Morningstar Highlights Baird Short-Term Bond Fund In Video And Medalist Spotlight

MILWAUKEE, June 14, 2018 –– Baird Short-Term Bond Fund (BSBIX) was featured as a Medalist Spotlight and in a video by Morningstar, a leading provider of independent investment research. Morningstar also recently picked Baird Short-Term Bond Fund as an option for IRAs. The Fund has a Silver Rating, the highest rating Morningstar currently rates any short-term bond fund.

The Fund’s recent analyst write up noted, “We think highly of the small but tight-knit team behind Baird Short-Term Bond. The fund’s diverse, high-quality basket of corporate bonds, Treasuries, and mortgages has achieved consistent, above-average returns over the long term, meriting a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver.”

Baird Short-Term Bond Fund is managed by the Baird Advisors team using a duration-neutral, risk-controlled approach and seeks an annual rate of total return, before fund expenses, greater than the annual rate of total return of the Bloomberg Barclays 1–3 Year U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index.  .

 “We are proud of Morningstar’s ongoing coverage of Baird Short-Term Bond Fund,” said Baird Chief Investment Officer Mary Ellen Stanek, CFA. “Baird Short-Term Bond Fund is well positioned to be a core holding as we navigate through a period of rising interest rates.”

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 nearly 3,500 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird has more than $200billion in client assets. 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 rwbaird.com.

Disclosures
Analyst Rating is the summary expression of Morningstar's forward-looking analysis of a fund. Morningstar analysts assign the ratings on a five-tier scale with three positive ratings of Gold, Silver, and Bronze, a Neutral rating, and a Negative rating. The Analyst Rating is based on the analyst's conviction in the fund's ability to outperform its peer group and/or relevant benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. If a fund receives a positive rating of Gold, Silver, or Bronze, it means Morningstar analysts think highly of the fund and expect it to outperform over a full market cycle of at least five years. The Analyst Rating is not a market call, and it is not meant to replace investors' due-diligence process. It cannot assess whether a fund is the right fit for a particular portfolio and risk tolerance. Morningstar evaluates funds based on five key pillars--Process, Performance, People, Parent, and Price. Analysts assign a rating of Positive, Neutral, or Negative to each pillar. Analyst Rating Scale - Gold: Best-of-breed fund that distinguishes itself across the five pillars and has garnered the analysts' highest level of conviction. Silver: Fund with advantages that outweigh the disadvantages across the five pillars and with sufficient level of analyst conviction to warrant a positive rating. Bronze: Fund with notable advantages across several, but perhaps not all, of the five pillars.

This recognition is for the institutional class which requires a minimum investment of $25,000.

The average annual total returns for the Institutional Class of the Baird Short-Term Bond Fund as of March 31, 2018 are .65% for the one-year, 1.33% for the five-year and 2.28% for the ten-year periods and 2.68% since its August 31, 2004 inception date. The expense ratio of the Institutional Class is 0.30%.

The average annual total returns for the Barclays 1-3 U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index as of March 31, 2018 are 0.24% for the one-year, 0.76% for the five-year and 1.56% for the ten-year periods and 2.29% since the fund’s inception.

Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. The fund’s current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. Investment results assume all distributions are reinvested and reflect applicable fees and expenses. For performance current to the most recent month-end, please visit bairdfunds.com.

The Barclays 1-3 U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index is an index consisting of Treasury or government agency securities and investment grade corporate debt securities with maturities of one to three years. Indices are unmanaged and are not available for direct investment.

The Fund may invest in mortgage- and asset-backed securities which may be subject to prepayment risk and thus may be more sensitive to interest rate changes than other types of debt securities. The Fund may also invest in U.S. dollar denominated securities issued by foreign issuers which involve additional risks including political and economic instability, differences in financial reporting standards and less regulated securities markets. While the U.S. government has historically provided financial support to various U.S. government-sponsored agencies, no assurance can be given that it will do so in the future if it is not obligated by law. A bond's market value may be affected significantly by changes in interest rates – generally, when interest rates rise, the bond's market value declines and when interest rates decline, its market value rises ("interest-rate risk"). Duration risk is the risk associated with the sensitivity of a bond's price to a one percent change in interest rates. Ratings are measured on a scale that ranges from AAA or Aaa (highest) to D or C (lowest). Investment grade investments are those rated from highest down to BBB- or Baa3

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the fund carefully before investing. This and other information is found in the prospectus and summary prospectus. For a prospectus or summary prospectus or for performance current to the most recent month-end, please visit www.bairdfunds.com contact Baird Funds directly at 800-444-9102 or contact your Baird Financial Advisor. Please read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing. The fund’s current performance may be lower or higher than this performance data.

For additional information, contact:
Jody Lowe
414-322-9311