PROSPECTUS & APPLICATION
FRANKLIN SMALL CAP
GROWTH FUND
Advisor Class
INVESTMENT STRATEGY
GROWTH
Advisor
JANUARY 1, 1997
FRANKLIN STRATEGIC SERIES
This prospectus describes the Advisor Class shares of Franklin Small Cap Growth
Fund (the "Fund"). It contains information you should know before investing in
the Fund. Please keep it for future reference.
The Fund's Advisor Class SAI, dated January 1, 1997, as may be amended from time
to time, includes more information about the Fund's procedures and policies. It
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.
Advisor Class shares are only available for purchase by certain persons,
including, among others, certain financial institutions (such as banks, trust
companies, savings institutions and credit unions); government and tax-exempt
entities; pension, profit sharing and employee benefit plans; certain qualified
groups, including family trusts, endowments, foundations and corporations;
Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series; and directors, trustees, officers and
full-time employees (and their family members) of Franklin Templeton Group and
the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. See "About Your Account."
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 SEC 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 IN WHICH THE OFFERING IS NOT AUTHORIZED. NO SALES REPRESENTATIVE, DEALER,
OR OTHER PERSON IS AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR MAKE ANY
REPRESENTATIONS OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS. FURTHER
INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM DISTRIBUTORS.
Franklin Small Cap Growth Fund
FRANKLIN
SMALL CAP
GROWTH FUND -
ADVISOR CLASS
JANUARY 1, 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
About the Fund
Expense Summary................................... 2
How does the Fund Invest its Assets?.............. 3
What are the Fund's Potential Risks?.............. 10
Who Manages the Fund?............................. 13
How does the Fund Measure Performance?............ 14
How is the Trust Organized?....................... 15
How Taxation Affects You and the Fund............. 16
About Your Account
How Do I Buy Shares?.............................. 17
May I Exchange Shares for Shares of Another Fund?. 20
How Do I Sell Shares?............................. 22
What Distributions Might I Receive from the Fund?. 23
Transaction Procedures and Special Requirements... 24
Services to Help You Manage Your Account.......... 28
Glossary
Useful Terms and Definitions...................... 31
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
P.O. Box 7777
San Mateo
CA 94403-7777
1-800/DIAL BEN
Franklin Small Cap Growth Fund
ABOUT THE FUND
EXPENSE SUMMARY
This table is designed to help you understand the costs of investing in the
Fund. Because Advisor Class shares were not offered to the public before January
1, 1997, the table is based on the historical expenses of the Class I shares of
the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996+. Your actual expenses may
vary.
A. Shareholder Transaction Expenses++
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases None
B. Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(as a percentage of average net assets)
Management Fees 0.57%+++
Rule 12b-1 Fees None
Other Expenses 0.22%
Total Fund Operating Expenses 0.79%
C. Example
Assume the annual return for Advisor Class shares 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 YEAR 5 YEARS 10 YEARS
$8 $25 $44 $98
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 the dividends paid on Advisor Class
shares and are not directly charged to your account.
+Unlike Advisor Class shares, the Class I shares of the Fund have a front-end
sales charge and Rule 12b-1 fees.
++If your transaction is processed through your Securities Dealer, you may be
charged a fee by your Securities Dealer for these services.
+++Advisers has agreed in advance to limit its management fees and make
certain payments to reduce the Fund's expenses. With this reduction,
management fees were 0.54%.
HOW DOES THE FUND INVEST ITS ASSETS?
THE FUND'S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital growth. 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.
TYPES OF SECURITIES IN WHICH THE FUND MAY INVEST
The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in equity
securities of small capitalization growth companies. Small capitalization growth
companies typically are companies with relatively small market capitalization
which Advisers believes to be positioned for rapid growth in revenues or
earnings and assets, characteristics that may provide for significant capital
appreciation. Small companies often pay no dividends and current income is not a
factor in the selection of stocks. In general, companies in which the Fund will
invest have a market capitalization of less than $1 billion at the time of the
Fund's investment. Market capitalization is defined as the total market value of
a company's outstanding common stock. The securities of small capitalization
companies are traded on the New York and American stock exchanges and in the
over-the-counter market.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 65% of its total
assets in equity securities of small capitalization growth companies. Equity
securities of these companies consist of common stock, preferred stock, warrants
for the purchase of common stock and debt securities convertible into or
exchangeable for common or preferred stock. A warrant is a security that gives
the holder the right, but not the obligation, to subscribe for newly created
securities of the issuer or a related company at a fixed price either at a
certain date or during a set period. A convertible security is a security that
may be converted either at a stated price or rate within a specified period of
time into a specified number of shares of common or preferred stock. By
investing in convertible securities, the Fund seeks to participate in the
capital appreciation of the common stock into which the securities are
convertible through the conversion feature.
In addition, the Fund seeks to invest at least one-third of its assets in
companies with a market capitalization of $550 million or less. There is no
assurance, however, that it will always be able to find suitable companies to
include in this one-third portion. Advisers will monitor the availability of
securities suitable for investment by the Fund and recommend appropriate action
to the Board if it appears that the goal of investing one-third of the Fund's
assets in companies with market capitalization of $550 million or less may not
be attainable under the Fund's current objective and policies. The Board will
review the availability of suitable investments quarterly, including Advisers'
assessment of the availability of suitable investments. Advisers will also
present to the Board Advisers' views and recommendations regarding the Fund's
ability to meet this goal in the future. If the Board should determine, based
upon one or more quarterly periods, that under the circumstances it is not
likely that sufficient suitable investments will be available to permit the Fund
to meet its goal of investing one-third of its assets in companies with market
capitalization of $550 million or less, it may determine to take appropriate
remedial action. Any changes will be consistent with the requirements of the
1940 Act and the rules adopted thereunder.
Although the Fund's assets will be invested primarily in equity securities of
small companies, the Fund may invest up to 35% (measured at the time of
purchase) of its total assets in equity securities of larger capitalization
companies which Advisers believes have strong growth potential, in relatively
well-known, larger companies in mature industries which Advisers believes have
the potential for capital appreciation, or in corporate debt securities
including bonds, notes and debentures, if the Fund deems the investment to
present a favorable investment opportunity consistent with the Fund's objective.
The Fund may invest in debt securities which Advisers believes have the
potential for capital appreciation as a result of improvement in the
creditworthiness of the issuer. The receipt of income from such debt securities
is incidental to the Fund's investment objective of capital growth. The Fund
will invest in debt securities rated B or above by Moody's or S&P, or in
securities which are unrated if, in Advisers opinion, the securities are
comparable in quality to securities rated B or above by Moody's or S&P. The Fund
will not invest more than 5% of its assets in debt securities rated lower than
BBB or Baa. Securities rated B 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. For a description of
ratings, please see the appendix in the SAI.
The Fund may also invest in short-term money market instruments for liquidity
purposes to meet redemption requirements. Short-term investments that the Fund
may hold include U.S. government securities, CDs, high grade commercial paper
and repurchase agreements.
The Fund has been designed to provide investors with potentially greater
long-term rewards by investing in securities of small companies that may offer
greater potential for capital appreciation since they are often overlooked by
investors or undervalued in relation to their earnings power. Small companies
generally are not as well known to the investing public and have less of an
investor following than larger companies, and therefore may provide greater
opportunities for long-term capital growth as a result of relative
inefficiencies in the marketplace. These companies may be undervalued because
they are part of an industry that is out of favor with investors, although the
individual companies may have high rates of earning growth and be financially
sound. Selection of small company equity securities for the Fund will be based
on characteristics such as the financial strength of the company, the expertise
of management, the growth potential of the company within its industry and the
growth potential of the industry itself.
FOREIGN SECURITIES. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in foreign
securities, including those of developing or undeveloped markets, and sponsored
or unsponsored American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), which are certificates
issued by U.S. banks representing the right to receive securities of a foreign
issuer deposited with that bank or a correspondent bank.
Investments in foreign securities where delivery takes place outside the U.S.
will be made in compliance with applicable U.S. and foreign currency
restrictions and other laws limiting the amount and types of foreign
investments. Investments may be in securities of foreign issuers located in both
developed or undeveloped countries, but investments will not be made in any
securities issued without stock certificates or comparable stock documents.
Securities that are acquired by the Fund outside the U.S. and that are publicly
traded in the U.S. or on a foreign securities exchange or in a foreign
securities market are not considered to be an illiquid asset so long as the Fund
acquires and holds the security with the intention of reselling the security in
the foreign trading market, the Fund reasonably believes it can readily dispose
of the security for cash in the U.S. or foreign market, and current market
quotations are readily available.
OTHER INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUND
LOANS OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES. Consistent with procedures approved by the Board
and subject to the following conditions, the Fund may lend its portfolio
securities to qualified securities dealers or other institutional investors,
provided that such loans do not exceed 20% of the value of the Fund's total
assets at the time of the most recent loan. The borrower must deposit with the
Fund's custodian bank collateral with an initial market value of at least 102%
of the initial market value of the securities loaned, including any accrued
interest, with the value of the collateral and loaned securities
marked-to-market daily to maintain collateral coverage of at least 100%. This
collateral shall consist of cash, securities issued by the U.S. government, its
agencies or instrumentalities, or irrevocable letters of credit. The lending of
securities is a common practice in the securities industry. The Fund may engage
in security loan arrangements with the primary objective of increasing the
Fund's income either through investing the cash collateral in short-term
interest bearing obligations or by receiving a loan premium from the borrower.
Under the securities loan agreement, the Fund continues to be entitled to all
dividends or interest on any loaned securities. As with any extension of credit,
there are risks of delay in recovery and loss of rights in the collateral should
the borrower of the security fail financially.
BORROWING. As a fundamental policy, the Fund does not borrow money or mortgage
or pledge any of its assets, except that the Fund may enter into reverse
repurchase agreements or borrow from banks up to 10% of its total asset value to
meet redemption requests and for other temporary or emergency purposes. While
borrowings exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets, the Fund will not make any
additional investments.
SECURITIES INDUSTRY RELATED INVESTMENTS. To the extent it is consistent with the
Fund's investment objective and certain limitations under the 1940 Act, the Fund
may invest its assets in securities issued by companies engaged in securities
related businesses, including companies that are securities brokers, dealers,
underwriters or investment advisors. These companies are considered part of the
financial services industry sector. The Fund does not believe that these
limitations will impede the attainment of its investment objective.
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS. The Fund may invest its cash, including cash resulting
from purchases and sales of Fund shares, temporarily in short-term debt
instruments, including high grade commercial paper, repurchase agreements and
other money market equivalents and the shares of money market funds managed by
Advisers which invest primarily in short-term debt securities. These temporary
investments will only be made with cash held to maintain liquidity or pending
investment. In addition, for temporary defensive purposes in the event of, or
when Advisers anticipates, a general decline in the market prices of stocks in
which the Fund invests, the Fund may invest an unlimited amount of its assets in
short-term debt instruments.
OPTIONS AND FINANCIAL FUTURES. The Fund may write (sell) covered put and call
options and buy put and call options on securities and indices that trade on
securities exchanges and in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may buy and
sell futures and options on futures with respect to securities, indices and
currencies. Additionally, the Fund may sell futures and options to "close out"
futures and options it may have purchased and it may buy futures and options to
"close out" futures and options it may have sold. The Fund will not enter into
any futures contract or related options (except for closing transactions) if,
immediately thereafter, the sum of the amount of its initial deposits and
premiums on open contracts and options would exceed 5% of the Fund's total
assets (taken at current value). The Fund will not engage in any stock options
or stock index options if the option premiums paid regarding its open option
positions exceed 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets.
The Fund's option and futures investments may be limited by the requirements of
the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company and may reduce the
portion of the Fund's dividends that is eligible for the corporate
dividends-received deduction. These transactions are also subject to special tax
rules that may affect the amount, timing and character of certain distributions
to shareholders. Please see "Additional Information on Distributions and Taxes"
in the SAI.
The Fund understands the current position of the staff of the SEC to be that
purchased OTC options are illiquid securities and that the assets used to cover
the sale of an OTC option are considered illiquid. The Fund and Advisers
disagree with this position. Nevertheless, pending a change in the staff's
position, the Fund will treat OTC options and "cover" assets as subject to the
Fund's limitation on illiquid securities. Please see "Illiquid Investments"
below.
WARRANTS AND RIGHTS. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in
warrants or rights (other than those acquired in units or attached to other
securities) which entitle the holder to buy equity securities at a specific
price during or at the end of a specific period of time. The Fund will not
invest more than 2% of its total assets in warrants or rights which are not
listed on the New York or American stock exchanges.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may engage in repurchase transactions in which
the Fund buys a U.S. government security subject to resale to a bank or dealer
at an agreed-upon price and date. The transaction requires the collateralization
of the seller's obligation by the transfer of securities with an initial market
value, including accrued interest, equal to at least 102% of the dollar amount
invested by the Fund in each agreement, with the value of the underlying
security marked-to-market daily to maintain coverage of at least 100%. A default
by the seller might cause the Fund to experience a loss or delay in the
liquidation of the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. The Fund might
also incur disposition costs in liquidating the collateral. The Fund, however,
intends to enter into repurchase agreements only with financial institutions
such as broker-dealers and banks that are deemed creditworthy by Advisers. A
repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan by the Fund under the 1940 Act. The
U.S. government security subject to resale (the collateral) will be held on
behalf of the Fund by a custodian approved by the Board and will be held
pursuant to a written agreement.
The Fund may also enter into reverse repurchase agreements. These agreements
involve the sale of securities held by the Fund pursuant to an agreement to
repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment.
When effecting reverse repurchase transactions, cash or high grade liquid debt
securities of a dollar amount equal in value to the Fund's obligation under the
agreement, including accrued interest, will be maintained in a segregated
account with the Fund's custodian bank, and the securities subject to the
reverse repurchase agreement will be marked-to-market each day. Although reverse
repurchase agreements are borrowings under the 1940 Act, the Fund does not treat
these arrangements as borrowings under investment restriction 3 in the SAI so
long as the segregated account is properly maintained.
CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. A
convertible security is generally a debt obligation or preferred stock that may
be converted within a specified period of time into a certain amount of common
stock of the same or a different issuer. A convertible security provides a
fixed-income stream and the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to
participate in the capital appreciation resulting from a market price advance in
its underlying common stock. As with a straight fixed-income security, a
convertible security tends to increase in market value when interest rates
decline and decrease in value when interest rates rise. Like a common stock, the
value of a convertible security also tends to increase as the market value of
the underlying stock rises, and it tends to decrease as the market value of the
underlying stock declines. Because its value can be influenced by both interest
rate and market movements, a convertible security is not as sensitive to
interest rates as a similar fixed-income security, nor is it as sensitive to
changes in share price as its underlying stock.
A convertible security is usually issued either by an operating company or by an
investment bank. When issued by an operating company, a convertible security
tends to be senior to common stock, but subordinate to other types of
fixed-income securities issued by that company. When a convertible security
issued by an operating company is "converted," the operating company often
issues new stock to the holder of the convertible security but, if the parity
price of the convertible security is less than the call price, the operating
company may pay out cash instead of common stock. If the convertible security is
issued by an investment bank, the security is an obligation of and is
convertible through the issuing investment bank.
The issuer of a convertible security may be important in determining the
security's true value. This is because the holder of a convertible security will
have recourse only to the issuer. In addition, a convertible security may be
subject to redemption by the issuer, but only after a specified date and under
circumstances established at the time the security is issued.
While the Fund uses the same criteria to rate a convertible debt security that
it uses to rate a more conventional debt security, a convertible preferred stock
is treated like a preferred stock for the Fund's financial reporting, credit
rating, and investment limitation purposes. A preferred stock is subordinated to
all debt obligations in the event of insolvency, and an issuer's failure to make
a dividend payment is generally not an event of default entitling the preferred
shareholder to take action. A preferred stock generally has no maturity date, so
that its market value is dependent on the issuer's business prospects for an
indefinite period of time. In addition, distributions from preferred stock are
dividends, rather than interest payments, and are usually treated as such for
corporate tax purposes.
The Fund may invest in convertible preferred stocks that offer enhanced yield
features, such as Preferred Equity Redemption Cumulative Stocks ("PERCS"), which
provide an investor, such as the Fund, with the opportunity to earn higher
dividend income than is available on a company's common stock. PERCS are
preferred stocks that generally feature a mandatory conversion date, as well as
a capital appreciation limit which is usually expressed in terms of a stated
price. Most PERCS expire three years from the date of issue, at which time they
are convertible into common stock of the issuer. PERCS are generally not
convertible into cash at maturity. Under a typical arrangement, after three
years PERCS convert into one share of the issuer's common stock if the issuer's
common stock is trading at a price below that set by the capital appreciation
limit, and into less than one full share if the issuer's common stock is trading
at a price above that set by the capital appreciation limit. The amount of that
fractional share of common stock is determined by dividing the price set by the
capital appreciation limit by the market price of the issuer's common stock.
PERCS can be called at any time prior to maturity, and hence do not provide call
protection. If called early, however, the issuer must pay a call premium over
the market price to the investor. This call premium declines at a preset rate
daily, up to the maturity date.
The Fund may also invest in other enhanced convertible securities. These include
but are not limited to ACES (Automatically Convertible Equity Securities), PEPS
(Participating Equity Preferred Stock), PRIDES (Preferred Redeemable Increased
Dividend Equity Securities), SAILS (Stock Appreciation Income Linked
Securities), TECONS (Term Convertible Notes), QICS (Quarterly Income Cumulative
Securities), and DECS (Dividend Enhanced Convertible Securities). ACES, PEPS,
PRIDES, SAILS, TECONS, QICS, and DECS all have the following features: they are
issued by the company, the common stock of which will be received in the event
the convertible preferred stock is converted, unlike PERCS they do not have a
capital appreciation limit, they seek to provide the investor with high current
income with some prospect of future capital appreciation, they are typically
issued with three to four-year maturities, they typically have some built-in
call protection for the first two to three years, investors have the right to
convert them into shares of common stock at a preset conversion ratio or hold
them until maturity, and upon maturity they will automatically convert to either
cash or a specified number of shares of common stock.
Similarly, there may be enhanced convertible debt obligations issued by the
operating company, whose common stock is to be acquired in the event the
security is converted, or by a different issuer, such as an investment bank.
These securities may be identified by names such as ELKS (Equity Linked
Securities) or similar names. Typically they share most of the salient
characteristics of an enhanced convertible preferred stock but will be ranked as
senior or subordinated debt in the issuer's corporate structure according to the
terms of the debt indenture. There may be additional types of convertible
securities not specifically referred to herein which may be similar to those
described above in which a Fund may invest, consistent with its objectives and
policies.
ILLIQUID INVESTMENTS. The Fund's policy is not to invest more than 10% of its
net assets, at the time of purchase, in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities
are generally securities that cannot be sold within seven days in the normal
course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued
them. The Board has authorized the Fund to invest in restricted securities
(securities not registered with the SEC, which might otherwise be considered
illiquid) where such investment is consistent with the Fund's investment
objective and has authorized these securities to be considered liquid (and thus
not subject to the foregoing 10% limitation), to the extent Advisers determines
on a daily basis that there is a liquid institutional or other market for these
securities. Notwithstanding Advisers determination in this regard, the Board
will remain responsible for these determinations and will consider appropriate
action, consistent with the Fund's objective and policies, if a security should
become illiquid after its purchase. In this regard, if qualified institutional
buyers are no longer interested in buying restricted securities previously
designated as liquid or if the market for these securities contracts, these
securities will be redesignated as illiquid and subject to the 10% limitation.
See "How Does the Fund Invest Its Assets? - Illiquid Securities" in the SAI.
PERCENTAGE RESTRICTIONS. If a percentage restriction noted above is adhered to
at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage
resulting from a change in value of portfolio securities or the amount of net
assets will not be considered a violation of any of the foregoing policies.
OTHER POLICIES AND RESTRICTIONS. The Fund has a number of additional investment
restrictions that limit its activities to some extent. Some of these
restrictions may only be changed with shareholder approval. For a list of these
restrictions and more information about the Fund's investment policies, please
see "How does the Fund Invest its Assets?" and "Investment Restrictions" in the
SAI.
WHAT ARE THE FUND'S POTENTIAL RISKS?
The value of your shares will increase as the value of the securities owned by
the Fund increases and will decrease as the value of the Fund's investments
decrease. In this way, you participate in any change in the value of the
securities owned by the Fund. In addition to the factors that affect the value
of any particular security that the Fund owns, the value of Fund shares may also
change with movements in the stock market as a whole.
SMALLER COMPANIES. The Fund may invest in relatively new or unseasoned companies
that are in their early stages of development, or small companies positioned in
new and emerging industries where the opportunity for rapid growth is expected
to be above average. Securities of unseasoned companies present greater risks
than securities of larger, more established companies. The Fund may not invest
more than 10% of its net assets in securities of issuers with less than three
years continuous operation. The companies in which the Fund may invest may have
relatively small revenues, limited product lines, and may have a small share of
the market for their products or services. Small companies may lack depth of
management, they may be unable to internally generate funds necessary for growth
or potential development or to generate such funds through external financing on
favorable terms, or they may be developing or marketing new products or services
for which markets are not yet established and may never become established. Due
to these and other factors, small companies may suffer significant losses as
well as realize substantial growth, and investments in small companies tend to
be volatile and are therefore speculative.
Historically, small capitalization stocks have been more volatile in price than
larger capitalization stocks. Among the reasons for the greater price volatility
of these securities are the less certain growth prospects of smaller firms, the
lower degree of liquidity in the markets for such stocks, and the greater
sensitivity of small companies to changing economic conditions. Besides
exhibiting greater volatility, small company stocks may, to a degree, fluctuate
independently of larger company stocks. Small company stocks may decline in
price as large company stocks rise, or rise in price as large company decline.
You should therefore expect that the value of the Fund's shares may be more
volatile than the shares of a fund that invests in larger capitalization stocks.
The Fund should not be considered suitable for investors who are unable or
unwilling to assume the risks of loss inherent in such a program, nor should
investment in the Fund be considered a balanced or complete investment program.
FOREIGN SECURITIES. Investing in securities of foreign issuers involves risks
that are not typically associated with investing in U.S. dollar denominated
securities or in securities of domestic issuers. These risks can be
significantly greater for investments in emerging markets. These risks, which
may involve possible losses, include political, social or economic instability
in the country of the issuer, the difficulty of predicting international trade
patterns, the possibility of the imposition of exchange controls, expropriation,
limits on removal of currency or other assets, foreign investment controls on
daily stock market movements, nationalization of assets, foreign withholding and
income taxation and foreign trading practices (including higher trading
commissions, custodial charges and delayed settlements). Changes of governmental
administrations or of economic or monetary policies, in the U.S. or abroad, or
changed circumstances in dealings between nations or currency convertibility or
exchange rates could result in investment losses for the Fund. In addition,
there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than
about a U.S. domiciled company. Foreign companies generally are not subject to
uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to
those applicable to U.S. domestic companies. The Fund may also encounter
difficulties or be unable to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, pursue
legal remedies and obtain judgments in foreign courts. There is generally less
government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices,
securities exchanges, brokers and listed companies abroad than in the U.S.
OPTIONS AND FINANCIAL FUTURES. The Fund's option and futures investments involve
certain risks. These risks include the risk that the effectiveness of an options
and futures strategy depends on the degree to which price movements in the
underlying index, securities or currencies correlate with price movements in the
relevant portion of the Fund's portfolio. The Fund bears the risk that the
prices of its portfolio securities will not move in the same amount as the
option or future it has purchased, or that there may be a negative correlation
which would result in a loss on both the securities and the option or future.
Positions in exchange traded options and futures may be closed out only on an
exchange that provides a secondary market. There may not always be a liquid
secondary market for a futures or option contract at a time when the Fund seeks
to "close out" its position. If the Fund were unable to "close out" a futures or
option position, and if prices moved adversely, the Fund would have to continue
to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin, and if the Fund had
insufficient cash, it might have to sell portfolio securities at a
disadvantageous time. In addition, the Fund might be required to deliver the
stocks underlying futures or option contracts it holds.
Over-the-counter ("OTC") options may not be closed out on an exchange and the
Fund may be able to realize the value of an OTC option it has purchased only by
exercising it or entering into a closing sale transaction with the dealer that
issued it. There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist
for any particular option or futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may
not be possible to close such an option or futures position. The Fund will enter
into an option or futures position only if there appears to be a liquid
secondary market for such option or futures.
Adverse market movements could cause the Fund to lose up to its full investment
in a call option contract and/or to experience substantial losses on an
investment in a futures contract. There is also the risk of loss by the Fund of
margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an
open position in a futures contract or option. Options, futures and options on
futures are generally considered "derivative securities." Derivatives are
broadly defined as financial instruments whose performance is derived, at least
in part, from the performance of an underlying asset, such as stock prices or
indices of securities, interest rates, currency exchange rates, or commodity
prices. Please see "How Does the Fund Invest Its Assets? - Options, Futures and
Options on Financial Futures" in the SAI for more information on the Fund's
investments in options and futures, including the risks associated with these
activities.
ENHANCED CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. An investment in an enhanced convertible
security or any other security may involve additional risks to the Fund. The
Fund may have difficulty disposing of such securities because there may be a
thin trading market for a particular security at any given time. Reduced
liquidity may have an adverse impact on market price and the Fund's ability to
dispose of particular securities, when necessary, to meet the Fund's liquidity
needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as the deterioration in
the credit worthiness of an issuer. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market
for certain securities may also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain
market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund's
portfolio. The Fund, however, intends to acquire liquid securities, though there
can be no assurances that this will be achieved.
MARKET AND CURRENCY RISK. If there is a general market decline in any country
where the Fund is invested, the Fund's share price may also decline. Changes in
currency valuations will also affect the price of Fund shares. The value of
worldwide stock markets and currency valuations has increased and decreased in
the past. These changes are unpredictable and may happen again in the future.
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
classes of shares. While none is expected, the Board will act appropriately to
resolve any material conflict that may arise.
INVESTMENT MANAGER. Advisers manages the Fund's assets and makes its investment
decisions. Advisers also performs similar services for other funds. It is wholly
owned by Resources, a publicly owned company engaged in the financial services
industry through its subsidiaries. Charles B. Johnson and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr.
are the principal shareholders of Resources. Together, Advisers and its
affiliates manage over $150 billion in assets. Please see "Investment Management
and Other Services" and "Miscellaneous Information" in the SAI for information
on securities transactions and a summary of the Fund's Code of Ethics.
MANAGEMENT TEAM. The team responsible for the day-to-day management of the
Fund's portfolio is: Mr. Jamieson and Mr. Moore since inception and Mr. McCarthy
since March 1993.
Edward B. Jamieson
Senior Vice President of Advisers
Mr. Jamieson holds a Master's degree in accounting and finance from the
University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree
from Bucknell University. He has been with the Franklin Templeton Group since
1987. Mr. Jamieson is a member of several securities industry-related committees
and associations.
Nicholas Moore
Portfolio Manager of Advisers
Mr. Moore holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from
Menlo College. He has been with the Franklin Templeton Group since 1989.
Michael McCarthy
Portfolio Manager of Advisers
Mr. McCarthy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of
California at Los Angeles. He has been with the Franklin Templeton Group since
1992.
MANAGEMENT FEES. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996, management fees,
before any advance waiver, totaled 0.57% of the average daily net assets of the
Fund. Under an agreement by Advisers to limit its fees, the Fund paid management
fees totaling 0.54%. Advisers may end this arrangement at any time upon notice
to the Board.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS. Advisers tries to obtain the best execution on all
transactions. If Advisers believes more than one broker or dealer can provide
the best execution, 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. Under an agreement with Advisers, FT Services provides
certain administrative services and facilities for the Fund. Please see
"Investment Management and Other Services" in the SAI for more information.
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, if applicable. Certain
performance figures may not include any applicable sales charge or Rule 12b-1
fees.
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 guarantee 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.
HOW IS THE TRUST ORGANIZED?
The Fund is a diversified series of Franklin Strategic Series (the "Trust"), an
open-end management investment company, commonly called a mutual fund. It was
organized as a Delaware business trust on January 25, 1991, and is registered
with the SEC under the 1940 Act.
The Fund began offering two classes of shares on October 2, 1995: Franklin Small
Cap Growth Fund - Class I and Franklin Small Cap Growth Fund - Class II. All
shares purchased before that time are considered Class I shares. The Fund began
offering a third class of shares on January 1, 1997: Franklin Small Cap Growth
Fund - Advisor Class. Class I, Class II and Advisor Class shares differ as to
sales charges, expenses and services. Different fees and expenses will affect
performance. Additional classes and series may be offered in the future. A
further description of Class I and Class II is set forth below.
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 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 Trust on matters that
affect the Trust as a whole.
The Trust 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 Trust 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. A meeting may also be called by the Board in its discretion
or 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.
CLASS I AND CLASS II. Class I and Class II shares of the Fund are described in a
separate prospectus relating only to those classes. You may buy Class I and
Class II shares through your investment representative or directly by contacting
the Trust. If you would like a prospectus relating to the Fund's Class I and
Class II shares, contact your investment representative or Distributors.
Class I and Class II shares of the Fund have sales charges and Rule 12b-1
charges that may affect performance. Class I shares have a front-end sales
charge of 4.50% (4.71% of the net amount invested) that is reduced on certain
transactions of $100,000 or more. Class I shares are subject to Rule 12b-1 fees
up to a maximum of 0.25% per year of Class I's average daily net assets. Class
II shares have a 1.00% (1.01% of the amount invested) front-end sales charge and
are subject to Rule 12b-1 fees up to a maximum of 1.00% per year of Class II's
average daily net assets. Shares of Class I may be subject to, and shares of
Class II are generally subject to, a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge upon
redemption.
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.
The Fund has elected and intends to continue to qualify as a regulated
investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. By distributing all of its
income and meeting certain other requirements relating to the sources of its
income and diversification of its assets, the Fund will not be liable for
federal income or excise taxes.
For federal income tax purposes, any income dividends that you receive from the
Fund, as well as any distributions derived from the excess of net short-term
capital gain over net long-term capital loss, are treated as ordinary income
whether you have elected to receive them in cash or in additional shares.
Distributions derived from the excess of net long-term capital gain over net
short-term capital loss are treated as long-term capital gain regardless of the
length of time you have owned Fund shares and regardless of whether you receive
distributions in cash or in additional shares.
Pursuant to the Code, certain distributions which are declared in October,
November or December but which, for operational reasons, may not be paid to you
until the following January, will be treated for tax purposes as if you received
them on December 31 of the calendar year in which they are declared.
For corporate shareholders, 1.75% of the ordinary income distributions
(including short-term capital gain distributions) paid by the Fund for the
fiscal year ended April 30, 1996 qualified for the corporate dividends-received
deduction, subject to certain holding period and debt financing restrictions
imposed under the Code on the corporation claiming the deduction. These
restrictions are discussed in the SAI.
Redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares are taxable events on which you may
realize a gain or loss. Any loss incurred on the sale or exchange of Fund
shares, held for six months or less, will be treated as a long-term capital loss
to the extent of capital gain dividends received with respect to such shares.
All or a portion of the sales charge incurred in buying shares of the Fund will
not be included in the federal tax basis of such shares sold or exchanged within
90 days of their purchase (for purposes of determining gain or loss with respect
to such shares) if the sales proceeds are reinvested in the Fund or in another
of the Franklin Templeton Funds and a sales charge which would otherwise apply
to the reinvestment is reduced or eliminated. Any portion of the sales charge
excluded from the tax basis of the shares sold will be added to the tax basis of
the shares acquired in the reinvestment.
The Fund will inform you of the source of your dividends and distributions at
the time they are paid and will, promptly after the close of each calendar year,
advise you of the tax status for federal income tax purposes of such dividends
and distributions.
If you are not considered a U.S. person for federal income tax purposes, you
should consult with your financial or tax advisor regarding the applicability of
U.S. withholding or other taxes on distributions received by you from the Fund
and the application of foreign tax laws to these distributions. You should also
consult your tax advisor with respect to the applicability of any state and
local intangible property or income taxes to your shares of the Fund and
distributions and redemption proceeds received from the Fund.
ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT
HOW DO I BUY SHARES?
OPENING YOUR ACCOUNT
You may buy shares with a minimum initial investment of $5 million (in the
aggregate) in one or more Advisor Class shares of the Franklin Templeton Funds
($25 for subsequent investments) except if you fall in one of the following
categories of investors satisfying one of the following criteria:
(a) Broker-dealers, qualified registered investment advisors or certified
financial planners, who have entered into a supplemental agreement with
Distributors for clients participating in comprehensive fee programs;
(b) Qualified registered investment advisors or registered certified financial
planners who have clients invested in Mutual Series on October 31, 1996;
(c) Qualified registered investment advisors or registered certified financial
planners who did not have clients invested in Mutual Series on October 31, 1996,
may buy through a broker-dealer or service agent who has entered into an
agreement with Distributors;
(d) Employer stock, bonus, pension or profit-sharing plans that meet the
requirements for qualification under Section 401 of the Code, including salary
reduction plans qualified under Section 401(k) of the Code, are subject to no
initial investment requirement if the number of employees is 5,000 or more or
the plan has assets of $50 million or more;
(e) Effective on or about February 1, 1997, participants in Franklin
Templeton's 401(k) and Franklin Templeton Profit Sharing Plans;
(f) Trust companies and bank trust departments initially investing in any of
the Franklin Templeton Funds at least $1 million of assets held in a fiduciary,
agency, advisory, custodial or similar capacity and over which the trust
companies, bank trust departments or other plan fiduciaries or participants, in
the case of certain retirement plans, have full or shared investment discretion;
(g) Governments, municipalities and tax-exempt entities that meet the
requirements for qualification under Section 501 of the Code (subject to an
initial investment in Advisor Class shares of $1 million);
(h) Any other investor, including a private investment vehicle such as a family
trust or foundation, who is a member of a qualified group may also purchase
Advisor Class shares of the Fund if the group as a whole meets the required
minimum initial investment of $5 million;
(i) Directors, trustees, officers and full-time employees (and members of their
immediate family) of Franklin Templeton Group and Franklin Templeton Group of
Funds who invest $100 or more;
(j) Accounts managed by the Franklin Templeton Group;
(k) Class I shareholders of the Fund who qualify under one of the above
categories, may have their existing Class I shares invested into the Fund's
Advisor Class by sending written instructions indicating that they wish to do
so, by June 30, 1997. Instructions should be addressed to Investor Services.
Generally, for federal income tax purposes, there will be no recognition of gain
or loss associated with such a transaction. You may wish to consult with your
tax advisor to determine whether there are any state income tax consequeences to
such a transaction.
(l) Each series of Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series that invests $1,000
or more.
The qualified group referred to in Item (h) above, is one that:
o Was formed at least six months ago,
o Has a purpose other than buying Fund shares at a discount,
o Has more than 10 members,
o Can arrange for meetings between our representatives and group members,
o Agrees to include sales and other Franklin Templeton Fund materials in
publications and mailings to its members at reduced or no cost to
Distributors,
o Agrees to arrange for payroll deduction or other bulk transmission of
investments to the Fund, and
o Meets other uniform criteria that allow Distributors to achieve cost
savings in distributing shares.
If you are subject to the $5 million minimum investment requirement, the cost or
current value (whichever is higher) of your investment in other funds in the
Franklin Templeton Funds will be included for purposes of determining compliance
with the required minimum investment amount, provided that at least $1 million
is invested in Advisor Class shares of the Franklin Templeton Funds.
The minimum for subsequent investments in Advisor Class shares is; $25 for most
purchases of Advisor Class shares of the Fund and for purchases by directors,
trustees, officers and full-time employees (and members of their immediate
family) of Franklin Templeton Group and Franklin Templeton Funds; and $1,000 for
each series of Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series.
PURCHASE PRICE OF FUND SHARES
Advisor Class shares are purchased at Net Asset Value without a sales charge.
Securities Dealers may receive compensation up to 0.25% of the amount invested
from Distributors or an affiliated company.
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
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. 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 for taxable investors.
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 Advisor Class shares.
METHOD STEPS TO FOLLOW
By Mail 1. Send us written instructions signed by all account owners
2. Include any outstanding share certificates for the shares
you're exchanging
By Phone Call Shareholder Services
- 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.
HOW WE PROCESS YOUR EXCHANGE
If you are exchanging your Advisor Class shares of the Fund you may:
o exchange into any of our money funds except Franklin Templeton Money Fund II.
o exchange into the other Advisor Class shares of the Franklin Templeton
Funds(excluding Templeton Developing Markets Trust, Templeton Foreign Fund and
Templeton Growth Fund, except as described below), Mutual Series Class Z shares
and Templeton Institutional Funds, Inc., if you meet the investment requirements
of the fund to be acquired.
o exchange into the Advisor Class shares of Templeton Developing Markets Trust,
Templeton Foreign Fund and Templeton Growth Fund if you fall into one of the
following categories: (i) you are a broker-dealer or a qualified registered
investment advisor who has entered into a special agreement with Distributors
for your clients who are participating in comprehensive fee programs; (ii) you
are a qualified registered investment advisor or certified financial planner who
has clients invested in Mutual Series on October 31, 1996; (iii) you are a
qualified registered investment advisor or certified financial planner who did
not have clients invested in Mutual Series on October 31, 1996 and are buying
through a broker-dealer or service agent who has entered into an agreement with
Distributors; (iv) you are a director, trustee, officer or full-time employee
(or a family member) of the Franklin Templeton Group or the Franklin Templeton
Funds; (v) you are a participant in Franklin Templeton's 401(k) or Franklin
Templeton's Profit Sharing Plans; (vi) the exchanging shareholder is an account
managed by the Franklin Templeton Group; or (vii) the exchanging shareholder is
a series of the Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series.
o If the fund you are exchanging into does not offer Advisor Class shares, you
may exchange into the Class I shares of the fund at Net Asset Value.
Please be aware that the following restrictions may apply to exchanges:
o The accounts must be identically registered. You may exchange shares from a
Fund account requiring two or more signatures into an identically registered
money fund account requiring only one signature for all transactions. Please
notify us in writing if you do not want this option to be available on your
account(s). Additional procedures may apply. Please see "Transaction Procedures
and Special Requirements."
o 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.
o The fund you are exchanging into must be eligible for sale in your state.
o We may modify or discontinue our exchange policy upon 60 days' written notice.
o Currently, the Fund does 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 or
unable to invest effectively, or (ii) the Fund receives or anticipates
simultaneous orders that may significantly affect the Fund. How Do I Sell
Shares?
You may sell (redeem) your shares at any time.
METHOD STEPS TO FOLLOW
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
(Only available Call Shareholder Services
if you have
completed and Telephone requests will be accepted:
sent to us the
telephone o If the request is $50,000 or less. Institutional accounts may
redemption exceed $50,000 by completing a separate agreement. Call
agreement Institutional Services to receive a copy.
included
with this o If there are no share certificates issued for the shares you
prospectus) want to sell or you have already returned them to the Fund
o Unless you are selling shares in a Trust Company retirement
plan account
o Unless the address on your account was changed by phone
within the last 30 days
o 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 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.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Through Your Call your investment representative
Dealer
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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.
WHAT DISTRIBUTIONS MIGHT I RECEIVE FROM THE FUND?
The Fund declares dividends from its net investment income semiannually to
shareholders of record on the first business day before the 15th of the month
and pays them on or about the last day of that month.
Capital gains, if any, may be distributed annually, usually in December.
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 applicable Rule 12b-1 fees of any class.
Advisor Class shares are not subject to Rule 12b-1 fees.
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.
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 by reinvesting capital gain distributions, or both dividend
and capital gain distributions. This is a convenient way to accumulate
additional shares and maintain or increase your earnings base.
2. BUY SHARES OF OTHER FRANKLIN TEMPLETON FUNDS - You may direct your
distributions to buy Advisor Class shares or 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 dividends, or both dividend
and capital gain distributions in cash. If you have the money sent to another
person or to a checking account, you may need a signature guarantee. To select
one of these options, please complete sections 6 and 7 of the shareholder
application included with this prospectus or tell your investment representative
which option you prefer. If you do not select an option, we will automatically
reinvest dividend and capital gain distributions in Advisor Class shares 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 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. You can find the prior day's closing Net Asset
Value and Offering Price for each class in many newspapers.
The Net Asset Value of all outstanding shares of each class is calculated on a
pro rata basis. It is based on each class' proportionate participation in the
Fund, determined by the value of the shares of each class. 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
You buy shares of Advisor Class at the Net Asset Value per share. We calculate
it to two decimal places using standard rounding criteria. You also 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:
o Your name,
o The Fund's name,
o The class of shares,
o A description of the request,
o For exchanges, the name of the fund you're exchanging into,
o Your account number,
o The dollar amount or number of shares, and
o A telephone number where we may reach you during the day, or in the evening
if preferred.
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES
For our mutual protection, we require a signature guarantee in the following
situations:
1) You wish to sell over $50,000 worth of shares,
2) You want the proceeds to be paid to someone other than the registered owners,
3) The proceeds are not being sent to the address of record, preauthorized bank
account, or preauthorized brokerage firm account,
4) We receive instructions from an agent, not the registered owners,
5) We believe a signature guarantee would protect us against potential claims
based on the instructions received.
A signature guarantee verifies the authenticity of your signature and may be
obtained from certain banks, brokers or other eligible guarantors. You should
verify that the institution is an eligible guarantor prior to signing. 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.
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
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 received 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
your account if the value of your shares is $50 or less, except for investors
under categories (d), (e), (j) and (l) under "Opening Your Account." We will do
this if the value of your account falls below this minimum 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 as least $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 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
fifth business day of the month in which a payment is scheduled. Beginning with
your February 1997 payment, however, 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.
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.
STATEMENTS AND REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
We will send you the following statements and reports on a regular basis:
o Confirmation and account statements reflecting transactions in your
account, including additional purchases and dividend reinvestments. Please
verify the accuracy of your statements when you receive them.
o Financial reports of the Fund will be sent every six months. To reduce Fund
expenses, we attempt to identify related shareholders within a household
and send only one copy of a report. Call Fund Information if you would like
an additional free copy of the Fund's financial reports or an interim
quarterly report.
BROKERS AND DEALERS AND PLAN ADMINISTRATORS
You may buy and sell Fund shares through registered broker-dealers. The Fund
does not impose a sales or service charge but your broker-dealer may charge you
a transaction fee. Transaction fees and services may vary among broker-dealers,
and your broker-dealer may impose higher initial or subsequent investment
requirements than those established by the Fund. Services provided by
broker-dealers may include allowing you to establish a margin account and borrow
on the value of the Fund's shares in that account. If your broker-dealer
receives your order before pricing on a given day, the broker-dealer is required
to forward the order to the Fund before pricing closes on that day. A
broker-dealer's failure to timely forward an order may give rise to a claim by
the investor against the broker.
Third party plan administrators of tax-qualified retirement plans and other
entities may provide sub-transfer agent services to the Fund. In such cases, the
Fund may pay the third party an annual sub-transfer agency fee that is not
greater than the Fund otherwise would have paid for such services.
INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTS
Institutional investors will likely be required to complete an institutional
account application. There may be additional methods of opening accounts and
purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares of the Fund available for
institutional accounts. To obtain an institutional application or additional
information regarding institutional accounts, contact Franklin Templeton
Institutional Services at 1-800/321-8563 Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.
AVAILABILITY OF THESE SERVICES
The services above are available to most shareholders. If, however, your shares
are held by a financial institution, in a street name account, or networked
through the NSCC, the Fund may not be able to offer these services directly to
you. Please contact your investment representative.
WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY ACCOUNT?
If you have any questions about your account, you may write to Investor Services
at 777 Mariners Island Blvd., P.O. Box 7777, San Mateo, California 94403-7777.
The Fund, Distributors and Advisers are also located at this address. You may
also contact us by phone at one of the numbers listed below.
HOURS OF OPERATION (PACIFIC TIME)
DEPARTMENT NAME TELEPHONE NO. (MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)
Shareholder Services 1-800/632-2301 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Dealer Services 1-800/524-4040 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Fund Information 1-800/DIAL BEN 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(1-800/342-5236) 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Saturday)
Retirement Plans 1-800/527-2020 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Institutional Services 1-800/321-8563 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
TDD (hearing impaired) 1-800/851-0637 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Your phone call may be monitored or recorded to ensure we provide you with high
quality service. You will hear a regular beeping tone if your call is being
recorded.
GLOSSARY
USEFUL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
1940 ACT - Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
ADVISERS - Franklin Advisers, Inc., the Fund's investment manager
BOARD - The Board of Trustees of the Trust
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. Class I and Class II differ,
however, primarily in their sales charge structures and Rule 12b-1 plans.
Advisor Class shares are purchased without a sales charge and do not have a Rule
12b-1 plan.
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 Trustees."
FRANKLIN FUNDS - The mutual funds in the Franklin Group of Funds(R) except
Franklin Valuemark Funds and the Franklin Government Securities Trust
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON FUNDS - The Franklin Funds and the Templeton Funds
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP - Franklin Resources, Inc., a publicly owned holding
company, and its various subsidiaries
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP OF FUNDS - All U.S. registered investment companies in
the Franklin Group of Funds(R) and the Templeton Group of Funds
FT SERVICES - Franklin Templeton Services, Inc., the Fund's administrator
INVESTOR SERVICES - Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc., the Fund's
shareholder servicing and transfer agent
IRS - Internal Revenue Service
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.
MUTUAL SERIES - Franklin Mutual Series Fund Inc., a member of the Franklin Group
of Funds, formerly the Mutual Series Fund Inc. Each series of Mutual series
began offering three classes of shares on November 1, 1996, Class I, Class II
and Class Z. All shares sold before that time are designated Class Z shares.
NASD - National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
NET ASSET VALUE (NAV) - The value of a mutual fund is determined by deducting
the fund's liabilities from the total assets of the portfolio. The net asset
value per share is determined by dividing the net asset value of the fund by the
number of shares outstanding.
NSCC - National Securities Clearing Corporation
NYSE - New York Stock Exchange
OFFERING PRICE - The public offering price is based on the Net Asset Value per
share of the class and includes the front-end sales charge, if applicable. The
maximum front-end sales charge is 4.50% for Class I and 1% for Class II. Adivsor
Class has no front-end sales charge.
RESOURCES - Franklin Resources, Inc.
S&P - Standard & Poor's Corporation
SAI - Statement of Additional Information
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.
TEMPLETON FUNDS - The U.S. registered mutual funds in the Templeton Group of
Funds except Templeton Capital Accumulator Fund, Inc., Templeton Variable
Annuity Fund, and Templeton Variable Products Series Fund
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.
PROSPECTUS & APPLICATION
FRANKLIN NATURAL
RESOURCES FUND
INVESTMENT STRATEGY
GROWTH & INCOME
Advisor Class
Advisor
JANUARY 1, 1997
FRANKLIN STRATEGIC SERIES
This prospectus describes the Advisor Class shares of Franklin Natural Resources
Fund (the "Fund"). It contains information you should know before investing in
the Fund. Please keep it for future reference.
The Fund's Advisor Class SAI, dated January 1, 1997, as may be amended from time
to time, includes more information about the Fund's procedures and policies. It
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.
Advisor Class shares are only available for purchase by certain persons,
including, among others, certain financial institutions (such as banks, trust
companies, savings institutions and credit unions); government and tax-exempt
entities; pension, profit sharing and employee benefit plans; certain qualified
groups, including family trusts, endowments, foundations and corporations;
Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series; and directors, trustees, officers and
full-time employees (and their family members) of Franklin Templeton Group and
the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. See "About Your Account."
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 SEC 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 in which the offering is not authorized. No sales representative, dealer,
or other person is authorized to give any information or make any
representations other than those contained in this prospectus. Further
information may be obtained from Distributors.
FRANKLIN
NATURAL
RESOURCES
FUND -
ADVISOR CLASS
JANUARY 1, 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
About the Fund
Expense Summary............... 2
How does the Fund Invest its Assets? 3
What are the Fund's Potential Risks? 8
Who Manages the Fund?......... 10
How does the Fund Measure Performance? 12
How is the Trust Organized?... 12
How Taxation Affects You and the Fund 14
About Your Account
How Do I Buy Shares?.......... 15
May I Exchange Shares for Shares of
Another Fund?................ 18
How Do I Sell Shares?......... 20
What Distributions Might I Receive
from the Fund?............... 21
Transaction Procedures and
Special Requirements......... 22
Services to Help You Manage Your Account 26
Glossary
Useful Terms and Definitions.. 29
Appendix
Description of Ratings........ 31
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
P.O. Box 7777
San Mateo
CA 94403-7777
1-800/DIAL BEN
ABOUT THE FUND
EXPENSE SUMMARY
This table is designed to help you understand the costs of investing in the
Fund. Because Advisor Class shares were not offered to the public before January
1, 1997, the table is based on the historical expenses of the Class I shares of
the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996.+ Your actual expenses may
vary.
A. Shareholder Transaction Expenses++
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases None
Exchange Fee (per transaction) $5.00+++
B. Annual Fund Operating Expenses (as a percentage of average net assets)
Management Fees 0.63%++++
Rule 12b-1 Fees None
Other Expenses 0.85%
Total Fund Operating Expenses 1.48%
C. Example
Assume the annual return for Advisor Class shares 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
---------------------------------------
$15 $47 $81 $177
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 the dividends paid on Advisor Class
shares and are not directly charged to your account.
+Unlike Advisor Class shares, the Class I shares of the Fund have a front-end
sales charge and Rule 12b-1 fees.
++If your transaction is processed through your Securities Dealer, you may be
charged a fee by your Securities Dealer for these services.
+++$5.00 fee is only for Market Timers. We process all other exchanges without a
fee. ++++Advisers has agreed in advance to waive its management fees and make
certain payments to reduce the Fund's expenses. With this reduction, the Fund
paid no management fees.
HOW DOES THE FUND INVEST ITS ASSETS?
THE FUND'S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund's investment objective is to seek to provide high total return. The
Fund's total return consists of both capital appreciation and current dividend
and interest income. 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.
The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing at least 65% of its total
assets in securities issued by companies which own, produce, refine, process and
market natural resources, as well as those that provide support services for
natural resources companies (i.e., those that develop technologies or provide
services or supplies directly related to the production of natural resources).
These companies are concentrated in the natural resources sector which includes,
but is not limited to, the following industries: Integrated oil; oil and gas
exploration and production; gold and precious metals; steel and iron ore
production; aluminum production; forest products; farming products; paper
products; chemicals; building materials; energy services and technology; and
environmental services.
The Fund at all times, except during temporary defensive periods, seeks to
maintain at least 65% of its total assets invested in securities issued by
companies in the natural resources sector. The Fund reserves the right to hold,
as a temporary defensive measure or as a reserve for redemptions, short-term
U.S. government securities, high quality money market securities, including
repurchase agreements, or cash in such proportions as, in the opinion of
Advisers, prevailing market or economic conditions warrant.
TYPES OF SECURITIES IN WHICH THE FUND MAY INVEST
The Fund invests in common stocks (including preferred or debt securities
convertible into common stocks), preferred stocks and debt securities. The
mixture of common stocks, debt securities and preferred stocks varies from time
to time based upon Advisers' assessment as to whether investments in each
category will contribute to meeting the Fund's investment objective.
The Fund may invest, without percentage limitation, in fixed-income securities
having at the time of purchase, one of the four highest ratings of Moody's (Aaa,
Aa, A, Baa), S&P (AAA, AA, A, BBB), two nationally recognized statistical rating
organizations, or in fixed-income securities that are not rated if, in the
opinion of Advisers, such securities are comparable in quality to those within
the four highest ratings. These are considered to be "investment grade"
securities, although fixed-income securities rated in the fourth highest rating
category are regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay principal and
interest but with greater vulnerability to adverse economic conditions and some
speculative characteristics. The Fund's commercial paper investments at the time
of purchase will be rated "A-1" or "A-2" by S&P or "Prime-1" or "Prime-2" by
Moody's or, if not rated, will be of comparable quality as determined by
Advisers.
The Fund may also invest up to 15% of its total assets at the time of purchase
in lower rated fixed-income securities (those rated BB or lower by S&P or Ba or
lower by Moody's) and unrated securities of comparable quality (commonly known
as "junk bonds.") The Fund will not acquire such securities rated lower than B
by Moody's or S&P. Lower rated securities are considered by S&P and Moody's, on
balance, to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity
to pay principal or interest, as the case may be, in accordance with the terms
of the obligation and will generally involve more credit risk than securities in
the higher rating categories. Please see the SAI for a more complete discussion
of these investments.
If the rating on an issue held in the Fund's portfolio is changed by the rating
agency, this event will be considered by the Fund in its evaluation of the
overall investment merits of that security but will not necessarily result in an
automatic sale of the security. Please see the Appendix in this prospectus.
The Fund may invest up to 35% of its assets in securities of issuers that are
outside the natural resources sector. These investments will include common
stocks, debt securities or preferred stocks, and will be selected to meet the
Fund's investment objective of providing high total return. These securities may
be issued by either U.S. or non-U.S. companies, governments, or governmental
instrumentalities. Some of these issuers may be in industries related to the
natural resources sector and, therefore, may be subject to similar risks.
Securities that are issued by foreign companies or are denominated in foreign
currencies are subject to the risks discussed under "What Are the Fund's
Potential Risks?"
Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or
instrumentalities, including U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds, as well as
certain agency securities and mortgage-backed securities issued by the
Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), may carry guarantees which are
backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. government. Any such guarantee
will extend to the payment of interest and principal due on the securities and
will not provide any protection from fluctuations in either the securities'
yield or value or to the yield or value of the Fund's shares. Other investments
in agency securities are not necessarily backed by the "full faith and credit"
of the U.S. government, such as certain securities issued by the Federal
National Mortgage Association (FNMA), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage
Corporation, the Student Loan Marketing Association and the Farm Credit Bank.
The Fund may invest in debt securities issued or guaranteed by foreign
governments. These securities are typically denominated in foreign currencies
and are subject to the currency fluctuation and other risks of foreign
securities investments discussed under "What Are the Fund's Potential Risks?"
The foreign government securities in which the Fund intends to invest generally
will include obligations issued by national, state or local governments or
similar political subdivisions. Foreign government securities also include debt
obligations of supranational entities, including international organizations
designed or supported by governmental entities to promote economic
reconstruction or development and international banking institutions and related
government agencies. Examples include the International Bank of Reconstruction
and Development (the World Bank), the European Investment Bank, the Asian
Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Foreign government securities also include debt securities of
"quasi-governmental agencies" and debt securities denominated in multinational
currency units. An example of a multinational currency unit is the European
Currency Unit. A European Currency Unit represents specified amounts of the
currencies of certain member states of the European Union. Debt securities of
quasi-governmental agencies are issued by entities owned by either a national or
local government or are obligations of a political unit that is not backed by
the national government's full faith and credit and general taxing powers.
Foreign government securities also include mortgage-related securities issued or
guaranteed by national or local governmental instrumentalities, including
quasi-governmental agencies.
WHERE THE FUND MAY INVEST
The Fund may invest in the securities of issuers both within and outside the
U.S., including emerging market countries.
The Fund may buy foreign securities that are traded in the U.S. or in foreign
markets or buy sponsored or unsponsored American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"),
which are receipts typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company that
evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation.
These securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the
securities into which they may be converted. Generally, ADRs, which are issued
in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets. The
issuers of unsponsored ADRs are not obligated to disclose material information
in the U.S. and, therefore, there may be less information available to the
investing public than with sponsored ADRs. Advisers will attempt to
independently accumulate and evaluate information with respect to the issuers of
the underlying securities of sponsored and unsponsored ADRs to attempt to limit
the Fund's exposure to the market risk associated with such investments. For
purposes of the Fund's investment policies, investments in ADRs will be deemed
to be investments in the equity securities of the foreign issuers into which
they may be converted.
Under normal conditions, it is anticipated that the percentage of assets
invested in U.S. securities will be higher than that invested in securities of
any other single country. It is possible that at times the Fund may have 50% or
more of its total assets invested in foreign securities.
OTHER INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUND
Short-Term Investments. The Fund may invest its cash, including cash resulting
from purchases and sales of Fund shares, temporarily in short-term debt
instruments, including high grade commercial paper, repurchase agreements and
other money market equivalents and, pursuant to an exemption from the
requirements of the 1940 Act, the shares of affiliated money market funds, which
invest primarily in short-term debt securities. To the extent the Fund invests
in affiliated money market funds, such as the Franklin Money Fund, Advisers has
agreed to waive its management fee on any portion of the Fund's assets invested
in the affiliated fund. Temporary investments will only be made with cash held
to maintain liquidity or pending investment. In addition, for temporary
defensive purposes in the event of, or when Advisers anticipates a general
decline in the market prices of stocks in which the Fund invests, the Fund may
invest an unlimited amount of its assets in short-term debt instruments.
Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may engage in repurchase transactions in which
the Fund buys a U.S. government security subject to resale to a bank or dealer
at an agreed-upon price and date. The transaction requires the collateralization
of the seller's obligation by the transfer of securities with an initial market
value, including accrued interest, equal to at least 102% of the dollar amount
invested by the Fund in each agreement, with the value of the underlying
security marked-to-market daily to maintain coverage of at least 100%. A default
by the seller might cause the Fund to experience a loss or delay in the
liquidation of the collateral securing the repurchase agreement. The Fund might
also incur disposition costs in liquidating the collateral. The Fund, however,
intends to enter into repurchase agreements only with financial institutions
such as broker-dealers and banks that are deemed creditworthy by Advisers. A
repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan by the Fund under the 1940 Act. The
U.S. government security subject to resale (the collateral) will be held on
behalf of the Fund by a custodian bank approved by the Board and will be held
pursuant to a written agreement.
The Fund may also enter into reverse repurchase agreements. These agreements
involve the sale of securities held by the Fund pursuant to an agreement to
repurchase the securities at an agreed upon price, date and interest payment.
When effecting reverse repurchase transactions, cash or high grade liquid debt
securities of a dollar amount equal in value to the Fund's obligation under the
agreement, including accrued interest, will be maintained in a segregated
account with the Fund's custodian bank, and the securities subject to the
reverse repurchase agreement will be marked-to-market each day. Although reverse
repurchase agreements are borrowings under the 1940 Act, the Fund does not treat
these arrangements as borrowings under investment restriction 2 in the SAI, so
long as the segregated account is properly maintained.
Loans of Portfolio Securities. Consistent with procedures approved by the Board
and subject to the following conditions, the Fund may lend its portfolio
securities to qualified securities dealers or other institutional investors,
provided that such loans do not exceed 33% of the value of the Fund's total
assets at the time of the most recent loan. The borrower must deposit with the
Fund's custodian bank collateral with an initial market value of at least 102%
of the initial market value of the securities loaned, including any accrued
interest, with the value of the collateral and loaned securities
marked-to-market daily to maintain collateral coverage of at least 100%. This
collateral shall consist of cash, securities issued by the U.S. government, its
agencies or instrumentalities, or irrevocable letters of credit. The lending of
securities is a common practice in the securities industry. The Fund may engage
in security loan arrangements with the primary objective of increasing the
Fund's income either through investing the cash collateral in short-term
interest bearing obligations or by receiving a loan premium from the borrower.
Under the securities loan agreement, the Fund continues to be entitled to all
dividends or interest on any loaned securities. As with any extension of credit,
there are risks of delay in recovery and loss of rights in the collateral should
the borrower of the security fail financially.
Borrowing. As a fundamental policy, the Fund does not borrow money or mortgage
or pledge any of its assets, except that the Fund may enter into reverse
repurchase agreements or borrow money from banks in an amount up to 33% of its
total asset value (computed at the time the loan is made) for temporary or
emergency purposes. While borrowings exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets, the
Fund will not make any additional investments.
Illiquid Investments. Generally, the Fund may not invest more than 15% of its
net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are generally securities
that cannot be sold within seven days in the normal course of business at
approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued them. Subject to this
limitation, the Board has authorized the Fund to invest in restricted securities
where such investments are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and
has authorized such securities considered liquid to the extent Advisers
determines on a daily basis that there is a liquid institutional or other market
for such securities. Notwithstanding Advisers' determinations in this regard,
the Board will remain responsible for such determinations and will consider
appropriate action, consistent with the Fund's objective and policies, if a
security should become illiquid after its purchase. To the extent the Fund
invests in restricted securities that are deemed liquid, the general level of
illiquidity in the Fund may be increased if qualified institutional buyers
become uninterested in buying these securities or the market for these
securities contracts.
Percentage Restrictions. If a percentage restriction noted above is adhered to
at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage
resulting from a change in value of portfolio securities or the amount of net
assets will not be considered a violation of any of the foregoing policies.
Other Policies and Restrictions. As discussed more fully in the SAI, the Fund
also may buy debt obligations on a "when-issued" or "delayed delivery" basis and
from time to time enter into standby commitment agreements. The Fund has a
number of additional investment restrictions that limit its activities to some
extent. Some of these restrictions may only be changed with shareholder
approval. For a list of these restrictions and more information about the Fund's
investment policies, please see "How does the Fund Invest its Assets?" and
"Investment Restrictions" in the SAI.
WHAT ARE THE FUND'S POTENTIAL RISKS?
The value of your shares will increase as the value of the securities owned by
the Fund increases and will decrease as the value of the Fund's investments
decrease. In this way, you participate in any change in the value of the
securities owned by the Fund. In addition to the factors that affect the value
of any particular security that the Fund owns, the value of Fund shares may also
change with movements in the stock and bond markets as a whole.
The Fund is designed for long-term investors and not as a trading vehicle. The
Fund is not intended to present a complete investment program.
Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund's assets will usually be invested in
a substantial number of issuers, the Fund is non-diversified as defined by the
1940 Act. This generally means that more than 5% of the Fund's assets may be
invested in the securities of a single issuer. Consequently, changes in the
financial condition of a single issuer may have a greater effect on the Fund's
share value than such changes would have on the performance of other mutual
funds, particularly those which invest in a broad range of issuers, sectors and
industries.
The Natural Resources Sector. There are several risk factors that need to be
assessed before investing in the natural resources sector. Certain of the
industries' commodities are subject to limited pricing flexibility as a result
of similar supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price
fluctuations, reflecting the volatility of certain raw materials' prices and the
instability of supplies of other resources. These factors can effect the overall
profitability of an individual company operating within the natural resources
sector. While Advisers strives to diversify among the industries within the
natural resources sector to minimize this volatility, there will be occasions
where the value of an individual company's securities will prove more volatile
than the broader market. In addition, many of these companies operate in areas
of the world where they are subject to unstable political environments, currency
fluctuations and inflationary pressures.
Foreign Securities. Investment in the Fund's shares requires consideration of
certain risks that are not normally involved in investment solely in U.S.
issuers. These risks include political, social or economic instability in the
country of the issuer, the difficulty of predicting international trade
patterns, the possibility of the imposition of exchange controls, expropriation,
restrictions on removal of currency or other assets, nationalization of assets,
foreign withholding and income taxation, and foreign trading practices
(including higher trading commissions, custodial charges and delayed
settlements). Foreign securities may be subject to greater fluctuations in price
than securities issued by U.S. corporations or issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
government, its instrumentalities or agencies. The markets on which foreign
securities trade may have less volume and liquidity, and may be more volatile
than securities markets in the U.S. In addition, there may be less publicly
available information about a foreign company than about a U.S. domiciled
company. Foreign companies generally are not subject to uniform accounting,
auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to those applicable to
U.S. domestic companies. There is generally less government regulation of
securities exchanges, brokers and listed companies abroad than in the U.S.
Confiscatory taxation or diplomatic developments could also affect investment in
those countries.
In many instances, foreign debt securities may provide higher yields than
securities of domestic issuers that have similar maturities and quality. Under
certain market conditions, these investments may be less liquid than the
securities of U.S. corporations and are certainly less liquid than securities
issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its instrumentalities or agencies.
Finally, in the event of a default of any foreign debt obligations, it may be
more difficult for the Fund to obtain or to enforce a judgment against the
issuers of the securities. If a security is denominated in foreign currency, the
value of the security to the Fund will be affected by changes in currency
exchange rates and in exchange control regulations, and costs will be incurred
in connection with conversions between currencies. A change in the value of any
foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change
in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund's securities denominated in that currency.
These changes will also affect the Fund's income and distributions to
shareholders. In addition, although the Fund will receive income on foreign
securities in such currencies, the Fund will be required to compute and
distribute its income in U.S. dollars. Therefore, if the exchange rate for any
currency declines materially after the Fund's income has been accrued and
translated into U.S. dollars, the Fund could be required to liquidate portfolio
securities to make required distributions. Similarly, if an exchange rate
declines between the time the Fund incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time
such expenses are paid, the amount of currency required to be converted into
U.S. dollars in order to pay such expenses in U.S.
dollars will be greater.
The Fund may choose to hedge exposure to currency fluctuations by entering into
forward foreign currency exchange contracts, and buying and selling options,
futures contracts and options on futures contracts related to foreign
currencies. The Fund may use forward currency exchange contracts in the normal
course of business to lock in an exchange rate in connection with purchases and
sales of securities denominated in foreign currencies. Advisers may employ other
currency management strategies to hedge portfolio securities or to shift
investment exposure from one currency to another. Some of these strategies will
require the Fund to set aside liquid assets in a segregated custodial account to
cover its obligations. Options, futures and options on futures and forward
contracts are generally considered "derivative securities." See "Currency
Hedging Transactions and Associated Risks" in the SAI.
The operating expense ratio of the Fund can be expected to be higher than that
of an investment company investing exclusively in U.S. securities because of the
additional expenses of the Fund attributable to its foreign investment activity,
such as custodial costs, valuation costs and communication costs, although the
Fund's expenses are expected to be similar to expenses of other investment
companies investing in a mix of U.S. securities and securities of one or more
foreign countries.
Investing in emerging market countries subjects the Fund to heightened foreign
securities investment risks as discussed in this section.
Interest Rate and Market Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in debt
securities, changes in interest rates in any country where the Fund is invested
will affect the value of the Fund's portfolio and its share price. Rising
interest rates, which often occur during times of inflation or a growing
economy, are likely to have a negative effect on the value of the Fund's shares.
To the extent the Fund invests in common stocks, a general market decline in any
country where the Fund is invested, may also cause the Fund's share price to
decline. The value of worldwide stock markets and interest rates has increased
and decreased in the past. These changes are unpredictable and may happen again
in the future.
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 between the
two classes of shares. While none is expected, the Board will act appropriately
to resolve any material conflict that may arise.
Investment Manager. Advisers manages the Fund's assets and makes its investment
decisions. Advisers also performs similar services for other funds. It is wholly
owned by Resources, a publicly owned company engaged in the financial services
industry through its subsidiaries. Charles B. Johnson and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr.
are the principal shareholders of Resources. Together, Advisers and its
affiliates manage over $150 billion in assets. Please see "Investment Management
and Other Services" and "Miscellaneous Information" in the SAI for information
on securities transactions and a summary of the Fund's Code of Ethics.
Management Team. The team responsible for the day-to-day management of the
Fund's portfolio is: Suzanne Willoughby Killea and Robert Mullin since inception
and Serena Perin since December 1995.
Suzanne Willoughby Killea
Portfolio Manager of Advisers
Ms. Killea holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford
University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University. She has been
with the Franklin Templeton Group since earning her MBA degree in 1991. She is a
member of several securities industry-related associations.
Robert Mullin
Portfolio Manager of Advisers
Mr. Mullin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of
Colorado at Boulder. He has been with the Franklin Templeton Group since 1992.
He is a member of several securities industry-related associations.
Serena Perin
Portfolio Manager of Advisers
Ms. Perin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business economics from Brown
University. Prior to joining Franklin she served as a research assistant to a
member of Parliament in London, England. Ms. Perin is a member of several
securities industry associations. She has been with the Franklin Templeton Group
since 1991.
Management Fees. During the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996, management fees,
before any advance waiver, totaled 0.63% of the average daily net assets of the
Fund. Under an agreement by Advisers to waive its fees, the Fund paid no
management fees. Advisers may end this arrangement at any time upon notice to
the Board.
Portfolio Transactions. Advisers tries to obtain the best execution on all
transactions. If Advisers believes more than one broker or dealer can provide
the best execution, 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. Under an agreement with Advisers, FT Services provides
certain administrative services and facilities for the Fund. Please see
"Investment Management and Other Services" in the SAI for more information.
HOW DOES THE FUND MEASURE PERFORMANCE?
From time to time, each class of the Fund advertises its performance. The more
commonly used measures of performance are total return, current yield and
current distribution rate. Performance figures are usually calculated using the
maximum sales charge, if applicable. Certain performance figures may not include
any applicable sales charge or Rule 12b-1 fees.
Total return is the change in value of an investment over a given period. It
assumes any dividends and capital gains are reinvested. Current yield for each
class shows the income per share earned by that class. The current distribution
rate shows the dividends or distributions paid to shareholders of a class. This
rate is usually computed by annualizing the dividends paid per share during a
certain period and dividing that amount by the current Offering Price of the
class or, in the case of Advisor Class shares, the Net Asset Value of the class.
Unlike current yield, the current distribution rate may include income
distributions from sources other than dividends and interest received by the
Fund.
The investment results of each class will vary. Performance figures are always
based on past performance and do not guarantee 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.
HOW IS THE TRUST ORGANIZED?
The Fund is a non-diversified series of Franklin Strategic Series (the "Trust"),
an open-end management investment company, commonly called a mutual fund. It was
organized as a Delaware business trust on January 25, 1991, and is registered
with the SEC under the 1940 Act.
The Fund began offering two classes of shares on January 1, 1997: Franklin
Natural Resources Fund - Class I, and Franklin Natural Resources Fund - Advisor
Class. All shares purchased before that time are considered Class I shares.
Class I and Advisor Class shares differ as to sales charges, expenses and
services. Different fees and expenses will affect performance. Additional
classes and series may be offered in the future. A further description of Class
I is set forth below.
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 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 on matters that
affect the Trust as a whole.
The Trust 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 Trust 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. A meeting may also be called by the Board in its discretion
or 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.
Class I. Class I shares of the Fund are described in a separate prospectus
relating only to that class. You may buy Class I shares through your investment
representative or directly by contacting the Trust. If you would like a
prospectus relating to the Fund's Class I shares, contact your investment
representative or Distributors.
Class I shares of the Fund have sales charges and Rule 12b-1 charges that may
affect performance. Class I shares have a front-end sales charge of 4.50% (4.71%
of the net amount invested) that is reduced on certain transactions of $100,000
or more. Class I shares are subject to Rule 12b-1 fees up to a maximum of 0.35%
per year of Class I's average daily net assets. Shares of Class I may be subject
to a Contingent Deferred Sales Charge upon redemption.
CONVERSION TO A MASTER/FEEDER STRUCTURE
The Fund currently invests directly in securities. Certain Franklin Templeton
Funds, however, are "feeder funds" in a master/feeder fund structure. This means
they invest their assets in a "master fund" that, in turn, invests its assets
directly in securities. The Fund's investment objective and other fundamental
policies allow it to invest either directly in securities or indirectly in
securities through a master fund. In the future, the Board may decide to convert
the Fund to a master/feeder structure.
Various states have adopted certain guidelines for registering master/feeder
funds. If the Board decides to convert the Fund to a master/feeder structure,
the Fund will seek shareholder approval before the conversion if required by the
applicable guidelines or law at that time. If shareholder approval is not
required, your purchase of Fund shares will be considered your consent to a
conversion and we will not seek further shareholder approval. We will, however,
notify you in advance of the conversion. If the Fund converts to a master/feeder
structure, its fees and total operating expenses are not expected to increase.
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.
The Fund has elected and intends to continue to qualify as a regulated
investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. By distributing all of its
income and meeting certain other requirements relating to the sources of its
income and diversification of its assets, the Fund will not be liable for
federal income or excise taxes.
Foreign securities that meet the definition in the Code of a Passive Foreign
Investment Company ("PFIC") may subject the Fund to an income tax and interest
charge with respect to such investments. To the extent possible, the Fund will
avoid such treatment by not investing in PFIC securities or by adopting other
tax strategies for any PFIC securities it does purchase.
For federal income tax purposes, any income dividends that you receive from the
Fund, as well as any distributions derived from the excess of net short-term
capital gain over net long-term capital loss, are treated as ordinary income
whether you have elected to receive them in cash or in additional shares.
Distributions derived from the excess of net long-term capital gain over net
short-term capital loss are treated as long-term capital gain regardless of the
length of time you have owned Fund shares and regardless of whether such
distributions are received in cash or in additional shares.
For corporate shareholders, 28.81% of the ordinary income distributions
(including short-term capital gain distributions) paid by the Fund for the
fiscal year ended April 30, 1996 qualified for the corporate dividends-received
deduction, subject to certain holding period and debt financing restrictions
imposed under the Code on the corporation claiming the deduction. These
restrictions are discussed in the SAI.
Pursuant to the Code, certain distributions which are declared in October,
November or December but which, for operational reasons, may not be paid to you
until the following January, will be treated for tax purposes as if received by
you on December 31 of the calendar year in which they are declared.
Redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares are taxable events on which you may
realize a gain or loss. Any loss incurred on the sale or exchange of Fund
shares, held for six months or less, will be treated as a long-term capital loss
to the extent of capital gain dividends received with respect to such shares.
The Fund will inform you of the source of your dividends and distributions at
the time they are paid, and will promptly after the close of each calendar year
advise you of the tax status for federal income tax purposes of such dividends
and distributions.
If you are not considered a U.S. person for federal income tax purposes, you
should consult with your financial or tax advisor regarding the applicability of
U.S. withholding or other taxes on distributions received by you from the Fund
and the application of foreign tax laws to these distributions. You should also
consult your tax advisor with respect to the applicability of any state and
local intangible property or income taxes to your shares of the Fund and
distributions and redemption proceeds received from the Fund.
ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT
HOW DO I BUY SHARES?
OPENING YOUR ACCOUNT
You may buy shares with a minimum initial investment of $5 million (in the
aggregate) in one or more Advisor Class shares of the Franklin Templeton Funds
($25 for subsequent investments) except if you fall in one of the following
categories of investors satisfying one of the following criteria:
(a) Broker-dealers, qualified registered investment advisors or certified
financial planners, who have entered into a supplemental agreement with
Distributors for clients participating in comprehensive fee programs;
(b) Qualified registered investment advisors or registered certified financial
planners who have clients invested in Mutual Series on October 31, 1996;
(c) Qualified registered investment advisors or registered certified financial
planners who did not have clients invested in Mutual Series on October 31, 1996,
may buy through a broker-dealer or service agent who has entered into an
agreement with Distributors;
(d) Employer stock, bonus, pension or profit-sharing plans that meet the
requirements for qualification under Section 401 of the Code, including salary
reduction plans qualified under Section 401(k) of the Code are subject to no
initial investment requirement if the number of employees is 5,000 or more or
the plan has assets of $50 million or more);
(e) Effective on or about February 1, 1997, participants in Franklin
Templeton's 401(k) and Franklin Templeton's Profit Sharing Plans;
(f) Trust companies and bank trust departments initially investing in any of
the Franklin Templeton Funds at least $1 million of assets held in a fiduciary,
agency, advisory, custodial or similar capacity and over which the trust
companies, bank trust departments or other plan fiduciaries or participants, in
the case of certain retirement plans, have full or shared investment discretion;
(g) Governments, municipalities and tax-exempt entities that meet the
requirements for qualification under Section 501 of the Code (subject to an
initial investment in Advisor Class shares of $1 million);
(h) Any other investor, including a private investment vehicle such as a family
trust or foundation, who is a member of a qualified group may also purchase
Advisor Class shares of the Fund if the group as a whole meets the required
minimum initial investment of $5 million;
(i) Directors, trustees, officers and full-time employees (and members of their
immediate family) of Franklin Templeton Group and Franklin Templeton Group of
Funds who invest $100 or more;
(j) Accounts managed by the Franklin Templeton Group;
(k) Class I shareholders of the Fund who qualify under one of the above
categories, may have their existing Class I shares invested into the Fund's
Advisor Class by sending written instructions indicating that they wish to do
so, by June 30, 1997. Instructions should be addressed to Investor Services.
Generally, for federal income tax purposes, there will be no recognition of gain
or loss associated with such a transaction. You may wish to consult with your
tax advisor to determine whether there are any state income tax consequeences to
such a transaction.
(l) Each series of Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series that invests $1,000
or more.
The qualified group referred to in Item (h) above, is one that:
o Was formed at least six months ago,
o Has a purpose other than buying Fund shares at a discount,
o Has more than 10 members,
o Can arrange for meetings between our representatives and group members,
o Agrees to include sales and other Franklin Templeton Fund materials in
publications and mailings to its members at reduced or no cost to
Distributors,
o Agrees to arrange for payroll deduction or other bulk transmission of
investments to the Fund, and
o Meets other uniform criteria that allow Distributors to achieve cost
savings in distributing shares.
If you are subject to the $5 million minimum investment requirement, the cost or
current value (whichever is higher) of your investment in other funds in the
Franklin Templeton Funds will be included for purposes of determining compliance
with the required minimum investment amount, provided that at least $1 million
is invested in Advisor Class shares of the Franklin Templeton Funds.
The minimum for subsequent investments in Advisor Class shares is; $25 for most
purchases of Advisor Class shares of the Fund and for purchases by directors,
trustees, officers and full-time employees (and members of their immediate
family) of Franklin Templeton Group and Franklin Templeton Funds; and $1,000 for
each series of Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series.
PURCHASE PRICE OF FUND SHARES
Advisor Class shares are purchased at Net Asset Value without a sales charge.
Securities Dealers may receive compensation up to 0.25% of the amount invested
from Distributors or an affiliated company.
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
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.
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 for taxable investors.
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 Advisor Class shares.
METHOD STEPS TO FOLLOW
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Mail 1. Send us written instructions signed by all account owners
2. Include any outstanding share certificates for the shares
you're exchanging
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Phone Call Shareholder Services
- 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.
HOW WE PROCESS YOUR EXCHANGE
If you are exchanging your Advisor Class shares of the Fund you may:
o exchange into any of our money funds except Franklin Templeton Money Fund
II.
o exchange into the other Advisor Class shares of the Franklin Templeton
Funds (excluding Templeton Developing Markets Trust, Templeton Foreign Fund
and Templeton Growth Fund, except as described below) and Templeton
Institutional Funds, Inc., if you meet the investment requirements of the
fund to be acquired.
o exchange into the Advisor Class shares of Templeton Developing Markets
Trust, Templeton Foreign Fund and Templeton Growth Fund if you fall into
one of the following categories: (i) you are a broker-dealer or a qualified
registered investment advisor who has entered into a special agreement with
Distributors for your clients who are participating in comprehensive fee
programs; (ii) you are a qualified registered investment advisor or
certified financial planner who has clients invested in Mutual Series on
October 31, 1996; (iii) you are a qualified registered investment advisor
or certified financial planner who did not have clients invested in Mutual
Series on October 31, 1996 and are buying through a broker-dealer or
service agent who has entered into an agreement with Distributors; (iv) you
are a director, trustee, officer or full-time employee (or a family member)
of the Franklin Templeton Group or the Franklin Templeton Funds; (v) you
are a participant in Franklin Templeton's 401 (k) or Franklin Templeton's
Profit Sharing Plans; (vi) the exchanging shareholder is an account managed
by the Franklin Templeton Group; or (vii) the exchanging shareholder is a
series of the Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series.
o If the fund you are exchanging into does not offer Advisor Class shares,
you may exchange into the Class I shares of the fund at Net Asset Value.
Please be aware that the following restrictions may apply to exchanges:
o The accounts must be identically registered. You may exchange shares from a
Fund account requiring two or more signatures into an identically
registered money fund account requiring only one signature for all
transactions. Please notify us in writing if you do not want this option to
be available on your account(s). Additional procedures may apply. Please
see "Transaction Procedures and Special Requirements."
o 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.
o The fund you are exchanging into must be eligible for sale in your state.
o We may modify or discontinue our exchange policy upon 60 days' written
notice.
o 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 or
unable to invest effectively, or (ii) the Fund receives or anticipates
simultaneous orders that may significantly affect the Fund. How Do I Sell
Shares?
You may sell (redeem) your shares at any time.
METHOD STEPS TO FOLLOW
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Telephone requests will be accepted:
if you have
completed and o If the request is $50,000 or less. Institutional accounts
sent to us the may exceed $50,000 by completing a separate agreement.
telephone Call Institutional Services to receive a copy.
redemption
agreement o If there are no share certificates issued for the shares you
included with want to sell or you have already returned them to the Fund
this prospectus)
o Unless you are selling shares in a Trust Company retirement
plan account
o Unless the address on your account was changed by phone
within the last 30 days
o 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 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.
Through Your Call your investment representative
Dealer
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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.
WHAT DISTRIBUTIONS MIGHT I RECEIVE FROM THE FUND?
The Fund declares dividends from its net investment income semiannually to
shareholders of record on the first business day before the 15th of the month
and pays them on or about the last day of that month.
Capital gains, if any, may be distributed annually, usually in December.
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 applicable Rule 12b-1 fees of any class.
Advisor Class shares are not subject to Rule 12b-1 fees.
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.
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 by reinvesting capital gain distributions, or both dividend
and capital gain distributions. This is a convenient way to accumulate
additional shares and maintain or increase your earnings base.
2. Buy shares of other Franklin Templeton Funds - You may direct your
distributions to buy Advisor Class shares or 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 dividends, or both dividend
and capital gain distributions in cash. If you have the money sent to another
person or to a checking account, you may need a signature guarantee. If you send
the money to a checking account, please see "Electronic Fund Transfers" under
"Services to Help You Manage Your Account."
To select one of these options, please complete sections 6 and 7 of the
shareholder application included with this prospectus or tell your investment
representative which option you prefer. If you do not select an option, we will
automatically reinvest dividend and capital gain distributions in Advisor Class
shares 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 NYSE is open. We determine the Net Asset
Value per share of each class as of the scheduled close of NYSE, generally 1:00
p.m. Pacific time. You can find the prior day's closing Net Asset Value and
Offering Price for each class in many newspapers.
The Net Asset Value of all outstanding shares of each class is calculated on a
pro rata basis. It is based on each class' proportionate participation in the
Fund, determined by the value of the shares of each class. 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
You buy shares of Advisor Class at the Net Asset Value per share. We calculate
it to two decimal places using standard rounding criteria. You also 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:
o Your name,
o The Fund's name,
o The class of shares,
o A description of the request,
o For exchanges, the name of the fund you're exchanging into,
o Your account number,
o The dollar amount or number of shares, and
o A telephone number where we may reach you during the day, or in the evening
if preferred.
SIGNATURE GUARANTEES
For our mutual protection, we require a signature guarantee in the following
situations:
1) You wish to sell over $50,000 worth of shares,
2) You want the proceeds to be paid to someone other than the registered owners,
3) The proceeds are not being sent to the address of record, preauthorized bank
account, or preauthorized brokerage firm account,
4) We receive instructions from an agent, not the registered owners,
5) We believe a signature guarantee would protect us against potential claims
based on the instructions received.
A signature guarantee verifies the authenticity of your signature and may be
obtained from certain banks, brokers or other eligible guarantors. You should
verify that the institution is an eligible guarantor prior to signing. 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.
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
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 received 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
your account if the value of your shares is $50 or less, except for investors
under categories (d), (e), (j) and (l) under "Opening Your Account." We will do
this if the value of your account falls below this minimum 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 at least $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 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
fifth business day of the month in which a payment is scheduled. Beginning with
your February 1997 payment, however, 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.
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.
STATEMENTS AND REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
We will send you the following statements and reports on a regular basis:
o Confirmation and account statements reflecting transactions in your
account, including additional purchases and dividend reinvestments. Please
verify the accuracy of your statements when you receive them.
o Financial reports of the Fund will be sent every six months. To reduce Fund
expenses, we attempt to identify related shareholders within a household
and send only one copy of a report. Call Fund Information if you would like
an additional free copy of the Fund's financial reports or an interim
quarterly report.
BROKERS AND DEALERS AND PLAN ADMINISTRATORS
You may buy and sell Fund shares through registered broker-dealers. The Fund
does not impose a sales or service charge but your broker-dealer may charge you
a transaction fee. Transaction fees and services may vary among broker-dealers,
and your broker-dealer may impose higher initial or subsequent investment
requirements than those established by the Fund. Services provided by
broker-dealers may include allowing you to establish a margin account and borrow
on the value of the Fund's shares in that account. If your broker-dealer
receives your order before pricing on a given day, the broker-dealer is required
to forward the order to the Fund before pricing closes on that day. A
broker-dealer's failure to timely forward an order may give rise to a claim by
the investor against the broker.
Third party plan administrators of tax-qualified retirement plans and other
entities may provide sub-transfer agent services to the Fund. In such cases, the
Fund may pay the third party an annual sub-transfer agency fee that is not
greater than the Fund otherwise would have paid for such services.
INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTS
Institutional investors will likely be required to complete an institutional
account application. There may be additional methods of opening accounts and
purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares of the Fund available for
institutional accounts. To obtain an institutional application or additional
information regarding institutional accounts, contact Franklin Templeton
Institutional Services at 1-800/321-8563 Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.
AVAILABILITY OF THESE SERVICES
The services above are available to most shareholders. If, however, your shares
are held by a financial institution, in a street name account, or networked
through the NSCC, the Fund may not be able to offer these services directly to
you. Please contact your investment representative.
WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY ACCOUNT?
If you have any questions about your account, you may write to Investor Services
at 777 Mariners Island Blvd., P.O. Box 7777, San Mateo, California 94403-7777.
The Fund, Distributors and Advisers are also located at this address. You may
also contact us by phone at one of the numbers listed below.
HOURS OF OPERATION
(PACIFIC TIME)
DEPARTMENT NAME TELEPHONE NO. (MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shareholder Services 1-800/632-2301 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Dealer Services 1-800/524-4040 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Fund Information 1-800/DIAL BEN 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(1-800/342-5236) 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
(Saturday)
Retirement Plans 1-800/527-2020 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Institutional Services 1-800/321-8563 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
TDD (hearing impaired) 1-800/851-0637 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Your phone call may be monitored or recorded to ensure we provide you with high
quality service. You will hear a regular beeping tone if your call is being
recorded.
GLOSSARY
USEFUL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
1940 Act - Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
Advisers - Franklin Advisers, Inc., the Fund's investment manager
Board - The Board of Trustees of the Trust
CD - Certificate of deposit
Class I and Advisor Class - The Fund offers two classes of shares, designated
"Class I," and "Advisor Class." The two classes have proportionate interests in
the Fund's portfolio. Class I shares are purchased with a sales charge and have
a Rule 12b-1 plan. Advisor Class shares are purchased without a sales charge and
do not have a Rule 12b-1 plan.
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. 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 Trustees."
Franklin Funds - The mutual funds in the Franklin Group of Funds(R) except
Franklin Valuemark Funds and the Franklin Government Securities Trust
Franklin Templeton Funds - The Franklin Funds and the Templeton Funds
Franklin Templeton Group - Franklin Resources, Inc., a publicly owned holding
company, and its various subsidiaries
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds - All U.S. registered investment companies in
the Franklin Group of Funds(R), 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
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.
Mutual Series - Franklin Mutual Series Fund Inc., a member of the Franklin Group
of Funds, formerly the Mutual Series Fund Inc. Each series of Mutual Series
began offering three classes of shares on November 1, 1996, Class I, Class II
and Class Z. All shares sold before that time are designated Class Z shares.
NASD - National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
Net Asset Value (NAV) - The value of a mutual fund is determined by deducting
the fund's liabilities from the total assets of the portfolio. The net asset
value per share is determined by dividing the net asset value of the fund by the
number of shares outstanding.
NSCC - National Securities Clearing Corporation
NYSE - New York Stock Exchange
Offering Price - The public offering price is based on the Net Asset Value per
share of the class and includes the front-end sales charge, if applicable. The
maximum front-end sales charge is 4.50% for Class I. Advisor Class has no
front-end sales charge.
Resources - Franklin Resources, Inc.
S&P - Standard & Poor's Corporation
SAI - Statement of Additional Information
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.
Templeton Funds - The U.S. registered mutual funds in the Templeton Group of
Funds except Templeton Capital Accumulator Fund, Inc., Templeton Variable
Annuity Fund, and Templeton Variable Products Series Fund
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.
APPENDIX
DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS
CORPORATE BOND RATINGS
Moody's
Aaa - Bonds rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the
smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as
"gilt-edged." Interest payments are protected by a large or exceptionally stable
margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely
to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the
fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa - Bonds rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together
with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high grade bonds.
They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not
be as large, fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude, or
there may be other elements present which make the long-term risks appear
somewhat larger.
A - Bonds rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are
considered upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal
and interest are considered adequate but elements may be present which suggest a
susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
Baa - Bonds rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations. They are neither
highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security
appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking
or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such
bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative
characteristics as well.
Ba - Bonds rated Ba are judged to have predominantly speculative elements and
their future cannot be considered well assured. Often the protection of interest
and principal payments is very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during
both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes
bonds in this class.
B - Bonds rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment.
Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of
the contract over any long period of time may be small.
Caa - Bonds rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or
there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.
Ca - Bonds rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a high
degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.
C - Bonds rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and can be regarded as
having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.
Note: Moody's applies numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 in each generic rating
classification from Aa through B in its corporate bond ratings. The modifier 1
indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating
category; modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and modifier 3 indicates
that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.
S&P
AAA - This is the highest rating assigned by S&P to a debt obligation and
indicates an extremely strong capacity to pay principal and interest.
AA - Bonds rated AA also qualify as high-quality debt obligations. Capacity to
pay principal and interest is very strong and, in the majority of instances,
differ from AAA issues only in small degree.
A - Bonds rated A have a strong capacity to pay principal and interest, although
they are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in
circumstances and economic conditions.
BBB - Bonds rated BBB are regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay
principal and interest. Whereas they normally exhibit protection parameters,
adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to
a weakened capacity to pay principal and interest for bonds in this category
than for bonds in the A category.
BB, B, CCC, CC - Bonds rated BB, B, CCC and CC are regarded, on balance, as
predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest
and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations. BB
indicates the lowest degree of speculation and CC the highest degree of
speculation. While such bonds will likely have some quality and protective
characteristics, these are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk
exposures to adverse conditions.
C - Bonds rated C are typically subordinated debt to senior debt that is
assigned an actual or implied CCC- rating. The C rating may also reflect the
filing of a bankruptcy petition under circumstances where debt service payments
are continuing. The C1 rating is reserved for income bonds on which no interest
is being paid.
COMMERCIAL PAPER RATINGS
Moody's
Moody's commercial paper ratings, which are also applicable to municipal paper
investments permitted to be made by the Fund, are opinions of the ability of
issuers to repay punctually their promissory obligations not having an original
maturity in excess of nine months. Moody's employs the following designations,
all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity
of rated issuers:
P-1 (Prime-1): Superior capacity for repayment.
P-2 (Prime-2): Strong capacity for repayment.
S&P
S&P's ratings are a current assessment of the likelihood of timely payment of
debt having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. Ratings are graded
into four categories, ranging from "A" for the highest quality obligations to
"D" for the lowest. Issues within the "A" category are delineated with the
numbers 1, 2 and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety, as follows:
A-1: This designation indicates the degree of safety regarding timely payment is
very strong. A "plus" (+) designation indicates an even stronger likelihood of
timely payment.
A-2: Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is strong.
However, the relative degree of safety is not as overwhelming as for issues
designated A-1.
A-3: Issues carrying this designation have a satisfactory capacity for timely
payment. They are, however, somewhat more vulnerable to the adverse effects of
changes in circumstances than obligations carrying the higher designations.
FRANKLIN
SMALL CAP
GROWTH FUND-
ADVISOR CLASS
Franklin Strategic Series
STATEMENT OF
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
JANUARY 1, 1997
777 Mariners Island Blvd., P.O. Box 7777
San Mateo, CA 94403-7777 1-800/DIAL BEN
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How does the Fund Invest its Assets? 2
What are the Fund's Potential Risks? 7
Investment Restrictions........... 9
Officers and Trustees............. 10
Investment Management
and Other Services............... 14
How does the Fund Buy
Securities for its Portfolio?.... 15
How Do I Buy, Sell and Exchange Shares? 16
How are Fund Shares Valued?....... 17
Additional Information on
Distributions and Taxes.......... 18
The Fund's Underwriter............ 20
How does the Fund
Measure Performance?............. 21
Miscellaneous Information......... 23
Financial Statements.............. 24
Useful Terms and Definitions...... 24
Appendix
Description of Ratings........... 25
When reading this SAI, you will see certain terms beginning with capital
letters. This means the term is explained under "Useful Terms and Definitions."
The Franklin Small Cap Growth Fund (the "Fund") is a diversified series of
Franklin Strategic Series (the "Trust"), an open-end management investment
company. This SAI relates to the Advisor Class shares of the Fund. The Fund's
investment objective is long-term capital growth. The Fund seeks to achieve its
objective by investing primarily in equity securities of companies which have a
market capitalization of less than $1 billion at the time of investment and by
attempting to keep at least one-third of its assets invested in common stocks of
companies with market capitalization of $550 million or less.
Advisor Class shares are only available for purchase by certain persons,
including, among others, certain financial institutions (such as banks, trust
companies, savings institutions and credit unions); government and tax-exempt
entities; pension, profit sharing and employee benefit plans; certain qualified
groups, including family trusts, endowments, foundations and corporations;
Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series; and directors, trustees, officers and
full time employees (and their family members) of Franklin Templeton Group and
the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
The Prospectus, dated January 1, 1997, as may be amended from time to time,
contains the basic information you should know before investing in the Fund. For
a free copy, call 1-800/DIAL BEN or write the Fund at the address shown.
THIS SAI IS NOT A PROSPECTUS. IT CONTAINS INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO AND IN MORE
DETAIL THAN SET FORTH IN THE PROSPECTUS. THIS SAI IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE YOU
WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS OF THE FUND,
AND SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PROSPECTUS.
MUTUAL FUNDS, ANNUITIES, AND OTHER INVESTMENT PRODUCTS:
O ARE NOT FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE
FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, OR ANY OTHER AGENCY OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT;
O ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED BY, ANY BANK;
O ARE SUBJECT TO INVESTMENT RISKS, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.
HOW DOES THE FUND INVEST ITS ASSETS?
The following provides more detailed information about some of the securities
the Fund may buy and its investment policies. You should read it together with
the section in the Prospectus entitled "How does the Fund Invest its Assets?"
Loans of Portfolio Securities. As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may lend
its portfolio securities to qualified securities dealers or other institutional
investors. Any voting rights the securities may have pass to the borrower during
the term of the loan. Loans are typically subject to termination by the Fund in
the normal settlement time, currently three business days after notice, or by
the borrower on one day's notice. Borrowed securities must be returned when the
loan is terminated. If matters are submitted to the vote of security holders of
a loaned security and the matters would materially affect the Fund, the Fund
will either terminate the loan or provide for other means to permit it to vote
the securities.
Short-Term Investments. As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may temporarily
invest cash in short-term debt instruments. The Fund may also invest its
short-term cash in shares of the Franklin Money Fund, the assets of that are
managed under a "master/feeder" structure by the Fund's investment adviser. Such
temporary investments will only be made with cash held to maintain liquidity or
pending investment and for defensive purposes in the event of, or in
anticipation of, a general decline in the market prices of stocks in which the
Fund invests.
Illiquid Securities. The Fund will not invest more than 10% of its net assets in
illiquid securities. Generally, an "illiquid security" is any security that
cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at
approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the instrument.
Notwithstanding this limitation, the Board has authorized the Fund to invest in
certain restricted securities that are considered liquid to the extent Advisers
determines that there is a liquid institutional or other market for the
securities. For example, restricted securities that may be freely transferred
among qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, and for which a liquid institutional market has
developed, where such investment is consistent with the Fund's investment
objective may be considered liquid. The Board will review any determination by
Advisers to treat a restricted security as a liquid security on an ongoing
basis, including Advisers assessment of current trading activity and the
availability of reliable price information. In determining whether a restricted
security is properly considered a liquid security, Advisers and the Board will
take into account the following factors: (i) the frequency of trades and quotes
for the security; (ii) the number of dealers willing to buy or sell the security
and the number of other potential buyers; (iii) dealer undertakings to make a
market in the security; and (iv) the nature of the security and the nature of
the marketplace trades (e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the
method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer). To the extent the
Fund invests in restricted securities that are deemed liquid, the general level
of illiquidity in the Fund may be increased if qualified institutional buyers
become uninterested in buying these securities or the market for these
securities contracts.
Securities Industry Related Investments. To the extent it is consistent with its
investment objective and certain limitations under the 1940 Act, the Fund may
invest its assets in securities issued by companies engaged in securities
related businesses, including companies that are securities brokers, dealers,
underwriters or investment advisors. These companies are considered to be part
of the financial services industry. Generally, under the 1940 Act, the Fund may
not acquire a security or any interest in a securities related business, to the
extent the acquisition would result in the Fund acquiring in excess of i) 5% of
a class of an issuer's outstanding equity securities, ii) 10% of the outstanding
principal amount of an issuer's debt securities, or investing more than iii) 5%
of the value of the Fund's total assets in securities of the issuer. In
addition, any equity security of a securities related business must be a
marginable security under Federal Reserve Board regulations and any debt
security of a securities related business must be investment grade as determined
by the Board.
Foreign Securities. As noted in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest up to 25% of
its total assets in foreign securities. When buying foreign securities, the Fund
will ordinarily buy securities that are traded in the U.S. or buy sponsored or
unsponsored American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), which are certificates issued
by U.S. banks representing the right to receive securities of a foreign issuer
deposited with that bank or a correspondent bank. A sponsored ADR is an ADR in
which establishment of the issuing facility is brought about by the
participation of the issuer and the depositary institution pursuant to a deposit
agreement that sets out the rights and responsibilities of the issuer, the
depositary and the ADR holder. Under the terms of most sponsored arrangements,
depositaries agree to distribute notices of shareholder meetings and voting
instructions, thereby ensuring that ADR holders will be able to exercise voting
rights through the depositary with respect to the deposited securities. An
unsponsored ADR has no sponsorship by the issuing facility and additionally,
more than one depositary institution may be involved in the issuance of the
unsponsored ADR. It typically clears, however, through the Depositary Trust
Company and therefore, there should be no additional delays in selling the
security or in obtaining dividends. Although not required, the depositary
normally requests a letter of non-objection from the issuer. In addition, the
depositary is not required to distribute notices of shareholder meetings or
financial information to the buyer. The Fund may also buy the securities of
foreign issuers directly in foreign markets so long as, in Advisers' judgment,
an established public trading market exists (that is, there are a sufficient
number of shares traded regularly relative to the number of shares to be
purchased by the Fund).
Any investments made by the Fund in foreign securities where delivery takes
place outside the U.S. will be made in compliance with applicable U.S. and
foreign currency restrictions and tax and other laws limiting the amount and
types of foreign investments. Changes of governmental administrations, economic
or monetary policies in the U.S. or abroad, or changed circumstances in dealings
between nations could result in investment losses for the Fund and could
adversely affect the Fund's operations. The Fund's purchase of securities in
foreign countries will involve currencies of the U.S. and of foreign countries;
consequently, changes in exchange rates, currency convertibility and
repatriation may favorably or adversely affect the Fund. Although current
regulations do not, in the opinion of Advisers, seriously limit the Fund's
investment activities, if such regulations are changed in the future, they may
restrict the ability of the Fund to make its investments or impair the liquidity
of the Fund's investments.
Securities that are acquired by the Fund outside of the U.S. and that are
publicly traded in the U.S. or on a foreign securities exchange or in a foreign
securities market are not considered by the Fund to be illiquid assets if (a)
the Fund reasonably believes it can readily dispose of the securities for cash
in the U.S. or foreign market or (b) current market quotations are readily
available. The Fund will not acquire the securities of foreign issuers outside
of the U.S. under circumstances where, at the time of acquisition, the Fund has
reason to believe that it could not resell the securities in a public trading
market. Investors should recognize that foreign securities are often traded with
less frequency and volume, and therefore may have greater price volatility than
many U.S. securities. Notwithstanding the fact that the Fund intends to acquire
the securities of foreign issuers only where there are public trading markets,
investments by the Fund in the securities of foreign issuers may tend to
increase the risks with respect to the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio and the
Fund's ability to meet a large number of shareholders' redemption requests
should there be economic or political turmoil in a country in which the Fund has
its assets invested or should relations between the U.S. and a foreign country
deteriorate markedly.
Options, Futures and Options on
Financial Futures
Writing Call and Put Options. The Fund may write (sell) covered put and call
options and buy put and call options that trade on securities exchanges and in
the over-the-counter market.
Call options written by the Fund give the holder the right to buy the underlying
securities from the Fund at a stated exercise price; put options written by the
Fund give the holder the right to sell the underlying security to the Fund at a
stated exercise price. A call option written by the Fund is "covered" if the
Fund owns the underlying security which is subject to the call or has an
absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash
consideration (or for additional cash consideration held in a segregated account
by its custodian) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held in its
portfolio. A call option is also covered if the Fund holds a call on the same
security and in the same principal amount as the call written where the exercise
price of the call held (a) is equal to or less than the exercise price of the
call written or (b) is greater than the exercise price of the call written if
the difference is maintained by the Fund in cash and high grade debt securities
in a segregated account with its custodian bank. A put option written by the
Fund is covered if the Fund maintains cash and high grade debt securities with a
value equal to the exercise price in a segregated account with its custodian
bank, or holds a put on the same security and in the same principal amount as
the put written where the exercise price of the put held is equal to or greater
than the exercise price of the put written. The premium paid by the buyer of an
option will reflect, among other things, the relationship of the exercise price
to the market price and volatility of the underlying security, the remaining
term of the option, supply and demand, and interest rates.
In the case of a call option, the writer of an option may have no control over
when the underlying securities must be sold or purchased, in the case of a put
option, since with regard to certain options, the writer may be assigned an
exercise notice at any time prior to the termination of the obligation. Whether
or not an option expires unexercised, the writer retains the amount of the
premium. This amount, of course, may, in the case of a covered call option, be
offset by a decline in the market value of the underlying security during the
option period. If a call option is exercised, the writer experiences a profit or
loss from the sale of the underlying security. If a put option is exercised, the
writer must fulfill the obligation to buy the underlying security at the
exercise price, which will usually exceed the then current market value of the
underlying security.
The writer of an option that wishes to terminate its obligation may effect a
"closing purchase transaction." This is accomplished by buying an option of the
same series as the option previously written. The effect of the purchase is that
the writer's position will be canceled by the clearing corporation. A writer,
however, may not effect a closing purchase transaction after being notified of
the exercise of an option. Likewise, an investor who is the holder of an option
may liquidate its position by effecting a "closing sale transaction." This is
accomplished by selling an option of the same series as the option previously
purchased. There is no guarantee that either a closing purchase or a closing
sale transaction can be effected.
Effecting a closing transaction in the case of a written call option will permit
the Fund to write another call option on the underlying security with either a
different exercise price or expiration date or both, or in the case of a written
put option will permit the Fund to write another put option to the extent that
the exercise price thereof is secured by deposited cash or short-term
securities. Effecting a closing transaction will also permit the cash or
proceeds from the concurrent sale of any securities subject to the option to be
used for other Fund investments. If the Fund desires to sell a particular
security from its portfolio on which it has written a call option, it will
effect a closing transaction prior to or at the same time as the sale of the
security.
The Fund will realize a profit from a closing transaction if the price of the
transaction is less than the premium received from writing the option or is more
than the premium paid to buy the option; the Fund will realize a loss from a
closing transaction if the price of the transaction is more than the premium
received from writing the option or is less than the premium paid to buy the
option. Because increases in the market price of a call option will generally
reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security, any loss
resulting from the repurchase of a call option is likely to be offset in whole
or in part by appreciation of the underlying security owned by the Fund.
The writing of covered put options involves certain risks. For example, if the
market price of the underlying security rises or otherwise is above the exercise
price, the put option will expire worthless and the Fund's gain will be limited
to the premium received. If the market price of the underlying security declines
or otherwise is below the exercise price, the Fund may elect to close the
position or take delivery of the security at the exercise price and the Fund's
return will be the premium received from the put option minus the amount by
which the market price of the security is below the exercise price.
Buying Call and Put Options. The Fund may buy call options on securities which
it intends to buy in order to limit the risk of a substantial increase in the
market price of the security. The Fund may also buy call options on securities
held in its portfolio and on which it has written call options. A call option
gives the option holder the right to buy the underlying securities from the
option writer at a stated exercise price. Prior to its expiration, a call option
may be sold in a closing sale transaction. Profit or loss from such a sale will
depend on whether the amount received is more or less than the premium paid for
the call option plus the related transaction costs.
The Fund intends to buy put options on particular securities in order to protect
against a decline in the market value of the underlying security below the
exercise price less the premium paid for the option. A put option gives the
option holder the right to sell the underlying security at the option exercise
price at any time during the option period. The ability to buy put options will
allow the Fund to protect the unrealized gain in an appreciated security in its
portfolio without actually selling the security. In addition, the Fund will
continue to receive interest or dividend income on the security. The Fund may
sell a put option which it has previously purchased prior to the sale of the
securities underlying such option. Such a sale will result in a net gain or loss
depending on whether the amount received on the sale is more or less than the
premium and other transaction costs paid for the put option that is sold. This
gain or loss may be wholly or partially offset by a change in the value of the
underlying security which the Fund owns or has the right to acquire.
Over-the-Counter ("OTC") Options. The Fund intends to write covered put and call
options and buy put and call options which trade in the over-the-counter market
to the same extent that it will engage in exchange traded options. Just as with
exchange traded options, OTC call options give the option holder the right to
buy an underlying security from an option writer at a stated exercise price; OTC
put options give the holder the right to sell an underlying security to an
option writer at a stated exercise price. OTC options, however, differ from
exchange traded options in certain material respects.
OTC options are arranged directly with dealers and not, as is the case with
exchange traded options, with a clearing corporation. Thus, there is a risk of
non-performance by the dealer. Because there is no exchange, pricing is
typically done by reference to information from market makers. OTC options,
however, are available for a greater variety of securities, and in a wider range
of expiration dates and exercise prices, than exchange traded options; and the
writer of an OTC option is paid the premium in advance by the dealer.
There can be no assurance that a continuous liquid secondary market will exist
for any particular option at any specific time. Consequently, the Fund may be
able to realize the value of an OTC option it has purchased only by exercising
it or entering into a closing sale transaction with the dealer that issued it.
Similarly, when the Fund writes an OTC option, it generally can close out that
option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase
transaction with the dealer to which the Fund originally wrote it.
Options on Stock Indices. The Fund may also buy call options on stock indices in
order to hedge against the risk of market or industry-wide stock price
fluctuations. Call and put options on stock indices are similar to options on
securities except that, rather than the right to buy or sell stock at a
specified price, options on a stock index give the holder the right to receive,
upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the
underlying stock index is greater than (or less than, in the case of puts) the
exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference
between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the option,
expressed in dollars, multiplied by a specified number. Thus, unlike stock
options, all settlements are in cash, and gain or loss depends on price
movements in the stock market generally (or in a particular industry or segment
of the market) rather than price movements in individual stocks.
When the Fund writes an option on a stock index, the Fund will establish a
segregated account containing cash or high quality fixed-income securities with
its custodian bank in an amount at least equal to the market value of the
underlying stock index and will maintain the account while the option is open or
will otherwise cover the transaction.
Futures Contracts. The Fund may enter into contracts for the purchase or sale
for future delivery of securities and in such contracts based upon financial
indices ("financial futures"). Financial futures contracts are commodity
contracts that obligate the long or short holder to take or make delivery of a
specified quantity of a financial instrument, such as a security, or the cash
value of a securities index during a specified future period at a specified
price. A "sale" of a futures contract means the acquisition of a contractual
obligation to deliver the securities called for by the contract at a specified
price on a specified date. A "purchase" of a futures contract means the
acquisition of a contractual obligation to acquire the securities called for by
the contract at a specified price on a specified date. Futures contracts have
been designed by exchanges which have been designated "contracts markets" by the
Commodities Futures Trading Commission and must be executed through a futures
commission merchant, or brokerage firm, which is a member of the relevant
contract market.
At the same time a futures contract is purchased or sold, the Fund must allocate
cash or securities as a deposit payment ("initial deposit"). Daily thereafter,
the futures contract is valued and the payment of "variation margin" may be
required since each day the Fund would provide or receive cash that reflects any
decline or increase in the contract's value.
Although futures contracts by their terms call for the actual delivery or
acquisition of securities, in most cases the contractual obligation is fulfilled
before the date of the contract without having to make or take delivery of the
securities. The offsetting of a contractual obligation is accomplished by buying
(or selling, as the case may be) on a commodities exchange an identical futures
contract calling for delivery in the same month. This transaction, which is
effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to take
delivery of the securities. Since all transactions in the futures market are
made, offset or fulfilled through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange
on which the contracts are traded, the Fund will incur brokerage fees when it
buys or sells futures contracts.
The Fund will not engage in transactions in futures contracts or related options
for speculation but only as a hedge against changes resulting from market
conditions in the values of its securities or securities which it intends to
buy. The Fund will not enter into any stock index or financial futures contract
or related option if, immediately thereafter, more than one-third of the Fund's
net assets would be represented by futures contracts or related options. In
addition, the Fund may not buy or sell futures contracts or buy or sell related
options if, immediately thereafter, the sum of the amount of margin deposits on
its existing futures and related options positions and premiums paid for related
options would exceed 5% of the market value of the Fund's total assets. In
instances involving the purchase of futures contracts or related call options,
money market instruments equal to the market value of the futures contract or
related option will be deposited in a segregated account with the custodian to
collateralize such long positions.
The purpose of the acquisition or sale of a futures contract is to attempt to
protect the Fund from fluctuations in the price of portfolio securities without
actually buying or selling the underlying security. To the extent the Fund
enters into a futures contract, it will maintain in a segregated account with
its custodian bank, to the extent required by the rules of the SEC, assets to
cover its obligations with respect to such contract which will consist of cash,
cash equivalents or high quality debt securities in an amount equal to the
difference between the fluctuating market value of such futures contract and the
aggregate value of the initial and variation margin payments made by the Fund
with respect to such futures contract.
Stock Index Futures and Options on Stock Index Futures. The Fund may buy and
sell stock index futures contracts and options on stock index futures contracts.
A stock index futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the buyer to
take) an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference
between the value of a specific stock index at the close of the last trading day
of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical
delivery of the underlying stocks in the index is made.
The Fund may sell stock index futures contracts in anticipation of or during a
market decline to attempt to offset the decrease in market value of its equity
securities that might otherwise result. When the Fund is not fully invested in
stocks and it anticipates a significant market advance, it may buy stock index
futures in order to gain rapid market exposure that may in part or entirely
offset increases in the cost of stocks that it intends to buy.
The Fund may buy and sell call and put options on stock index futures to hedge
against risks of market-side price movements. The need to hedge against such
risks will depend on the extent of diversification of the Fund's common stock
portfolio and the sensitivity of such investments to factors influencing the
stock market as a whole.
Call and put options on stock index futures are similar to options on securities
except that, rather than the right to buy stock at a specified price, options on
stock index futures give the holder the right to receive cash. Upon exercise of
the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to
the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated
balance in the writer's futures margin account which represents the amount by
which the market price of the futures contract, at exercise, exceeds, in the
case of a call, or is less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the
option on the futures contract. If an option is exercised on the last trading
day prior to the expiration date of the option, the settlement will be made
entirely in cash equal to the difference between the exercise price of the
option and the closing price of the futures contract on the expiration date.
Bond Index Futures and Related Options. The Fund may buy and sell futures
contracts based on an index of debt securities and options on such futures
contracts to the extent they currently exist and, in the future, may be
developed. The Fund reserves the right to conduct futures and options
transactions based on an index which may be developed in the future to correlate
with price movements in certain categories of debt securities. The Fund's
investment strategy in employing futures contracts based on an index of debt
securities will be similar to that used by it in other financial futures
transactions.
The Fund also may buy and write put and call options on such index futures and
enter into closing transactions with respect to such options.
Future Developments. The Fund may take advantage of opportunities in the area of
options and futures contracts and options on futures contracts and any other
derivative investments which are not presently contemplated for use by the Fund
or which are not currently available but which may be developed, to the extent
such opportunities are both consistent with the Fund's investment objective and
legally permissible for the Fund. Prior to investing in any such investment
vehicle, the Fund will supplement its Prospectus, if appropriate.
WHAT ARE THE FUND'S POTENTIAL RISKS?
Options, Futures and Options on Futures. The Fund's ability to hedge effectively
all or a portion of its securities through transactions in options on stock
indices, stock index futures, financial futures and related options depends on
the degree to which price movements in the underlying index or underlying
securities correlate with price movements in the relevant portion of the Fund's
portfolio. Inasmuch as such securities will not duplicate the components of the
index or underlying securities, the correlation will not be perfect.
Consequently, the Fund bears the risk that the prices of the securities being
hedged will not move in the same amount as the hedging instrument. It is also
possible that there may be a negative correlation between the index or other
securities underlying the hedging instrument and the hedged securities which
would result in a loss on both the securities and the hedging instrument.
Accordingly, successful use by the Fund of options on stock indices, stock index
futures, financial futures and related options will be subject to Advisers
ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the securities
markets generally or a particular segment. This requires different skills and
techniques than predicting changes in the price of individual stocks.
Positions in stock index options, stock index futures and financial futures and
related options may be closed out only on an exchange which provides a secondary
market. There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for
any particular stock index option or futures contract or related option at any
specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close an option or futures
position. The inability to close options or futures positions also could have an
adverse impact on the Fund's ability to effectively hedge its securities. The
Fund will enter into an option or futures position only if there appears to be a
liquid secondary market for the option or futures.
There can be no assurance that a continuous liquid secondary market will exist
for any particular OTC option at any specific time. Consequently, the Fund may
be able to realize the value of an OTC option it has purchased only by
exercising it or entering into a closing sale transaction with the dealer that
issued it. Similarly, when the Fund writes an OTC option, it generally can close
out that option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase
transaction with the dealer to which the Fund originally wrote it. If a covered
call option writer cannot effect a closing transaction, it cannot sell the
underlying security until the option expires or the option is exercised.
Therefore, a covered call option writer of an OTC option may not be able to sell
an underlying security even though it might otherwise be advantageous to do so.
Likewise, a secured put writer of an OTC option may be unable to sell the
securities pledged to secure the put for other investment purposes while it is
obligated as a put writer. Similarly, a buyer of such put or call option might
also find it difficult to terminate its position on a timely basis in the
absence of a secondary market.
The Commodities Futures Trading Commission and the various exchanges have
established limits, referred to as "speculative position limits," on the maximum
net long or net short position which any person may hold or control in a
particular futures contract. Trading limits are imposed on the maximum number of
contracts which any person may trade on a particular trading day. An exchange
may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of these limits
and it may impose other sanctions or restrictions. The Fund does not believe
that these trading and positions limits will have an adverse impact on the
Fund's strategies for hedging its securities.
The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets, due to
differences in the nature of those markets, are subject to distortions. First,
all participants in the futures market are subject to initial deposit and
variation margin requirements. Rather than meeting additional variation margin
requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting
transactions which could distort the normal relationship between the cash and
futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures market depends on
participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking
delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity
in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from
the point of view of speculators, the margin deposit requirements in the futures
market are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market.
Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may
cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of distortion, a
correct forecast of general interest rate trends by Advisers may still not
result in a successful transaction.
Although the Fund believes that the use of futures contracts will benefit the
Fund, if Advisers judgment about the general direction of interest rates is
incorrect, the Fund's overall performance would be poorer than if it had not
entered into any such contract. For example, if the Fund has hedged against the
possibility of an increase in interest rates which would adversely affect the
price of bonds held in its portfolio and interest rates decrease instead, the
Fund will lose part or all of the benefit of the increased value of its bonds
which it has hedged because it will have offsetting losses in its futures
positions. In addition, in such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash,
it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin
requirements. Such sales may be, but will not necessarily be, at increased
prices which reflect the rising market. The Fund may have to sell securities at
a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
The Fund's sale of futures contracts and purchase of put options on futures
contracts will be solely to protect its investments against declines in value.
The Fund expects that in the normal course of business it will buy securities
upon termination of long futures contracts and long call options on future
contracts, but under unusual market conditions it may terminate any of these
positions without a corresponding purchase of securities.
High Yielding, Fixed-Income Securities. The Fund intends to invest not more than
5% of its assets in lower rated, fixed-income securities and unrated securities
of comparable quality, commonly known as "junk bonds." The market value of these
securities tends to reflect individual developments affecting the issuer to a
greater extent than do higher-rated securities, which react primarily to
fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Such lower-rated securities
also tend to be more sensitive to economic conditions than higher-rated
securities. These lower-rated, fixed-income securities are considered by
Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P") and Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's"),
on balance, to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's
capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the
obligation and will generally involve more credit risk than securities in the
higher rating categories. Even securities rated BBB or Baa by S&P and Moody's,
ratings which are considered investment grade, possess some speculative
characteristics.
Companies that issue high yielding, fixed-income securities are often highly
leveraged and may not have more traditional methods of financing available to
them. Therefore, the risk associated with acquiring the securities of such
issuers is generally greater than is the case with higher-rated securities.
The Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yielding securities
because there may be a thin trading market for a particular security at any
given time. The market for lower-rated, fixed-income securities generally tends
to be concentrated among a smaller number of dealers than is the case for
securities which trade in a broader secondary retail market. Generally,
purchasers of these securities are predominantly dealers and other institutional
buyers, rather than individuals. To the extent a secondary trading market for
high yielding, fixed-income securities does exist, it is generally not as liquid
as the secondary market for higher-rated securities.
The Fund is authorized to acquire high yielding, fixed-income securities that
are sold without registration under the federal securities laws and therefore
carry restrictions on resale. Many recently issued high yielding securities have
been sold with registration rights, covenants and penalty provisions for delayed
registration. If the Fund is required to sell such restricted securities before
the securities have been registered, it may be deemed an underwriter of such
securities as defined in the Securities Act of 1933, which entails special
responsibilities and liabilities. The Fund may incur special costs in disposing
of such securities; however, the Fund will generally incur no costs when the
issuer is responsible for registering the securities.
The Fund may acquire high yielding, fixed-income securities during an initial
underwriting. Such securities involve special risks because they are new issues.
The Fund has no arrangement with its underwriters or any other person concerning
the acquisition of such securities, and the investment manager will carefully
review the credit and other characteristics pertinent to such new issues.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The Fund has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies. These
restrictions may not be changed without the approval of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Under the 1940 Act, this means the
approval of (i) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund or (ii) 67%
or more of the shares of the Fund present at a shareholder meeting if more than
50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are represented at the meeting in
person or by proxy, whichever is less. The Fund may not:
1. Purchase the securities of any one issuer (other than obligations of the
U.S., its agencies or instrumentalities) if immediately thereafter, and as a
result of the purchase, the Fund would (a) have invested more than 5% of the
value of its total assets in the securities of the issuer, or (b) hold more than
10% of any voting class of the securities of any one issuer;
2. Make loans to other persons, except by the purchase of bonds, debentures or
similar obligations which are publicly distributed or of a character usually
acquired by institutional investors or through loans of the Fund's portfolio
securities, or to the extent the entry into a repurchase agreement may be deemed
a loan;
3. Borrow money (does not preclude the Fund from obtaining such short-term
credit as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of its
portfolio securities), except in the form of reverse repurchase agreements or
from banks in order to meet redemption requests that might otherwise require the
untimely disposition of portfolio securities or for other temporary or emergency
(but not investment) purposes, in an amount up to 10% of the value of the Fund's
total assets (including the amount borrowed) based on the lesser of cost or
market, less liabilities (not including the amount borrowed) at the time the
borrowing is made. While borrowings exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets, the
Fund will not make any additional investments;
4. Invest more than 25% of the Fund's assets (at the time of the most recent
investment) in any single industry;
5. Underwrite securities of other issuers or invest more than 10% of its assets
in securities with legal or contractual restrictions on resale (although the
Fund may invest in such securities to the extent permitted under the federal
securities laws for example, transactions between the Fund and Qualified
Institutional Buyers subject to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933) or
which are not readily marketable, or which have a record of less than three
years continuous operation, including the operations of any predecessor
companies, if more than 10% of the Fund's total assets would be invested in such
companies;
6. Invest in securities for the purpose of exercising management or control of
the issuer;
7. Maintain a margin account with a securities dealer or invest in commodities
and commodity contracts (except that the Fund may engage in financial futures,
including stock index futures, and options on stock index futures) or lease or
acquire any interests, including interests issued by limited partnerships (other
than publicly traded equity securities) in oil, gas, or other mineral
exploration or development programs, or invest in excess of 5% of its total
assets in options unrelated to the Fund's transactions in futures, including
puts, calls, straddles, spreads, or any combination thereof;
8. Effect short sales, unless at the time the Fund owns securities equivalent in
kind and amount to those sold (which will normally be for deferring recognition
of gains or losses for tax purposes). The Fund does not currently intend to
employ this investment technique;
9. Invest directly in real estate, real estate limited partnerships or illiquid
securities issued by real estate investment trusts; (the Fund may, however,
invest in marketable securities issued by real estate investment trusts);
10. Invest in the securities of other investment companies, except where there
is no commission other than the customary brokerage commission or sales charge,
or except that securities of another investment company may be acquired pursuant
to a plan of reorganization, merger, consolidation or acquisition, and except
where the Fund would not own, immediately after the acquisition, securities of
the investment companies which exceed in the aggregate i) more than 3% of the
issuer's outstanding voting stock, ii) more than 5% of the Fund's total assets,
and iii) together with the securities of all other investment companies held by
the Fund, exceed, in the aggregate, more than 10% of the Fund's total assets.
The Fund may invest in shares of one or more money market funds managed by
Advisers or its affiliates; and
11. Purchase from or sell to its officers and trustees, or any firm of which any
officer or trustee is a member, as principal, any securities, but may deal with
such persons or firms as brokers and pay a customary brokerage commission; or
purchase or retain securities of any issuer, if to the knowledge of the Trust,
one or more of the officers or trustees of the Trust, or Advisers, own
beneficially more than one-half of 1% of the securities of such issuer and all
such officers and trustees together own beneficially more than 5% of such
securities.
In addition to these fundamental policies, it is the present policy of the Fund
(which may be changed without shareholder approval) not to pledge, mortgage or
hypothecate the Fund's assets as security for loans, and not to engage in joint
or joint and several trading accounts in securities, except that it may
participate in joint repurchase arrangements, invest its short-term cash in
shares of the Franklin Money Fund (pursuant to the terms and conditions of the
SEC order permitting such investments), or combine orders to buy or sell with
orders from other persons to obtain lower brokerage commissions. The Fund may
not invest in excess of 5% of its net assets, valued at the lower of cost or
market, in warrants, nor more than 2% of its net assets in warrants not listed
on either the New York or American Stock Exchanges.
If a percentage restriction is met at the time of investment, a later increase
or decrease in the percentage due to a change in value of portfolio securities
or the amount of assets will not be considered a violation of any of the
foregoing restrictions.
OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES
The Board has the responsibility for the overall management of the Fund,
including general supervision and review of its investment activities. The
Board, in turn, elects the officers of the Fund who are responsible for
administering the Fund's day-to-day operations. The affiliations of the officers
and Board members and their principal occupations for the past five years are
shown below. Members of the Board who are considered "interested persons" of the
Fund under the 1940 Act are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Frank H. Abbott, III (75) Trustee
1045 Sansome St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
President and Director, Abbott Corporation (an investment company); and
director, trustee or managing general partner, as the case may be, of 31 of the
investment companies in the Franklin Group of Funds.
Harris J. Ashton (64) Trustee
General Host Corporation
Metro Center, 1 Station Place
Stamford, CT 06904-2045
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, General Host
Corporation (nursery and craft centers); Director, RBC Holdings, Inc. (a bank
holding company) and Bar-S Foods; and director, trustee or managing general
partner, as the case may be, of 55 of the investment companies in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds. Harmon E. Burns (51) Vice President 777 Mariners
Island Blvd and Trustee San Mateo, CA 94404
Executive Vice President, Secretary and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.;
Executive Vice President and Director, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.;
Executive Vice President, Franklin Advisers, Inc.; Director, Franklin/Templeton
Investor Services, Inc.; officer and/or director, as the case may be, of other
subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc.; and officer and/or director or trustee
of 60 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
S. Joseph Fortunato (64) Trustee
Park Avenue at Morris County
P. O. Box 1945
Morristown, NJ 07962-1945
Member of the law firm of Pitney, Hardin, Kipp & Szuch; Director of General Host
Corporation; director, trustee or managing general partner, as the case may be,
of 57 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
David W. Garbellano (81) Trustee
111 New Montgomery St., #402
San Francisco, CA 94105
Private Investor; Assistant Secretary/Treasurer and Director, Berkeley Science
Corporation (a venture capital company); and director, trustee or managing
general partner, as the case may be, of 30 of the investment companies in the
Franklin Group of Funds.
Charles B. Johnson (63) Chairman of the
777 Mariners Island Blvd. Board and
San Mateo, CA 94404 Trustee
President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; Chairman of the Board and
Director, Franklin Advisers, Inc. and Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.;
Director, Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc. and General Host
Corporation; and officer and/or director, trustee or managing general partner,
as the case may be, of most other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and
of 56 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. (56) President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Trustee
San Mateo, CA 94404
Executive Vice President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc. and Franklin
Templeton Distributors, Inc.; President and Director, Franklin Advisers, Inc.;
Director, Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc.; and officer and/or
director, trustee or managing general partner, as the case may be, of most other
subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of 60 of the investment companies
in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Frank W. T. LaHaye (67) Trustee
20833 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Suite 102
Cupertino, CA 95014
General Partner, Peregrine Associates and Miller & LaHaye, which are General
Partners of Peregrine Ventures and Peregrine Ventures II (venture capital
firms); Chairman of the Board and Director, Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc.;
Director, FischerImaging Corporation; and director or trustee or managing
general partner, as the case may be, of 26 of the investment companies in the
Franklin Group of Funds.
Gordon S. Macklin (68) Trustee
8212 Burning Tree Road
Bethesda, MD 20817
Chairman, White River Corporation (information services); Director, Fund
American Enterprises Holdings, Inc., MCI Communications, Inc., MedImmune, Inc.
(biotechnology), InfoVest Corporation (information services), Fusion Systems
Corporation (industrial technology), and Source One Mortgage Services
Corporation (information services); and director, trustee or managing general
partner, as the case may be, of 52 of the investment companies in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds; and formerly held the following positions: Chairman,
Hambrecht and Quist Group; Director, H & Q Healthcare Investors; and President,
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
Kenneth V. Domingues (64) Vice President -
777 Mariners Island Blvd. Financial Reporting
San Mateo, CA 94404 and Accounting
Standards
Senior Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc., Franklin Advisers, Inc., and
Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.; officer and/or director, as the case may
be, of other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc.; and officer and/or
managing general partner, as the case may be, of 37 of the investment companies
in the Franklin Group of Funds.
Martin L. Flanagan (36) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Chief
San Mateo, CA 94404 Financial Officer
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Franklin
Resources, Inc.; Executive Vice President, Templeton Worldwide, Inc.; Senior
Vice President and Treasurer, Franklin Advisers, Inc. and Franklin Templeton
Distributors, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Franklin/Templeton Investor Services,
Inc.; officer of most other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc.; and
officer, director and/or trustee of 60 of the investment companies in the
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Deborah R. Gatzek (48) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Secretary
San Mateo, CA 94404
Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Franklin Resources, Inc.; Senior Vice
President, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.; Vice President, Franklin
Advisers, Inc. and officer of 60 of the investment companies in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds.
Charles E. Johnson (40) Vice President
500 East Broward Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33394-3091
Senior Vice President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; Senior Vice
President, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.; President and Director,
Templeton Worldwide, Inc. and Franklin Institutional Services Corporation;
officer and/or director, as the case may be, of some of the subsidiaries of
Franklin Resources, Inc. and officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may
be, of 39 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Diomedes Loo-Tam (57) Treasurer and
777 Mariners Island Blvd. Principal
San Mateo, CA 94404 Accounting Officer
Employee of Franklin Advisers, Inc.; and officer of 37 of the investment
companies in the Franklin Group of Funds.
Edward V. McVey (59) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404
Senior Vice President/National Sales Manager, Franklin Templeton Distributors,
Inc.; and officer of 32 of the investment companies in the Franklin Group of
Funds.
