PROSPECTUS & APPLICATION
FRANKLIN
CALIFORNIA TAX-FREE
INCOME FUND
INVESTMENT STRATEGY
TAX-FREEINCOME
AUGUST 1, 1998
Please read this prospectus before investing, and keep it for future reference.
It contains important information, including how the fund invests and the
services available to shareholders.
To learn more about the fund and its policies, you may request a copy of the
fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"), dated August 1, 1998, which
we may amend from time to time. We have filed the SAI with the SEC and have
incorporated it by reference into this prospectus.
For a free copy of the SAI or a larger print version of this prospectus, contact
your investment representative or call 1-800/DIAL BEN.
MUTUAL FUND SHARES ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED
BY, ANY BANK, AND ARE NOT FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE
CORPORATION, THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, OR ANY OTHER AGENCY OF THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT. MUTUAL FUND SHARES INVOLVE INVESTMENT RISKS, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE
LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.
LIKE ALL MUTUAL FUND SHARES, THE SEC HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE
SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION
TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFERING OF THE SECURITIES HEREIN DESCRIBED IN ANY
STATE, JURISDICTION OR COUNTRY IN WHICH THE OFFERING IS NOT AUTHORIZED. NO SALES
REPRESENTATIVE, DEALER, OR OTHER PERSON IS AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR
MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS. FURTHER
INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM DISTRIBUTORS.
FRANKLIN
CALIFORNIA
TAX-FREE
INCOME FUND
AUGUST 1, 1998
When reading this prospectus, you will see certain terms beginning with capital
letters. This means the term is explained in our glossary section.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THE FUND
Expense Summary .................................................. 2
Financial Highlights ............................................. 4
How Does the Fund Invest Its Assets? ............................. 6
What Are the Risks of Investing in the Fund? ..................... 10
Who Manages the Fund? ............................................ 11
How Taxation Affects the Fund and Its Shareholders ............... 13
How Is the Fund Organized? ....................................... 16
ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT
How Do I Buy Shares? ............................................. 17
May I Exchange Shares for Shares of Another Fund? ................ 24
How Do I Sell Shares? ............................................ 27
What Distributions Might I Receive From the Fund? ................ 29
Transaction Procedures and Special Requirements .................. 30
Services to Help You Manage Your Account ......................... 34
What If I Have Questions About My Account? ....................... 37
GLOSSARY
Useful Terms and Definitions ..................................... 37
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
P.O. Box 7777
San Mateo
CA 94403-7777
1-800/DIAL BEN(R)
ABOUT THE FUND
EXPENSE SUMMARY
This table is designed to help you understand the costs of investing in the
fund. It is based on the historical expenses of each class for the fiscal year
ended March 31, 1998. The fund's actual expenses may vary.
CLASS I CLASS II
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
A. SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES+
Maximum Sales Charge
(as a percentage of Offering Price) 4.25% 1.99%
Paid at time of purchase 4.25%++ 1.00%+++
Paid at redemption++++ None 0.99%
Exchange Fee (per transaction) $5.00* $5.00*
B. ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (AS A PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE NET ASSETS)
Management Fees 0.45% 0.45%
Rule 12b-1 Fees 0.07%** 0.65%**
Other Expenses 0.04% 0.04%
---------------------
Total Fund Operating Expenses 0.56% 1.14%
=====================
C. EXAMPLE
Assume the annual return for each class is 5%, operating expenses are as
described above, and you sell your shares after the number of years shown. These
are the projected expenses for each $1,000 that you invest in the fund.
1 YEAR 3 YEARS 5 YEARS 10 YEARS
- ----------------------------------------------
CLASS I $48*** $60 $72 $110
CLASS II $31 $46 $72 $147
For the same Class II investment, you would pay projected expenses of $22 if you
did not sell your shares at the end of the first year. Your projected expenses
for the remaining periods would be the same.
THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE. IT DOES NOT REPRESENT PAST OR FUTURE EXPENSES OR
RETURNS. ACTUAL EXPENSES AND RETURNS MAY BE MORE OR LESS THAN THOSE SHOWN.
The fund pays its operating expenses. The effects of these expenses are
reflected in the Net Asset Value or dividends of each class and are not
directly charged to your account.
+If your transaction is processed through your Securities Dealer, you may be
charged a fee by your Securities Dealer for this service.
++There is no front-end sales charge if you invest $1 million or more in Class I
shares.
+++Although Class II has a lower front-end sales charge than Class I, its Rule
12b-1 fees are higher. Over time you may pay more for Class II shares. Please
see "How Do I Buy Shares? - Choosing a Share Class."
++++A Contingent Deferred Sales Charge may apply to any Class II purchase if you
sell the shares within 18 months and to Class I purchases of $1 million or more
if you sell the shares within one year. The charge is 1% of the value of the
shares sold or the Net Asset Value at the time of purchase, whichever is less.
The number in the table shows the charge as a percentage of Offering Price.
While the percentage is different depending on whether the charge is shown based
on the Net Asset Value or the Offering Price, the dollar amount you would pay is
the same. See "How Do I Sell Shares? - Contingent Deferred Sales Charge" for
details.
*$5.00 fee is only for Market Timers. We process all other exchanges without a
fee.
**These fees may not exceed 0.10% for Class I and 0.65% for Class II. The
combination of front-end sales charges and Rule 12b-1 fees could cause long-term
shareholders to pay more than the economic equivalent of the maximum front-end
sales charge permitted under the NASD's rules.
***Assumes a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge will not apply.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
This table summarizes the fund's financial history. The information has been
audited by Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., the fund's independent auditors. Their
audit report covering each of the most recent five years appears in the fund's
Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998. The
Annual Report to Shareholders also includes more information about the fund's
performance. For a free copy, please call Fund Information.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
CLASS I
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
YEAR ENDED MARCH 31
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Per share operating performance
(for a share outstanding throughout the year)
Net asset value,
beginning of year $7.09 $7.18 $7.11 $7.12 $7.36 $7.07 $6.92 $6.89 $6.80 $6.73
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income from investment
operations:
Net investment income .42 .43 .44 .45 .46 .48 .49 .50 .51 .51
Net realized and unrealized
gains (losses) .27 (.04) .07 (.02) (.23) .29 .15 .04 .10 .08
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total from investment
operations .69 .39 .51 .43 .23 .77 .64 .54 .61 .59
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less distributions from:
Net investment income (.42) (.43) (.44) (.44) (.45) (.48) (.49) (.51) (.52) (.52)
Net realized gains (.01) (.05) -- -- (.02) -- -- --- -- --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total distributions (.43) (.48) (.44) (.44) (.47) (.48) (.49) (.51) (.52) (.52)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net asset value,
end of year $7.35 $7.09 $7.18 $7.11 $7.12 $7.36 $7.07 $6.92 $6.89 $6.80
====================================================================================================
Total return* 10.10% 5.67% 7.40% 6.37% 2.88% 10.95% 9.32% 7.76% 8.83% 8.67%
Ratios/supplemental data
Net assets, end
of year (millions) $14,767 $13,634 $13,313 $12,923 $13,345 $13,541 $12,304 $11,466 $10,525 $8,769
Ratio to average net assets:
Expenses .56% .56% .55% .55% .49% .49% .49% .48% .49% .49%
Net investment income 5.71% 6.07% 6.14% 6.36% 6.19% 6.61% 6.93% 7.22% 7.29% 7.53%
Portfolio turnover rate 17.29% 11.96% 19.24% 14.07% 18.12% 15.63% 16.13% 15.83% 11.09% 32.95%
</TABLE>
CLASS II
-----------------------------
YEAR ENDED MARCH 31
-----------------------------
1998 1997 1996+
-----------------------------
Per share operating performance
(for a share outstanding throughout the year)
Net asset value, beginning of year $7.09 $7.18 $7.09
-----------------------------
Income from investment operations:
Net investment income .38 .39 .38
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) .27 (.04) .08
-----------------------------
Total from investment operations .65 .35 .46
-----------------------------
Less distributions from:
Net investment income (.38) (.39) (.37)
Net realized gains (.01) (.05) --
-----------------------------
Total distributions (.39) (.44) (.37)
------------------------------
Net asset value, end of year $7.35 $7.09 $7.18
==============================
Total return* 9.49% 5.06% 6.62%
Ratios/supplemental data
Net assets, end of year (000's) $295,976 $138,509 $47,685
Ratio to average net assets:
Expenses 1.14% 1.14% 1.14%**
Net investment income 5.13% 5.47% 5.55%**
Portfolio turnover rate 17.29% 11.96% 19.24%
*Total return does not reflect sales commissions or the Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge, and is not annualized. Prior to May 1, 1994, dividends from net
investment income were reinvested at the Offering Price.
**Annualized.
+For the period May 1, 1995 (effective date) to March 31, 1996.
HOW DOES THE FUND INVEST ITS ASSETS?
A QUICK LOOK AT THE FUND
GOAL: High current tax-free income for California residents.
STRATEGY: Invests in investment grade municipal securities whose interest is
free from federal and California personal income taxes.
WHAT IS THE MANAGER'S APPROACH?
Advisers tries to select securities that it believes will provide the best
balance between risk and return within the fund's range of allowable
investments. Advisers considers a number of factors, including general market
and economic conditions and the credit quality of the issuer, when selecting
securities for the fund.
To provide tax-free income to shareholders, Advisers typically uses a buy and
hold strategy. This means it holds securities in the fund's portfolio for income
purposes, rather than trading securities for capital gains. Advisers may sell a
security at any time, however, when Advisers believes doing so could help the
fund meet its goals.
While income is the most important part of return over time, the total return
from a municipal security includes both income and price gains or losses. The
fund's focus on income does not mean it invests only in the highest-yielding
securities available, or that it can avoid losses of principal.
WHO MAY WANT TO INVEST?
The fund may be appropriate for investors in higher tax brackets who seek high
current income that is free from federal and California personal income taxes.
The value of the fund's investments and the income they generate will vary from
day to day, and generally reflect interest rates, market conditions, and other
federal and state political and economic news. When you sell your shares, they
may be worth more or less than what you paid for them. Please consider your
investment goals and tolerance for price fluctuations and risk when making your
investment decision.
THE FUND IN MORE DETAIL
WHAT IS THE FUND'S GOAL?
The investment goal of the fund is to provide investors with as high a level of
income exempt from federal income taxes as is consistent with prudent investing,
while seeking preservation of shareholders' capital. This goal is fundamental,
which means that it may not be changed without shareholder approval.
The fund also tries to provide a maximum level of income that is free from
California personal income taxes for California residents, although this policy
is not a fundamental investment goal of the fund.
WHAT KINDS OF SECURITIES DOES THE FUND BUY?
The fund tries to invest all of its assets in tax-free municipal securities,
including bonds, notes and commercial paper.
MUNICIPAL SECURITIES are issued by state and local governments, their agencies
and authorities, as well as by the District of Columbia and U.S. territories and
possessions, to borrow money for various public or private projects. The issuer
pays a fixed or variable rate of interest, and must repay the amount borrowed
(the "principal") at maturity.
Municipal securities help the fund meet its investment goal because they
generally pay interest free from federal income tax. Municipal securities issued
by California or its counties, municipalities, authorities, agencies, or other
subdivisions ("California municipal securities"), as well as municipal
securities issued by U.S. territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico, or the Mariana
Islands, also generally pay interest free from California personal income taxes
for California residents.
The fund normally invests:
o at least 80% of its total assets in securities that pay interest free from
regular federal income taxes (this policy is fundamental);
o at least 80% of its total assets in securities that pay interest free
from the federal alternative minimum tax;
o at least 65% of its total assets in securities that pay interest free from
California personal income taxes, although the fund tries to invest all of
its assets in these securities; and
o at least 65% of its total assets in California municipal securities.
While the fund tries to invest 100% of its assets in tax-free municipal
securities, it is possible, although not anticipated, that the fund may have up
to 20% of its assets in securities that pay taxable interest. If you are subject
to the federal alternative minimum tax, please keep in mind that the fund may
also have a portion of its assets in municipal securities that pay interest
subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.
QUALITY. All things being equal, the lower a security's credit quality, the
higher the risk and the higher the yield the security generally must pay as
compensation to investors for the higher risk.
A security's credit quality depends on the issuer's ability to pay interest on
the security and, ultimately, to repay the principal. Independent rating
agencies, such as Fitch, Moody's and S&P, often rate municipal securities based
on their opinion of the issuer's credit quality. Most rating agencies use a
descending alphabet scale to rate long-term securities, and a descending
numerical scale to rate short-term securities. For example, Fitch and S&P use
AAA, AA, A and BBB for their top four long-term ratings, while Moody's uses Aaa,
Aa, A and Baa. Securities in the top four ratings are "investment grade,"
although securities in the fourth highest rating may have some speculative
features. These ratings are described in more detail in the SAI.
An insurance company, bank or other foreign or domestic entity may provide
credit support for a municipal security and enhance its credit quality. For
example, some municipal securities are insured, which means they are covered by
an insurance policy that insures the timely payment of principal and interest.
Other municipal securities may be backed by letters of credit, guarantees, or
escrow or trust accounts that contain securities backed by the full faith and
credit of the U.S. government to secure the payment of principal and interest.
o The fund only buys investment grade securities or unrated securities that
Advisers believes are comparable.
MATURITY. Municipal securities are issued with a specific maturity date -- the
date when the issuer must repay the amount borrowed. Maturities typically range
from less than one year (short term) to 30 years (long term). In general,
securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to price changes, although
they may provide higher yields.
o The fund has no restrictions on the maturity of the securities it may buy or
on its average portfolio maturity.
VARIABLE AND FLOATING RATE SECURITIES have interest rates that change either at
specific intervals or whenever a benchmark rate changes. While this feature
helps to protect against a decline in the security's market price, it also
lowers the fund's income when interest rates fall. Of course, the fund's income
from its variable rate investments may also increase if interest rates rise.
o The fund may invest in investment grade variable and floating rate
securities.
MUNICIPAL LEASE OBLIGATIONS finance the purchase of public property. The
property is leased to the state or a local government, and the lease payments
are used to pay the interest on the obligations. Municipal lease obligations
differ from other municipal securities because the lessee's governing body must
set aside the money to make the lease payments each year. If the money is not
set aside, the issuer or the lessee can end the lease without penalty. If the
lease is cancelled, investors who own the municipal lease obligations may not be
paid.
o The fund may invest in municipal lease obligations without limit, if the
obligations meet the fund's quality and maturity standards.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FUND'S OTHER INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES?
TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS. When Advisers believes unusual or adverse economic,
market or other conditions exist, it may invest the fund's portfolio in a
temporary defensive manner. Under these circumstances, the fund may invest all
of its assets in securities that pay taxable interest, including (i) municipal
securities issued by a state or local government other than California, or by a
U.S. territory such as Guam, Puerto Rico or the Mariana Islands; (ii) high
quality commercial paper and obligations of U.S. banks (including commercial
banks and savings and loan associations) with assets of $1 billion or more; or
(iii) securities issued by or guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. government, including indirect U.S. government securities such as
mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the Government National
Mortgage Association or the Federal National Mortgage Association, and
repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities. To the
extent the fund's defensive investments are limited, an investment in the fund
may be more risky than an investment in a similar fund that has more flexibility
during defensive situations.
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED DELIVERY TRANSACTIONS are those where payment and
delivery for the security take place at a future date. Since the market price of
the security may fluctuate during the time before payment and delivery, the fund
assumes the risk that the value of the security at delivery may be more or less
than the purchase price.
DIVERSIFICATION. Diversification involves limiting the amount of money invested
in any one issuer or, on a broader scale, in any one state or type of project to
help spread and reduce the risks of investment. A fund can be either diversified
or non-diversified. A non-diversified fund may invest a greater portion of its
assets in the securities of one issuer than a diversified fund. Economic,
business, political or other changes can affect all securities of a similar
type. A non-diversified fund may be more sensitive to these changes.
o The fund is a diversified fund. The fund may, however, invest more than 25%
of its assets in municipal securities that finance similar types of projects,
such as hospitals, housing, industrial development, transportation or
pollution control.
OTHER POLICIES AND RESTRICTIONS. The fund has a number of additional investment
policies and restrictions that govern its activities. Those that are identified
as "fundamental" may only be changed with shareholder approval. The others may
be changed by the Board alone. For a list of these restrictions and more
information about the fund's investment policies, including those described
above, please see "How Does the Fund Invest Its Assets?" and "Investment
Restrictions" in the SAI.
Generally, the policies and restrictions discussed in this prospectus and in the
SAI apply when the fund makes an investment. In most cases, the fund is not
required to sell a security because circumstances change and the security no
longer meets one or more of the fund's policies or restrictions.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND?
Like all investments, an investment in the fund involves risks. The risks of the
fund are basically the same as those of other investments in municipal
securities of similar quality, although an investment in the fund may involve
more risk than an investment in a fund that does not focus on securities of a
single state. Because the fund holds many securities, it is likely to be less
risky than any one, or few, directly held municipal investments.
GENERAL RISK. There is no assurance that the fund will meet its investment goal.
The fund's share price, and the value of your investment, may change. Generally,
when the value of the fund's investments go down, so does the fund's share
price. Similarly, when the value of the fund's investments go up, so does the
fund's share price. Since the value of the fund's shares can go up or down, it
is possible to lose money by investing in the fund.
INTEREST RATE RISK is the risk that changes in interest rates can reduce the
value of a security. When interest rates rise, municipal security prices fall.
The opposite is also true: municipal security prices go up when interest rates
fall. To explain why this is so, assume you hold a municipal security offering a
5% yield. A year later, interest rates are on the rise and comparable securities
are offered with a 6% yield. With higher-yielding securities available, you
would have trouble selling your 5% security for the price you paid - causing you
to lower your asking price. On the other hand, if interest rates were falling
and 4% municipal securities were being offered, you would be able to sell your
5% security for more than you paid.
INCOME RISK is the risk that the fund's income will decrease due to falling
interest rates. Since the fund can only distribute what it earns, the fund's
distributions to its shareholders may decline when interest rates fall.
CREDIT RISK is the possibility that an issuer will be unable to make interest
payments or repay principal. Changes in an issuer's financial strength or in a
security's credit rating may affect its value. Even securities supported by
credit enhancements have the credit risk of the entity providing the credit
support. Credit support provided by a foreign entity may be less certain because
of the possibility of adverse foreign economic, political or legal developments
that may affect the ability of that foreign entity to meet its obligations.
Changes in the credit quality of the credit provider could affect the value of
the security and the fund's share price.
MARKET RISK is the risk that a security's value will be reduced by market
activity or the results of supply and demand. This is a basic risk associated
with all securities. When there are more sellers than buyers, prices tend to
fall. Likewise, when there are more buyers than sellers, prices tend to
increase.
CALL RISK is the likelihood that a security will be prepaid (or "called") before
maturity. An issuer is more likely to call its bonds when interest rates are
falling, because the issuer can issue new bonds with lower interest payments. If
a bond is called, the fund may have to replace it with a lower-yielding
security. At any time, the fund may have a large amount of its assets invested
in municipal securities subject to call risk, including escrow-secured or
defeased bonds. A call of some or all of these securities may lower the fund's
income and its distributions to shareholders.
CALIFORNIA RISKS. Since the fund invests heavily in California municipal
securities, events in California are likely to affect the fund's investments
and its performance. These events may include:
o economic or political policy changes;
o tax base erosion;
o state constitutional limits on tax increases;
o budget deficits and other financial difficulties; and
o changes in the ratings assigned to California's municipal issuers.
A negative change in any one of these or other areas could affect the ability of
California's municipal issuers to meet their obligations. In recent years,
certain issuers in California have experienced financial difficulties, such as
the 1994 bankruptcy of Orange County. It is important to remember that economic,
budget and other conditions within California are unpredictable and can change
at any time.
U.S. TERRITORIES RISKS. The fund may invest up to 35% of its assets in municipal
securities issued by U.S. territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico or the Mariana
Islands. As with California municipal securities, events in any of these
territories where the fund invests may affect the fund's investments and its
performance.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND'S RISKS. The fund's SAI also has information
about the fund's investment policies and their risks, including specific
information on California's economy and financial strength. Please see "How Does
the Fund Invest Its Assets?" and "What Are the Risks of Investing in the Fund?"
in the SAI.
WHO MANAGES THE FUND?
The Board. The Board oversees the management of the fund and elects its
officers. The officers are responsible for the fund's day-to-day operations. The
Board also monitors the fund to ensure no material conflicts exist among the
fund's classes of shares. While none is expected, the Board will act
appropriately to resolve any material conflict that may arise.
INVESTMENT MANAGER. Advisers manages the fund's assets and makes its investment
decisions. Advisers also performs similar services for other funds. It is wholly
owned by Resources, a publicly owned company engaged in the financial services
industry through its subsidiaries. Charles B. Johnson and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr.
are the principal shareholders of Resources. Together, Advisers and its
affiliates manage over $239 billion in assets, including $48 billion in the
municipal securities market. Please see "Investment Management and Other
Services" and "Miscellaneous Information" in the SAI for information on
securities transactions and a summary of the fund's Code of Ethics.
