spanning fixed income and equity asset classes. The ten bond funds and six stock funds feature competitive fees and are managed with a careful focus on risk control. For more information, visit www.bairdfunds.com. About Baird Putting clients first since 1919, Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets, and private equity firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Baird has approximately 4,600 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients and more than $305 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2019. Committed to being a great workplace, Baird ranked No. 13 on the 2020 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated 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. For more information, please visit Baird’s website at www.rwbaird.com. Please click here for current performance and ratings. Morningstar's Manager Research Group consists of various wholly owned subsidiaries of Morningstar, Inc. including, but not limited to, Morningstar Research Services LLC. Analyst Ratings are subjective in nature and should not be used as the sole basis for investment decisions. Analyst Ratings are based on Morningstar's Manager Research Group's current expectations about future events and therefore involve unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause such expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what was expected. Analyst Ratings are not guarantees nor should they be viewed as an assessment of a fund's or separately managed account's underlying securities' creditworthiness. This press release is for informational purposes only; references to securities or a separately managed account investment strategy in this press release should not be considered an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the securities or to invest in accordance with that strategy. Nomination awarded to Mary Ellen Stanek for the 2020 U.S. Morningstar Awards for Investing Excellence.

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Employee-owned Baird announced today Baird Core Plus Bond (BCOIX/BCOSX) and Baird Short-Term Bond Fund (BSBIX/BSBSX) were selected for Morningstar’s Fantastic 43 mutual fund list. Morningstar pared more than 8,000 mutual funds to just 43. About Baird, Morningstar said, “They are well-run conservative bond funds that are a welcome contrast with some of the giant bond funds that are loaded with derivatives or higher-risk debt. The funds are a bargain with 0.30% expense ratios.” Read more here. “It is a considerable accomplishment to have two of our eight bond funds included,” said Mary Ellen Stanek, Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer, Baird Advisors, “We are honored to be on this esteemed list.” Baird Advisors manages more than $57 billion in taxable and tax-exempt fixed income portfolios. For more information, visit www.bairdfunds.com. About Baird 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 3,400 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird has $171 billion in client assets. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked No. 4 on FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2017 – its 14th consecutive year on the list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated 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. For more information, please visit Baird’s Web site at www.rwbaird.com. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing. Some of the potential risks associated with fixed income investments include call risk, reinvestment risk, default risk and inflation risk. Additionally, it is important that an investor is familiar with the inverse relationship between a bond’s price and its yield. Bond prices will fall as interest rates rise and vice versa.

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Employee-owned Baird announced today that Baird Advisors was named a finalist for the Morningstar 2016 U.S. Fixed-Income Fund Manager of the Year Award. The Baird Advisors fixed income team, led by Mary Ellen Stanek and including Gary Elfe, Charles Groeschell, Warren Pierson, Jay Schwister, Dan Tranchita and Sharon DeGuzman, was nominated for its management of the Baird Core Plus Bond Fund (BCOIX). Morningstar will announce the winner of the 2016 award on January 25th. “We’re extremely proud of Mary Ellen and her team,” said Steve Booth, Baird President & CEO. “This recognition by Morningstar speaks to the consistent results this team has been able to generate over time. They’ve created a teamwork-oriented culture that’s been instrumental in delivering excellent results in a variety of market environments.” “It’s an honor to be a finalist for Morningstar’s Fixed-Income Fund Manager of the Year Award,” said Mary Ellen Stanek, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Baird Advisors. “In addition to the named portfolio managers of the funds, research director Jay Schwister, portfolio managers Jeff Schrom, Meg Dean, Duane McAllister along with our talented analysts contributed to this accomplishment. Our team delivered excellent results in 2016 using the same philosophy and risk-controlled process we always have. We don’t swing for the fences, just consistently deliver singles and doubles.” Established in 1988, the Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year award recognizes portfolio managers who demonstrate excellent investment skill and the courage to differ from the consensus to benefit investors. The Fund Manager of the Year award winners are chosen based on research and in-depth qualitative evaluation by Morningstar’s Manager Research Group. Morningstar’s Manager Research Group consists of various wholly owned subsidiaries of Morningstar, Inc. including, but not limited to, Morningstar Research Services LLC. To qualify for the award, managers’ funds must have not only posted impressive returns for the year, but the managers also must have a record of delivering outstanding long-term risk-adjusted performance and of aligning their interests with shareholders’. Nominated funds must be Morningstar Medalists—a fund that has garnered a Morningstar Analyst Rating™ of Gold, Silver, or Bronze. About Baird Advisors Baird Advisors is Baird’s fixed income asset management division and advisor to the Baird Bond Funds. The group manages more than $47 billion in taxable and tax-exempt fixed income portfolios including Baird Ultra Short Bond Fund, Baird Short-Term Bond Fund, Baird Aggregate Bond Fund, Baird Core Plus Bond Fund, Baird Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund, Baird Core Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund, and Baird Quality Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund. For more information, visit www.bairdfunds.com. About Baird 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 3,300 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird has more than $160 billion in client assets. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked No. 6 on FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2016 – its 13th consecutive year on the list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. 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. For more information, please visit Baird’s Web site at www.rwbaird.com. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing.