#1 - Using Finance as a Force for Good (feat. John Taft, Vice Chairman @ Baird)

John Taft is Vice Chairman at Baird and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Prior to joining Baird, he served as CEO of RBC Wealth Management, a full-service brokerage firm with nearly 2,000 financial advisors and over $280 billion in assets, for more than 10 years (2005-2016). He is a past chairman of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), where he advocated for responsible financial reform. His book "Stewardship" is read by all of our students during the Leadership Development Program and covers the importance of core principles on a personal, professional, and societal level. Throughout this interview, Ross and John unpack the concept of stewardship and what everyone can do to use finance as a force for good. -- Segments from the episode: 00:00 - Intro 06:45 - John's book "Stewardship" 15:30 - What we can do to make finance a force for good 24:30 - The role of finance in making a positive impact 29:20 - Vehicles that generate value vs. those that extract value 39:30 - To what extent is the financial services industry extractive? 42:00 - Combating inequality and inequity through finance 53:00 - Advice for investors to maximize personal impact -- Join our mission at scholarsoffinance.org