Management Team. The team responsible for the day-to-day management of the
fund's portfolio is: Mr. Kenny since 1987, Mr. Schroer since 1987, and Mr. Wiley
since 1991.
Thomas Kenny
Executive Vice President of Advisers
Mr. Kenny is the Director of Franklin's Municipal Bond Department. He holds a
Master of Science degree in Finance from Golden Gate University and a Bachelor
of Arts degree in Business and Economics from the University of California at
Santa Barbara. Mr. Kenny joined the Franklin Templeton Group in 1986. He is a
member of several securities industry-related committees and associations.
Bernard Schroer
Vice President of Advisers
Mr. Schroer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from Santa Clara
University. He has been with the Franklin Templeton Group since 1987. He is a
member of several securities industry-related committees and associations.
John Wiley
Portfolio Manager of Advisers
Mr. Wiley holds a Masters of Business Administration degree in Finance from
Saint Mary's College and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of
California at Berkeley. He joined the Franklin Templeton Group in 1989. He is a
member of several securities industry-related committees and associations.
MANAGEMENT FEES. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, management fees
totaling 0.45% of the average net assets of the fund were paid to Advisers.
Total expenses, including fees paid to Advisers, were 0.56% for Class I and
1.14% for Class II.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS. Advisers tries to obtain the best execution on all
transactions. If Advisers believes more than one broker or dealer can provide
the best execution, it may consider research and related services and the sale
of fund shares, as well as shares of other funds in the Franklin Templeton Group
of Funds, when selecting a broker or dealer. Please see "How Does the Fund Buy
Securities for Its Portfolio?" in the SAI for more information.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. Under an agreement with Advisers, FT Services provides
certain administrative services and facilities for the fund. During the fiscal
year ended March 31, 1998, administration fees totaling 0.08% of the average
daily net assets of the fund were paid to FT Services. These fees are paid by
Advisers. They are not a separate expense of the fund. Please see "Investment
Management and Other Services" in the SAI for more information.
THE RULE 12B-1 PLANS
Class I and Class II have separate distribution plans or "Rule 12b-1 Plans"
under which they may pay or reimburse Distributors or others for the expenses of
activities that are primarily intended to sell shares of the class. These
expenses may include, among others, distribution or service fees paid to
Securities Dealers or others who have executed a servicing agreement with the
fund, Distributors or its affiliates; a prorated portion of Distributors'
overhead expenses; and the expenses of printing prospectuses and reports used
for sales purposes, and preparing and distributing sales literature and
advertisements.
Payments by the fund under the Class I plan may not exceed 0.10% per year of
Class I's average daily net assets. All distribution expenses over this amount
will be borne by those who have incurred them. During the first year after
certain Class I purchases made without a sales charge, Securities Dealers may
not be eligible to receive the Rule 12b-1 fees associated with the purchase.
Under the Class II plan, the fund may pay Distributors up to 0.50% per year of
Class II's average daily net assets to pay Distributors or others for providing
distribution and related services and bearing certain Class II expenses. All
distribution expenses over this amount will be borne by those who have incurred
them. During the first year after a purchase of Class II shares, Securities
Dealers may not be eligible to receive this portion of the Rule 12b-1 fees
associated with the purchase.
The fund may also pay a servicing fee of up to 0.15% per year of Class II's
average daily net assets under the Class II plan. This fee may be used to pay
Securities Dealers or others for, among other things, helping to establish and
maintain customer accounts and records, helping with requests to buy and sell
shares, receiving and answering correspondence, monitoring dividend payments
from the fund on behalf of customers, and similar servicing and account
maintenance activities.
The Rule 12b-1 fees charged to each class are based only on the fees
attributable to that particular class. For more information, please see "The
Fund's Underwriter" in the SAI.
HOW TAXATION AFFECTS THE FUND AND ITS SHAREHOLDERS
ON AUGUST 5, 1997, PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNED INTO LAW THE TAXPAYER RELIEF ACT OF
1997 (THE "1997 ACT"). THIS NEW LAW MAKES SWEEPING CHANGES TO THE CODE. BECAUSE
MANY OF THESE CHANGES ARE COMPLEX, THEY ARE DISCUSSED IN THE SAI.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAXATION OF THE FUND'S INVESTMENTS. HOW DOES THE FUND EARN INCOME AND
The fund invests your money in the GAINS?
municipal and other securities
described in the section "How Does the The fund earns interest and other
Fund Invest Its Assets?" Special tax income (the fund's "income") on its
rules may apply when determining the investments. When the fund sells a
income and gains that the fund earns security for a price that is higher
on its investments. These rules may, than it paid, it has a gain. When the
in turn, affect the amount of fund sells a security for a price that
distributions that the fund pays to is lower than it paid, it has a loss.
you. These special tax rules are If the fund has held the security for
discussed in the SAI. more than one year, the gain or loss
will be a long-term capital gain or
TAXATION OF THE FUND. As a regulated loss. If the fund has held the
investment company, the fund generally security for one year or less, the
pays no federal income tax on the gain or loss will be a short-term
income and gains that it distributes capital gain or loss. The fund's gains
to you. and losses are netted together, and,
if the fund has a net gain (the fund's
"gains"), that gain will generally be
distributed to you.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAXATION OF SHAREHOLDERS WHAT IS A DISTRIBUTION?
DISTRIBUTIONS. Distributions made to As a shareholder, you will receive
you from interest income on municipal your share of the fund's income and
securities will be exempt from the gains on its investments. The fund's
regular federal income tax. interest income on municipal
Distributions made to you from other securities is paid to you as
income on temporary investments, exempt-interest dividends. The fund's
short-term capital gains, or ordinary ordinary income and short-term capital
income from the sale of market gains are paid to you as ordinary
discount bonds will be taxable to you dividends. The fund's long-term
as ordinary dividends, whether you capital gains are paid to you as
receive them in cash or in additional capital gain distributions. If the
shares. Distributions made to you from fund pays you an amount in excess of
interest on certain private activity its income and gains, this excess will
bonds, while still exempt from the generally be treated as a non-taxable
regular federal income tax, are a distribution. These amounts, taken
preference item when determining your together, are what we call the fund's
alternative minimum tax. The fund will distributions to you.
send you a statement in January of the
current year that reflects the amount
of exempt-interest dividends, ordinary
dividends, capital gain distributions,
interest income that is a tax preference
item under the alternative minimum tax
and non-taxable distributions you
received from the fund in the prior year.
This statement will include distributions
declared in December and paid to you in
January of the current year, but which
are taxable as if paid on December 31 of
the prior year. The IRS requires you to
report these amounts on your income tax
return for the prior year. The fund's
statement for the prior year will tell
you how much of your capital gain
distribution represents 28% rate gain.
The remainder of the capital gain
distribution represents 20% rate gain.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dividends-Received Deduction. It is anticipated that no portion of the fund's
distributions will qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REDEMPTIONS AND EXCHANGES. If you WHAT IS A REDEMPTION?
redeem your shares or if you exchange
your shares in the fund for shares in A redemption is a sale by you to the
another Franklin Templeton Fund, you fund of some or all of your shares in
will generally have a gain or loss the fund. The price per share you
that the IRS requires you to report on receive when you redeem fund shares
your income tax return. If you may be more or less than the price at
exchange fund shares held for 90 days which you purchased those shares. An
or less and pay no sales charge, or a exchange of shares in the fund for
reduced sales charge, for the new shares of another Franklin Templeton
shares, all or a portion of the sales Fund is treated as a redemption of
charge you paid on the purchase of the fund shares and then a purchase of
shares you exchanged is not included shares of the other fund. When you
in their cost for purposes of redeem or exchange your shares, you
computing gain or loss on the will generally have a gain or loss,
exchange. If you hold your shares for depending upon whether the amount you
six months or less, any loss you have receive for your shares is more or
will be disallowed to the extent of less than your cost or other basis in
any exempt-interest dividends paid on the shares. Please call Fund
your shares. Any such loss not Information for a free shareholder Tax
disallowed will be treated as a Information Handbook if you need more
long-term capital loss to the extent information on calculating the gain or
of any long-term capital gain loss on the redemption or exchange of
distributions paid on your shares. All your shares.
or a portion of any loss on the
redemption or exchange of your shares
will be disallowed by the IRS if you
buy other shares in the fund within
30 days before or after your redemption
or exchange.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CALIFORNIA STATE TAXES. Ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions that
you receive from the fund, and gains arising from redemptions or exchanges of
your fund shares, will generally be subject to state and local income tax.
Distributions paid from the interest earned on California municipal securities
will generally be exempt from California state personal income taxes. Dividends
paid from interest earned on qualifying U.S. territorial obligations (including
qualifying obligations of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam) will
also be exempt from California state personal income taxes. Investments in
municipal securities of other states generally do not qualify for tax-free
treatment. Dividends paid by the fund from interest earned on obligations exempt
from tax in California will generally be fully taxable to corporate shareholders
who are subject to the California franchise tax. The fund will provide you with
information at the end of each calendar year on the amounts of such dividends
that may qualify for exemption from reporting on your individual income tax
returns. You may wish to contact your tax advisor to determine the state and
local tax consequences of your investment in the fund.
SOCIAL SECURITY AND RAILROAD RETIREMENT BENEFITS. Exempt-interest dividends paid
to you, although exempt from the regular federal income tax, are includible in
the tax base for determining the taxable portion of your social security or
railroad retirement benefits. The IRS requires you to disclose these
exempt-interest dividends on your federal income tax return.
NON-U.S. INVESTORS. Ordinary dividends generally will be subject to U.S.
income tax withholding. Your home country may also tax ordinary dividends,
exempt-interest dividends, capital gain distributions and gains arising from
redemptions or exchanges of your fund shares. Fund shares held by the estate
of a non-U.S. investor may be subject to U.S. estate tax. You may wish to
contact your tax advisor to determine the U.S. and non-U.S. tax consequences
of your investment in the fund.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKUP WITHHOLDING. When you open an WHAT IS A BACKUP WITHHOLDING?
account, IRS regulations require that
you provide your taxpayer Backup withholding occurs when the
identification number ("TIN"), certify fund is required to withhold and pay
that it is correct, and certify that over to the IRS 31% of your
you are not subject to backup distributions and redemption proceeds.
withholding under IRS rules. If you You can avoid backup withholding by
fail to provide a correct TIN or the providing the fund with your TIN, and
proper tax certifications, the IRS by completing the tax certifications
requires the fund to withhold 31% of on your shareholder application that
all the distributions (including you were asked to sign when you opened
ordinary dividends and capital gain your account. However, if the IRS
distributions), and redemption instructs the fund to begin backup
proceeds paid to you. The fund is also withholding, it is required to do so
required to begin backup withholding even if you provided the fund with
on your account if the IRS instructs your TIN and these tax certifications,
the fund to do so. The fund reserves and backup withholding will remain in
the right not to open your account, place until the fund is instructed by
or, alternatively, to redeem your the IRS that it is no longer required.
shares at the current Net Asset Value,
less any taxes withheld, if you fail
to provide a correct TIN, fail to
provide the proper tax certifications,
or the IRS instructs the fund to begin
backup withholding on your account.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS TAX DISCUSSION IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY. PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS
SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL OR
FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND. FOR A MORE COMPLETE
DISCUSSION OF THESE RULES AND RELATED MATTERS, PLEASE SEE "ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ON DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES" IN THE SAI. THE TAX TREATMENT TO YOU OF
DIVIDENDS, CAPITAL GAIN DISTRIBUTIONS, INTEREST INCOME THAT IS A TAX PREFERENCE
ITEM AND INCOME TAXES WITHHELD IS ALSO DISCUSSED IN A FREE FRANKLIN TEMPLETON
TAX INFORMATION HANDBOOK, WHICH YOU MAY REQUEST BY CONTACTING FUND INFORMATION.
HOW IS THE FUND ORGANIZED?
The fund is a diversified, open-end management investment company, commonly
called a mutual fund. It was organized as a Maryland corporation on November 28,
1977, and is registered with the SEC. The fund offers two classes of shares:
Franklin California Tax-Free Income Fund - Class I and Franklin California
Tax-Free Income Fund - Class II. All shares outstanding before the offering of
Class II shares are considered Class I shares. Additional classes of shares may
be offered in the future.
Shares of each class represent proportionate interests in the assets of the fund
and have the same voting and other rights and preferences as any other class of
the fund for matters that affect the fund as a whole. For matters that only
affect one class, however, only shareholders of that class may vote. Each class
will vote separately on matters affecting only that class, or expressly required
to be voted on separately by state or federal law.
The fund has noncumulative voting rights. This gives holders of more than 50% of
the shares voting the ability to elect all of the members of the Board. If this
happens, holders of the remaining shares voting will not be able to elect anyone
to the Board.
The fund does not intend to hold annual shareholder meetings. It may hold
special meetings, however, for matters requiring shareholder approval. A meeting
may also be called by the Board in its discretion or when requested in writing
by shareholders holding at least 25% of the outstanding shares. In certain
circumstances, we are required to help you communicate with other shareholders
about the removal of a Board member.
ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT
HOW DO I BUY SHARES?
OPENING YOUR ACCOUNT
To open your account, please follow the steps below. This will help avoid any
delays in processing your request.
1. Read this prospectus carefully.
2. Determine how much you would like to invest. The fund's minimum investments
are:
o To open a regular account .............................. $1,000
o To open a custodial account for a minor
(an UGMA/UTMA account).................................. $ 100
o To open an account with an automatic
investment plan ........................................ $ 50
o To add to an account ................................... $ 50
We reserve the right to change the amount of these minimums from time to
time or to waive or lower these minimums for certain purchases. We also
reserve the right to refuse any order to buy shares.
3. Carefully complete and sign the enclosed shareholder application, including
the optional shareholder privileges section. By applying for privileges now,
you can avoid the delay and inconvenience of having to send an additional
application to add privileges later. PLEASE ALSO INDICATE WHICH CLASS OF
SHARES YOU WANT TO BUY. IF YOU DO NOT SPECIFY A CLASS, WE WILL AUTOMATICALLY
INVEST YOUR PURCHASE IN CLASS I SHARES. It is important that we receive a
signed application since we will not be able to process any redemptions from
your account until we receive your signed application.
4. Make your investment using the table below.
METHOD STEPS TO FOLLOW
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY MAIL For an initial investment:
Return the application to the fund with your check
made payable to the fund.
For additional investments:
Send a check made payable to the fund. Please include
your account number on the check.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY WIRE 1. Call Shareholder Services or, if that number is
busy, call 1-650/312-2000 collect, to receive a
wire control number and wire instructions. You
need a new wire control number every time you
wire money into your account. If you do not have
a currently effective wire control number, we
will return the money to the bank, and we will
not credit the purchase to your account.
2. For an initial investment you must also return your
signed shareholder application to the fund.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES: If we receive your call before 1:00
p.m. Pacific time and the bank receives the wired funds
and reports the receipt of wired funds to the fund by
3:00 p.m. Pacific time, we will credit the purchase to
your account that day. If we receive your call after
1:00 p.m. or the bank receives the wire after 3:00 p.m.,
we will credit the purchase to your account the
following business day.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THROUGH YOUR DEALER Call your investment representative
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHOOSING A SHARE CLASS
Each class has its own sales charge and expense structure, allowing you to
choose the class that best meets your situation. The class that may be best for
you depends on a number of factors, including the amount and length of time you
expect to invest. Generally, Class I shares may be more attractive for long-term
investors or investors who qualify to buy Class I shares at a reduced sales
charge. Your financial representative can help you decide.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLASS I CLASS II
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o Higher front-end sales charges than o Lower front-end sales charges than
Class II shares. There are several Class I
shares ways to reduce these charges,
as described below. There is no
front-end sales charge for purchases
of $1 million or more.*
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o Contingent Deferred Sales Charge on o Contingent Deferred Sales Charge on
purchases of $1 million or more sold purchases sold within 18 months
within one year
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o Lower annual expenses than Class II o Higher annual expenses than Class I
shares shares
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*If you are investing $1 million or more, it is generally more beneficial for
you to buy Class I shares because there is no front-end sales charge and the
annual expenses are lower. Therefore, ANY PURCHASE OF $1 MILLION OR MORE IS
AUTOMATICALLY INVESTED IN CLASS I SHARES. You may accumulate more than $1
million in Class II shares through purchases over time. If you plan to do this,
however, you should determine if it would be better for you to buy Class I
shares through a Letter of Intent.
PURCHASE PRICE OF FUND SHARES
For Class I shares, the sales charge you pay depends on the dollar amount you
invest, as shown in the table below. The sales charge for Class II shares is 1%
and, unlike Class I, does not vary based on the size of your purchase.
TOTAL SALES CHARGE AMOUNT PAID
AS A PERCENTAGE OF TO DEALER AS A
AMOUNT OF PURCHASE OFFERING NET AMOUNT PERCENTAGE OF
AT OFFERING PRICE PRICE INVESTED OFFERING PRICE
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLASS I
Under $100,000 4.25% 4.44% 4.00%
$100,000 but less than $250,000 3.50% 3.63% 3.25%
$250,000 but less than $500,000 2.75% 2.83% 2.50%
$500,000 but less than $1,000,000 2.15% 2.20% 2.00%
$1,000,000 or more* None None None
CLASS II
Under $1,000,000* 1.00% 1.01% 1.00%
*A Contingent Deferred Sales Charge of 1% may apply to Class I purchases of $1
million or more and any Class II purchase. Please see "How Do I Sell Shares? -
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge." Please also see "Other Payments to Securities
Dealers" below for a discussion of payments Distributors may make out of its own
resources to Securities Dealers for certain purchases. Purchases of Class II
shares are limited to purchases below $1 million.
Please see "Choosing a Share Class."
SALES CHARGE REDUCTIONS AND WAIVERS
- - IF YOU QUALIFY TO BUY SHARES UNDER ONE OF THE SALES CHARGE REDUCTION OR
WAIVER CATEGORIES DESCRIBED BELOW, PLEASE INCLUDE A WRITTEN STATEMENT WITH
EACH PURCHASE ORDER EXPLAINING WHICH PRIVILEGE APPLIES. If you don't include
this statement, we cannot guarantee that you will receive the sales charge
reduction or waiver.
CUMULATIVE QUANTITY DISCOUNTS - CLASS I ONLY. To determine if you may pay a
reduced sales charge, the amount of your current Class I purchase is added to
the cost or current value, whichever is higher, of your existing shares in the
Franklin Templeton Funds, as well as those of your spouse, children under the
age of 21 and grandchildren under the age of 21. If you are the sole owner of a
company, you may also add any company accounts, including retirement plan
accounts.
LETTER OF INTENT - CLASS I ONLY. You may buy Class I shares at a reduced sales
charge by completing the Letter of Intent section of the shareholder
application. A Letter of Intent is a commitment by you to invest a specified
dollar amount during a 13 month period. The amount you agree to invest
determines the sales charge you pay on Class I shares.
BY COMPLETING THE LETTER OF INTENT SECTION OF THE SHAREHOLDER APPLICATION, YOU
ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING:
o You authorize Distributors to reserve 5% of your total intended purchase in
Class I shares registered in your name until you fulfill your Letter.
o You give Distributors a security interest in the reserved shares and appoint
Distributors as attorney-in-fact.
o Distributors may sell any or all of the reserved shares to cover any
additional sales charge if you do not fulfill the terms of the Letter.
o Although you may exchange your shares, you may not sell reserved shares until
you complete the Letter or pay the higher sales charge.
Your periodic statements will include the reserved shares in the total shares
you own. We will pay or reinvest dividend and capital gain distributions on the
reserved shares as you direct.
If you would like more information about the Letter of Intent privilege, please
see "How Do I Buy, Sell and Exchange Shares? - Letter of Intent" in the SAI or
call Shareholder Services.
GROUP PURCHASES - CLASS I ONLY. If you are a member of a qualified group, you
may buy Class I shares at a reduced sales charge that applies to the group as a
whole. The sales charge is based on the combined dollar value of the group
members' existing investments, plus the amount of the current purchase.
A qualified group is one that:
o Was formed at least six months ago,
o Has a purpose other than buying fund shares at a discount,
o Has more than 10 members,
o Can arrange for meetings between our representatives and group members,
o Agrees to include Franklin Templeton Fund sales and other materials in
publications and mailings to its members at reduced or no cost to
Distributors,
o Agrees to arrange for payroll deduction or other bulk transmission of
investments to the fund, and
o Meets other uniform criteria that allow Distributors to achieve cost savings
in distributing shares.
SALES CHARGE WAIVERS. If one of the following sales charge waivers applies to
you or your purchase of fund shares, you may buy shares of the fund without a
front-end sales charge or a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge. All of the sales
charge waivers listed below apply to purchases of Class I shares only, except
for items 1 and 2 which also apply to Class II purchases.
Certain distributions, payments or redemption proceeds that you receive may be
used to buy shares of the fund without a sales charge if you reinvest them
within 365 days of their payment or redemption date. They include:
1. Dividend and capital gain distributions from any Franklin Templeton Fund.
The distributions generally must be reinvested in the same class of shares.
Certain exceptions apply, however, to Class II shareholders who chose to
reinvest their distributions in Class I shares of the fund before November
17, 1997, and to Advisor Class or Class Z shareholders of a Franklin
Templeton Fund who may reinvest their distributions in Class I shares of the
fund.
2. Redemption proceeds from the sale of shares of any Franklin Templeton Fund
if you originally paid a sales charge on the shares and you reinvest the
money in the same class of shares. This waiver does not apply to exchanges.
If you paid a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge when you redeemed your
shares from a Franklin Templeton Fund, a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge
will apply to your purchase of fund shares and a new Contingency Period
will begin. We will, however, credit your fund account with additional
shares based on the Contingent Deferred Sales Charge you paid and the
amount of redemption proceeds that you reinvest.
If you immediately placed your redemption proceeds in a Franklin Bank CD,
you may reinvest them as described above. The proceeds must be reinvested
within 365 days from the date the CD matures, including any rollover.
3. Dividend or capital gain distributions from a real estate investment trust
(REIT) sponsored or advised by Franklin Properties, Inc.
4. Annuity payments received under either an annuity option or from death
benefit proceeds, only if the annuity contract offers as an investment
option the Franklin Valuemark Funds or the Templeton Variable Products
Series Fund. You should contact your tax advisor for information on any
tax consequences that may apply.
5. Redemption proceeds from a repurchase of shares of Franklin Floating Rate
Trust, if the shares were continuously held for at least 12 months.
If you immediately placed your redemption proceeds in a Franklin Bank CD
or a Franklin Templeton money fund, you may reinvest them as described
above. The proceeds must be reinvested within 365 days from the date the
CD matures, including any rollover, or the date you redeem your money fund
shares.
6. Redemption proceeds from the sale of Class A shares of any of the
Templeton Global Strategy Funds if you are a qualified investor.
If you paid a contingent deferred sales charge when you redeemed your
Class A shares from a Templeton Global Strategy Fund, a Contingent
Deferred Sales Charge will apply to your purchase of fund shares and a new
Contingency Period will begin. We will, however, credit your fund account
with additional shares based on the contingent deferred sales charge you
paid and the amount of the redemption proceeds that you reinvest.
If you immediately placed your redemption proceeds in a Franklin Templeton
money fund, you may reinvest them as described above. The proceeds must be
reinvested within 365 days from the date they are redeemed from the money
fund.
Various individuals and institutions also may buy Class I shares without a
front-end sales charge or Contingent Deferred Sales Charge, including:
1. Trust companies and bank trust departments agreeing to invest in Franklin
Templeton Funds over a 13 month period at least $1 million of assets held
in a fiduciary, agency, advisory, custodial or similar capacity and over
which the trust companies and bank trust departments or other plan
fiduciaries or participants, in the case of certain retirement plans, have
full or shared investment discretion. We will accept orders for these
accounts by mail accompanied by a check or by telephone or other means of
electronic data transfer directly from the bank or trust company, with
payment by federal funds received by the close of business on the next
business day following the order.
2. An Eligible Governmental Authority. Please consult your legal and
investment advisors to determine if an investment in the fund is
permissible and suitable for you and the effect, if any, of payments by the
fund on arbitrage rebate calculations.
3. Broker-dealers, registered investment advisors or certified financial
planners who have entered into an agreement with Distributors for clients
participating in comprehensive fee programs. The minimum initial investment
is $250.
4. Qualified registered investment advisors who buy through a broker-dealer or
service agent who has entered into an agreement with Distributors
5. Registered Securities Dealers and their affiliates, for their investment
accounts only
6. Current employees of Securities Dealers and their affiliates and their
family members, as allowed by the internal policies of their employer
7. Officers, trustees, directors and full-time employees of the Franklin
Templeton Funds or the Franklin Templeton Group, and their family members,
consistent with our then-current policies. The minimum initial investment
is $100.
8. Investment companies exchanging shares or selling assets pursuant to a
merger, acquisition or exchange offer
9. Accounts managed by the Franklin Templeton Group
10. Certain unit investment trusts and their holders reinvesting distributions
from the trusts
OTHER PAYMENTS TO SECURITIES DEALERS
The payments described below may be made to Securities Dealers who initiate and
are responsible for Class II purchases and certain Class I purchases made
without a sales charge. The payments are subject to the sole discretion of
Distributors, and are paid by Distributors or one of its affiliates and not by
the fund or its shareholders.
1. Class II purchases - up to 1% of the purchase price.
2. Class I purchases of $1 million or more - up to 0.75% of the amount
invested.
3. Class I purchases by trust companies and bank trust departments, Eligible
Governmental Authorities, and broker-dealers or others on behalf of
clients participating in comprehensive fee programs - up to 0.25% of the
amount invested.
A Securities Dealer may receive only one of these payments for each qualifying
purchase. Securities Dealers who receive payments in connection with investments
described in paragraphs 1 or 2 above will be eligible to receive the Rule 12b-1
fee associated with the purchase starting in the thirteenth calendar month after
the purchase.
FOR BREAKPOINTS THAT MAY APPLY AND INFORMATION ON ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION
PAYABLE TO SECURITIES DEALERS IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE OF FUND SHARES, PLEASE
SEE "HOW DO I BUY, SELL AND EXCHANGE SHARES? - OTHER PAYMENTS TO SECURITIES
DEALERS" IN THE SAI.
FOR INVESTORS OUTSIDE THE U.S.
The distribution of this prospectus and the offering of fund shares may be
limited in many jurisdictions. An investor who wishes to buy shares of the fund
should determine, or have a broker-dealer determine, the applicable laws and
regulations of the relevant jurisdiction. Investors are responsible for
compliance with tax, currency exchange or other regulations applicable to
redemption and purchase transactions in any jurisdiction to which they may be
subject. Investors should consult appropriate tax and legal advisors to obtain
information on the rules applicable to these transactions.
MAY I EXCHANGE SHARES FOR SHARES OF ANOTHER FUND?
We offer a wide variety of funds. If you would like, you can move your
investment from your fund account to an existing or new account in another
Franklin Templeton Fund (an "exchange"). Because it is technically a sale and a
purchase of shares, an exchange is a taxable transaction.
If you own Class I shares, you may exchange into any of our money funds except
Franklin Templeton Money Fund II ("Money Fund II"). Money Fund II is the only
money fund exchange option available to Class II shareholders. Unlike our other
money funds, shares of Money Fund II may not be purchased directly and no drafts
(checks) may be written on Money Fund II accounts.
Before making an exchange, please read the prospectus of the fund you are
interested in. This will help you learn about the fund, its investment goal and
policies, and its rules and requirements for exchanges. For example, some
Franklin Templeton Funds do not accept exchanges and others may have different
investment minimums. Some Franklin Templeton Funds do not offer Class II shares.
METHOD STEPS TO FOLLOW
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY MAIL 1. Send us signed written instructions
2. Include any outstanding share certificates for the
shares you want to exchange
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY PHONE Call Shareholder Services or TeleFACTS(R)
- If you do not want the ability to exchange by phone
to apply to your account, please let us know.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THROUGH YOUR DEALER Call your investment representative
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please refer to "Transaction Procedures and Special Requirements" for other
important information on how to exchange shares.
WILL SALES CHARGES APPLY TO MY EXCHANGE?
You generally will not pay a front-end sales charge on exchanges. If you have
held your shares less than six months, however, you will pay the percentage
difference between the sales charge you previously paid and the applicable sales
charge of the new fund, if the difference is more than 0.25%. If you have never
paid a sales charge on your shares because, for example, they have always been
held in a money fund, you will pay the fund's applicable sales charge no matter
how long you have held your shares. These charges may not apply if you qualify
to buy shares without a sales charge.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE. We will not impose a Contingent Deferred Sales
Charge when you exchange shares. Any shares subject to a Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge at the time of exchange, however, will remain so in the new fund.
For accounts with shares subject to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge, we will
first exchange any shares in your account that are not subject to the charge. If
there are not enough of these to meet your exchange request, we will exchange
shares subject to the charge in the order they were purchased.
If you exchange Class I shares into one of our money funds, the time your shares
are held in that fund will not count towards the completion of any Contingency
Period. If you exchange your Class II shares for shares of Money Fund II,
however, the time your shares are held in that fund will count towards the
completion of any Contingency Period.
For more information about the Contingent Deferred Sales Charge, please see "How
Do I Sell Shares?"
EXCHANGE RESTRICTIONS
Please be aware that the following restrictions apply to exchanges:
o You must meet the applicable minimum investment amount of the fund you are
exchanging into, or exchange 100% of your fund shares.
o You may only exchange shares within the same class, except as noted below.
o The accounts must be identically registered. You may, however, exchange
shares from a fund account requiring two or more signatures into an
identically registered money fund account requiring only one signature for
all transactions. Please notify us in writing if you do not want this
option to be available on your account. Additional procedures may apply.
Please see "Transaction Procedures and Special Requirements."
o The fund you are exchanging into must be eligible for sale in your state.
o We may modify or discontinue our exchange policy if we give you 60 days'
written notice.
o Your exchange may be restricted or refused if you have: (i) requested an
exchange out of the fund within two weeks of an earlier exchange request,
(ii) exchanged shares out of the fund more than twice in a calendar
quarter, or (iii) exchanged shares equal to at least $5 million, or more
than 1% of the fund's net assets. Shares under common ownership or control
are combined for these limits. If you have exchanged shares as described in
this paragraph, you will be considered a Market Timer. Each exchange by a
Market Timer, if accepted, will be charged $5.00. Some of our funds do not
allow investments by Market Timers.
Because excessive trading can hurt fund performance, operations and
shareholders, we may refuse any exchange purchase if (i) we believe the fund
would be harmed or unable to invest effectively, or (ii) the fund receives or
anticipates simultaneous orders that may significantly affect the fund.
LIMITED EXCHANGES BETWEEN DIFFERENT CLASSES OF SHARES
Certain funds in the Franklin Templeton Funds offer classes of shares not
offered by the fund, such as "Advisor Class" or "Class Z" shares. Because the
fund does not currently offer an Advisor Class, you may exchange Advisor Class
shares of any Franklin Templeton Fund for Class I shares of the fund at Net
Asset Value. If you do so and you later decide you would like to exchange into a
fund that offers an Advisor Class, you may exchange your Class I shares for
Advisor Class shares of that fund. Certain shareholders of Class Z shares of
Franklin Mutual Series Fund Inc. may also exchange their Class Z shares for
Class I shares of the fund at Net Asset Value.
HOW DO I SELL SHARES?
You may sell (redeem) your shares at any time.
METHOD STEPS TO FOLLOW
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY MAIL 1. Send us signed written instructions. If you would like
your redemption proceeds wired to a bank account, your
instructions should include:
o The name, address and telephone number of the bank
where you want the proceeds sent
o Your bank account number
o The Federal Reserve ABA routing number
o If you are using a savings and loan or credit union,
the name of the corresponding bank and the account
number
2. Include any outstanding share certificates for the
shares you are selling
3. Provide a signature guarantee if required
4. Corporate, partnership and trust accounts may need to send
additional documents. Accounts under court jurisdiction
may have other requirements.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY PHONE Call Shareholder Services. If you would like your
redemption proceeds wired to a bank account, other than an
escrow account, you must first sign up for the wire
feature. To sign up, send us written instructions, with a
signature guarantee. To avoid any delay in processing, the
instructions should include the items listed in "By Mail"
above.
Telephone requests will be accepted:
o If the request is $50,000 or less. Institutional accounts
may exceed $50,000 by completing a separate agreement.
Call Institutional Services to receive a copy.
o If there are no share certificates issued for the shares you
want to sell or you have already returned them to the fund
o Unless the address on your account was changed by phone
within the last 15 days
- If you do not want the ability to redeem by phone to apply
to your account, please let us know.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THROUGH
YOUR DEALER Call your investment representative
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We will send your redemption check within seven days after we receive your
request in proper form. If you would like the check sent to an address other
than the address of record or made payable to someone other than the registered
owners on the account, send us written instructions signed by all account
owners, with a signature guarantee. We are not able to receive or pay out cash
in the form of currency.
The wiring of redemption proceeds is a special service that we make available
whenever possible for redemption requests of $1,000 or more. If we receive your
request in proper form before 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, your wire payment will be
sent the next business day. For requests received in proper form after 1:00 p.m.
Pacific time, the payment will be sent the second business day. By offering this
service to you, the fund is not bound to meet any redemption request in less
than the seven day period prescribed by law. Neither the fund nor its agents
shall be liable to you or any other person if, for any reason, a redemption
request by wire is not processed as described in this section.
If you sell shares you recently purchased with a check or draft, we may delay
sending you the proceeds until your check or draft has cleared, which may take
seven business days or more. A certified or cashier's check may clear in less
time.
Under unusual circumstances, we may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for
more than seven days as permitted by federal securities law.
Please refer to "Transaction Procedures and Special Requirements" for other
important information on how to sell shares.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE
For Class I purchases, if you did not pay a front-end sales charge because you
invested $1 million or more or agreed to invest $1 million or more under a
Letter of Intent, a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge may apply if you sell all
or a part of your investment within the Contingency Period. Once you have
invested $1 million or more, any additional Class I investments you make without
a sales charge may also be subject to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge if they
are sold within the Contingency Period. For any Class II purchase, a Contingent
Deferred Sales Charge may apply if you sell the shares within the Contingency
Period. The charge is 1% of the value of the shares sold or the Net Asset Value
at the time of purchase, whichever is less.
We will first redeem any shares in your account that are not subject to the
charge. If there are not enough of these to meet your request, we will redeem
shares subject to the charge in the order they were purchased.
Unless otherwise specified, when you request to sell a stated DOLLAR AMOUNT, we
will redeem additional shares to cover any Contingent Deferred Sales Charge. For
requests to sell a stated NUMBER OF SHARES, we will deduct the amount of the
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge, if any, from the sale proceeds.
WAIVERS. We waive the Contingent Deferred Sales Charge for:
o Account fees
o Redemptions by the fund when an account falls below the minimum required
account size
o Redemptions following the death of the shareholder or beneficial owner
o Redemptions through a systematic withdrawal plan set up before February 1,
1995
o Redemptions through a systematic withdrawal plan set up on or after February
1, 1995, at a rate of up to 1% a month of an account's Net Asset Value. For
example, if you maintain an annual balance of $1 million in Class I shares,
you can redeem up to $120,000 annually through a systematic withdrawal plan
free of charge. Likewise, if you maintain an annual balance of $10,000 in
Class II shares, $1,200 may be redeemed annually free of charge.
WHAT DISTRIBUTIONS MIGHT I RECEIVE FROM THE FUND?
The fund receives income generally in the form of interest and other income
derived from its investments. This income, less the expenses incurred in the
fund's operations, is its net investment income from which income dividends may
be distributed. Thus, the amount of dividends paid per share may vary with each
distribution.
The fund declares dividends from its net investment income monthly to
shareholders of record on the last business day of that month and pays them on
or about the 15th day of the next month.
Capital gains, if any, may be distributed twice a year, usually once in December
and once after the end of the fund's fiscal year.
Dividends and capital gains are calculated and distributed the same way for each
class. The amount of any income dividends per share will differ, however,
generally due to the difference in the Rule 12b-1 fees of Class I and Class II.
Dividend payments are not guaranteed, are subject to the Board's discretion and
may vary with each payment. THE FUND DOES NOT PAY "INTEREST" OR GUARANTEE ANY
FIXED RATE OF RETURN ON AN INVESTMENT IN ITS SHARES.
If you buy shares shortly before the record date, please keep in mind that any
distribution will lower the value of the fund's shares by the amount of the
distribution. If you buy shares just before the fund deducts a capital gain
distribution from its Net Asset Value, you will receive a portion of the price
you paid back in the form of a taxable distribution.
DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS
You may receive your distributions from the fund in any of these ways:
1. BUY ADDITIONAL SHARES OF THE FUND - You may buy additional shares of the fund
(without a sales charge or imposition of a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge) by
reinvesting capital gain distributions, or both dividend and capital gain
distributions. This is a convenient way to accumulate additional shares and
maintain or increase your earnings base.
2. BUY SHARES OF OTHER FRANKLIN TEMPLETON FUNDS - You may direct your
distributions to buy shares of another Franklin Templeton Fund (without a sales
charge or imposition of a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge). Many shareholders
find this a convenient way to diversify their investments.
3. RECEIVE DISTRIBUTIONS IN CASH - You may receive dividends, or both dividend
and capital gain distributions in cash. If you have the money sent to another
person or to a checking account, you may need a signature guarantee. If you send
the money to a checking account, please see "Electronic Fund Transfers - Class I
Only" under "Services to Help You Manage Your Account."
Distributions may be reinvested only in the same class of shares, except as
follows: (i) Class II shareholders who chose to reinvest their distributions in
Class I shares of the fund or another Franklin Templeton Fund before November
17, 1997, may continue to do so; and (ii) Class II shareholders may reinvest
their distributions in shares of any Franklin Templeton money fund.
TO SELECT ONE OF THESE OPTIONS, PLEASE COMPLETE SECTIONS 6 AND 7 OF THE
SHAREHOLDER APPLICATION INCLUDED WITH THIS PROSPECTUS OR TELL YOUR INVESTMENT
REPRESENTATIVE WHICH OPTION YOU PREFER. IF YOU DO NOT SELECT AN OPTION, WE WILL
AUTOMATICALLY REINVEST DIVIDEND AND CAPITAL GAIN DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE SAME CLASS
OF THE FUND. You may change your distribution option at any time by notifying us
by mail or phone. Please allow at least seven days before the record date for us
to process the new option.
TRANSACTION PROCEDURES AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
SHARE PRICE
When you buy shares, you pay the Offering Price. This is the Net Asset Value per
share of the class you wish to purchase, plus any applicable sales charges. When
you sell shares, you receive the Net Asset Value per share minus any applicable
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges.
The Net Asset Value we use when you buy or sell shares is the one next
calculated after we receive your transaction request in proper form. If you buy
or sell shares through your Securities Dealer, however, we will use the Net
Asset Value next calculated after your Securities Dealer receives your request,
which is promptly transmitted to the fund. Your redemption proceeds will not
earn interest between the time we receive the order from your dealer and the
time we receive any required documents.
HOW AND WHEN SHARES ARE PRICED
The fund is open for business each day the NYSE is open. We determine the Net
Asset Value per share of each class as of the close of the NYSE, normally 1:00
p.m. Pacific time. You can find the prior day's closing Net Asset Value and
Offering Price for each class in many newspapers.
The Net Asset Value of all outstanding shares of each class is calculated on a
pro rata basis. It is based on each class' proportionate participation in the
fund, determined by the value of the shares of each class. Each class, however,
bears the Rule 12b-1 fees payable under its Rule 12b-1 plan. To calculate Net
Asset Value per share of each class, the assets of each class are valued and
totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and the balance, called net assets, is
divided by the number of shares of the class outstanding. The fund's assets are
valued as described under "How Are Fund Shares Valued?" in the SAI.
WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS
Written instructions must be signed by all registered owners. To avoid any delay
in processing your transaction, they should include:
o Your name,
o The fund's name,
o The class of shares,
o A description of the request,
o For exchanges, the name of the fund you are exchanging into,
o Your account number,
o The dollar amount or number of shares, and
o A telephone number where we may reach you during the day, or in the evening
if preferred.
JOINT ACCOUNTS. For accounts with more than one registered owner, we accept
written instructions signed by only one owner for certain types of transactions
or account changes. These include transactions or account changes that you could
also make by phone, such as certain redemptions of $50,000 or less, exchanges
between identically registered accounts, and changes to the address of record.
For most other types of transactions or changes, written instructions must be
signed by all registered owners.
Please keep in mind that if you have previously told us that you do not want
telephone exchange or redemption privileges on your account, then we can only
accept written instructions to exchange or redeem shares if they are signed by
all registered owners on the account.
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES
For our mutual protection, we require a signature guarantee in the following
situations:
1) You wish to sell over $50,000 worth of shares,
2) You want the proceeds to be paid to someone other than the registered owners,
3) The proceeds are not being sent to the address of record, preauthorized bank
account, or preauthorized brokerage firm account,
4) We receive instructions from an agent, not the registered owners,
5) We believe a signature guarantee would protect us against potential claims
based on the instructions received.
A signature guarantee verifies the authenticity of your signature. You should be
able to obtain a signature guarantee from a bank, broker, credit union, savings
association, clearing agency, or securities exchange or association.
A NOTARIZED SIGNATURE IS NOT SUFFICIENT.
SHARE CERTIFICATES
We will credit your shares to your fund account. We do not issue share
certificates unless you specifically request them. This eliminates the costly
problem of replacing lost, stolen or destroyed certificates. If a certificate is
lost, stolen or destroyed, you may have to pay an insurance premium of up to 2%
of the value of the certificate to replace it.
