TEMPLETON FUNDS INC
497, 1997-04-03
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                            PROSPECTUS & APPLICATION


                                      LOGO

                             TEMPLETON FOREIGN FUND

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                JANUARY 1, 1997

                            AS AMENDED APRIL 4, 1997

                       INVESTMENT STRATEGY: GLOBAL GROWTH



                                      LOGO

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 This prospectus describes the Class I and Class II shares of Templeton Foreign
Fund (the "Fund").  It contains  information you should know before investing in
the Fund. Please keep it for future reference.


The Fund currently offers another class of shares with a different sales charge
and expense structure, which affects performance. This class is described in a
separate  prospectus.   For more information, contact your investment
representative or call 1-800/DIAL BEN.

The Fund has a Statement of Additional  Information  ("SAI") for its Class I and
Class II shares, dated January 1, 1997, which may be amended from time to time.
It includes more information  about the Fund's  procedures and policies.  t has
been filed with the SEC and is incorporated  by reference into this prospectus.
For a free copy or a larger print version of this prospectus, call  1-800/DIAL
BEN or write the Fund at the address shown.


SHARES OF THE FUND 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. SHARES OF THE FUND INVOLVE INVESTMENT RISKS, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE
LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.

LIKE ALL MUTUAL FUNDS, THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY
THE SEC OR ANY  STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE  EC OR ANY STATE
SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR 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.



<PAGE>



                             TEMPLETON FOREIGN FUND
                                January 1, 1997
                            as amended April 4, 1997

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                                           PAGE

ABOUT THE FUND
Expense Summary..........................................     2
Financial Highlights.....................................     4
How does the Fund Invest its Assets?.....................     5
What are the Fund's Potential Risks?.....................     6
Who Manages the Fund?....................................     9
How does the Fund Measure Performance?...................    12
How is the Fund Organized?...............................    12
How Taxation Affects You and the Fund....................    13

ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT
How Do I Buy Shares?.....................................    14
May I Exchange Shares for Shares of Another Fund?........    20
How Do I Sell Shares?....................................    24
What Distributions Might I Receive from the Fund?........    26
Transaction Procedures and Special Requirements..........    28
Services to Help You Manage Your Account.................    32
What if I Have Questions About My Account................    34

GLOSSARY
Useful Terms and Definitions.............................    36

700 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg
FL  33701
1-800/DIAL BEN


<PAGE>


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 the Class I and Class II shares
for the fiscal year ended August 31, 1996. The Fund's actual expenses may vary.


A. SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES+           CLASS I   CLASS II
      Maximum Sales Charge (as a
      percentage of Offering Price)             5.75%             1.99%
         Paid at time of purchase               5.75%++           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                           0.61%              0.61%
      Rule 12b-1 Fees                           0.25%**            1.00%**
      Other Expenses                            0.26%              0.26%
                                                -----              -----
      Total Fund Operating Expenses             1.12%              1.87%
                                                =====              =====

C. EXAMPLE

     Assume the annual return for each class is 5% and operating expenses are as
     described above. For each $1,000 investment, you would pay the following
     projected expenses if you sold your shares after the number of years shown.

                              1 YEAR      3 YEARS     5 YEARS     10 YEARS
      CLASS I                 $68***        $91        $116         $186
      CLASS II                  $39         $68        $110         $227

     For the same Class II investment, you would pay projected expenses of $29
     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.

<PAGE>

 ++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?  - Deciding Which Class to Buy." 
++++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 paid by you
would be 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. 
**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 McGladrey & Pullen, LLP, 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 August 31, 1996. 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 SHARES
YEAR ENDED AUGUST 31           1996     1995    1994     1993     1992     1991    1990    1989    1988   1987
- --------------------------   -------- ------- -------- -------- -------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------
<S>                            <C>    <C>     <C>      <C>       <C>       <C>    <C>     <C>     <C>    <C>

PER SHARE OPERATING
PERFORMANCE+
(FOR A SHARE OUTSTANDING
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR)
Net asset value, beginning      $9.62   $10.01   $8.74    $7.92    $7.91    $8.19   $7.60  $6.37    $ 7.73 $ 5.34
of year                         -----   ------   -----    ----     ----    ----    ----    ----    ----   ----
Income from investment
operations:
   Net investment income          .27     .23      .14      .14      .20     .25     .25     .22     .21    .16
   Net realized and 
   unrealized gain                .69     .05     1.39     1.21      .43     .03     .92    1.60   (.97)   2.71
                                  ---     ---     ----     ----      ---     ---     ---    ----   -----   ----
Total from investment
operations                        .96     .28     1.53     1.35      .63     .28    1.17    1.82   (.76)   2.87
                                  ---     ---     ----     ----      ---     ---    ----    ----   -----   ----
Distributions:
   Dividends from net           (.25)   (.16)    (.13)    (.19)    (.23)   (.26)   (.25)   (.21)   (.19)  (.13)
    investment income
   Distributions from net
    realized gains              (.36)   (.51)    (.13)    (.34)    (.39)   (.30)   (.33)   (.38)   (.41)  (.35)
                                -----   -----    -----    -----    -----   -----   -----   -----   -----  -----
Total distributions             (.61)   (.67)    (.26)    (.53)    (.62)   (.56)   (.58)   (.59)   (.60)  (.48)
                                -----   -----    -----    -----    -----   -----   -----   -----   -----  -----
Change in net asset value        .35    (.39)     1.27      .82      .01   (.28)     .59    1.23  (1.36)   2.39
                                -----   -----    -----    -----    -----   -----   -----   -----  ------   ----
Net asset value, end of year   $9.97   $9.62    $10.01   $ 8.74    $7.92   $7.91   $8.19  $ 7.60  $ 6.37  $7.73
                               ======  =====    ======   ======    =====   =====   =====  ======  ======  =====
TOTAL  RETURN*                 10.68%   3.14%    17.94%   18.65%    8.52%   4.17%  16.35%  30.99%  (8.78)%59.23%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA 
Net assets, end of year  $9,602,209 $6,941,238 $5,014,4338 $2,667,7771 $1,672,161 $1,211,525 $932,995 $438,571 $292,679 $319,649
(000)
Ratio of expenses to            1.12%   1.15%    1.14%    1.12%     .94%    .80%    .77%    .81%    .81%   .77%
average net assets
Ratio of net investment         3.09%   2.81%    1.84%    2.11%    2.92%   3.59%   3.95%   3.65%   3.29%  2.89%
income to average net assets
Portfolio turnover rate        15.91%  21.78%   36.75%   21.29%   22.00%  19.24%  11.49%  16.62%  20.37%  14.49%
Average commission rate      $ .0075
paid (per share)                

</TABLE>

+Per share amounts for years ended prior to August 31, 1994 have been restated
to reflect a 3-for-1 stock split effective February 25, 1994. *Total return does
not reflect sales commissions.

<PAGE>


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

CLASS II SHARES
YEAR ENDED AUGUST 31                                        1996       1995 /1/
- -----------------------------------------------------      -------     -------
<S>                                                        <C>         <C>

PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE
(For a share outstanding throughout the period)
Net asset value, beginning of period                      $  9.59     $   9.16
                                                          --------    ---------
Income from investment operations:
     Net investment income                                    .30          .03
     Net realized and unrealized gain                         .58          .40
                                                          --------    ---------
Total from investment operations                              .88          .43
                                                          --------    ---------
Distributions:
     Dividends from net investment income                    (.24)         --
     Distributions from net realized gains                   (.36)         --
                                                          --------    ---------
Total distributions                                          (.60)         --
                                                          --------    ---------
Change in net asset value                                     .28         .43
                                                          --------    ---------
Net asset value, end of period                            $  9.87     $  9.59
                                                          ========    =========
TOTAL RETURN*                                                9.78%       4.81%
RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Net assets, end of period (000)                          $527,443     $63,428
Ratio of expenses to average net assets                      1.87%       1.90%**
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets         2.63%       1.86%**
Portfolio turnover rate                                     15.91%      21.78%
Average commission rate paid (per share)                $   .0075

/1/ For the period May 1, 1995  (commencement  of sales)  through  August 31,
1995.  *Total  return  does not  reflect  sales  commissions  or the  contingent
deferred  sales  charge.   Not  annualized  for  periods  less  than  one  year.
**Annualized.

</TABLE>


HOW DOES THE FUND INVEST ITS ASSETS?

THE FUND'S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund's investment  objective is long-term capital growth,  which it seeks to
achieve through a flexible policy of investing in stocks and debt obligations of
companies  and  governments  outside  the  U.S.  Any  income  realized  will  be
incidental.  The  objective is a  fundamental  policy of the Fund and may not be
changed without shareholder  approval. Of course, there is no assurance that the
Fund's objective will be achieved.

Although  the Fund  generally  invests in common  stock,  it may also  invest in
preferred  stocks and certain  debt  securities  (which may  include  structured
investments), rated or unrated, such as convertible bonds and bonds selling at a
discount.  Whenever,  in the  judgment of TGAL,  market or  economic  conditions
warrant, the Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes, invest without limit in
U.S.  government  securities,  bank time  deposits in the  currency of any major



<PAGE>

nation and  commercial  paper  meeting the quality  ratings set forth under "How
does the Fund  Invest  its  Assets?"  in the SAI,  and  purchase  from  banks or
broker-dealers  Canadian  or  U.S.  government  securities  with a  simultaneous
agreement by the seller to repurchase them within no more than seven days at the
original purchase price plus accrued interest.

The Fund may purchase  sponsored or  unsponsored  American  Depositary  Receipts
("ADRs"),  European  Depositary Receipts ("EDRs") and Global Depositary Receipts
("GDRs") (collectively, "depositary receipts"). The Fund may invest no more than
5% of its total assets in  securities  issued by any one company or  government,
exclusive of U.S. government securities.  Although the Fund may invest up to 25%
of its assets in a single industry, it has no present intention of doing so. The
Fund may not  invest  more  than 5% of its  assets  in  warrants  (exclusive  of
warrants  acquired in units or attached to securities)  nor more than 10% of its
assets in securities with a limited trading market. The Investment Objective and
Policies  described  above,  as  well as  most  of the  Investment  Restrictions
described in the SAI, cannot be changed without shareholder  approval.  The Fund
invests for  long-term  growth of capital and does not intend to place  emphasis
upon  short-term  trading  profits.  Accordingly,  the  Fund  expects  to have a
portfolio turnover rate of less than 50%.

WHAT ARE THE FUND'S POTENTIAL RISKS?

You should  understand  that all  investments  involve  risk and there can be no
guarantee  against loss  resulting from an investment in the Fund, nor can there
be any assurance that the Fund's investment objective will be attained.  As with
any  investment in  securities,  the value of, and income from, an investment in
the Fund can  decrease as well as  increase,  depending  on a variety of factors
which may  affect  the values  and  income  generated  by the  Fund's  portfolio
securities,  including  general  economic  conditions  and  market  factors.  In
addition to the  factors  which  affect the value of  individual  securities,  a
shareholder  may  anticipate  that the  value  of the  shares  of the Fund  will
fluctuate with  movements in the broader  equity and bond markets.  A decline in
the  stock  market of any  country  in which  the Fund is  invested  may also be
reflected  in  declines  in the  price of the  shares of the  Fund.  Changes  in
currency  valuations  will  also  affect  the  price of the  shares of the Fund.
History  reflects  both  decreases  and  increases in stock markets and currency
valuations,  and these may occur  unpredictably in the future. The value of debt
securities  held by the Fund  generally  will vary  inversely  with  changes  in
prevailing interest rates. Additionally,  investment decisions made by TGAL will
not always be profitable or prove to have been correct. The Fund is not intended
as a complete investment program.

<PAGE>

The Fund has the right to purchase securities in any foreign country,  developed
or  developing.  Investors  should  consider  carefully  the  substantial  risks
involved in  investing in  securities  issued by companies  and  governments  of
foreign  nations,  which are in addition to the usual risks inherent in domestic
investments.  There is the  possibility  of  expropriation,  nationalization  or
confiscatory  taxation,  taxation of income  earned in foreign  nations or other
taxes imposed with respect to investments in foreign  nations,  foreign exchange
controls (which may include  suspension of the ability to transfer currency from
a given country),  foreign investment  controls on daily stock market movements,
default in foreign government  securities,  political or social instability,  or
diplomatic  developments which could affect investments in securities of issuers
in foreign  nations.  Some  countries  may  withhold  portions of  interest  and
dividends at the source.  In addition,  in many countries there is less publicly
available information about issuers than is available in reports about companies
in the U.S. Foreign companies are not generally subject to uniform accounting or
financial reporting  standards,  and auditing practices and requirements may not
be comparable  to those  applicable  to U.S.  companies.  The Fund may encounter
difficulties or be unable to vote proxies,  exercise shareholder rights,  pursue
legal remedies, and obtain judgments in foreign courts.

Brokerage   commissions,   custodial  services,  and  other  costs  relating  to
investment in foreign  countries are generally  more  expensive than in the U.S.
Foreign  securities  markets  also  have  different   clearance  and  settlement
procedures,  and in certain markets there have been times when  settlements have
been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities  transactions,  making it
difficult to conduct such  transactions.  Delays in  settlement  could result in
temporary periods when assets of the Fund are uninvested and no return is earned
thereon.  The inability of the Fund to make intended  security  purchases due to
settlement  problems  could  cause  the  Fund  to  miss  attractive   investment
opportunities.  Inability to dispose of portfolio  securities  due to settlement
problems could result either in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in
value of the  portfolio  security or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to
sell the security, could result in possible liability to the purchaser.

In many foreign countries,  there is less government  supervision and regulation
of  business  and  industry  practices,  stock  exchanges,  brokers  and  listed
companies than in the U.S. There is an increased risk,  therefore,  of uninsured
loss due to lost, stolen, or counterfeit stock  certificates.  In addition,  the
foreign securities markets of many of the countries in which the Fund may invest



<PAGE>

may also be smaller,  less liquid,  and subject to greater price volatility than
those in the U.S.  The Fund may  invest in  Eastern  European  countries,  which
involves  special risks that are described under "What are the Fund's  Potential
Risks?" in the SAI.

Prior  governmental  approval of non-domestic  investments may be required under
certain  circumstances in some developing  countries,  and the extent of foreign
investment  in  domestic  companies  may  be  subject  to  limitation  in  other
developing  countries.  Foreign ownership limitations also may be imposed by the
charters of individual companies in developing countries to prevent, among other
concerns, violation of foreign investment limitations.

Repatriation  of  investment  income,  capital and  proceeds of sales by foreign
investors  may  require  governmental   registration  and/or  approval  in  some
developing  countries.  The Fund could be  adversely  affected by delays in or a
refusal to grant any  required  governmental  registration  or approval for such
repatriation.

Further,  the economies of developing  countries generally are heavily dependent
upon  international  trade and,  accordingly,  have been and may  continue to be
adversely affected by trade barriers,  exchange controls, managed adjustments in
relative currency values and other protectionist  measures imposed or negotiated
by the countries with which they trade.  These  economies also have been and may
continue to be adversely  affected by economic  conditions in the countries with
which they trade.

Depositary  receipts may not  necessarily be denominated in the same currency as
the underlying  securities  into which they may be converted.  In addition,  the
issuers of the securities  underlying  unsponsored  depositary  receipts are not
obligated to disclose material information in the U.S. and, therefore, there may
be less  information  available  regarding  such  issuers and there may not be a
correlation  between such  information  and the market  value of the  depositary
receipts.  Depositary  receipts also involve the risks of other  investments  in
foreign securities, as discussed above.

As a  non-fundamental  policy,  the Fund will limit its  investments  in Russian
securities  to 5% of its total assets.  Russian  securities  involve  additional
significant  risks,  including  political and social  uncertainty  (for example,
regional  conflicts  and  risk  of  war),  currency  exchange  rate  volatility,
pervasiveness of corruption and crime in the Russian economic system,  delays in


<PAGE>


settling portfolio  transactions and risk of loss arising out of Russia's system
of share registration and custody. For more information on these risks and other
risks  associated  with  Russian  securities,  please  see "What are the  Fund's
Potential Risks?" in the SAI.

The Fund is authorized to invest in medium  quality or high-risk,  lower quality
debt  securities  that are rated  between BBB and CCC by S&P and between Baa and
Caa  by  Moody's  or,  if  unrated,  are of  equivalent  investment  quality  as
determined  by TGAL. As an operating  policy,  which may be changed by the Board
without shareholder approval, the Fund will not invest more than 5% of its total
assets in debt  securities  rated lower than BBB by S&P or Baa by  Moody's.  See
"How  does  the  Fund  Invest  its  Assets?  - Debt  Securities"  in the SAI for
descriptions of debt securities  rated BBB by S&P and Baa by Moody's.  The Board
may consider a change in this  operating  policy if, in its  judgment,  economic
conditions  change such that a higher level of investment  in  high-risk,  lower
quality debt  securities  would be consistent with the interests of the Fund and
its shareholders.  High-risk,  lower quality debt securities,  commonly known as
junk bonds, 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 obligation and may be in default.  Unrated debt  securities are
not  necessarily  of lower  quality  than rated  securities  but they may not be
attractive to as many buyers.  Regardless of rating levels,  all debt securities
considered for purchase (whether rated or unrated) will be carefully analyzed by
TGAL to insure,  to the extent possible,  that the planned  investment is sound.
The Fund may, from time to time,  purchase  defaulted debt securities if, in the
opinion of TGAL, the issuer may resume interest payments in the near future. The
Fund  will not  invest  more  than 10% of its total  assets  in  defaulted  debt
securities, which may be illiquid.

The Fund usually effects currency exchange  transactions on a spot (i.e.,  cash)
basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign exchange market.  However, some
price spread on currency  exchange (to cover  service  charges) will be incurred
when the Fund  converts  assets from one currency to another.  There are further
risk considerations, including possible losses through the holding of securities
in domestic and foreign custodial banks and depositories, described 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

<PAGE>

classes of shares.  While none is expected,  the Board will act appropriately to
resolve any material conflict that may arise.

INVESTMENT  MANAGER.  TGAL  manages the Fund's  assets and makes its  investment
decisions.  TGAL 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,  TGAL and its affiliates
manage  over  $172  billion  in  assets.  The  Templeton  organization  has been
investing  globally  since  1940.  TGAL  and  its  affiliates  have  offices  in
Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy,
Luxembourg,  Poland,  Russia,  Scotland,  Singapore,  South  Africa,  U.S.,  and
Vietnam.   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.

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT.  The lead portfolio manager of the Fund since 1987 is
Mark G.  Holowesko.  Mr.  Holowesko  is  president  of  TGAL.  He  holds a BA in
economics  from Holy  Cross  College  and an MBA from  Babson  College.  He is a
Chartered Financial Analyst,  Chartered Investment Counselor, and a director and
founding member of the  International  Society of Financial  Analysts.  Prior to
joining the  Templeton  organization,  Mr.  Holowesko  worked with RoyWest Trust
Corporation  (Bahamas) Limited as an investment  analyst.  His duties at RoyWest
included  managing  trust and  individual  accounts,  as well as  equity  market
research  worldwide.  Mr.  Holowesko  is  responsible  for  coordinating  equity
research worldwide for TGAL and managing several mutual funds.

Jeffrey A.  Everett and Richard Sean  Farrington  exercise  secondary  portfolio
management  responsibilities  for the Fund.  Mr.  Everett is an  executive  vice
president of TGAL. He holds a BS in finance from  Pennsylvania  State University
and is also a  Chartered  Financial  Analyst.  Prior to  joining  the  Templeton
organization   in  1989,  Mr.  Everett  was  an  investment   officer  at  First
Pennsylvania Investment Research, a division of First Pennsylvania  Corporation,
where  he  analyzed  equity  and  convertible  securities.  He also  coordinated
research for Centre Square Investment Group, the pension  management  subsidiary
of First  Pennsylvania  Corporation.  Mr.  Everett is  responsible  for managing
several offshore accounts at Templeton,  as well as several Templeton funds. His
global research  responsibilities  encompass industry coverage for broadcasting,
advertising,  publishing and real estate, and country responsibilities for Italy
and  Australia.  Mr.  Farrington  is a vice  president of TGAL. He holds a BA in
economics  from Harvard  University.  Mr.  Farrington  is a Chartered  Financial



<PAGE>

Analyst and is  currently  the  president  of the Bahamas  Society of  Financial
Analysts.  He joined  the  Templeton  organization  in 1991 and is  currently  a
research   analyst   and   portfolio   manager.   Mr.   Farrington's    research
responsibilities include global coverage of electrical equipment industries,  as
well as non-U.S. electric utilities. He is also responsible for country coverage
of Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

MANAGEMENT  FEES. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 1996, the Fund paid 0.61%
of its average daily net assets in management fees.

PORTFOLIO  TRANSACTIONS.  TGAL  tries  to  obtain  the  best  execution  on  all
transactions.  If TGAL  believes  more than one broker or dealer can provide the
best execution,  consistent with internal  policies 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.  FT Services (and, prior to October 1, 1996, Templeton
Global Investors,  Inc.) provides certain administrative services and facilities
for the Fund. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 1996,  administration fees
totaling  0.08%  of the  average  daily  net  assets  of the Fund  were  paid to
Templeton  Global  Investors,  Inc. Please see "Investment  Management and Other
Services" in the SAI for more information.

TOTAL  EXPENSES.  For the fiscal  year ended  August  31,  1996,  the total Fund
operating  expenses  were 1.12% and 1.87% of average daily net assets of Class I
shares and Class II shares, respectively.

THE RULE 12B-1 PLANS

The Fund's  Class I and Class II shares each have a  distribution  plan or "Rule
12b-1 Plan" under which it may reimburse  Distributors  or others for activities
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, printing prospectuses and reports used for sales purposes, preparing
and distributing sales literature and advertisements,  and a prorated portion of
Distributors' overhead expenses.

Payments  by the Fund  under the Class I plan may not  exceed  0.25% per year of
Class I's  average  daily net assets.  Under the plan,  costs and  expenses  not
reimbursed in any quarter  (including costs and expenses not reimbursed  because


<PAGE>

they exceed the  applicable  limit of the plan) may be  reimbursed in subsequent
quarters or years. Distributors has informed the Fund that costs and expenses of
Class I  shares  that may be  reimbursable  in  future  quarters  or years  were
$2,163,307  (0.02% of its net assets) at August 31, 1996.  During the first year
after certain Class I purchases  made without a sales charge,  Distributors  may
keep the Rule 12b-1 fees associated with the purchase.

Under the Class II plan, the Fund may pay  Distributors  up to 0.75% 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,  Distributors
may keep this portion of the Rule 12b-1 fees associated with the purchase.

The  Fund may also pay a  servicing  fee of up to 0.25%  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 Class I and Class II are based only on the fees
attributable to that particular  class.  For more  information,  please see "The
Fund's Underwriter" in the SAI.

HOW DOES THE FUND MEASURE PERFORMANCE?

From time to time, each class of the Fund advertises its  performance.  The more
commonly used measure of  performance is total return.  Performance  figures are
usually  calculated using the maximum sales charge,  but certain figures may not
include the sales charge.

Total return is the change in value of an  investment  over a given  period.  It
assumes any dividends and capital gains are reinvested.

The investment results of each class will vary.  Performance  figures are always
based  on  past  performance  and do not  indicate  future  results.  For a more
detailed description of how the Fund calculates its performance figures,  please
see "How does the Fund Measure Performance?" in the SAI.

<PAGE>

HOW IS THE FUND ORGANIZED?


The Fund is a diversified  series of Templeton Funds,  Inc. (the "Company"),  an
open-end management  investment  company,  commonly called a mutual fund. It was
organized as a Maryland  corporation on August 15, 1977, and is registered  with
the SEC under the 1940 Act. As of January 1, 1997, the Fund began offering a new
class of shares  designated  Templeton  Foreign Fund - Advisor Class. All shares
outstanding  before the offering of Advisor  Class shares have been  designated:
Templeton  Foreign  Fund -  Class  I and  Templeton  Foreign  Fund -  Class  II.
Additional classes and series 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 (1) affecting  only that class,  (2) expressly
required to be voted on  separately by state law, or (3) required to be voted on
separately  by the 1940  Act.  Shares  of each  class of a series  have the same
voting and other rights and  preferences  as the other classes and series of the
Company for matters that affect the Company as a whole.

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 Company does not intend to hold annual shareholder  meetings.  It may hold a
special meeting of a series, however, for matters requiring shareholder approval
under the 1940 Act. The Company will call a special meeting of shareholders  for
the purpose of considering the removal of a Board member if requested in writing
to do so by  shareholders  holding at least 10% of the outstanding  shares.  The
1940 Act  requires  that we help you  communicate  with  other  shareholders  in
connection with removing members of the Board.


HOW TAXATION AFFECTS YOU AND THE FUND

The following  discussion  reflects some of the tax  considerations  that affect
mutual  funds  and  their  shareholders.  For more  information  on tax  matters
relating  to the Fund  and its  shareholders,  see  "Additional  Information  on
Distributions and Taxes" in the SAI.

<PAGE>

The Fund  intends to elect to be treated and to qualify each year as a regulated
investment  company  under  Subchapter  M of the Code.  A  regulated  investment
company  generally  is not  subject  to  federal  income tax on income and gains
distributed  in a  timely  manner  to its  shareholders.  The  Fund  intends  to
distribute to shareholders  substantially  all of its net investment  income and
net realized  capital gains,  which  generally will be taxable income or capital
gains in their hands. Distributions declared in October, November or December to
shareholders  of record on a date in such month and paid  during  the  following
January will be treated as having been received by  shareholders  on December 31
in the year such distributions were declared. The Fund will inform you each year
of the amount and nature of such income or gains. Sales or other dispositions of
Fund shares generally will give rise to taxable gain or loss.

<PAGE>


ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT

HOW DO I BUY SHARES?

OPENING YOUR ACCOUNT

To open your account,  contact your  investment  representative  or complete and
sign the enclosed  shareholder  application  and return it to the Fund with your
check.  PLEASE  INDICATE  WHICH  CLASS OF SHARES YOU WANT TO BUY.  IF YOU DO NOT
SPECIFY A CLASS, YOUR PURCHASE WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY INVESTED IN CLASS I SHARES.

- --------------------------------------
Minimum Investments*
- --------------------------------------
To Open Your Account      $100
- --------------------------------------
To Add to Your Account    $ 25
- --------------------------------------

*We may waive these minimums for retirement  plans. We may also refuse any order
to buy shares.

DECIDING WHICH CLASS TO BUY

You should  consider a number of factors when deciding  which class of shares to
buy. IF YOU PLAN TO BUY $1 MILLION OR MORE IN A SINGLE PAYMENT OR YOU QUALIFY TO
BUY CLASS I SHARES WITHOUT A SALES CHARGE, YOU MAY NOT BUY CLASS II SHARES.

Generally, you should consider buying Class I shares if:

      you  expect to invest in the Fund over the long term;  you  qualify to buy
      Class I shares at a reduced sales charge; or you plan to buy $1 million or
      more over time.

You should consider Class II shares if:

      you expect to invest less than $50,000 in the Franklin Templeton Funds;
      and you plan to sell a substantial number of your shares within  
      approximately six years or less of your investment.

Class I shares are generally more attractive for long-term  investors because of
Class II's higher Rule 12b-1 fees.  These may  accumulate  over time to outweigh
the lower Class II front-end  sales charge and result in lower income  dividends
for Class II  shareholders.  If you  qualify  to buy Class I shares at a reduced
sales  charge  based upon the size of your  purchase  or  through  our Letter of
Intent or cumulative  quantity discount  programs,  but plan to hold your shares
less than  approximately  six  years,  you  should  evaluate  whether it is more

<PAGE>

economical for you to buy Class I or Class II shares.

For purchases of $1 million or more, it is considered more beneficial for you to
buy Class I shares since there is no front-end  sales charge,  even though these
purchases may be subject to a Contingent  Deferred Sales Charge. Any purchase of
$1 million or more is therefore  automatically  invested in Class I shares.  You
may accumulate  more than $1 million in Class II shares  through  purchases over
time, but if you plan to do this you should  determine  whether it would be more
beneficial for you to buy Class I shares through a Letter of Intent.

Please  consider all of these factors  before  deciding which class of shares to
buy. There are no conversion features attached to either class of shares.

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.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>


                                         TOTAL SALES CHARGE      AMOUNT PAID
                                         AT A PERCENTAGE OF    TO DEALER AS A
                                       -----------------------
AMOUNT OF PURCHASE                     OFFERING   NET AMOUNT    PERCENTAGE OF
AT OFFERING PRICE                      PRICE       INVESTED    OFFERING PRICE
- -------------------------------------- --------- ------------- ----------------
<S>                                    <C>        <C>           <C>  

CLASS I
Less than $50,000................        5.75%       6.10%           5.00%
$50,000 but less than $100,000...        4.50%       4.71%           3.75%
$100,000 but less than $250,000..        3.50%       3.63%           2.80%
$250,000 but less than $500,000..        2.50%       2.56%           2.00%
$500,000 but less than $1,000,000......  2.00%       2.04%           1.60%
$1,000,000 or more*..............        None        None            None

CLASS II
Under $1,000,000*......................  1.00%       1.01%           1.00%

</TABLE>

*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 "Deciding Which Class to Buy."

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.

<PAGE>

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. Companies with one or more retirement plans may add together the total
plan assets  invested in the Franklin  Templeton  Funds to  determine  the sales
charge that applies.


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:

/bullit/  You  authorize  Distributors  to  reserve  5% of your  total  intended
          purchase  in Class I shares  registered  in your  name  until you  
          fulfill  your Letter.  
/bullit/  You give  Distributors  a security  interest in the  reserved
          shares and appoint Distributors as attorney-in-fact.  
/bullit/  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. 
/bullit/  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.  Our policy of reserving shares does not apply to
certain retirement plans.

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 the reduced  sales charge that applies to the group as

<PAGE>

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:

/bullit/  Was formed at least six months ago,
/bullit/  Has a purpose  other than buying Fund shares at a discount,  
/bullit/  Has more than 10 members, Can arrange for meetings between our 
          representatives and group members,
/bullit/  Agrees to include sales and other Franklin Templeton Fund materials 
          in publications and mailings to its members at reduced or no cost to
          Distributors,
/bullit/  Agrees to arrange for payroll deduction or other bulk transmission of
          investments to the Fund, and
/bullit/  Meets other uniform criteria that allow Distributors to achieve cost 
          savings in distributing shares.

SALES  CHARGE  WAIVERS.  The Fund's  sales  charges  (front-end  and  contingent
deferred) will not apply to certain  purchases.  For waiver categories 1, 2 or 3
below: (i) the  distributions or payments must be reinvested  within 365 days of
their payment date, and (ii) Class II distributions  may be reinvested in either
Class I or Class II shares.  Class I  distributions  may only be  reinvested  in
Class I shares.

The Fund's  sales  charges  will not apply if you are buying Class I shares with
money from the following  sources or Class II shares with money from the sources
in waiver categories 1 or 4:

1. Dividend and capital gain distributions from any Franklin Templeton Fund or a
REIT sponsored or advised by Franklin Properties, Inc.

2.  Distributions  from an existing  retirement  plan  invested in the  Franklin
Templeton Funds

3.  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, the Templeton Variable Annuity Fund, the Templeton
Variable Products Series Fund, or the Franklin Government  Securities Trust. You
should contact your tax advisor for information on any tax consequences that may
apply.

4. Redemptions from any Franklin Templeton Fund if you:


<PAGE>

     /bullit/  Originally paid a sales charge on the shares,  
     /bullit/  Reinvest the money within 365 days of the redemption date, and 
     /bullit/  Reinvest the money in the SAME CLASS of shares.

An exchange is not  considered a redemption for this  privilege.  The Contingent
Deferred Sales Charge will not be waived if the shares  reinvested  were subject
to a Contingent  Deferred Sales Charge when sold. We will credit your account in
shares,  at the current  value,  in proportion to the amount  reinvested for any
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge paid in connection with the earlier redemption,
but a new Contingency Period will begin.

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.

5. Redemptions from other mutual funds

If you sold  shares of a fund that is not a Franklin  Templeton  Fund within the
past 60 days,  you may invest the  proceeds  without any sales charge if (a) the
investment  objectives  were similar to the Fund's,  and (b) your shares in that
fund were subject to any front-end or contingent  deferred  sales charges at the
time of purchase.
You must provide a copy of the statement showing your redemption.

The Fund's sales charges will also not apply to Class I purchases by:

6. Trust companies and bank trust departments agreeing to invest in Franklin
Templeton Funds over a thirteen 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.

7. Group annuity separate accounts offered to retirement plans

8.  Retirement  plans that (i) are  sponsored  by an employer  with at least 100
employees, (ii) have plan assets of $1 million or more, or (iii) agree to invest
at least  $500,000  in the  Franklin  Templeton  Funds  over a 13 month  period.

<PAGE>

Retirement plans that are not Qualified Retirement Plans or SEPS, such as 403(b)
or 457 plans, must also meet the requirements described under "Group Purchases -
Class I Only" above.  However,  any Qualified or  non-Qualified  Retirement Plan
account which was a shareholder  in the Fund on or before  February 1, 1995, and
which does not meet the other requirements of this section,  may purchase shares
subject to a sales  charge of 4% of the  Offering  Price,  3.2% of which will be
retained by Securities Dealers.

9. 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.


10.  Broker-dealers,  registered  investment  advisors  or  certified  financial
planners  who have  entered  into an  agreement  with  Distributors  for clients
participating in comprehensive fee programs


11. Registered  Securities  Dealers and their  affiliates,  for their investment
accounts only

12.  Current  employees of  Securities  Dealers and their  affiliates  and their
family members, as allowed by the internal policies of their employer

13.  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

14.  Investment  companies  exchanging  shares or selling  assets  pursuant to a
merger, acquisition or exchange offer

15. Accounts managed by the Franklin Templeton Group

16. Certain unit investment trusts and their holders  reinvesting  distributions
from the trusts

HOW DO I BUY SHARES IN CONNECTION WITH RETIREMENT PLANS?

Your  individual or  employer-sponsored  retirement plan may invest in the Fund.
Plan documents are required for all retirement plans.  Trust Company can provide
the plan documents for you and serve as custodian or trustee.

Trust Company can provide you with brochures  containing  important  information
about its plans. To establish a Trust Company  retirement plan, you will need an
application  other than the one  included in this  prospectus.  For a retirement

<PAGE>

plan brochure or application, please call our Retirement Plans Department.

Please consult your legal,  tax or retirement plan specialist  before choosing a
retirement  plan.  Your investment  representative  or advisor can help you make
investment decisions within your plan.

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 1% of the purchase price.

3. Class I purchases by certain retirement plans - up to 1% of the purchase
   price.

4. 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 purchase
   price.

A Securities  Dealer may only receive one of these payments for each  qualifying
purchase. Securities Dealers who receive payments in connection with investments
described  in  paragraphs  1, 2 or 3 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  AYMENTS TO SECURITIES
DEALERS" IN THE SAI.


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



<PAGE>

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 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 written instructions signed by all accoun
                         owners
                       2. Include any outstanding share certificates for the 
                          shares you're exchanging
- --------------------- -------------------------------------------------------
BY PHONE               Call Shareholder Services or TeleFACTS

                       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 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.

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.  See the  discussion  on
Contingent Deferred Sales Charges below and under "How Do I Sell Shares?"

CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE - CLASS I. For accounts with Class I shares
subject to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge, shares are exchanged into the new
fund 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.

CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE - CLASS II. For accounts with Class II shares
subject to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge, shares are exchanged into the new
fund  proportionately based on the amount of shares subject to a  Contingent

<PAGE>

Deferred Sales Charge and the length of time the  shares  have been held. For
example, suppose you own $1,000 in shares that have  never been  subject to a
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge, such as shares from the  reinvestment of
dividends and capital gains ("free shares"), $2,000 in shares that are no longer
subject to a Contingent Deferred  Sales  Charge  because you have held them for
longer than 18 months ("matured shares"),  and $3,000 in shares that are still
subject to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge ("CDSC liable  shares"). If you
exchange $3,000 into a new fund, $500 will be exchanged from free shares, $1,000
from matured shares, and $1,500 from CDSC liable shares.

Likewise, CDSC liable shares purchased at different times will be exchanged into
a new fund proportionately. For example, assume you purchased $1,000 in shares 3
months ago, 6 months ago, and 9 months ago. If you exchange $1,500 into a new
fund, $500 will be exchanged from shares purchased at each of these  three
different times.

While Class II shares are  exchanged  proportionately,  they are redeemed in the
order purchased.  In some cases,  this means exchanged shares may be CDSC liable
even though they would not be subject to a Contingent  Deferred  Sales Charge if
they were sold. We believe the proportional method of exchanging Class II shares
more closely  reflects the  expectations  of Class II shareholders if shares are
sold during the Contingency  Period.  The tax consequences of a sale or exchange
are  determined  by the Code and not by the method  used by the Fund to transfer
shares.

If you exchange  your Class II shares for shares of Money Fund II, the time your
shares  are  held  in  that  fund  will  count  towards  the  completion  of any
Contingency Period.

EXCHANGE RESTRICTIONS

Please be aware that the following restrictions apply to exchanges:


/bullit/  You may only exchange shares within the SAME CLASS, except as noted 
          below.
/bullit/  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

<PAGE>
 
          signature for all transactions. PLEASE NOTIFY US IN WRITING IF YOU DO
          NOT WANT THIS OPTION TO BE AVAILABLE ON YOUR ACCOUNT(S). Additional 
          procedures may apply. Please see "Transaction Procedures and Special 
          Requirements."
/bullit/  Trust Company IRA or 403(b) retirement plan accounts may exchange 
          shares as described above. Restrictions may apply to other types of 
          retirement plans. Please contact our Retirement Plans Department for 
          information on exchanges within these plans.
/bullit/  The fund you are exchanging into must be eligible for sale in your 
          state.
/bullit/  We may modify or discontinue our exchange policy if we give you 60 
          days' written  notice.
/bullit/  Your exchange may be restricted or refused if you: (i) request an 
          exchange out of the Fund within two weeks of an earlier exchange
          request, (ii) exchange shares out of the Fund more than twice in a 
          calendar quarter, or (iii) exchange 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 
          exchange 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 and  shareholders,  we may
refuse any exchange purchase if (i) we believe the Fund would be harmed 
orunable 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

The Fund offers a class of shares designated "Advisor Class," which is described
in a separate  prospectus.  If you do not qualify to buy Advisor Class shares of
the Fund, but you own Advisor Class shares of another  Franklin  Templeton Fund,
you may exchange  those  Advisor  Class shares 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.  Beginning on or about May 1, 1997,  you
may also exchange Class Z shares of Franklin Mutual Series Fund Inc. 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
- ------------------------------- --------------------------------------------

<PAGE>

BY MAIL                          1. Send us written instructions signed by all 
                                    account owners
                                 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 
                                    additional requirements.

- ------------------------------- --------------------------------------------
BY PHONE                         Call Shareholder Services

(Only available if you have      Telephone requests will be accepted:
completed and sent to us the
telephone redemption agreement         /bullit/   If the request is $50,000 or 
included with this prospectus)                    less. Institutional accounts 
                                                  may exceed $50,000 by 
                                                  completing a separate 
                                                  agreement. Call Institutional 
                                                  Servicesto receive a copy.
                                       /bullit/   If there are no share 
                                                  certificates issued for the  
                                                  shares you want to sell or you
                                                  have already returned them to 
                                                  the Fund
                                       /bullit/   Unless you are selling shares 
                                                  in a Trust Company retirement 
                                                  plan account
                                       /bullit/   Unless the address on your 
                                                  account was changed by phone 
                                                  within the last 30 days

- ------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
THROUGH YOUR DEALER              Call your investment representative
- ---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Beginning on or about May 1,  1997,  you will automatically be able to redeem
shares by telephone without completing a telephone redemption agreement. PLEASE
NOTIFY US IN WRITING IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS OPTION TO BE AVAILABLE ON YOUR
ACCOUNT.  If you later decide you would like this option, send us  written
instructions signed by all account owners, with a signature guarantee.

We will send your  redemption  check  within  seven days  after we receive  your
request in proper form. If you sell your shares by phone,  the check may only be
made payable to all registered  owners on the account and sent to the address of
record. We are not able to receive or pay out cash in the form of currency.

If you sell shares you just  purchased  with a check or  draft,  we may delay
sending you the proceeds for up to 15 days or more to allow the check or draft
to clear. A certified or cashier's check may clear in less time.

<PAGE>

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.

TRUST COMPANY RETIREMENT PLAN ACCOUNTS

To comply with IRS  regulations,  you need to complete  additional  forms before
selling  shares  in a Trust  Company  retirement  plan  account.  Tax  penalties
generally apply to any distribution  from these plans to a participant under age
59 1/2, unless the distribution meets an exception stated in the Code. To obtain
the necessary forms, please call our Retirement Plans Department.

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 share  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 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:

/bullit/  Exchanges
/bullit/  Account fees
/bullit/  Sales of shares purchased pursuant to a sales charge waiver
/bullit/  Redemptions  by the Fund when an account falls below the minimum  
          required account size  
/bullit/  Redemptions following the death of the shareholder or
          beneficial owner 

<PAGE>

/bullit/  Redemptions through a systematic  withdrawal plan set up before 

          February 1, 1995 Redemptions  through a systematic  withdrawal plan
          set up on or after February 1, 1995, up to 1% a month of an 
          account's Net Asset Value (3% quarterly, 6% semiannually or 12% 
          annually). For example, if you maintain an annual balance of $1 
          million in Class I shares, you can withdraw  up to $120,000 
          annually through a systematic withdrawal plan free of charge. Like-
          wise, if you maintain an annual balance of $10,000 in Class II 
          shares, $1,200 may be withdrawn annually free of charge.
/buulit/  Distributions from individual retirement plan accounts due to death or
          disability or upon periodic distributions based on life expectancy
/bullit/  Tax-free returns of excess contributions from employee benefit plans
/bullit/  Distributions from employee benefit plans, including those due to 
          termination or plan transfer

WHAT DISTRIBUTIONS MIGHT I RECEIVE FROM THE FUND?

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.

The Fund intends to pay a dividend at least annually representing  substantially
all of its net investment  income and any net realized  capital gains.  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  and you will then  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 same
class of the Fund (without a sales charge or imposition of a Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge) by reinvesting capital gain distributions, dividend distributions,
or both. If you own Class II shares, you may also reinvest your distributions in
Class I shares of the Fund.  This is a convenient  way to accumulate  additional

<PAGE>

shares and maintain or increase your earnings base.

2.  BUY  SHARES  OF  OTHER  FRANKLIN  TEMPLETON  FUNDS  - You  may  direct  your
distributions to buy the same class of shares of another Franklin Templeton Fund
(without a sales charge or imposition of a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge). If
you own Class II shares,  you may also direct your  distributions to buy Class I
shares  of  another  Franklin  Templeton  Fund.  Many  shareholders  find this a
convenient way to diversify their investments.

3. RECEIVE DISTRIBUTIONS IN CASH - You may receive capital gain distributions,
dividend distributions, or both in cash. If you have the money sent to another
person or to a checking account, you may need a signature guarantee.

TO SELECT ONE OF THESE OPTIONS, PLEASE COMPLETE 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.
For Trust Company retirement plans, special forms are required to receive
distributions in cash. You may change your distribution option at any time by
notifying us by mail or phone. Please  allow at least seven days prior to the
record date for us to process the new option.

TRANSACTION PROCEDURES AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

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  scheduled  close of the NYSE,
generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern 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.

THE PRICE WE USE WHEN YOU BUY OR SELL SHARES

<PAGE>

You buy shares at the Offering  Price of the class you wish to purchase,  unless
you qualify to buy shares at a reduced sales charge or with no sales charge. The
Offering  Price of each  class is based on the Net Asset  Value per share of the
class and  includes  the maximum  sales  charge.  We calculate it to two decimal
places using standard rounding criteria. You sell shares at Net Asset Value.

We  will  use the  Net  Asset  Value  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.

PROPER FORM

An order to buy shares is in proper form when we receive your signed shareholder
application and check. Written requests to sell or exchange shares are in proper
form when we receive written  instructions signed by all registered owners, with
a signature  guarantee if necessary.  We must also receive any outstanding share
certificates for those shares.

WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS

Written instructions must be signed by all registered owners. To avoid any delay
in processing your transaction, they should include:

/bullit/  Your name,
/bullit/  The Fund's name,
/bullit/  The class of shares,
/bullit/  A description of the request,
/bullit/  For exchanges, the name of the fund you're exchanging into, 
/bullit/  Your account number, 
/bullit/  The dollar amount or number of shares, and
/bukkit/  A telephone number where we may reach you during the day, or in the
          evening if preferred.

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 

<PAGE>

      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. In this case, you should send the  certificate  and assignment
form in separate envelopes.

TELEPHONE TRANSACTIONS

You may initiate  many  transactions  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 will also record calls. We will not be
liable for  following  instructions  communicated  by telephone if we reasonably
believe they are genuine. 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.

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  written

<PAGE>

instructions to us, as described elsewhere in this prospectus. If you are unable
to execute a transaction by telephone, we will not be liable for any loss.

TRUST  COMPANY  RETIREMENT  PLAN  ACCOUNTS.  You may not sell  shares  or change
distribution  options on Trust Company  retirement plans by phone. While you may
exchange  shares of Trust Company IRA and 403(b)  retirement  accounts by phone,
certain restrictions may be imposed on other retirement plans.

To obtain any required forms or more information about  distribution or transfer
procedures, please call our Retirement Plans Department.

ACCOUNT REGISTRATIONS AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

When  you  open an  account,  you  need 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, ALL owners must sign instructions to process transactions and changes to
the account. Even if the law in your state says otherwise,  you will not be able
to change owners on the account unless all owners agree in writing. 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. If you register your account as a trust, you should have a valid written
trust document to avoid 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

<PAGE>

- ------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
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 will not 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.

ELECTRONIC INSTRUCTIONS. If there is a Securities Dealer or other representative
of record on your  account,  we are  authorized  to use and  execute  electronic
instructions. We can accept electronic instructions directly from your dealer or
representative without further inquiry. Electronic instructions may be processed
through  the  services  of  the  NSCC,   which  currently   include  the  NSCC's
"Networking," "Fund/SERV," and "ACATS" systems, or through  Franklin/Templeton's
PCTrades II(TM) System.

TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

For tax reasons, we must have your correct Social Security or tax identification
number on a signed  shareholder  application or applicable tax form. Federal law
requires us to withhold 31% of your taxable  distributions  and sale proceeds if
(i) you have not furnished a certified correct taxpayer  identification  number,
(ii) you have not certified that withholding does not apply,  (iii) the IRS or a
Securities Dealer notifies the Fund that the number you gave us is incorrect, or
(iv) you are subject to backup withholding.

We may  refuse  to open an  account  if you fail to  provide  the  required  tax
identification number and certifications.  We may also close your account if the
IRS  notifies  us that  your tax  identification  number  is  incorrect.  If you
complete  an  "awaiting  TIN"  certification,  we must  receive  a  correct  tax
identification  number  within  60 days of your  initial  purchase  to keep your
account open.

KEEPING YOUR ACCOUNT OPEN

Due to the relatively  high cost of  maintaining a small  account,  we may close


<PAGE>

your  account if the value of your shares is less than $50. 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 $100.

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 account  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.

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. For retirement plans subject to
mandatory distribution requirements, the $50 minimum will not apply.

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.

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.

Because of the front-end  sales charge,  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?"

<PAGE>

You may discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan, change the amount and schedule
of  withdrawal  payments,  or suspend one payment by  notifying us in writing 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.

TELEFACTS(R)

From a touch-tone  phone,  you may call our TeleFACTS system (day or night)at
1-800/247-1753 to:

/bullit/  obtain information about your account;
/bullit/  obtain price and performance information about any Franklin Templeton
          Fund;  
/bullit/  exchange shares between identically registered Franklin Class I
          accounts;  and 
/bullit/  request duplicate statements and deposit slips for your
          account.

You will need the code number for each class to use TeleFACTS. The code numbers
for Class I and Class II are 104 and 204, respectively.

STATEMENTS AND REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS

We will send you the following statements and reports on a regular basis:

/bullit/  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.

/bullit/  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 or an interim quarterly report.

INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTS

Additional  methods of buying,  selling or exchanging  shares of the Fund may be
available to institutional accounts. For further information, call Institutional
Services.

AVAILABILITY OF THESE SERVICES

<PAGE>

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,  P.O.  Box  33030,  St.  Petersburg,  FL  33733-8030.   The  Fund  and
Distributors are also located at this address.  You may also contact us by phone
at one of the numbers listed below.

                                               HOURS OF OPERATION
                                               (EASTERN TIME)
DEPARTMENT NAME            TELEPHONE NO.       (MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)
Shareholder Services       1-800/632-2301      8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Dealer Services            1-800/524-4040      8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Fund Information           1-800/DIAL BEN      8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
                           (1-800/342-5236)    9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
                                                (Saturday)
Retirement Plans           1-800/527-2020      8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Institutional Services     1-800/321-8563      9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
TDD (hearing impaired)     1-800/851-0637      8:30 a.m. to 8:00 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.

<PAGE>



<PAGE>


GLOSSARY

USEFUL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

1940 ACT - Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended

BOARD - The Board of Directors of the Company

CD - Certificate of deposit


CLASS I, CLASS II AND ADVISOR  CLASS - The Fund offers three  classes of shares,
designated  "Class I," "Class II" and  "Advisor  Class." The three  classes have
proportionate interests in the Fund's portfolio. They differ, however, primarily
in their sales charge and expense structures.


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.  Regardless of when during the month you purchased  shares,
they will age one month on the last day of that 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.

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, Franklin Government Securities Trust, Templeton Capital Accumulator Fund,
Inc.,  Templeton  Variable Annuity Fund, and Templeton  Variable Products Series
Fund.

FRANKLIN  TEMPLETON GROUP - Franklin  Resources,  Inc., a publicly owned holding
company, and its various subsidiaries

<PAGE>

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  TIMER(S) - Market Timers  generally  include market timing or 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.

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, Inc.

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 5.75% for Class I and 1% for Class II.

QUALIFIED  RETIREMENT  PLAN(S) - An employer sponsored pension or profit-sharing
plan that  qualifies  under section 401 of the Code.  Examples  include  401(k),
money purchase pension, profit sharing and defined benefit plans.

REIT - Real Estate Investment Trust

RESOURCES - Franklin Resources, Inc.

<PAGE>

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.

SEP - An employer sponsored  simplified  employee pension plan established under
section 408(k) of the Code

TELEFACTS(R) - Franklin Templeton's automated customer servicing system


TGAL - Templeton Global Advisors  Limited,  the Fund's  investment  manager,  is
located in Lyford Cay, Nassau, Bahamas.


TRUST COMPANY - Franklin Templeton Trust Company. Trust Company is an
affiliate of Distributors and both are wholly owned subsidiaries of Resources.

U.S. - United States

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.



TL104 P 4/97


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