Any outstanding share certificates must be returned to the fund if you want to
sell or exchange those shares or if you would like to start a systematic
withdrawal plan. The certificates should be properly endorsed. You can do this
either by signing the back of the certificate or by completing a share
assignment form. For your protection, you may prefer to complete a share
assignment form and to send the certificate and assignment form in separate
envelopes.
TELEPHONE TRANSACTIONS
You may initiate many transactions and changes to your account by phone. Please
refer to the sections of this prospectus that discuss the transaction you would
like to make or call Shareholder Services.
When you call, we will request personal or other identifying information to
confirm that instructions are genuine. We may also record calls. If our lines
are busy or you are otherwise unable to reach us by phone, you may wish to ask
your investment representative for assistance or send us written instructions,
as described elsewhere in this prospectus.
For your protection, we may delay a transaction or not implement one if we are
not reasonably satisfied that the instructions are genuine. If this occurs, we
will not be liable for any loss. We also will not be liable for any loss if we
follow instructions by phone that we reasonably believe are genuine or if you
are unable to execute a transaction by phone.
ACCOUNT REGISTRATIONS AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
When you open an account, we need you to tell us how you want your shares
registered. How you register your account will affect your ownership rights and
ability to make certain transactions. If you have questions about how to
register your account, you should consult your investment representative or
legal advisor. Please keep the following information in mind when registering
your account.
JOINT OWNERSHIP. If you open an account with two or more owners, we register the
account as "joint tenants with rights of survivorship" unless you tell us
otherwise. An account registered as "joint tenants with rights of survivorship"
is shown as "Jt Ten" on your account statement. For any account with two or more
owners, we cannot accept instructions to change owners on the account unless all
owners agree in writing, even if the law in your state says otherwise. If you
would like another person or owner to sign for you, please send us a current
power of attorney.
GIFTS AND TRANSFERS TO MINORS. You may set up a custodial account for a minor
under your state's Uniform Gifts/Transfers to Minors Act. Other than this form
of registration, a minor may not be named as an account owner.
TRUSTS. You should register your account as a trust only if you have a valid
written trust document. This avoids future disputes or possible court action
over who owns the account.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. For corporate, partnership and trust accounts, please send
us the following documents when you open your account. This will help avoid
delays in processing your transactions while we verify who may sign on the
account.
TYPE OF ACCOUNT DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CORPORATION Corporate Resolution
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARTNERSHIP 1. The pages from the partnership agreement that
identify the general partners, or
2. A certification for a partnership agreement
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRUST 1. The pages from the trust document that identify
the trustees, or
2. A certification for trust
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STREET OR NOMINEE ACCOUNTS. If you have fund shares held in a "street" or
"nominee" name account with your Securities Dealer, you may transfer the shares
to the street or nominee name account of another Securities Dealer. Both dealers
must have an agreement with Distributors or we cannot process the transfer.
Contact your Securities Dealer to initiate the transfer. We will process the
transfer after we receive authorization in proper form from your delivering
Securities Dealer. Accounts may be transferred electronically through the NSCC.
For accounts registered in street or nominee name, we may take instructions
directly from the Securities Dealer or your nominee.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION IF YOU HAVE AN INVESTMENT REPRESENTATIVE
If there is a Securities Dealer or other representative of record on your
account, we are authorized: (1) to provide confirmations, account statements and
other information about your account directly to your dealer and/or
representative; and (2) to accept telephone and electronic instructions directly
from your dealer or representative, including instructions to exchange or redeem
your shares. Electronic instructions may be processed through established
electronic trading systems and programs used by the fund. Telephone instructions
directly from your representative will be accepted unless you have told us that
you do not want telephone privileges to apply to your account.
KEEPING YOUR ACCOUNT OPEN
Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining a small account, we may close
your account if the value of your shares is less than $250, or less than $50 for
employee accounts and custodial accounts for minors. We will only do this if the
value of your account fell below this amount because you voluntarily sold your
shares and your account has been inactive (except for the reinvestment of
distributions) for at least six months. Before we close your account, we will
notify you and give you 30 days to increase the value of your account to $1,000,
or $100 for employee accounts and custodial accounts for minors. These minimums
do not apply to accounts managed by the Franklin Templeton Group.
SERVICES TO HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT
AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN
Our automatic investment plan offers a convenient way to invest in the fund.
Under the plan, you can have money transferred automatically from your checking
account to the fund each month to buy additional shares. If you are interested
in this program, please refer to the automatic investment plan application
included with this prospectus or contact your investment representative. The
market value of the fund's shares may fluctuate and a systematic investment plan
such as this will not assure a profit or protect against a loss. You may
discontinue the program at any time by notifying Investor Services by mail or
phone.
AUTOMATIC PAYROLL DEDUCTION - CLASS I ONLY
You may have money transferred from your paycheck to the fund to buy additional
Class I shares. Your investments will continue automatically until you instruct
the fund and your employer to discontinue the plan. To process your investment,
we must receive both the check and payroll deduction information in required
form. Due to different procedures used by employers to handle payroll
deductions, there may be a delay between the time of the payroll deduction and
the time we receive the money.
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN
Our systematic withdrawal plan allows you to sell your shares and receive
regular payments from your account on a monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual
basis. The value of your account must be at least $5,000 and the minimum payment
amount for each withdrawal must be at least $50.
If you would like to establish a systematic withdrawal plan, please complete the
systematic withdrawal plan section of the shareholder application included with
this prospectus and indicate how you would like to receive your payments. You
may choose to direct your payments to buy the same class of shares of another
Franklin Templeton Fund or have the money sent directly to you, to another
person, or to a checking account. If you choose to have the money sent to a
checking account, please see "Electronic Fund Transfers Class I Only" below.
Once your plan is established, any distributions paid by the fund will be
automatically reinvested in your account.
You will generally receive your payment by the end of the month in which a
payment is scheduled. When you sell your shares under a systematic withdrawal
plan, it is a taxable transaction.
To avoid paying sales charges on money you plan to withdraw within a short
period of time, you may not want to set up a systematic withdrawal plan if you
plan to buy shares on a regular basis. Shares sold under the plan may also be
subject to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge. Please see "Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge" under "How Do I Sell Shares?"
You may discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan, change the amount and schedule
of withdrawal payments, or suspend one payment by notifying us by mail or by
phone at least seven business days before the end of the month preceding a
scheduled payment. Please see "How Do I Buy, Sell and Exchange Shares? -
Systematic Withdrawal Plan" in the SAI for more information.
ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFERS - CLASS I ONLY
You may choose to have dividend and capital gain distributions from Class I
shares of the fund or payments under a systematic withdrawal plan sent directly
to a checking account. If the checking account is with a bank that is a member
of the Automated Clearing House, the payments may be made automatically by
electronic funds transfer. If you choose this option, please allow at least
fifteen days for initial processing. We will send any payments made during that
time to the address of record on your account.
TELEFACTS(R)
From a touch-tone phone, you may call our TeleFACTS(R) system (day or night) at
1-800/247-1753 to:
o obtain information about your account;
o obtain price and performance information about any Franklin Templeton Fund;
o exchange shares (within the same class) between identically registered
Franklin Templeton Class I and Class II accounts; and
o request duplicate statements and deposit slips for Franklin Templeton
accounts.
You will need the code number for each class to use TeleFACTS(R). The code
number is 112 for Class I and 212 for Class II.
STATEMENTS AND REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
We will send you the following statements and reports on a regular basis:
o Confirmation and account statements reflecting transactions in your account,
including additional purchases and dividend reinvestments. PLEASE VERIFY THE
ACCURACY OF YOUR STATEMENTS WHEN YOU RECEIVE THEM.
o Financial reports of the fund will be sent every six months. To reduce fund
expenses, we attempt to identify related shareholders within a household and
send only one copy of a report. Call Fund Information if you would like an
additional free copy of the fund's financial reports.
INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTS
Additional methods of buying, selling or exchanging shares of the fund may be
available to institutional accounts. Institutional investors may also be
required to complete an institutional account application. For more information,
call Institutional Services.
AVAILABILITY OF THESE SERVICES
The services above are available to most shareholders. If, however, your shares
are held by a financial institution, in a street name account, or networked
through the NSCC, the fund may not be able to offer these services directly to
you. Please contact your investment representative.
WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY ACCOUNT?
If you have any questions about your account, you may write to Investor Services
at 777 Mariners Island Blvd., P.O. Box 7777, San Mateo, California 94403-7777.
The fund, Distributors and Advisers are also located at this address. You may
also contact us by phone at one of the numbers listed below.
HOURS OF OPERATION (PACIFIC TIME)
DEPARTMENT NAME TELEPHONE NO. (MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shareholder Services 1-800/632-2301 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Dealer Services 1-800/524-4040 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Fund Information 1-800/DIAL BEN 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(1-800/342-5236) 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Saturday)
Retirement Plan Services 1-800/527-2020 5:30 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.
Institutional Services 1-800/321-8563 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
TDD (hearing impaired) 1-800/851-0637 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Your phone call may be monitored or recorded to ensure we provide you with high
quality service. You will hear a regular beeping tone if your call is being
recorded.
GLOSSARY
USEFUL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
ADVISERS - Franklin Advisers, Inc., the fund's investment manager
BOARD - The Board of Directors of the fund
CD - Certificate of deposit
CLASS I AND CLASS II - The fund offers two classes of shares, designated "Class
I" and "Class II." The two classes have proportionate interests in the fund's
portfolio. They differ, however, primarily in their sales charge structures and
Rule 12b-1 plans.
CODE - Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
CONTINGENCY PERIOD - For Class I shares, the 12 month period during which a
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge may apply. For Class II shares, the contingency
period is 18 months. The holding period for Class I begins on the first day of
the month in which you buy shares. Regardless of when during the month you buy
Class I shares, they will age one month on the last day of that month and each
following month. The holding period for Class II begins on the day you buy your
shares. For example, if you buy Class II shares on the 18th of the month, they
will age one month on the 18th day of the next month and each following month.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE (CDSC) - A sales charge of 1% that may apply if
you sell your shares within the Contingency Period.
DISTRIBUTORS - Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc., the fund's principal
underwriter. The SAI lists the officers and Board members who are affiliated
with Distributors. See "Officers and Directors."
ELIGIBLE GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY - Any state or local government or any
instrumentality, department, authority or agency thereof that has determined the
fund is a legally permissible investment and that can only buy shares of the
fund without paying sales charges.
FITCH - Fitch Investors Service, Inc.
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON FUNDS - The U.S. registered mutual funds in the Franklin
Group of Funds(R) and the Templeton Group of Funds except Franklin Valuemark
Funds, Templeton Capital Accumulator Fund, Inc., and Templeton Variable
Products Series Fund
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP - Franklin Resources, Inc., a publicly owned holding
company, and its various subsidiaries
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP OF FUNDS - All U.S. registered investment companies
in the Franklin Group of Funds(R) and the Templeton Group of Funds
FT SERVICES - Franklin Templeton Services, Inc., the fund's administrator
INVESTOR SERVICES - Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc., the fund's
shareholder servicing and transfer agent
IRS - Internal Revenue Service
LETTER - Letter of Intent
MARKET TIMERS - Market Timers generally include market timing or asset
allocation services, accounts administered so as to buy, sell or exchange shares
based on predetermined market indicators, or any person or group whose
transactions seem to follow a timing pattern or whose transactions include
frequent or large exchanges.
MOODY'S - Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
NASD - National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
NET ASSET VALUE (NAV) - The value of a mutual fund is determined by deducting
the fund's liabilities from the total assets of the portfolio. The net asset
value per share is determined by dividing the net asset value of the fund by the
number of shares outstanding.
NSCC - National Securities Clearing Corporation
NYSE - New York Stock Exchange
OFFERING PRICE - The public offering price is based on the Net Asset Value per
share of the class and includes the front-end sales charge. The maximum
front-end sales charge is 4.25% for Class I and 1% for Class II. We calculate
the offering price to two decimal places using standard rounding criteria.
RESOURCES - Franklin Resources, Inc.
SAI - Statement of Additional Information
S&P - Standard & Poor's Corporation
SEC - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
SECURITIES DEALER - A financial institution that, either directly or through
affiliates, has an agreement with Distributors to handle customer orders and
accounts with the fund. This reference is for convenience only and does not
indicate a legal conclusion of capacity.
TELEFACTS(R) - Franklin Templeton's automated customer servicing system
WE/OUR/US - Unless the context indicates a different meaning, these terms refer
to the fund and/or Investor Services, Distributors, or other wholly owned
subsidiaries of Resources.
FRANKLIN
CALIFORNIA TAX-FREE
INCOME FUND
STATEMENT OF
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AUGUST 1, 1998
777 MARINERS ISLAND BLVD., P.O. BOX 7777
SAN MATEO, CA 94403-7777 1-800/DIAL BEN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How Does the Fund Invest Its Assets? ....................... 2
What Are the Risks of Investing
in the Fund? .............................................. 5
Investment Restrictions .................................... 6
Officers and Directors ..................................... 7
Investment Management
and Other Services ........................................ 10
How Does the Fund Buy
Securities for Its Portfolio? ............................. 11
How Do I Buy, Sell and Exchange Shares? .................... 12
How Are Fund Shares Valued? ................................ 15
Additional Information on
Distributions and Taxes ................................... 15
The Fund's Underwriter ..................................... 18
How Does the Fund
Measure Performance? ...................................... 20
Miscellaneous Information .................................. 23
Financial Statements ....................................... 24
Useful Terms and Definitions ............................... 24
Appendix ................................................... 25
Description of Ratings .................................... 25
The fund is a diversified, open-end management investment company. The
Prospectus, dated August 1, 1998, which we may amend from time to time, contains
the basic information you should know before investing in the fund.
For a free copy, call 1-800/DIAL BEN.
THIS SAI IS NOT A PROSPECTUS. IT CONTAINS INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO AND IN MORE
DETAIL THAN SET FORTH IN THE PROSPECTUS. THIS SAI IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE YOU
WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS OF THE FUND,
AND SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PROSPECTUS.
When reading this SAI, you will see certain terms beginning with capital
letters. This means the term is explained under "Useful Terms and Definitions."
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MUTUAL FUNDS, ANNUITIES, AND OTHER INVESTMENT PRODUCTS:
o ARE NOT FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE
FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, OR ANY OTHER AGENCY OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT;
o ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED BY, ANY BANK;
o ARE SUBJECT TO INVESTMENT RISKS, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW DOES THE FUND INVEST ITS ASSETS?
WHAT IS THE FUND'S GOAL?
The investment goal of the fund is to provide investors with as high a level of
income exempt from federal income taxes as is consistent with prudent investing,
while seeking preservation of shareholders' capital. This goal is fundamental,
which means that it may not be changed without shareholder approval.
The fund also tries to provide a maximum level of income that is free from
California personal income taxes for California residents, although this policy
is not a fundamental investment goal of the fund.
The following gives more detailed information about the fund's investment
policies and the types of securities that it may buy. Please read this
information together with the section "How Does the Fund Invest Its Assets?" in
the Prospectus.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE
KINDS OF SECURITIES THE FUND BUYS
The fund tries to achieve its investment goal by attempting to invest all of its
assets in tax-free municipal securities. The issuer's bond counsel generally
gives the issuer an opinion on the tax-exempt status of a municipal security
when the security is issued.
Below is a description of various types of municipal and other securities that
the fund may buy. Other types of municipal securities may become available that
are similar to those described below and in which the fund may also invest, if
consistent with its investment goal and policies.
TAX ANTICIPATION NOTES are issued to finance short-term working capital needs of
municipalities in anticipation of various seasonal tax revenues, which will be
used to pay the notes. They are usually general obligations of the issuer,
secured by the taxing power for the payment of principal and interest.
REVENUE ANTICIPATION NOTES are similar to tax anticipation notes except they are
issued in expectation of the receipt of other kinds of revenue, such as federal
revenues available under the Federal Revenue Sharing Program.
BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES are normally issued to provide interim financing until
long-term financing can be arranged. Proceeds from long-term bond issues then
provide the money for the repayment of the notes.
CONSTRUCTION LOAN NOTES are issued to provide construction financing for
specific projects. After successful completion and acceptance, many projects
receive permanent financing through the Federal Housing Administration under the
Federal National Mortgage Association or the Government National Mortgage
Association.
TAX-EXEMPT COMMERCIAL PAPER typically represents a short-term obligation (270
days or less) issued by a municipality to meet working capital needs.
MUNICIPAL BONDS meet longer-term capital needs and generally have maturities
from one to 30 years when issued. They have two principal classifications:
general obligation bonds and revenue bonds.
GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS. Issuers of general obligation bonds include states,
counties, cities, towns and regional districts. The proceeds of these
obligations are used to fund a wide range of public projects, including
construction or improvement of schools, highways and roads. The basic security
behind general obligation bonds is the issuer's pledge of its full faith, credit
and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. The taxes that can
be levied for the payment of debt service may be limited or unlimited as to the
rate or amount of special assessments.
REVENUE BONDS. The full faith, credit and taxing power of the issuer do not
secure revenue bonds. Instead, the principal security for a revenue bond is
generally the net revenue derived from a particular facility, group of
facilities, or, in some cases, the proceeds of a special excise tax or other
specific revenue source. Revenue bonds are issued to finance a wide variety of
capital projects, including: electric, gas, water and sewer systems; highways,
bridges and tunnels; port and airport facilities; colleges and universities; and
hospitals. The principal security behind these bonds may vary. For example,
housing finance authorities have a wide range of security, including partially
or fully insured mortgages, rent subsidized and/or collateralized mortgages,
and/or the net revenues from housing or other public projects. Many bonds
provide additional security in the form of a debt service reserve fund that may
be used to make principal and interest payments. Some authorities have further
security in the form of state assurances (although without obligation) to make
up deficiencies in the debt service reserve fund.
TAX-EXEMPT INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT REVENUE BONDS are issued by or on behalf of
public authorities to finance various privately operated facilities for
business, manufacturing, housing, sports and pollution control, as well as
public facilities such as airports, mass transit systems, ports and parking. The
payment of principal and interest is solely dependent on the ability of the
facility's user to meet its financial obligations and the pledge, if any, of the
facility or other property as security for payment.
VARIABLE OR FLOATING RATE SECURITIES. The fund may invest in variable or
floating rate securities, including variable rate demand notes, which have
interest rates that change either at specific intervals (variable rate), from
daily up to monthly, or whenever a benchmark rate changes (floating rate). The
interest rate adjustments are designed to help stabilize the security's price.
Variable or floating rate securities may include a demand feature, which may be
unconditional. The demand feature allows the holder to demand prepayment of the
principal amount before maturity, generally on no more than 30 days' notice. The
holder receives the principal amount plus any accrued interest either from the
issuer or by drawing on a bank letter of credit, a guarantee or insurance issued
with respect to the security.
MUNICIPAL LEASE OBLIGATIONS. The fund may invest in municipal lease obligations,
including certificates of participation. The Board reviews the fund's municipal
lease obligations to assure that they are liquid investments based on various
factors reviewed by Advisers and monitored by the Board. These factors include
(a) the credit quality of the obligations and the extent to which they are rated
or, if unrated, comply with existing criteria and procedures followed to ensure
that they are comparable in quality to the ratings required for the fund to
invest, including an assessment of the likelihood of the lease being canceled,
taking into account how essential the leased property is and the term of the
lease compared to the useful life of the leased property; (b) the size of the
municipal securities market, both in general and with respect to municipal lease
obligations; and (c) the extent to which the type of municipal lease obligations
held by the fund trade on the same basis and with the same degree of dealer
participation as other municipal securities of comparable credit rating or
quality.
Since annual appropriations are required to make lease payments, municipal lease
obligations generally are not subject to constitutional limitations on the
issuance of debt and may allow an issuer to increase government liabilities
beyond constitutional debt limits. When faced with increasingly tight budgets,
local governments have more discretion to curtail lease payments under a
municipal lease obligation than they do to curtail payments on other municipal
securities. If not enough money is appropriated to make the lease payments, the
leased property may be repossessed as security for holders of the municipal
lease obligations. If this happens, there is no assurance that the property's
private sector or re-leasing value will be enough to make all outstanding
payments on the municipal lease obligations or that the payments will continue
to be tax-free.
While cancellation risk is inherent to municipal lease obligations, the fund
believes that this risk may be reduced, although not eliminated, by its policies
on the quality of securities in which it may invest. Keeping in mind that the
fund can invest in municipal lease obligations without percentage limits, as of
March 31, 1998, the fund held 13.36% of its net assets in municipal lease
obligations.
MELLO-ROOS BONDS are issued under the California Mello-Roos Community Facilities
Act to finance the building of roads, sewage treatment plants and other projects
designed to improve the infrastructure of a community. They are not rated and
are not considered obligations of the municipality.
Mello-Roos bonds are primarily secured by real estate taxes levied on property
located in the community. The timely payment of principal and interest on the
bonds depends on the developer's or other property owner's ability to pay the
real estate taxes. This ability could be negatively affected by a declining
economy or real estate market in California. While the fund may invest in
Mello-Roos bonds without limit, as of March 31, 1998, the fund held 2.90% of its
net assets in Mello-Roos bonds.
CALLABLE BONDS. The fund may invest in callable bonds, which allow the issuer to
repay some or all of the bonds ahead of schedule. If a bond is called, the fund
will receive the principal amount, the accrued interest, and a small additional
payment as a call premium. Advisers may sell a callable bond before its call
date, if it believes the bond is at its maximum premium potential.
An issuer is more likely to call its bonds when interest rates are falling,
because the issuer can issue new bonds with lower interest payments. If a bond
is called, the fund may have to replace it with a lower-yielding security. If
the fund originally paid a premium for the bond because it had appreciated in
value from its original issue price, the fund also may not be able to recover
the full amount it paid for the bond. One way for the fund to protect itself
from call risk is to buy bonds with call protection. Call protection is an
assurance that the bond will not be called for a specific time period, typically
five to 10 years from when the bond is issued.
When pricing callable bonds, each bond is marked-to-market daily based on the
bond's call date. Thus, the call of some or all of the fund's callable bonds may
impact the fund's Net Asset Value. Based on a number of factors, including
certain portfolio management strategies used by Advisers, the fund believes it
has reduced the risk of an adverse impact on its Net Asset Value from calls of
callable bonds. In light of the fund's pricing policies and certain amortization
procedures required by the IRS, the fund does not expect to suffer any material
adverse impact related to the value at which it has carried the bonds in
connection with calls of bonds purchased at a premium. As with any investment
strategy, however, there is no guarantee that a call may not have a more
substantial impact than anticipated.
ESCROW-SECURED OR DEFEASED BONDS are created when an issuer refunds, before
maturity, an outstanding bond issue that is not immediately callable (or
pre-refunds), and sets aside funds for redemption of the bonds at a future date.
The issuer uses the proceeds from a new bond issue to buy high grade, interest
bearing debt securities, generally direct obligations of the U.S. government.
These securities are then deposited in an irrevocable escrow account held by a
trustee bank to secure all future payments of principal and interest on the
pre-refunded bond. Escrow-secured bonds often receive a triple A or equivalent
rating from Fitch, Moody's or S&P.
STRIPPED MUNICIPAL SECURITIES. Municipal securities may be sold in "stripped"
form. Stripped municipal securities represent separate ownership of principal
and interest payments on municipal securities.
ZERO-COUPON SECURITIES. The fund may invest in zero-coupon and delayed interest
securities. Zero-coupon securities make no periodic interest payments, but are
sold at a deep discount from their face value. The buyer recognizes a rate of
return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed
at face value on a specified maturity date. The discount varies depending on the
time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, liquidity of
the security, and the issuer's perceived credit quality. The discount, in the
absence of financial difficulties of the issuer, typically decreases as the
final maturity date approaches. If the issuer defaults, the fund may not receive
any return on its investment.
Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest and compound semiannually at the
rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value is generally more volatile than
the value of other fixed-income securities. Since zero-coupon bondholders do not
receive interest payments, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically than
bonds paying interest on a current basis when interest rates rise. When interest
rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value, because the bonds
reflect a fixed rate of return.
An investment in zero-coupon and delayed interest securities may cause the fund
to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives
any cash payments on its investment. To generate cash to satisfy distribution
requirements, the fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise
would have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the
sale of fund shares.
CONVERTIBLE AND STEP COUPON BONDS. The fund may invest a portion of its assets
in convertible and step coupon bonds. Convertible bonds are zero-coupon
securities until a predetermined date, at which time they convert to a specified
coupon security. The coupon on step coupon bonds changes periodically during the
life of the security based on predetermined dates chosen when the security is
issued.
U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS are issued by the U.S. Treasury or by agencies and
instrumentalities of the U.S. government and are backed by the full faith and
credit of the U.S. government. They include Treasury bills, notes and bonds.
COMMERCIAL PAPER is a promissory note issued by a corporation to finance its
short-term credit needs. The fund may invest in taxable commercial paper only
for temporary defensive purposes.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SOME OF THE FUND'S
OTHER INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES
WHEN-ISSUED TRANSACTIONS. Municipal securities are frequently offered on a
"when-issued" basis. When so offered, the price, which is generally expressed in
yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment to buy is made, but delivery
and payment take place at a later date. During the time between purchase and
settlement, no payment is made by the fund to the issuer and no interest accrues
to the fund. If the other party to the transaction fails to deliver or pay for
the security, the fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity, or
could experience a loss.
When the fund makes the commitment to buy a municipal security on a when-issued
basis, it records the transaction and reflects the value of the security in the
determination of its Net Asset Value. The fund believes that its Net Asset Value
or income will not be negatively affected by its purchase of municipal
securities on a when-issued basis. The fund will not engage in when-issued
transactions for investment leverage purposes.
Although the fund will generally buy municipal securities on a when-issued basis
with the intention of acquiring the securities, it may sell the securities
before the settlement date if it is considered advisable. When the fund is the
buyer, it will maintain cash or liquid securities, with an aggregate value equal
to the amount of its purchase commitments, in a segregated account with its
custodian bank until payment is made. If assets of the fund are held in cash
pending the settlement of a purchase of securities, the fund will not earn
income on those assets.
DIVERSIFICATION. The fund is a diversified fund. As a fundamental policy, the
fund will not buy a security if more than 5% of the value of its total assets
would be in the securities of any single issuer. This limitation does not apply
to investments issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its
instrumentalities. For the purpose of determining diversification, each
political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, each multi-state agency of
which a state is a member, and each public authority that issues private
activity bonds on behalf of a private entity, is considered a separate issuer.
Escrow-secured or defeased bonds are not generally considered an obligation of
the original municipality when determining diversification. For securities
backed only by the assets or revenues of a particular instrumentality, facility
or subdivision, the entity is considered the issuer.
The fund intends to meet certain diversification requirements for tax purposes.
These requirements are discussed under "Additional Information on Distributions
and Taxes."
The fund may invest more than 25% of its assets in municipal securities that
finance similar types of projects, such as hospitals, housing, industrial
development, transportation or pollution control. A change that affects one
project, such as proposed legislation on the financing of the project, a
shortage of the materials needed for the project, or a declining need for the
project, would likely affect all similar projects.
SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS. The frequency of portfolio transactions, usually
referred to as the portfolio turnover rate, varies from year to year, depending
on market conditions. While short-term trading increases portfolio turnover and
may increase costs, the execution costs for municipal securities are
substantially less than for equivalent dollar values of equity securities.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND?
The following gives more information about the risks of investing in the fund.
Please read this information together with the section "What Are the Risks of
Investing in the Fund?" in the Prospectus. More information about the fund's
investment policies and their risks is also included under "How Does the Fund
Invest Its Assets?" in both the Prospectus and this SAI.
CALIFORNIA RISKS. Since the fund mainly invests in California municipal
securities, its performance is closely tied to the ability of issuers of
California municipal securities to continue to make principal and interest
payments on their securities. The issuers' ability to do this is in turn
dependent on economic, political and other conditions within California. Below
is a discussion of certain conditions that may affect California issuers. It is
not a complete analysis of every material fact that may affect the ability of
issuers of California municipal securities to meet their debt obligations or the
economic or political conditions within California. The information below is
based on January and February 1998 publications from Fitch and S&P, two
historically reliable sources, but the fund has not independently verified it.
The ability of California issuers to continue to make principal and interest
payments is dependent in large part on the ability of the state to raise
revenues, primarily through taxes, and to control spending. Many factors can
affect a state's revenues including the rate of population growth, unemployment
rates, personal income growth, federal aid, and the ability to attract and keep
successful businesses. A number of factors can also affect a state's spending
including current debt levels, and the existence of accumulated budget deficits.
The following provides some information on these and other factors.
Like many other states, California was significantly affected by the national
recession of the early 1990s, especially in the southern portion of the state.
Most of its job losses during its recession resulted from military cutbacks and
the downturn in the construction industry. Downsizing in the state's aerospace
industry, excess office capacity, and slow growth in California's export market
also contributed to the state's recession.
Since mid-1993, California's economic recovery has been fueled by growth in the
export, entertainment, tourism and computer services sectors. The state's
diverse employment base has reached prerecession levels with manufacturing
accounting for 14.4% of employment (based on 1997 state estimates), trade 23%,
services 31.1%, and government 16.4%. Despite strong employment growth,
California's unemployment rate has remained above the national average and
wages, although still above national levels, have declined with the loss of high
paying aerospace jobs. Recent economic problems in Asia may affect the state's
economy and reduce growth rates, although the impact of Asia's economic problems
on the state is uncertain.
During the period from 1990 to 1994, California experienced large budget
deficits due to its economic recession, as well as unrealistic budget
assumptions. School expenditures totaling $1.8 billion were recorded as "loan
assets" on the state's books to be repaid by 2002. When adjusted to account for
these loans, California's deficit balance was 10.7% of expenditures in 1992. By
the end of fiscal 1997, the deficit had declined to 7.6% of expenditures.
Although California's debt levels have grown in recent years, they have remained
relatively moderate. During fiscal 1997, debt service accounted for 5% of
general fund expenditures.
While the state's financial performance has improved in recent years, its fiscal
operations have remained vulnerable. Increased funding for schools, prisons, and
social services, and reduced federal aid levels have offset some of the growth
in revenues that has resulted from the improving economy. The state's budget
approval process, which requires a two-thirds legislative vote, has also
hampered the state's financial flexibility. The state's accumulated deficits, as
well as its lack of reserves and flexibility, make the state vulnerable to a
future economic downturn. Overall, however, S&P considers California's outlook
to be positive.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The fund has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies. These
restrictions may not be changed without the approval of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the fund. Under the 1940 Act, this means the
approval of (i) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the fund or (ii) 67%
or more of the shares of the fund present at a shareholder meeting if more than
50% of the outstanding shares of the fund are represented at the meeting in
person or by proxy, whichever is less. The fund MAY NOT:
1. Borrow money or mortgage or pledge any of its assets, except that borrowings
for temporary or emergency purposes may be made in an amount up to 5% of the
total asset value.
2. Buy any securities on "margin" or sell any securities "short."
3. Lend any funds or other assets, except by the purchase of a portion of an
issue of publicly distributed bonds, debentures, notes or other debt securities,
or to the extent the entry into a repurchase agreement may be deemed a loan.
Although such loans are not presently intended, this prohibition will not
preclude the fund from loaning securities to securities dealers or other
institutional investors if at least 102% cash collateral is pledged and
maintained by the borrower provided such security loans may not be made if, as a
result, the aggregate of such loans exceeds 10% of the value of the fund's total
assets at the time of the most recent loan.
4. Act as underwriter of securities issued by other persons except insofar as
the fund may be technically deemed an underwriter under federal securities laws
in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities.
5. Purchase the securities of any issuer which would result in owning more than
10% of the voting securities of such issuer.
6. Purchase from or sell to its officers and directors, or any firm of which
any officer or director is a member, as principal, any securities, but may deal
with such persons or firms as brokers and pay a customary brokerage commission;
retain securities of any issuer if, to the knowledge of the fund, one or more of
its officers, directors or investment advisor own beneficially more than 1/2 of
1% of the securities of such issuer and all such officers and directors together
own beneficially more than 5% of such securities.
7. Acquire, lease or hold real estate, except such as may be necessary or
advisable for the maintenance of its offices.
8. Invest in commodities and commodity contracts, puts, calls, straddles,
spreads or any combination thereof, or interests in oil, gas or other mineral
exploration or development programs. The fund may, however, write covered call
options listed for trading on a national securities exchange and purchase call
options to the extent necessary to cancel call options previously written. At
present there are no options listed for trading on a national securities
exchange covering the types of securities which are appropriate for investment
by the fund and, therefore, there are no option transactions available for the
fund.
9. Invest in companies for the purpose of exercising control or management.
10. Purchase securities of other investment companies, except in connection with
a merger, consolidation, acquisition or reorganization; except to the extent the
fund invests its uninvested daily cash balances in shares of Franklin California
Tax-Exempt Money Fund and other tax-exempt money market funds in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds provided (i) its purchases and redemptions of such
money market fund shares may not be subject to any purchase or redemption fees,
(ii) its investments may not be subject to duplication of management fees, nor
to any charge related to the expense of distributing the fund's shares (as
determined under Rule 12b-1, as amended under the federal securities laws) and
(iii) provided aggregate investments by the fund in any such money market fund
do not exceed (A) the greater of (i) 5% of the fund's total net assets or (ii)
$2.5 million, or (B) more than 3% of the outstanding shares of any such money
market fund.
11. Purchase securities in private placements or in other transactions for which
there are legal or contractual restrictions on resale.
12. Invest more than 25% of assets in securities of any industry. For purposes
of this limitation, tax-exempt securities issued by governments or political
subdivisions of governments are not considered to be part of any industry.
If a bankruptcy or other extraordinary event occurs concerning a particular
security owned by the fund, the fund may receive stock, real estate, or other
investments that the fund would not, or could not, buy. In this case, the fund
intends to dispose of the investment as soon as practicable while maximizing the
return to shareholders.
If a percentage restriction is met at the time of investment, a later increase
or decrease in the percentage due to a change in the value or liquidity of
portfolio securities or the amount of assets will not be considered a violation
of any of the foregoing restrictions.
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
The Board has the responsibility for the overall management of the fund,
including general supervision and review of its investment activities. The
Board, in turn, elects the officers of the fund who are responsible for
administering the fund's day-to-day operations. The affiliations of the officers
and Board members and their principal occupations for the past five years are
shown below. Members of the Board who are considered "interested persons" of the
fund under the 1940 Act are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Harris J. Ashton (66) Director
191 Clapboard Ridge Road
Greenwich, CT 06830
Director, RBC Holdings, Inc. (a bank holding company) and Bar-S Foods (a meat
packing company); director or trustee, as the case may be, of 49 of the
investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds; and FORMERLY,
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, General Host
Corporation (nursery and craft centers).
S. Joseph Fortunato (66) Director
Park Avenue at Morris County
P.O. Box 1945
Morristown, NJ 07962-1945
Member of the law firm of Pitney, Hardin, Kipp & Szuch; director or trustee, as
the case may be, of 51 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton
Group of Funds; and FORMERLY, Director, General Host Corporation (nursery and
craft centers).
Edith E. Holiday (46) Director
3239 38th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20016
Director, Amerada Hess Corporation and Hercules Incorporated (1993-present);
Director, Beverly Enterprises, Inc. (1995-present) and H.J. Heinz Company
(1994-present); director or trustee, as the case may be, of 25 of the investment
companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds; and FORMERLY, Chairman
(1995-1997) and Trustee (1993-1997), National Child Research Center, Assistant
to the President of the United States and Secretary of the Cabinet (1990-1993),
General Counsel to the United States Treasury Department (1989-1990), and
Counselor to the Secretary and Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Public
Liaison - United States Treasury Department (1988-1989).
* Charles B. Johnson (65) President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Director
San Mateo, CA 94404
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.;
Chairman of the Board and Director, Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Advisory
Services, Inc., Franklin Investment Advisory Services, Inc. and Franklin
Templeton Distributors, Inc.; Director, Franklin/Templeton Investor Services,
Inc. and Franklin Templeton Services, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee,
as the case may be, of most of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources,
Inc. and of 50 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of
Funds; and FORMERLY, Director, General Host Corporation (nursery and craft
centers).
* Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. (57) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Director
San Mateo, CA 94404
Executive Vice President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc. and Franklin
Templeton Distributors, Inc.; President and Director, Franklin Advisers, Inc.;
Senior Vice President and Director, Franklin Advisory Services, Inc. and
Franklin Investment Advisory Services, Inc.; Director, Franklin/Templeton
Investor Services, Inc.; and officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may
be, of most of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of 53 of
the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Gordon S. Macklin (70) Director
8212 Burning Tree Road
Bethesda, MD 20817
Director, Fund American Enterprises Holdings, Inc., MCI Communications
Corporation, MedImmune, Inc. (biotechnology), Spacehab, Inc. (aerospace
services) and Real 3D (software); director or trustee, as the case may be, of 49
of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds; and
FORMERLY, Chairman, White River Corporation (financial services) and Hambrecht
and Quist Group, and President, National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
Harmon E. Burns (53) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404
Executive Vice President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc., Franklin
Templeton Distributors, Inc. and Franklin Templeton Services, Inc.; Executive
Vice President, Franklin Advisers, Inc.; Director, Franklin/Templeton Investor
Services, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of most
of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of 53 of the
investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Martin L. Flanagan (38) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Chief
San Mateo, CA 94404 Financial Officer
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Franklin Resources, Inc.;
Executive Vice President and Director, Templeton Worldwide, Inc.; Executive Vice
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director, Templeton Investment Counsel,
Inc.; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Franklin Advisers,
Inc.; Chief Financial Officer, Franklin Advisory Services, Inc. and Franklin
Investment Advisory Services, Inc.; President and Director, Franklin Templeton
Services, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer,
Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc.; officer and/or director of some of
the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc.; and officer and/or director
or trustee, as the case may be, of 53 of the investment companies in the
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Deborah R. Gatzek (49) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404
Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Franklin Resources, Inc.; Senior Vice
President, Franklin Templeton Services, Inc. and Franklin Templeton
Distributors, Inc.; Executive Vice President, Franklin Advisers, Inc.; Vice
President, Franklin Advisory Services, Inc.; Vice President, Chief Legal Officer
and Chief Operating Officer, Franklin Investment Advisory Services, Inc.; and
officer of 53 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of
Funds.
Thomas J. Kenny (35) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404
Executive Vice President, Franklin Advisers, Inc.; and officer of eight of the
investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Diomedes Loo-Tam (59) Treasurer and
777 Mariners Island Blvd. Principal
San Mateo, CA 94404 Accounting Officer
Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, Inc.; and officer of 32 of
the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Brian E. Lorenz (59) Secretary
One North Lexington Avenue
White Plains, NY 10001-1700
Attorney, member of the law firm of Bleakley Platt & Schmidt; and officer of
three of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
The table above shows the officers and Board members who are affiliated with
Distributors and Advisers. As of June 1, 1998, nonaffiliated members of the
Board are paid $1,355 per month plus $1,345 per meeting attended. As shown
above, the nonaffiliated Board members also serve as directors or trustees of
other investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. They may
receive fees from these funds for their services. The fees payable to
nonaffiliated Board members by the Fund are subject to reductions resulting from
fee caps limiting the amount of fees payable to Board members who serve on other
boards within the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. The following table
provides the total fees paid to nonaffiliated Board members by the fund and by
other funds in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Number of
Total Fees Boards in the
Total Fees Received from the Franklin Templeton
Received from Franklin Templeton Group of Funds on
Name the Fund** Group of Funds*** Which Each Serves****
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harris J. Ashton $27,600 $344,642 49
S. Joseph Fortunato $27,600 $361,562 51
Edith E. Holiday* $ 4,800 $ 72,875 25
Gordon S. Macklin $27,600 $337,292 49
*Appointed February 1, 1998.
**For the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, during which time fees at the rate
of $1,200 per month plus $1,200 per meeting attended were in effect.
***For the calendar year ended December 31, 1997.
****We base the number of boards on the number of registered investment
companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. This number does not include
the total number of series or funds within each investment company for which the
Board members are responsible. The Franklin Templeton Group of Funds currently
includes 55 registered investment companies, with approximately 170 U.S. based
funds or series.
Nonaffiliated members of the Board are reimbursed for expenses incurred in
connection with attending board meetings, paid pro rata by each fund in the
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds for which they serve as director or trustee.
No officer or Board member received any other compensation, including pension or
retirement benefits, directly or indirectly from the fund or other funds in the
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. Certain officers or Board members who are
shareholders of Resources may be deemed to receive indirect remuneration by
virtue of their participation, if any, in the fees paid to its subsidiaries.
As of May 5, 1998, the officers and Board members, as a group, owned of record
and beneficially the following shares of the fund: approximately 128,149 Class I
shares, or less than 1% of the total outstanding Class I shares of the fund.
Many of the Board members also own shares in other funds in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds. Charles B. Johnson and Rupert H.
Johnson, Jr. are brothers.
During the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, legal fees of $45,550 were paid to
the law firm of which Mr. Lorenz, an officer of the fund, is a partner, and
which acts as counsel to the fund.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
AND OTHER SERVICES
INVESTMENT MANAGER AND SERVICES PROVIDED. The fund's investment manager is
Advisers. Advisers provides investment research and portfolio management
services, including the selection of securities for the fund to buy, hold or
sell and the selection of brokers through whom the fund's portfolio transactions
are executed. Advisers' extensive research activities include, as appropriate,
traveling to meet with issuers and to review project sites. Advisers' activities
are subject to the review and supervision of the Board to whom Advisers renders
periodic reports of the fund's investment activities. Advisers and its officers,
directors and employees are covered by fidelity insurance for the protection of
the fund.
Advisers and its affiliates act as investment manager to numerous other
investment companies and accounts. Advisers may give advice and take action with
respect to any of the other funds it manages, or for its own account, that may
differ from action taken by Advisers on behalf of the fund. Similarly, with
respect to the fund, Advisers is not obligated to recommend, buy or sell, or to
refrain from recommending, buying or selling any security that Advisers and
access persons, as defined by the 1940 Act, may buy or sell for its or their own
account or for the accounts of any other fund. Advisers is not obligated to
refrain from investing in securities held by the fund or other funds that it
manages. Of course, any transactions for the accounts of Advisers and other
access persons will be made in compliance with the fund's Code of Ethics. Please
see "Miscellaneous Information - Summary of Code of Ethics."
MANAGEMENT FEES. Under its management agreement, the fund pays Advisers a
management fee equal to a monthly rate of 5/96 of 1% of the value of net assets
up to and including $100 million; and 1/24 of 1% of the value of net assets over
$100 million and not over $250 million; and 9/240 of 1% of the value of net
assets over $250 million and not over $10 billion; and 11/300 of 1% of the value
of net assets over $10 billion and not over $12.5 billion; and 7/200 of 1% of
the value of net assets over $12.5 billion and not over $15 billion; and 1/30 of
1% of the value of net assets over $15 billion and not over $17.5 billion; and
19/600 of 1% of the value of net assets over $17.5 billion and not over $20
billion; and 3/100 of 1% of the value of net assets in excess of $20 billion.
The fee is computed at the close of business on the last business day of each
month. Each class pays its proportionate share of the management fee.
For the fiscal years ended March 31, 1998, 1997 and 1996, management fees
totaling $65,098,679, $60,994,984 and $59,513,109, respectively, were paid to
Advisers.
MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT. The management agreement is in effect until July 31, 1999.
It may continue in effect for successive annual periods if its continuance is
specifically approved at least annually by a vote of the Board or by a vote of
the holders of a majority of the fund's outstanding voting securities, and in
either event by a majority vote of the Board members who are not parties to the
management agreement or interested persons of any such party (other than as
members of the Board), cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. The
management agreement may be terminated without penalty at any time by the Board
or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the fund's outstanding voting
securities on 30 days' written notice to Advisers, or by Advisers on 30 days'
written notice to the fund, and will automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment, as defined in the 1940 Act.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. Under an agreement with Advisers, FT Services provides
certain administrative services and facilities for the fund. These include
preparing and maintaining books, records, and tax and financial reports, and
monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements. FT Services is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Resources.
Under its administration agreement, Advisers pays FT Services a monthly
administration fee equal to an annual rate of 0.15% of the fund's average daily
net assets up to $200 million, 0.135% of average daily net assets over $200
million up to $700 million, 0.10% of average daily net assets over $700 million
up to $1.2 billion, and 0.075% of average daily net assets over $1.2 billion.
During the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, and the period from October 1,
1996, through March 31, 1997, administration fees totaling $11,468,541 and
$5,449,904, respectively, were paid to FT Services. The fee is paid by Advisers.
It is not a separate expense of the fund.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICING AGENT. Investor Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Resources, is the fund's shareholder servicing agent and acts as the fund's
transfer agent and dividend-paying agent. Investor Services is compensated on
the basis of a fixed fee per account. The fund may also reimburse Investor
Services for certain out-of-pocket expenses, which may include payments by
Investor Services to entities, including affiliated entities, that provide
sub-shareholder services, recordkeeping and/or transfer agency services to
beneficial owners of the fund. The amount of reimbursements for these services
per benefit plan participant fund account per year may not exceed the per
account fee payable by the fund to Investor Services in connection with
maintaining shareholder accounts.
CUSTODIAN. Bank of New York, Mutual Funds Division, 90 Washington Street, New
York, New York 10286, acts as custodian of the securities and other assets of
the fund. The custodian does not participate in decisions relating to the
purchase and sale of portfolio securities.
AUDITORS. Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., 333 Market Street, San Francisco, California
94105, are the fund's independent auditors. During the fiscal year ended March
31, 1998, their auditing services consisted of rendering an opinion on the
financial statements of the fund included in the fund's Annual Report to
Shareholders for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998.
HOW DOES THE FUND BUY
SECURITIES FOR ITS PORTFOLIO?
Since most purchases by the fund are principal transactions at net prices, the
fund incurs little or no brokerage costs. The fund deals directly with the
selling or buying principal or market maker without incurring charges for the
services of a broker on its behalf, unless it is determined that a better price
or execution may be obtained by using the services of a broker. Purchases of
portfolio securities from underwriters will include a commission or concession
paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and purchases from dealers will include a
spread between the bid and ask prices. As a general rule, the fund does not buy
bonds in underwritings where it is given no choice, or only limited choice, in
the designation of dealers to receive the commission. The fund seeks to obtain
prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price. Transactions may be
directed to dealers in return for research and statistical information, as well
as for special services provided by the dealers in the execution of orders.
It is not possible to place a dollar value on the special executions or on the
research services Advisers receives from dealers effecting transactions in
portfolio securities. The allocation of transactions in order to obtain
additional research services permits Advisers to supplement its own research and
analysis activities and to receive the views and information of individuals and
research staffs of other securities firms. As long as it is lawful and
appropriate to do so, Advisers and its affiliates may use this research and data
in their investment advisory capacities with other clients. If the fund's
officers are satisfied that the best execution is obtained, the sale of fund
shares, as well as shares of other funds in the Franklin Templeton Group of
Funds, may also be considered a factor in the selection of broker-dealers to
execute the fund's portfolio transactions.
If purchases or sales of securities of the fund and one or more other investment
companies or clients supervised by Advisers are considered at or about the same
time, transactions in these securities will be allocated among the several
investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all by
Advisers, taking into account the respective sizes of the funds and the amount
of securities to be purchased or sold. In some cases this procedure could have a
detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as the fund is
concerned. In other cases it is possible that the ability to participate in
volume transactions may improve execution and reduce transaction costs to the
fund.
During the fiscal years ended March 31, 1998, 1997 and 1996, the fund paid no
brokerage commissions.
As of March 31, 1998, the fund did not own securities of its regular
broker-dealers.
HOW DO I BUY, SELL AND EXCHANGE SHARES?
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BUYING SHARES
The fund continuously offers its shares through Securities Dealers who have an
agreement with Distributors. Securities Dealers may at times receive the entire
sales charge. A Securities Dealer who receives 90% or more of the sales charge
may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Securities laws of states where the fund offers its shares may differ from
federal law. Banks and financial institutions that sell shares of the fund may
be required by state law to register as Securities Dealers. Financial
institutions or their affiliated brokers may receive an agency transaction fee
in the percentages indicated in the table under "How Do I Buy Shares? Purchase
Price of Fund Shares" in the Prospectus.
When you buy shares, if you submit a check or a draft that is returned unpaid to
the fund we may impose a $10 charge against your account for each returned item.
Under agreements with certain banks in Taiwan, Republic of China, the fund's
shares are available to these banks' trust accounts without a sales charge. The
banks may charge service fees to their customers who participate in the trusts.
A portion of these service fees may be paid to Distributors or one of its
affiliates to help defray expenses of maintaining a service office in Taiwan,
including expenses related to local literature fulfillment and communication
facilities.
Class I shares of the fund may be offered to investors in Taiwan through
securities advisory firms known locally as Securities Investment Consulting
Enterprises. In conformity with local business practices in Taiwan, Class I
shares may be offered with the following schedule of sales charges:
SALES
SIZE OF PURCHASE - U.S. DOLLARS CHARGE
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under $30,000 3%
$30,000 but less than $100,000 2%
$100,000 but less than $400,000 1%
$400,000 or more 0%
OTHER PAYMENTS TO SECURITIES DEALERS. Distributors may pay the following
commissions, out of its own resources, to Securities Dealers who initiate and
are responsible for purchases of Class I shares of $1 million or more: 0.75% on
sales of $1 million to $2 million, plus 0.60% on sales over $2 million to $3
million, plus 0.50% on sales over $3 million to $50 million, plus 0.25% on sales
over $50 million to $100 million, plus 0.15% on sales over $100 million. These
breakpoints are reset every 12 months for purposes of additional purchases.
Distributors and/or its affiliates provide financial support to various
Securities Dealers that sell shares of the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
This support is based primarily on the amount of sales of fund shares. The
amount of support may be affected by: total sales; net sales; levels of
redemptions; the proportion of a Securities Dealer's sales and marketing efforts
in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds; a Securities Dealer's support of, and
participation in, Distributors' marketing programs; a Securities Dealer's
compensation programs for its registered representatives; and the extent of a
Securities Dealer's marketing programs relating to the Franklin Templeton Group
of Funds. Financial support to Securities Dealers may be made by payments from
Distributors' resources, from Distributors' retention of underwriting
concessions and, in the case of funds that have Rule 12b-1 plans, from payments
to Distributors under such plans. In addition, certain Securities Dealers may
receive brokerage commissions generated by fund portfolio transactions in
accordance with the NASD's rules.
Distributors routinely sponsors due diligence meetings for registered
representatives during which they receive updates on various Franklin Templeton
Funds and are afforded the opportunity to speak with portfolio managers.
Invitation to these meetings is not conditioned on selling a specific number of
shares. Those who have shown an interest in the Franklin Templeton Funds,
however, are more likely to be considered. To the extent permitted by their
firm's policies and procedures, registered representatives' expenses in
attending these meetings may be covered by Distributors.
LETTER OF INTENT. You may qualify for a reduced sales charge when you buy Class
I shares, as described in the Prospectus. At any time within 90 days after the
first investment that you want to qualify for a reduced sales charge, you may
file with the fund a signed shareholder application with the Letter of Intent
section completed. After the Letter is filed, each additional investment will be
entitled to the sales charge applicable to the level of investment indicated on
the Letter. Sales charge reductions based on purchases in more than one Franklin
Templeton Fund will be effective only after notification to Distributors that
the investment qualifies for a discount. Your holdings in the Franklin Templeton
Funds acquired more than 90 days before the Letter is filed will be counted
towards completion of the Letter, but they will not be entitled to a retroactive
downward adjustment in the sales charge. Any redemptions you make during the 13
month period will be subtracted from the amount of the purchases for purposes of
determining whether the terms of the Letter have been completed. If the Letter
is not completed within the 13 month period, there will be an upward adjustment
of the sales charge, depending on the amount actually purchased (less
redemptions) during the period. If you execute a Letter before a change in the
sales charge structure of the fund, you may complete the Letter at the lower of
the new sales charge structure or the sales charge structure in effect at the
time the Letter was filed.
As mentioned in the Prospectus, five percent (5%) of the amount of the total
intended purchase will be reserved in Class I shares of the fund registered in
your name until you fulfill the Letter. If the amount of your total purchases,
less redemptions, equals the amount specified under the Letter, the reserved
shares will be deposited to an account in your name or delivered to you or as
you direct. If the amount of your total purchases, less redemptions, exceeds the
amount specified under the Letter and is an amount that would qualify for a
further quantity discount, a retroactive price adjustment will be made by
Distributors and the Securities Dealer through whom purchases were made pursuant
to the Letter (to reflect such further quantity discount) on purchases made
within 90 days before and on those made after filing the Letter. The resulting
difference in Offering Price will be applied to the purchase of additional
shares at the Offering Price applicable to a single purchase or the dollar
amount of the total purchases. If the amount of your total purchases, less
redemptions, is less than the amount specified under the Letter, you will remit
to Distributors an amount equal to the difference in the dollar amount of sales
charge actually paid and the amount of sales charge that would have applied to
the aggregate purchases if the total of the purchases had been made at a single
time. Upon remittance, the reserved shares held for your account will be
deposited to an account in your name or delivered to you or as you direct. If
within 20 days after written request the difference in sales charge is not paid,
the redemption of an appropriate number of reserved shares to realize the
difference will be made. In the event of a total redemption of the account
before fulfillment of the Letter, the additional sales charge due will be
deducted from the proceeds of the redemption, and the balance will be forwarded
to you.
REINVESTMENT DATE. Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends will be
purchased at the Net Asset Value determined on the business day following the
dividend record date (sometimes known as the "ex-dividend date"). The processing
date for the reinvestment of dividends may vary and does not affect the amount
or value of the shares acquired.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON EXCHANGING SHARES
If you request the exchange of the total value of your account, declared but
unpaid income dividends and capital gain distributions will be exchanged into
the new fund and will be invested at Net Asset Value. Backup withholding and
information reporting may apply. Information regarding the possible tax
consequences of an exchange is included in the tax section in this SAI and in
the Prospectus.
If a substantial number of shareholders should, within a short period, sell
their shares of the fund under the exchange privilege, the fund might have to
sell portfolio securities it might otherwise hold and incur the additional costs
related to such transactions. On the other hand, increased use of the exchange
privilege may result in periodic large inflows of money. If this occurs, it is
the fund's general policy to initially invest this money in short-term,
tax-exempt municipal securities, unless it is believed that attractive
investment opportunities consistent with the fund's investment goal exist
immediately. This money will then be withdrawn from the short-term, tax-exempt
municipal securities and invested in portfolio securities in as orderly a manner
as is possible when attractive investment opportunities arise.
The proceeds from the sale of shares of an investment company are generally not
available until the seventh day following the sale. The funds you are seeking to
exchange into may delay issuing shares pursuant to an exchange until that
seventh day. The sale of fund shares to complete an exchange will be effected at
Net Asset Value at the close of business on the day the request for exchange is
received in proper form. Please see "May I Exchange Shares for Shares of Another
Fund?" in the Prospectus.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON SELLING SHARES
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN. There are no service charges for establishing or
maintaining a systematic withdrawal plan. Payments under the plan will be made
from the redemption of an equivalent amount of shares in your account, generally
on the 25th day of the month in which a payment is scheduled. If the 25th falls
on a weekend or holiday, we will process the redemption on the next business
day.
Redeeming shares through a systematic withdrawal plan may reduce or exhaust the
shares in your account if payments exceed distributions received from the fund.
This is especially likely to occur if there is a market decline. If a withdrawal
amount exceeds the value of your account, your account will be closed and the
remaining balance in your account will be sent to you. Because the amount
withdrawn under the plan may be more than your actual yield or income, part of
the payment may be a return of your investment.
The fund may discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan by notifying you in
writing and will automatically discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan if all
shares in your account are withdrawn or if the fund receives notification of the
shareholder's death or incapacity.
THROUGH YOUR SECURITIES DEALER. If you sell shares through your Securities
Dealer, it is your dealer's responsibility to transmit the order to the fund in
a timely fashion. Any loss to you resulting from your dealer's failure to do so
must be settled between you and your Securities Dealer.
REDEMPTIONS IN KIND. The fund has committed itself to pay in cash (by check) all
requests for redemption by any shareholder of record, limited in amount,
however, during any 90-day period to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the value
of the fund's net assets at the beginning of the 90-day period. This commitment
is irrevocable without the prior approval of the SEC. In the case of redemption
requests in excess of these amounts, the Board reserves the right to make
payments in whole or in part in securities or other assets of the fund, in case
of an emergency, or if the payment of such a redemption in cash would be
detrimental to the existing shareholders of the fund. In these circumstances,
the securities distributed would be valued at the price used to compute the
fund's net assets and you may incur brokerage fees in converting the securities
to cash. The fund does not intend to redeem illiquid securities in kind. If this
happens, however, you may not be able to recover your investment in a timely
manner.
GENERAL INFORMATION
If dividend checks are returned to the fund marked "unable to forward" by the
postal service, we will consider this a request by you to change your dividend
option to reinvest all distributions. The proceeds will be reinvested in
additional shares at Net Asset Value until we receive new instructions.
Distribution or redemption checks sent to you do not earn interest or any other
income during the time the checks remain uncashed. Neither the fund nor its
affiliates will be liable for any loss caused by your failure to cash such
checks. The fund is not responsible for tracking down uncashed checks, unless a
check is returned as undeliverable.
In most cases, if mail is returned as undeliverable we are required to take
certain steps to try to find you free of charge. If these attempts are
unsuccessful, however, we may deduct the costs of any additional efforts to find
you from your account. These costs may include a percentage of the account when
a search company charges a percentage fee in exchange for its location services.
All checks, drafts, wires and other payment mediums used to buy or sell shares
of the fund must be denominated in U.S. dollars. We may, in our sole discretion,
either (a) reject any order to buy or sell shares denominated in any other
currency or (b) honor the transaction or make adjustments to your account for
the transaction as of a date and with a foreign currency exchange factor
determined by the drawee bank.
SPECIAL SERVICES. Investor Services may pay certain financial institutions that
maintain omnibus accounts with the fund on behalf of numerous beneficial owners
for recordkeeping operations performed with respect to such owners. For each
beneficial owner in the omnibus account, the fund may reimburse Investor
Services an amount not to exceed the per account fee that the fund normally pays
Investor Services. These financial institutions may also charge a fee for their
services directly to their clients.
Certain shareholder servicing agents may be authorized to accept your
transaction request.
HOW ARE FUND SHARES VALUED?
We calculate the Net Asset Value per share as of the close of the NYSE, normally
1:00 p.m. Pacific time, each day that the NYSE is open for trading. As of the
date of this SAI, the fund is informed that the NYSE observes the following
holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good
Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and
Christmas Day.
For the purpose of determining the aggregate net assets of the fund, cash and
receivables are valued at their realizable amounts. Interest is recorded as
accrued. Over-the-counter portfolio securities are valued within the range of
the most recent quoted bid and ask prices. Portfolio securities that are traded
both in the over-the-counter market and on a stock exchange are valued according
to the broadest and most representative market as determined by Advisers.
Municipal securities generally trade in the over-the-counter market rather than
on a securities exchange. In the absence of a sale or reported bid and ask
prices, information with respect to bond and note transactions, quotations from
bond dealers, market transactions in comparable securities, and various
relationships between securities are used to determine the value of municipal
securities.
Generally, trading in U.S. government securities and money market instruments is
substantially completed each day at various times before the close of the NYSE.
The value of these securities used in computing the Net Asset Value of each
class is determined as of such times. Occasionally, events affecting the values
of these securities may occur between the times at which they are determined and
the close of the NYSE that will not be reflected in the computation of the Net
Asset Value. If events materially affecting the values of these securities occur
during this period, the securities will be valued at their fair value as
determined in good faith by the Board.
Other securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at
the current market price, which may be obtained from a pricing service, based on
a variety of factors including recent trades, institutional size trading in
similar types of securities (considering yield, risk and maturity) and/or
developments related to specific issues. Securities and other assets for which
market prices are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined
following procedures approved by the Board. With the approval of the Board, the
fund may use a pricing service, bank or Securities Dealer to perform any of the
above described functions.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON
DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
DISTRIBUTIONS
DISTRIBUTIONS OF NET INVESTMENT INCOME. By meeting certain requirements of the
Code, the fund has qualified and continues to qualify to pay "exempt-interest
dividends" to shareholders. These dividends are derived from interest income
exempt from regular federal income tax, and are not subject to regular federal
income tax when they are distributed. In addition, to the extent that
exempt-interest dividends are derived from interest on obligations of California
or its political subdivisions, or from interest on qualifying U.S. territorial
obligations (including qualifying obligations of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin
Islands or Guam), they will also be exempt from California state personal income
taxes. California generally does not grant tax-free treatment to interest on
state and municipal securities of other states.
At the end of each calendar year, the fund will provide you with the percentage
of any dividends paid that may qualify for tax-free treatment on your personal
income tax return. You should consult with your personal tax advisor to
determine the application of your state and local laws to these distributions.
Corporate shareholders should consult with their corporate tax advisors about
whether any of their distributions may be exempt from corporate income or
franchise taxes.
The fund may earn taxable income on any temporary investments, on the discount
from stripped obligations or their coupons, on income from securities loans or
other taxable transactions, on the excess of short-term capital gains over
long-term capital losses earned by the fund ("net short-term capital gain"), or
on ordinary income derived from the sale of market discount bonds. Any
distributions by the fund from such income will be taxable to you as ordinary
income, whether you take them in cash or additional shares.
From time to time, the fund may buy a tax-exempt bond in the secondary market
for a price that is less than the principal amount of the bond. This discount is
called market discount if it exceeds a de minimis amount of discount under the
Code. For market discount bonds purchased after April 30, 1993, a portion of the
gain on sale or disposition (not to exceed the accrued portion of market
discount at the time of the sale) is treated as ordinary income rather than
capital gain. Any distribution by the fund of market discount income will be
taxable as ordinary income to you. The fund may elect in any fiscal year not to
distribute to you its taxable ordinary income and to pay a federal income or
excise tax on this income at the fund level. In any case, the amount of market
discount, if any, is expected to be small.
DISTRIBUTIONS OF CAPITAL GAINS. The fund may derive capital gains and losses in
connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities.
Distributions derived from the excess of net short-term capital gain over net
long-term capital loss will be taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions
paid from long-term capital gains realized by the fund will be taxable to you as
long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your shares in the
fund. Any net short-term or long-term capital gains realized by the fund (net of
any capital loss carryovers) generally will be distributed once each year, and
may be distributed more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or
eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the fund.
Under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (the "1997 Act"), the fund is required to
report the capital gain distributions paid to you from gains realized on the
sale of portfolio securities using the following categories:
"28% RATE GAINS": gains resulting from securities sold by the fund after July
28, 1997 that were held for more than one year but not more than 18 months, and
securities sold by the fund before May 7, 1997 that were held for more than one
year. These gains will be taxable to individual investors at a maximum rate of
28%.
"20% RATE GAINS": gains resulting from securities sold by the fund after July
28, 1997 that were held for more than 18 months, and under a transitional rule,
securities sold by the fund between May 7 and July 28, 1997 (inclusive) that
were held for more than one year. These gains will be taxable to individual
investors at a maximum rate of 20% for individual investors in the 28% or higher
federal income tax brackets, and at a maximum rate of 10% for investors in the
15% federal income tax bracket.
The 1997 Act also provides for a new maximum rate of tax on capital gains of 18%
for individuals in the 28% or higher federal income tax brackets and 8% for
individuals in the 15% federal income tax bracket for "qualified 5-year gains."
For individuals in the 15% bracket, qualified 5-year gains are net gains on
securities held for more than five years that are sold after December 31, 2000.
For individuals who are subject to tax at higher rates, qualified 5-year gains
are net gains on securities that are purchased after December 31, 2000 and are
held for more than five years. Taxpayers subject to tax at the higher rates may
also make an election for shares held on January 1, 2001 to recognize gain on
their shares in order to qualify such shares as qualified 5-year property.
The fund will advise you at the end of each calendar year of the amount of its
capital gain distributions paid during the calendar year that qualify for these
maximum federal tax rates. Additional information on reporting these
distributions on your personal income tax returns is available in Franklin
Templeton's Tax Information Handbook. This handbook has been revised to include
1997 Act tax law changes. Please call Fund Information to request a copy.
Questions about your personal tax reporting should be addressed to your personal
tax advisor.
CERTAIN DISTRIBUTIONS PAID IN JANUARY. Distributions of taxable income, if any,
which are declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record in
such month, and paid to you in January of the following year, will be treated
for tax purposes as if they had been received by you on December 31 of the year
in which they were declared. The fund will report this income to you on your
Form 1099-DIV for the year in which these distributions were declared. You will
receive a Form 1099-DIV only for calendar years in which the fund has made a
distribution to you of taxable ordinary income or capital gain.
INFORMATION ON THE TAX CHARACTER OF DISTRIBUTIONS. The fund will inform you of
the amount and character of your distributions at the time they are paid, and
will shortly after the close of each calendar year advise you of the tax status
for federal income tax purposes of such distributions, including the portion of
the distributions that on average comprise taxable income or interest income
that is a tax preference item under the alternative minimum tax. If you have not
held fund shares for a full year, you may have designated as taxable, tax-exempt
or as a tax preference a percentage of income that is not equal to the actual
amount of such income earned during the period of your investment in the fund.
TAXES
ELECTION TO BE TAXED AS A REGULATED INVESTMENT COMPANY. The fund has elected to
be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code, has
qualified as such for its most recent fiscal year, and intends to so qualify
during the current fiscal year. The Board reserves the right not to maintain the
qualification of the fund as a regulated investment company if it determines
such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders. In such case, the fund
will be subject to federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable
income and gains, and distributions to you will be taxed as ordinary dividend
income to the extent of the fund's available earnings and profits.
In order to qualify as a regulated investment company for tax purposes, the fund
must meet certain specific requirements, including:
o The fund must maintain a diversified portfolio of securities, wherein no
security (other than U.S. government securities and securities of other
regulated investment companies) can exceed 25% of the fund's total assets,
and, with respect to 50% of the fund's total assets, no investment (other
than cash and cash items, U.S. government securities and securities of other
regulated investment companies) can exceed 5% of the fund's total assets;
o The fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends,
interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale
or disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income
derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities,
or currencies; and
o The fund must distribute to its shareholders at least 90% of its net
investment income and net tax-exempt income for each of its fiscal years.
EXCISE TAX DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS. The Code requires the fund to distribute
at least 98% of its taxable ordinary income earned during the calendar year and
98% of its capital gain net income earned during the twelve month period ending
October 31 (in addition to undistributed amounts from the prior year) to you by
December 31 of each year in order to avoid federal excise taxes. The fund
intends to declare and pay sufficient dividends in December (or in January that
are treated by you as received in December) but does not guarantee and can give
no assurances that its distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all such
taxes.
REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES. Redemptions and exchanges of fund shares are taxable
transactions for federal and state income tax purposes. The tax law requires
that you recognize a gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between
your tax basis and the amount you received in exchange for your shares, subject
to the rules described below. If you hold your shares as a capital asset, the
gain or loss that you realize will be capital gain or loss, and will be
long-term for federal income tax purposes if you have held your shares for more
than one year at the time of redemption or exchange. Any loss incurred on the
redemption or exchange of shares held for six months or less will be disallowed
to the extent of any exempt-interest dividends distributed to you with respect
to your shares in the fund and any remaining loss will be treated as a long-term
capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gains distributed to you by
the fund on those shares. The holding periods and categories of capital gain
that apply under the 1997 Act are described above in the "Distributions"
section.
All or a portion of any loss that you realize upon the redemption of your fund
shares will be disallowed to the extent that you buy other shares in the fund
(through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after
your share redemption. Any loss disallowed under these rules will be added to
your tax basis in the new shares you buy.
DEFERRAL OF BASIS. All or a portion of the sales charge that you paid for your
shares in the fund will be excluded from your tax basis in any of the shares
sold within 90 days of their purchase (for the purpose of determining gain or
loss upon the sale of such shares) if you reinvest the sales proceeds in the
fund or in another of the Franklin Templeton Funds, and the sales charge that
would otherwise apply to your reinvestment is reduced or eliminated. The portion
of the sales charge excluded from your tax basis in the shares sold will equal
the amount that the sales charge is reduced on your reinvestment. Any portion of
the sales charge excluded from your tax basis in the shares sold will be added
to the tax basis of the shares you acquire from your reinvestment.
DIVIDENDS-RECEIVED DEDUCTION FOR CORPORATIONS. Because the fund's income is
derived primarily from interest rather than dividends, no portion of its
distributions will generally be eligible for the corporate dividends-received
deduction. None of the dividends paid by the fund for the most recent fiscal
year qualified for such deduction, and it is anticipated that none of the
current year's dividends will so qualify.
TREATMENT OF PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND INTEREST. The interest on bonds issued to
finance essential state and local government operations is generally tax-exempt,
and distributions paid from this interest income will generally qualify as an
exempt-interest dividend. Interest on certain non-essential or "private activity
bonds" (including those for housing and student loans) issued after August 7,
1986, while still exempt from regular federal income tax, is a preference item
for taxpayers in determining their alternative minimum tax under the Code and
under the income tax provisions of several states. Private activity bond
interest could subject you to or increase your liability under federal and state
alternative minimum taxes, depending on your individual or corporate tax
position.
Consistent with the fund's investment goals, the fund may acquire such private
activity bonds if, in Advisers' opinion, such bonds represent the most
attractive investment opportunity then available to the fund. Persons who are
defined in the Code as "substantial users" (or persons related to such users) of
facilities financed by private activity bonds should consult with their tax
advisors before buying shares in the fund.
The Code also imposes certain limitations and restrictions on the use of
tax-exempt bond financing for non-governmental business activities, such as on
activities financed by certain industrial development or private activity bonds.
Some of these bonds, including bonds for sports arenas, parking facilities, and
pollution control facilities, are generally not tax-exempt because they
generally do not pay tax-exempt interest.
INVESTMENTS IN ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT (OID) AND MARKET DISCOUNT BONDS. To the
extent the fund invests in zero coupon bonds, bonds issued or acquired at a
discount, delayed interest bonds, or bonds that provide for payment of
interest-in-kind (PIK), the fund may have to recognize income and make
distributions to you before its receipt of cash payments. Zero coupon and
delayed interest bonds are normally issued at a discount and are therefore
generally subject to tax reporting as OID obligations. The fund is required to
accrue as income a portion of the discount at which these securities were
issued, and to distribute such income each year (as ordinary dividends) in order
to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and to avoid
income reporting and excise taxes at the fund level. PIK bonds are subject to
similar tax rules concerning the amount, character and timing of income required
to be accrued by the fund. Bonds acquired in the secondary market for a price
less than their stated redemption price, or revised issue price in the case of a
bond having OID, are said to have been acquired with market discount. For these
bonds, the fund may elect to accrue market discount on a current basis, in which
case the fund will be required to distribute any such accrued discount. If the
fund does not elect to accrue market discount into income currently, gain
recognized on sale will be recharacterized as ordinary income instead of capital
gain to the extent of any accumulated market discount on the obligation.
DEFAULTED OBLIGATIONS. The fund may be required to accrue income on defaulted
obligations and to distribute such income to you even though it is not currently
receiving interest or principal payments on such obligations. In order to
generate cash to satisfy these distribution requirements, the fund may be
required to dispose of portfolio securities that it otherwise would have
continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of
fund shares.
THE FUND'S UNDERWRITER
Pursuant to an underwriting agreement, Distributors acts as principal
underwriter in a continuous public offering of the fund's shares. The
underwriting agreement will continue in effect for successive annual periods if
its continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a vote of the
Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the fund's outstanding voting
securities, and in either event by a majority vote of the Board members who are
not parties to the underwriting agreement or interested persons of any such
party (other than as members of the Board), cast in person at a meeting called
for that purpose. The underwriting agreement terminates automatically in the
event of its assignment and may be terminated by either party on 90 days'
written notice.
Distributors pays the expenses of the distribution of fund shares, including
advertising expenses and the costs of printing sales material and prospectuses
used to offer shares to the public. The fund pays the expenses of preparing and
printing amendments to its registration statements and prospectuses (other than
those necessitated by the activities of Distributors) and of sending
prospectuses to existing shareholders.
In connection with the offering of the fund's shares, aggregate underwriting
commissions for the fiscal years ended March 31, 1998, 1997 and 1996, were
$36,199,627, $32,844,082 and $26,276,119, respectively. After allowances to
dealers, Distributors retained $2,357,899, $2,226,594 and $1,764,542 in net
underwriting discounts and commissions and received $66,364, $95,263 and $48,410
in connection with redemptions or repurchases of shares for the respective
years. Distributors may be entitled to reimbursement under the Rule 12b-1 plan
for each class, as discussed below. Except as noted, Distributors received no
other compensation from the fund for acting as underwriter.
THE RULE 12B-1 PLANS
Class I and Class II have separate distribution plans or "Rule 12b-1 plans" that
were adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act.
THE CLASS I PLAN. Under the Class I plan, the fund may pay up to a maximum of
0.10% per year of Class I's average daily net assets, payable quarterly, for
expenses incurred in the promotion and distribution of Class I shares.
In implementing the Class I plan, the Board has determined that the annual fees
payable under the plan will be equal to the sum of: (i) the amount obtained by
multiplying 0.10% by the average daily net assets represented by Class I shares
of the fund that were acquired by investors on or after May 1, 1994, the
effective date of the plan ("New Assets"), and (ii) the amount obtained by
multiplying 0.05% by the average daily net assets represented by Class I shares
of the fund that were acquired before May 1, 1994 ("Old Assets"). These fees
will be paid to the current Securities Dealer of record on the account. In
addition, until such time as the maximum payment of 0.10% is reached on a yearly
basis, up to an additional 0.01% will be paid to Distributors under the plan or,
should Class I's assets fall below $4 billion, up to an additional 0.02% could
be paid to Distributors under the plan. The payments made to Distributors will
be used by Distributors to defray other marketing expenses that have been
incurred in accordance with the plan, such as advertising.
The fee is a Class I expense. This means that all Class I shareholders,
regardless of when they purchased their shares, will bear Rule 12b-1 expenses at
the same rate. The initial rate will be at least 0.06% (0.05% plus 0.01%) of the
average daily net assets of Class I and, as Class I shares are sold on or after
May 1, 1994, will increase over time. Thus, as the proportion of Class I shares
purchased on or after May 1, 1994, increases in relation to outstanding Class I
shares, the expenses attributable to payments under the plan will also increase
(but will not exceed 0.10% of average daily net assets). While this is the
currently anticipated calculation for fees payable under the Class I plan, the
plan permits the Board to allow the fund to pay a full 0.10% on all assets at
any time. The approval of the Board would be required to change the calculation
of the payments to be made under the Class I plan.
The Class I plan does not permit unreimbursed expenses incurred in a particular
year to be carried over to or reimbursed in later years.
THE CLASS II PLAN. Under the Class II plan, the fund pays Distributors up to
0.50% per year of Class II's average daily net assets, payable quarterly, for
distribution and related expenses. These fees may be used to compensate
Distributors or others for providing distribution and related services and
bearing certain Class II expenses. All distribution expenses over this amount
will be borne by those who have incurred them without reimbursement by the fund.
Under the Class II plan, the fund also pays an additional 0.15% per year of
Class II's average daily net assets, payable quarterly, as a servicing fee.
THE CLASS I AND CLASS II PLANS. In addition to the payments that Distributors or
others are entitled to under each plan, each plan also provides that to the
extent the fund, Advisers or Distributors or other parties on behalf of the
fund, Advisers or Distributors make payments that are deemed to be for the
financing of any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of
each class within the context of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, then such
payments shall be deemed to have been made pursuant to the plan. The terms and
provisions of each plan relating to required reports, term, and approval are
consistent with Rule 12b-1.
In no event shall the aggregate asset-based sales charges, which include
payments made under each plan, plus any other payments deemed to be made
pursuant to a plan, exceed the amount permitted to be paid under the rules of
the NASD.
To the extent fees are for distribution or marketing functions, as distinguished
from administrative servicing or agency transactions, certain banks will not be
entitled to participate in the plans as a result of applicable federal law
prohibiting certain banks from engaging in the distribution of mutual fund
shares. These banking institutions, however, are permitted to receive fees under
the plans for administrative servicing or for agency transactions. If you are a
customer of a bank that is prohibited from providing these services, you would
be permitted to remain a shareholder of the fund, and alternate means for
continuing the servicing would be sought. In this event, changes in the services
provided might occur and you might no longer be able to avail yourself of any
automatic investment or other services then being provided by the bank. It is
not expected that you would suffer any adverse financial consequences as a
result of any of these changes.
Each plan has been approved in accordance with the provisions of Rule 12b-1. The
plans are renewable annually by a vote of the Board, including a majority vote
of the Board members who are not interested persons of the fund and who have no
direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the plans, cast in
person at a meeting called for that purpose. It is also required that the
selection and nomination of such Board members be done by the non-interested
members of the Board. The plans and any related agreement may be terminated at
any time, without penalty, by vote of a majority of the non-interested Board
members on not more than 60 days' written notice, by Distributors on not more
than 60 days' written notice, by any act that constitutes an assignment of the
management agreement with Advisers or by vote of a majority of the outstanding
shares of the class. Distributors or any dealer or other firm may also terminate
their respective distribution or service agreement at any time upon written
notice.
The plans and any related agreements may not be amended to increase materially
the amount to be spent for distribution expenses without approval by a majority
of the outstanding shares of the class, and all material amendments to the plans
or any related agreements shall be approved by a vote of the non-interested
members of the Board, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of
voting on any such amendment.
Distributors is required to report in writing to the Board at least quarterly on
the amounts and purpose of any payment made under the plans and any related
agreements, as well as to furnish the Board with such other information as may
reasonably be requested in order to enable the Board to make an informed
determination of whether the plans should be continued.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, Distributors had eligible expenditures
of $12,163,797 and $2,203,749 for advertising, printing, and payments to
underwriters and broker-dealers pursuant to the Class I and Class II plans,
respectively, of which the fund paid Distributors $10,094,684 and $1,224,077
under the Class I and Class II plans.
HOW DOES THE FUND
MEASURE PERFORMANCE?
Performance quotations are subject to SEC rules. These rules require the use of
standardized performance quotations or, alternatively, that every
non-standardized performance quotation furnished by the fund be accompanied by
certain standardized performance information computed as required by the SEC.
Average annual total return and current yield quotations used by the fund are
based on the standardized methods of computing performance mandated by the SEC.
If a Rule 12b-1 plan is adopted, performance figures reflect fees from the date
of the plan's implementation. An explanation of these and other methods used by
the fund to compute or express performance follows. Regardless of the method
used, past performance does not guarantee future results, and is an indication
of the return to shareholders only for the limited historical period used.
TOTAL RETURN
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN. Average annual total return is determined by
finding the average annual rates of return over the periods indicated below that
would equate an initial hypothetical $1,000 investment to its ending redeemable
value. The calculation assumes the maximum front-end sales charge is deducted
from the initial $1,000 purchase, and income dividends and capital gain
distributions are reinvested at Net Asset Value. The quotation assumes the
account was completely redeemed at the end of each period and the deduction of
all applicable charges and fees. If a change is made to the sales charge
structure, historical performance information will be restated to reflect the
maximum front-end sales charge currently in effect.
The average annual total return for Class I for the one-, five- and ten-year
periods ended March 31, 1998, was 5.49%, 5.59% and 7.49%, respectively. The
average annual total return for Class II for the one-year period ended March 31,
1998, and for the period from inception (May 1, 1995) through March 31, 1998,
was 7.43% and 6.90%, respectively.
These figures were calculated according to the SEC formula:
P(1+T)n = ERV
where:
P = a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000
T = average annual total return
n = number of years
ERV = ending redeemable value of a hypothetical $1,000 payment made at the
beginning of each period at the end of each period
CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN. Like average annual total return, cumulative total
return assumes the maximum front-end sales charge is deducted from the initial
$1,000 purchase, and income dividends and capital gain distributions are
reinvested at Net Asset Value. Cumulative total return, however, is based on the
actual return for a specified period rather than on the average return over the
periods indicated above. The cumulative total return for Class I for the one-,
five- and ten-year periods ended March 31, 1998, was 5.49%, 31.22% and 105.83%,
respectively. The cumulative total return for Class II for the one-year period
ended March 31, 1998, and for the period from inception (May 1, 1995) through
March 31, 1998, was 7.43% and 21.49%, respectively.
YIELD
CURRENT YIELD. Current yield of each class shows the income per share earned by
the fund. It is calculated by dividing the net investment income per share of
each class earned during a 30-day base period by the applicable maximum Offering
Price per share on the last day of the period and annualizing the result.
Expenses accrued for the period include any fees charged to all shareholders of
the class during the base period. The yield for each class for the 30-day period
ended March 31, 1998, was 4.37% for Class I and 3.94% for Class II.
These figures were obtained using the following SEC formula:
6
Yield = 2 [(a-b + 1) - 1]
---
cd
where:
a = interest earned during the period
b = expenses accrued for the period (net of reimbursements)
c = the average daily number of shares outstanding during the period that were
entitled to receive dividends
d = the maximum Offering Price per share on the last day of the period
TAXABLE-EQUIVALENT YIELD. The fund may also quote a taxable-equivalent yield for
each class that shows the before-tax yield that would have to be earned from a
taxable investment to equal the yield for the class. Taxable-equivalent yield is
computed by dividing the portion of the class' yield that is tax-exempt by one
minus the highest applicable combined federal and state income tax rate and
adding the product to the portion of the class' yield that is not tax-exempt, if
any. The taxable-equivalent yield for each class for the 30-day period ended
March 31, 1998, was 7.97% for Class I and 7.19% for Class II.
As of March 31, 1998, the combined federal and state income tax rate upon which
the taxable-equivalent yield quotations are based was 45.2%. If you are in the
highest California tax bracket or are subject to the disallowance of federal or
California exemption credits or itemized deductions, the taxable-equivalent
yield will be higher, with the amount of increase depending upon your income
levels and the amount of exemption credits or itemized deductions disallowed.
From time to time, as any changes to the rates become effective,
taxable-equivalent yield quotations advertised by the fund will be updated to
reflect these changes. The fund expects updates may be necessary as tax rates
are changed by federal and state governments. The advantage of tax-free
investments, like the fund, will be enhanced by any tax rate increases.
Therefore, the details of specific tax increases may be used in sales material
for the fund.
CURRENT DISTRIBUTION RATE
Current yield and taxable-equivalent yield, which are calculated according to a
formula prescribed by the SEC, are not indicative of the amounts which were or
will be paid to shareholders. Amounts paid to shareholders are reflected in the
quoted current distribution rate or taxable-equivalent distribution rate. The
current distribution rate is usually computed by annualizing the dividends paid
per share by a class during a certain period and dividing that amount by the
current maximum Offering Price. The current distribution rate differs from the
current yield computation because it may include distributions to shareholders
from sources other than interest, if any, and is calculated over a different
period of time. The current distribution rate for each class for the 30-day
period ended March 31, 1998, was 5.47% for Class I and 5.08% for Class II.
A taxable-equivalent distribution rate shows the taxable distribution rate
equivalent to the class' current distribution rate. The advertised
taxable-equivalent distribution rate will reflect the most current federal and
state tax rates available to the fund. The taxable-equivalent distribution rate
for each class for the 30-day period ended March 31, 1998, was 9.98% for Class I
and 9.27% for Class II.
VOLATILITY
Occasionally statistics may be used to show the fund's volatility or risk.
Measures of volatility or risk are generally used to compare the fund's Net
Asset Value or performance to a market index. One measure of volatility is beta.
Beta is the volatility of a fund relative to the total market, as represented by
an index considered representative of the types of securities in which the fund
invests. A beta of more than 1.00 indicates volatility greater than the market
and a beta of less than 1.00 indicates volatility less than the market. Another
measure of volatility or risk is standard deviation. Standard deviation is used
to measure variability of Net Asset Value or total return around an average over
a specified period of time. The idea is that greater volatility means greater
risk undertaken in achieving performance.
OTHER PERFORMANCE QUOTATIONS
The fund may also quote the performance of shares without a sales charge. Sales
literature and advertising may quote a current distribution rate, yield,
cumulative total return, average annual total return and other measures of
performance as described elsewhere in this SAI with the substitution of Net
Asset Value for the public Offering Price.
The fund may include in its advertising or sales material information relating
to investment goals and performance results of funds belonging to the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds. Resources is the parent company of the advisors and
underwriter of the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
COMPARISONS
To help you better evaluate how an investment in the fund may satisfy your
investment goal, advertisements and other materials about the fund may discuss
certain measures of fund performance as reported by various financial
publications. Materials may also compare performance (as calculated above) to
performance as reported by other investments, indices, and averages. These
comparisons may include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
a) Salomon Brothers Broad Bond Index or its component indices - measures yield,
price and total return for Treasury, agency, corporate and mortgage bonds.
b) Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index or its component indices - measures
yield, price and total return for Treasury, agency, corporate, mortgage and
Yankee bonds.
c) Lehman Brothers Municipal Bond Index or its component indices - measures
yield, price and total return for the municipal bond market.
d) Bond Buyer 20 Index - an index of municipal bond yields based upon yields of
20 general obligation bonds maturing in 20 years.
e) Bond Buyer 40 Index - an index composed of the yield to maturity of 40 bonds.
The index attempts to track the new-issue market as closely as possible, so it
changes bonds twice a month, adding all new bonds that meet certain requirements
and deleting an equivalent number according to their secondary market trading
activity. As a result, the average par call date, average maturity date, and
average coupon rate can and have changed over time. The average maturity
generally has been about 29-30 years.
f) Bond Buyer 40 Average Dollar Prices - simple average of the price of the
municipal bonds in the Bond Buyer's 40-Bond Index.
g) Financial publications: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, and BUSINESS WEEK, FINANCIAL
WORLD, FORBES, FORTUNE, and MONEY magazines - provide performance statistics
over specified time periods.
h) Salomon Brothers Composite High Yield Index or its component indices measures
yield, price and total return for the Long-Term High-Yield Index,
Intermediate-Term High-Yield Index, and Long-Term Utility High-Yield Index.
i) Historical data supplied by the research departments of CS First Boston
Corporation, the J. P. Morgan companies, Salomon Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Lehman
Brothers and Bloomberg L.P.
j) Morningstar - information published by Morningstar, Inc., including
Morningstar proprietary mutual fund ratings. The ratings reflect Morningstar's
assessment of the historical risk-adjusted performance of a fund over specified
time periods relative to other funds within its category.
k) Lipper - Mutual Fund Performance Analysis and Lipper - Fixed Income Fund
Performance Analysis - measure total return and average current yield for the
mutual fund industry and rank individual mutual fund performance over specified
time periods, assuming reinvestment of all distributions, exclusive of any
applicable sales charges.
l) Merrill Lynch California Municipal Bond Index - based upon yields from
revenue and general obligation bonds weighted in accordance with their
respective importance to the California municipal market. The index is published
weekly in the LOS ANGELES TIMES and the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE.
m) Mutual Fund Source Book, published by Morningstar, Inc. - analyzes price,
yield, risk and total return for mutual funds.
n) Merrill Lynch Corporate Master Index - reflects investment grade corporate
securities.
From time to time, advertisements or information for the fund may include a
discussion of certain attributes or benefits to be derived from an investment in
the fund. The advertisements or information may include symbols, headlines, or
other material that highlights or summarizes the information discussed in more
detail in the communication.
Advertisements or sales material issued by the fund may also discuss or be based
upon information in a recent issue of the Special Report on Tax Freedom Day
published by the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit research and
public education organization. The report illustrates, among other things, the
annual amount of time the average taxpayer works to satisfy his or her tax
obligations to the federal, state and local taxing authorities.
Advertisements or information may also compare the fund's performance to the
return on CDs or other investments. You should be aware, however, that an
investment in the fund involves the risk of fluctuation of principal value, a
risk generally not present in an investment in a CD issued by a bank. For
example, as the general level of interest rates rise, the value of the fund's
fixed-income investments, as well as the value of its shares that are based upon
the value of such portfolio investments, can be expected to decrease.
Conversely, when interest rates decrease, the value of the fund's shares can be
expected to increase. CDs are frequently insured by an agency of the U.S.
government. An investment in the fund is not insured by any federal, state or
private entity.
In assessing comparisons of performance, you should keep in mind that the
composition of the investments in the reported indices and averages is not
identical to the fund's portfolio, the indices and averages are generally
unmanaged, and the items included in the calculations of the averages may not be
identical to the formula used by the fund to calculate its figures. In addition,
there can be no assurance that the fund will continue its performance as
compared to these other averages.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
The fund may help you achieve various investment goals such as accumulating
money for retirement, saving for a down payment on a home, college costs and
other long-term goals. The Franklin College Costs Planner may help you in
determining how much money must be invested on a monthly basis in order to have
a projected amount available in the future to fund a child's college education.
(Projected college cost estimates are based upon current costs published by the
College Board.) The Franklin Retirement Planning Guide leads you through the
steps to start a retirement savings program. Of course, an investment in the
fund cannot guarantee that these goals will be met.
The fund is a member of the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds, one of the
largest mutual fund organizations in the U.S., and may be considered in a
program for diversification of assets. Founded in 1947, Franklin, one of the
oldest mutual fund organizations, has managed mutual funds for over 50 years and
now services more than 3 million shareholder accounts. In 1992, Franklin, a
leader in managing fixed-income mutual funds and an innovator in creating
domestic equity funds, joined forces with Templeton, a pioneer in international
investing. The Mutual Series team, known for its value-driven approach to
domestic equity investing, became part of the organization four years later.
Together, the Franklin Templeton Group has over $239 billion in assets under
management for more than 6 million U.S. based mutual fund shareholder and other
accounts. The Franklin Templeton Group of Funds offers 119 U.S. based open-end
investment companies to the public. The fund may identify itself by its NASDAQ
symbol or CUSIP number.
Franklin is a leader in the tax-free mutual fund industry and manages more than
$48 billion in municipal bond assets for over three quarters of a million
investors. According to Research and Ratings Review, Franklin had one of the
largest staffs of municipal securities analysts in the industry, as of March 31,
1997.
The fund's team of professional managers lives and works in California and
selects investments it believes offer the best combination of yield, quality and
maturity. The fund was the first California tax-free fund and is the largest,
with assets of more than $15 billion as of March 31, 1998. It has more than
196,000 investors.
Under current tax laws, municipal securities remain one of the few investments
offering the potential for tax-free income. In 1998, taxes could cost as much as
$45 on every $100 earned from a fully taxable investment (based on the maximum
combined 39.6% federal tax rate and the highest California state tax rate of
9.3% for 1998). Franklin tax-free funds, however, offer tax relief through a
professionally managed portfolio of tax-free securities selected based on their
yield, quality and maturity. An investment in a Franklin tax-free fund can
provide you with the potential to earn income free of federal taxes and,
depending on the fund, state and local taxes as well, while supporting state and
local public projects. Franklin tax-free funds may also provide tax-free
compounding, when dividends are reinvested. An investment in Franklin's tax-free
funds can grow more rapidly than similar taxable investments.
Municipal securities are generally considered to be creditworthy, second in
quality only to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government and its
agencies. The market price of such securities, however, may fluctuate. This
fluctuation will have a direct impact on the Net Asset Value of an investment in
the fund.
Currently, there are more mutual funds than there are stocks listed on the NYSE.
While many of them have similar investment goals, no two are exactly alike. As
noted in the Prospectus, shares of the fund are generally sold through
Securities Dealers. Investment representatives of such Securities Dealers are
experienced professionals who can offer advice on the type of investment
suitable to your unique goals and needs, as well as the types of risks
associated with such investment.
From time to time, the number of fund shares held in the "street name" accounts
of various Securities Dealers for the benefit of their clients or in centralized
securities depositories may exceed 5% of the total shares outstanding. To the
best knowledge of the fund, no other person holds beneficially or of record more
than 5% of the outstanding shares of any class.
In the event of disputes involving multiple claims
of ownership or authority to control your account, the fund has the right (but
has no obligation) to: (a) freeze the account and require the written agreement
of all persons deemed by the fund to have a potential property interest in the
account, before executing instructions regarding the account; (b) interplead
disputed funds or accounts with a court of competent jurisdiction; or (c)
surrender ownership of all or a portion of the account to the IRS in response to
a Notice of Levy.
SUMMARY OF CODE OF ETHICS. Employees of the Franklin Templeton Group who are
access persons under the 1940 Act are permitted to engage in personal securities
transactions subject to the following general restrictions and procedures: (i)
the trade must receive advance clearance from a compliance officer and must be
completed by the close of the business day following the day clearance is
granted; (ii) copies of all brokerage confirmations and statements must be sent
to a compliance officer; (iii) all brokerage accounts must be disclosed on an
annual basis; and (iv) access persons involved in preparing and making
investment decisions must, in addition to (i), (ii) and (iii) above, file annual
reports of their securities holdings each January and inform the compliance
officer (or other designated personnel) if they own a security that is being
considered for a fund or other client transaction or if they are recommending a
security in which they have an ownership interest for purchase or sale by a fund
or other client.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements contained in the Annual Report to Shareholders
of the fund, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998, including the auditors'
report, are incorporated herein by reference.
USEFUL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
1940 ACT - Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
ADVISERS - Franklin Advisers, Inc., the fund's investment manager
BOARD - The Board of Directors of the fund
CD - Certificate of deposit
CLASS I AND CLASS II - The fund offers two classes of shares, designated "Class
I" and "Class II." The two classes have proportionate interests in the fund's
portfolio. They differ, however, primarily in their sales charge structures and
Rule 12b-1 plans.
CODE - Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
DISTRIBUTORS - Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc., the fund's principal
underwriter
FITCH - Fitch Investors Service, Inc.
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON FUNDS - The U.S. registered mutual funds in the Franklin
Group of Funds(R) and the Templeton Group of Funds except Franklin Valuemark
Funds, Templeton Capital Accumulator Fund, Inc., and Templeton Variable
Products Series Fund
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP - Franklin Resources, Inc., a publicly owned holding
company, and its various subsidiaries
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP OF FUNDS - All U.S. registered investment companies
in the Franklin Group of Funds(R) and the Templeton Group of Funds
FT SERVICES - Franklin Templeton Services, Inc., the fund's administrator
INVESTOR SERVICES - Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc., the fund's
shareholder servicing and transfer agent
IRS - Internal Revenue Service
LETTER - Letter of Intent
MOODY'S - Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
NASD - National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
NET ASSET VALUE (NAV) - The value of a mutual fund is determined by deducting
the fund's liabilities from the total assets of the portfolio. The net asset
value per share is determined by dividing the net asset value of the fund by the
number of shares outstanding.
NYSE - New York Stock Exchange
OFFERING PRICE - The public offering price is based on the Net Asset Value per
share of the class and includes the front-end sales charge. The maximum
front-end sales charge is 4.25% for Class I and 1% for Class II. We calculate
the offering price to two decimal places using standard rounding criteria.
PROSPECTUS - The prospectus for the fund dated August 1, 1998, which we may
amend from time to time
RESOURCES - Franklin Resources, Inc.
SAI - Statement of Additional Information
S&P - Standard & Poor's Corporation
SEC - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
SECURITIES DEALER - A financial institution that, either directly or through
affiliates, has an agreement with Distributors to handle customer orders and
accounts with the fund. This reference is for convenience only and does not
indicate a legal conclusion of capacity.
WE/OUR/US - Unless a different meaning is indicated by the context, these terms
refer to the fund and/or Investor Services, Distributors, or other wholly owned
subsidiaries of Resources.
APPENDIX
DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS
MUNICIPAL BOND RATINGS
MOODY'S
AAA: Municipal bonds rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry
the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as
"gilt-edged." Interest payments are protected by a large or exceptionally stable
margin, and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are
likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair
the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
AA: Municipal bonds rated Aa are judged to be high quality by all standards.
Together with the Aaa group, they comprise what are generally known as
high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of
protection may not be as large, fluctuation of protective elements may be of
greater amplitude, or there may be other elements present that make the
long-term risks appear somewhat larger.
A: Municipal bonds rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are
considered upper medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal
and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present that suggest a
susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
BAA: Municipal bonds rated Baa are considered medium-grade obligations. They are
neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal
security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be
lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time.
These bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and, in fact, have
speculative characteristics as well.
BA: Municipal bonds rated Ba are judged to have predominantly speculative
elements and their future cannot be considered well assured. Often the
protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and, thereby,
not well safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty
of position characterizes bonds in this class.
B: Municipal bonds rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable
investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of
other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
CAA: Municipal bonds rated Caa are of poor standing. These issues may be in
default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal
or interest.
CON.(-): Municipal bonds for which the security depends upon the completion of
some act or the fulfillment of some condition are rated conditionally. These are
bonds secured by (a) earnings of projects under construction, (b) earnings of
projects unseasoned in operation experience, (c) rentals that begin when
facilities are completed, or (d) payments to which some other limiting condition
attaches. Parenthetical rating denotes probable credit stature upon the
completion of construction or the elimination of the basis of the condition.
S&P
AAA: Municipal bonds rated AAA are the highest-grade obligations. They possess
the ultimate degree of protection as to principal and interest. In the market,
they move with interest rates and, hence, provide the maximum safety on all
counts.
AA: Municipal bonds rated AA also qualify as high-grade obligations, and in the
majority of instances differ from AAA issues only in a small degree. Here, too,
prices move with the long-term money market.
A: Municipal bonds rated A are regarded as upper medium-grade. They have
considerable investment strength but are not entirely free from adverse effects
of changes in economic and trade conditions. Interest and principal are regarded
as safe. They predominantly reflect money rates in their market behavior but
also, to some extent, economic conditions.
BBB: Municipal bonds rated BBB are regarded as having an adequate capacity to
pay principal and interest. Whereas they normally exhibit adequate protection
parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more
likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay principal and interest for bonds in
this category than for bonds in the A category.
BB, B, CCC, CC: Municipal bonds rated BB, B, CCC and CC are regarded, on
balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to
pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the
obligations. BB indicates the lowest degree of speculation and CC the highest
degree of speculation. While these bonds will likely have some quality and
protective characteristics, they are outweighed by large uncertainties or major
risk exposures to adverse conditions.
PLUS (+) OR MINUS (-): The ratings from "AA" to "CCC" may be modified by the
addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major
rating categories.
FITCH
AAA: Municipal bonds rated AAA are considered to be investment grade and of the
highest credit quality. The obligor has an exceptionally strong ability to pay
interest and repay principal that is unlikely to be affected by reasonably
foreseeable events.
AA: Municipal bonds rated AA are considered to be investment grade and of very
high credit quality. The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal
is very strong although not quite as strong as bonds rated AAA and not
significantly vulnerable to foreseeable future developments.
A: Municipal bonds rated A are considered to be investment grade and of high
credit quality. The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal is
considered to be strong, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in
economic conditions and circumstances than bonds with higher ratings.
BBB: Municipal bonds rated BBB are considered to be investment grade and of
satisfactory credit quality. The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay
principal is considered adequate. Adverse changes in economic conditions and
circumstances, however, are more likely to have an adverse impact on these
bonds, and therefore impair timely payment. The likelihood that the ratings of
these bonds will fall below investment grade is higher than for bonds with
higher ratings.
BB: Municipal bonds rated BB are considered speculative. The obligor's ability
to pay interest and repay principal may be affected over time by adverse
economic changes. Business and financial alternatives can be identified,
however, that could assist the obligor in satisfying its debt service
requirements.
B: Municipal bonds rated B are considered highly speculative. While bonds in
this class are currently meeting debt service requirements, the probability of
continued timely payment of principal and interest reflects the obligor's
limited margin of safety and the need for reasonable business and economic
activity throughout the life of the issue.
CCC: Municipal bonds rated CCC have certain identifiable characteristics which,
if not remedied, may lead to default. The ability to meet obligations requires
an advantageous business and economic environment.
Plus (+) or minus (-) signs are used with a rating symbol to indicate the
relative position of a credit within the rating category. Plus or minus signs
are not used with the AAA category.
MUNICIPAL NOTE RATINGS
MOODY'S
Moody's ratings for state, municipal and other short-term obligations will be
designated Moody's Investment Grade ("MIG"). This distinction is in recognition
of the differences between short-term credit risk and long-term risk. Factors
affecting the liquidity of the borrower are uppermost in importance in
short-term borrowing; factors of the first importance in long-term borrowing
risk are of lesser importance in the short run. Symbols used will be as follows:
MIG 1: Notes are of the best quality enjoying strong protection from established
cash flows of funds for their servicing or from established and broad-based
access to the market for refinancing, or both.
MIG 2: Notes are of high quality, with margins of protection ample, although not
so large as in the preceding group.
MIG 3: Notes are of favorable quality, with all security elements accounted for,
but lacking the undeniable strength of the preceding grades. Market access for
refinancing, in particular, is likely to be less well established.
MIG 4: Notes are of adequate quality, carrying specific risk but having
protection and not distinctly or predominantly speculative.
S&P
Until June 29, 1984, S&P used the same rating symbols for notes and bonds. After
June 29, 1984, for new municipal note issues due in three years or less, the
ratings below will usually be assigned. Notes maturing beyond three years will
most likely receive a bond rating of the type recited above.
SP-1: Issues carrying this designation have a very strong or strong capacity to
pay principal and interest. Issues determined to possess overwhelming safety
characteristics will be given a "plus" (+) designation.
SP-2: Issues carrying this designation have a satisfactory capacity to pay
principal and interest.
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
MOODY'S
Moody's commercial paper ratings, which are also applicable to municipal paper
investments permitted to be made by the fund, are opinions of the ability of
issuers to repay punctually their promissory obligations not having an original
maturity in excess of nine months. Moody's employs the following designations,
all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity
of rated issuers:
P-1 (PRIME-1): Superior capacity for repayment.
P-2 (PRIME-2): Strong capacity for repayment.
S&P
S&P's ratings are a current assessment of the likelihood of timely payment of
debt having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. Ratings are graded
into four categories, ranging from "A" for the highest quality obligations to
"D" for the lowest. Issues within the "A" category are delineated with the
numbers 1, 2 and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety, as follows:
A-1: This designation indicates the degree of safety regarding timely payment is
very strong. A "plus" (+) designation indicates an even stronger likelihood of
timely payment.
A-2: Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is strong. The
relative degree of safety, however, is not as overwhelming as for issues
designated A-1.
A-3: Issues carrying this designation have a satisfactory capacity for timely
payment. They are, however, somewhat more vulnerable to the adverse effects of
changes in circumstances than obligations carrying the higher designations.
FITCH
Fitch's short-term ratings apply to debt obligations that are payable on demand
or have original maturities of generally up to three years, including commercial
paper, CDs, medium-term notes, and municipal and investment notes. The
short-term rating places greater emphasis than a long-term rating on the
existence of liquidity necessary to meet the issuer's obligations in a timely
manner.
F-1+: Exceptionally strong credit quality. Regarded as having the strongest
degree of assurance for timely payment.
F-1: Very strong credit quality. Reflect an assurance of timely payment only
slightly less in degree than issues rated F-1+.
F-2: Good credit quality. A satisfactory degree of assurance for timely payment,
but the margin of safety is not as great as for issues assigned F-1+ and F-1
ratings.
F-3: Fair credit quality. Have characteristics suggesting that the degree of
assurance for timely payment is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes
could cause these securities to be rated below investment grade.
F-5: Weak credit quality. Have characteristics suggesting a minimal degree of
assurance for timely payment and are vulnerable to near-term adverse changes in
financial and economic conditions.
D: Default. Actual or imminent payment default.
LOC: The symbol LOC indicates that the rating is based on a letter of credit
issued by a commercial bank.