The table above shows the officers and Board members who are affiliated with
Distributors and Advisers. Nonaffiliated members of the Board are currently paid
$2,400 per year (or $300 for each of the Trust's eight regularly scheduled Board
meetings) plus $300 per meeting attended. As shown above, some of the
nonaffiliated Board members also serve as directors, trustees or managing
general partners of other investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group
of Funds. They may receive fees from these funds for their services. The
following table provides the total fees paid to nonaffiliated Board members by
the Trust and by other funds in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Number of Boards
Total Fees in the Franklin
Total Fees Received from the Templeton Group
Received from Franklin Templeton of Funds on Which
Name the Trust* Group of Funds** Each Serves***
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frank H. Abbott, III $1,200 $162,420 31
Harris J. Ashton 1,200 327,925 55
S. Joseph Fortunato 1,200 344,745 57
David Garbellano 1,200 146,100 30
Frank W.T. LaHaye 900 143,200 26
Gordon S. Macklin 1,200 321,525 52
*For the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996. The Trust began paying fees to its
nonaffiliated Board members as of February 1, 1996.
**For the calendar year ended December 31, 1995.
***We base the number of boards on the number of registered investment companies
in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. This number does not include the total
number of series or funds within each investment company for which the Board
members are responsible. The Franklin Templeton Group of Funds currently
includes 61 registered investment companies, with approximately 171 U.S. based
funds or series.
Nonaffiliated members of the Board are reimbursed for expenses incurred in
connection with attending board meetings, paid pro rata by each fund in the
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds for which they serve as director, trustee or
managing general partner. No officer or Board member received any other
compensation, including pension or retirement benefits, directly or indirectly
from the Fund or other funds in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. Certain
officers or Board members who are shareholders of Resources may be deemed to
receive indirect remuneration by virtue of their participation, if any, in the
fees paid to its subsidiaries.
As of December 6, 1996, the officers and Board members, as a group, owned of
record and beneficially the following shares of the Fund: approximately 4,970
Class I shares, or less than 1% of the total outstanding Class I shares of the
Fund. Many of the Board members also own shares in other funds in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds. Charles B. Johnson and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. are
brothers and the father and uncle, respectively, of Charles E.
Johnson.Investment Management and Other Services
Investment Manager and Services Provided. The Fund's investment manager is
Advisers. Advisers provides investment research and portfolio management
services, including the selection of securities for the Fund to buy, hold or
sell and the selection of brokers through whom the Fund's portfolio transactions
are executed. Advisers' activities are subject to the review and supervision of
the Board to whom Advisers renders periodic reports of the Fund's investment
activities. Advisers is covered by fidelity insurance on its officers, directors
and employees for the protection of the Fund.
Advisers and its affiliates act as investment manager to numerous other
investment companies and accounts. Advisers may give advice and take action with
respect to any of the other funds it manages, or for its own account, that may
differ from action taken by Advisers on behalf of the Fund. Similarly, with
respect to the Fund, Advisers is not obligated to recommend, buy or sell, or to
refrain from recommending, buying or selling any security that Advisers and
access persons, as defined by the 1940 Act, may buy or sell for its or their own
account or for the accounts of any other fund. Advisers is not obligated to
refrain from investing in securities held by the Fund or other funds that it
manages. Of course, any transactions for the accounts of Advisers and other
access persons will be made in compliance with the Fund's Code of Ethics. Please
see "Miscellaneous Information Summary of Code of Ethics."
Management Fees. Under its management agreement, the Fund pays Advisers a
management fee equal to an annual rate of 0.625 of 1% of the value of average
daily net assets up to and including $100 million; 0.50 of 1% of the value of
average daily net assets over $100 million, up to and including $250 million;
0.45 of 1% of the value of average daily net assets over $250 million, up to and
including $10 billion; 0.44 of 1% of the value of average daily net assets over
$10 billion, up to and including $12.5 billion; 0.42 of 1% of the value of
average daily net assets over $12.5 billion, up to and including $15 billion;
and 0.40 of 1% of the value of average daily net assets over $15 billion. The
fee is computed daily and paid monthly. Each class pays its proportionate share
of the management fee.
For the fiscal years ended April 30, 1994, 1995 and 1996, management fees,
before any advance waiver, totaled $82,978, $228,800, and $1,232,136,
respectively. Under an agreement by Advisers to limit its fees, the Fund paid
management fees totaling $0, $56,120 and $1,174,738 for the same periods.
Management Agreement. The management agreement is in effect until April 30,
1997. It may continue in effect for successive annual periods if its continuance
is specifically approved at least annually by a vote of the Board or by a vote
of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities, and in
either event by a majority vote of the Board members who are not parties to the
management agreement or interested persons of any such party (other than as
members of the Board), cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. The
management agreement may be terminated without penalty at any time by the Board
or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting
securities, or by Advisers on 60 days' written notice, and will automatically
terminate in the event of its assignment, as defined in the 1940 Act.
Administrative Services. Under an agreement with Advisers, FT Services provides
certain administrative services and facilities for the Fund. These include
preparing and maintaining books, records, and tax and financial reports, and
monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements. FT Services is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Resources.
Under its administration agreement, Advisers pays FT Services a monthly
administration fee equal to an annual rate of 0.15% of the Fund's average daily
net assets up to $200 million, 0.135% of average daily net assets over $200
million up to $700 million, 0.10% of average daily net assets over $700 million
up to $1.2 billion, and 0.075% of average daily net assets over $1.2 billion.
The fee is paid by Advisers. It is not a separate expense of the Fund.
Shareholder Servicing Agent. Investor Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Resources, is the Fund's shareholder servicing agent and acts as the Fund's
transfer agent and dividend-paying agent. Investor Services is compensated on
the basis of a fixed fee per account.
Custodians. Bank of New York, Mutual Funds Division, 90 Washington Street, New
York, New York, 10286, acts as custodian of the securities and other assets of
the Fund. Bank of America NT & SA, 555 California Street, 4th Floor, San
Francisco, California 94104, acts as custodian for cash received in connection
with the purchase of Fund shares. Citibank Delaware, One Penn's Way, New Castle,
Delaware 19720, acts as custodian in connection with transfer services through
bank automated clearing houses. The custodians do not participate in decisions
relating to the purchase and sale of portfolio securities.
Auditors. Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., 333 Market Street, San Francisco, California
94105, are the Fund's independent auditors. During the fiscal year ended April
30, 1996, their auditing services consisted of rendering an opinion on the
financial statements of the Trust included in the Trust's Annual Report to
Shareholders for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996. Advisor Class shares of
the Fund were not offered to the public before January 1, 1997.
HOW DOES THE FUND
BUY SECURITIES FOR ITS PORTFOLIO?
The selection of brokers and dealers to execute transactions in the Fund's
portfolio is made by Advisers in accordance with criteria set forth in the
management agreement and any directions that the Board may give.
When placing a portfolio transaction, Advisers seeks to obtain prompt execution
of orders at the most favorable net price. When portfolio transactions are done
on a securities exchange, the amount of commission paid by the Fund is
negotiated between Advisers and the broker executing the transaction. The
determination and evaluation of the reasonableness of the brokerage commissions
paid in connection with portfolio transactions are based to a large degree on
the professional opinions of the persons responsible for the placement and
review of the transactions. These opinions are based on the experience of these
individuals in the securities industry and information available to them about
the level of commissions being paid by other institutional investors of
comparable size. Advisers will ordinarily place orders to buy and sell
over-the-counter securities on a principal rather than agency basis with a
principal market maker unless, in the opinion of Advisers, a better price and
execution can otherwise be obtained. Purchases of portfolio securities from
underwriters will include a commission or concession paid by the issuer to the
underwriter, and purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid
and ask price.
The amount of commission is not the only factor Advisers considers in the
selection of a broker to execute a trade. If Advisers believes it is in the
Fund's best interest, Advisers may place portfolio transactions with brokers who
provide the types of services described below, even if it means the Fund will
pay a higher commission than if no weight were given to the broker's furnishing
of these services. This will be done only if, in the opinion of Advisers, the
amount of any additional commission is reasonable in relation to the value of
the services. Higher commissions will be paid only when the brokerage and
research services received are bona fide and produce a direct benefit to the
Fund or assist Advisers in carrying out its responsibilities to the Fund, or
when it is otherwise in the best interest of the Fund to do so, whether or not
such services may also be useful to Advisers in advising other clients.
When Advisers believes several brokers are equally able to provide the best net
price and execution, it may decide to execute transactions through brokers who
provide quotations and other services to the Fund, in an amount of total
brokerage as may reasonably be required in light of these services.
Specifically, these services may include providing the quotations necessary to
determine the Fund's Net Asset Value, as well as research, statistical and other
data.
It is not possible to place a dollar value on the special executions or on the
research services received by Advisers from dealers effecting transactions in
portfolio securities. The allocation of transactions in order to obtain
additional research services permits Advisers to supplement its own research and
analysis activities and to receive the views and information of individuals and
research staff of other securities firms. As long as it is lawful and
appropriate to do so, Advisers and its affiliates may use this research and data
in their investment advisory capacities with other clients. If the Fund's
officers are satisfied that the best execution is obtained, consistent with
internal policies the sale of Fund shares, as well as shares of other funds in
the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds, may also be considered a factor in the
selection of broker-dealers to execute the Fund's portfolio transactions.
Because Distributors is a member of the NASD, it may sometimes receive certain
fees when the Fund tenders portfolio securities pursuant to a tender-offer
solicitation. As a means of recapturing brokerage for the benefit of the Fund,
any portfolio securities tendered by the Fund will be tendered through
Distributors if it is legally permissible to do so. In turn, the next management
fee payable to Advisers will be reduced by the amount of any fees received by
Distributors in cash, less any costs and expenses incurred in connection with
the tender.
If purchases or sales of securities of the Fund and one or more other investment
companies or clients supervised by Advisers are considered at or about the same
time, transactions in these securities will be allocated among the several
investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all by
Advisers, taking into account the respective sizes of the funds and the amount
of securities to be purchased or sold. In some cases this procedure could have a
detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as the Fund is
concerned. In other cases it is possible that the ability to participate in
volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage commissions will be
beneficial to the Fund.
During the fiscal years ended April 30, 1994, 1995 and 1996, the Fund paid
brokerage commissions totaling $53,806, $117,618 and $570,572.
As of April 30, 1996, the Fund did not own securities of its regular
broker-dealers.
HOW DO I BUY, SELL AND EXCHANGE SHARES?
Additional Information on Buying Shares
Securities laws of states where the Fund offers its shares may differ from
federal law. Banks and financial institutions that sell shares of the Fund may
be required by state law to register as Securities Dealers.
When you buy shares, if you submit a check or a draft that is returned unpaid to
the Fund we may impose a $10 charge against your account for each returned item.
Distributors and/or its affiliates provide financial support to various
Securities Dealers that sell shares of the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
This support is based primarily on the amount of sales of fund shares. The
amount of support may be affected by: total sales; net sales; levels of
redemptions; the proportion of a Securities Dealer's sales and marketing efforts
in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds; a Securities Dealer's support of, and
participation in, Distributors' marketing programs; a Securities Dealer's
compensation programs for its registered representatives; and the extent of a
Securities Dealer's marketing programs relating to the Franklin Templeton Group
of Funds. Financial support to Securities Dealers may be made by payments from
Distributors' resources, from Distributors' retention of underwriting
concessions and, in the case of funds that have Rule 12b-1 plans, from payments
to Distributors under such plans. In addition, certain Securities Dealers may
receive brokerage commissions generated by fund portfolio transactions in
accordance with the NASD's rules.
Reinvestment Date. Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends will be
purchased at the Net Asset Value determined on the business day following the
dividend record date (sometimes known as the "ex-dividend date"). The processing
date for the reinvestment of dividends may vary and does not affect the amount
or value of the shares acquired.
Additional Information on Exchanging Shares
If you request the exchange of the total value of your account, declared but
unpaid income dividends and capital gain distributions will be exchanged into
the new fund and will be invested at Net Asset Value. Backup withholding and
information reporting may apply. Information regarding the possible tax
consequences of an exchange is included in the tax section in this SAI and in
the Prospectus.
If a substantial number of shareholders should, within a short period, sell
their shares of the Fund under the exchange privilege, the Fund might have to
sell portfolio securities it might otherwise hold and incur the additional costs
related to such transactions. On the other hand, increased use of the exchange
privilege may result in periodic large inflows of money. If this occurs, it is
the Fund's general policy to initially invest this money in short-term,
interest-bearing money market instruments, unless it is believed that attractive
investment opportunities consistent with the Fund's investment objective exist
immediately. This money will then be withdrawn from the short-term money market
instruments and invested in portfolio securities in as orderly a manner as is
possible when attractive investment opportunities arise.
The proceeds from the sale of shares of an investment company are generally not
available until the fifth business day following the sale. The funds you are
seeking to exchange into may delay issuing shares pursuant to an exchange until
that fifth business day. The sale of Fund shares to complete an exchange will be
effected at Net Asset Value at the close of business on the day the request for
exchange is received in proper form. Please see "May I Exchange Shares for
Shares of Another Fund?" in the Prospectus.
Additional Information on Selling Shares
Systematic Withdrawal Plan. There are no service charges for establishing or
maintaining a systematic withdrawal plan. Once your plan is established, any
distributions paid by the Fund will be automatically reinvested in your account.
Payments under the plan will be made from the redemption of an equivalent amount
of shares in your account, generally on the first business day of the month in
which a payment is scheduled before February 1997 and on the 25th day of the
month beginning with your February 1997 payment. If the 25th falls on a weekend
or holiday, we will process the redemption on the prior business day.
Redeeming shares through a systematic withdrawal plan may reduce or exhaust the
shares in your account if payments exceed distributions received from the Fund.
This is especially likely to occur if there is a market decline. If a withdrawal
amount exceeds the value of your account, your account will be closed and the
remaining balance in your account will be sent to you. Because the amount
withdrawn under the plan may be more than your actual yield or income, part of
the payment may be a return of your investment.
The Fund may discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan by notifying you in
writing and will automatically discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan if all
shares in your account are withdrawn or if the Fund receives notification of the
shareholder's death or incapacity.
Through Your Securities Dealer. If you sell shares through your Securities
Dealer, it is your dealer's responsibility to transmit the order to the Fund in
a timely fashion. Any loss to you resulting from your dealer's failure to do so
must be settled between you and your Securities Dealer.
Redemptions in Kind. The Fund has committed itself to pay in cash (by check) all
requests for redemption by any shareholder of record, limited in amount,
however, during any 90-day period to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the value
of the Fund's net assets at the beginning of the 90-day period. This commitment
is irrevocable without the prior approval of the SEC. In the case of redemption
requests in excess of these amounts, the Board reserves the right to make
payments in whole or in part in securities or other assets of the Fund, in case
of an emergency, or if the payment of such a redemption in cash would be
detrimental to the existing shareholders of the Fund. In these circumstances,
the securities distributed would be valued at the price used to compute the
Fund's net assets and you may incur brokerage fees in converting the securities
to cash. The Fund does not intend to redeem illiquid securities in kind. If this
happens, however, you may not be able to recover your investment in a timely
manner.
General Information
If dividend checks are returned to the Fund marked "unable to forward" by the
postal service, we will consider this a request by you to change your dividend
option to reinvest all distributions. The proceeds will be reinvested in
additional shares at Net Asset Value until we receive new instructions.
If mail is returned as undeliverable or we are unable to locate you or verify
your current mailing address, we may deduct the costs of our efforts to find you
from your account. These costs may include a percentage of the account when a
search company charges a percentage fee in exchange for its location services.
All checks, drafts, wires and other payment mediums used to buy or sell shares
of the Fund must be denominated in U.S. dollars. We may, in our sole discretion,
either (a) reject any order to buy or sell shares denominated in any other
currency or (b) honor the transaction or make adjustments to your account for
the transaction as of a date and with a foreign currency exchange factor
determined by the drawee bank.
Special Services. The Franklin Templeton Institutional Services Department
provides specialized services, including recordkeeping, for institutional
investors. The cost of these services is not borne by the Fund.
Investor Services may pay certain financial institutions that maintain omnibus
accounts with the Fund on behalf of numerous beneficial owners for recordkeeping
operations performed with respect to such owners. For each beneficial owner in
the omnibus account, the Fund may reimburse Investor Services an amount not to
exceed the per account fee that the Fund normally pays Investor Services. These
financial institutions may also charge a fee for their services directly to
their clients.
Certain shareholder servicing agents may be authorized to accept your
transaction request.
HOW ARE FUND SHARES VALUED?
We calculate the Net Asset Value per share of each class as of the scheduled
close of the NYSE, generally 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, each day that the NYSE is
open for trading. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund is informed that the NYSE
observes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday,
Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
For the purpose of determining the aggregate net assets of the Fund, cash and
receivables are valued at their realizable amounts. Interest is recorded as
accrued and dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Portfolio securities
listed on a securities exchange or on the NASDAQ National Market System for
which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last quoted sale
price of the day or, if there is no such reported sale, within the range of the
most recent quoted bid and ask prices. Over-the-counter portfolio securities are
valued within the range of the most recent quoted bid and ask prices. Portfolio
securities that are traded both in the over-the-counter market and on a stock
exchange are valued according to the broadest and most representative market as
determined by Advisers.
Portfolio securities underlying actively traded call options are valued at their
market price as determined above. The current market value of any option held by
the Fund is its last sale price on the relevant exchange before the time when
assets are valued. Lacking any sales that day or if the last sale price is
outside the bid and ask prices, options are valued within the range of the
current closing bid and ask prices if the valuation is believed to fairly
reflect the contract's market value.
The value of a foreign security is determined as of the close of trading on the
foreign exchange on which it is traded or as of the scheduled close of trading
on the NYSE, if that is earlier. The value is then converted into its U.S.
dollar equivalent at the foreign exchange rate in effect at noon, New York time,
on the day the value of the foreign security is determined. If no sale is
reported at that time, the mean between the current bid and ask prices is used.
Occasionally events that affect the values of foreign securities and foreign
exchange rates may occur between the times at which they are determined and the
close of the exchange and will, therefore, not be reflected in the computation
of the Net Asset Value of each class. If events materially affecting the values
of these foreign securities occur during this period, the securities will be
valued in accordance with procedures established by the Board.
Generally, trading in corporate bonds, U.S. government securities and money
market instruments is substantially completed each day at various times before
the scheduled close of the NYSE. The value of these securities used in computing
the Net Asset Value of each class is determined as of such times. Occasionally,
events affecting the values of these securities may occur between the times at
which they are determined and the scheduled close of the NYSE that will not be
reflected in the computation of the Net Asset Value of each class. If events
materially affecting the values of these securities occur during this period,
the securities will be valued at their fair value as determined in good faith by
the Board.
Other securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at
the current market price, which may be obtained from a pricing service, based on
a variety of factors including recent trades, institutional size trading in
similar types of securities (considering yield, risk and maturity) and/or
developments related to specific issues. Securities and other assets for which
market prices are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined
following procedures approved by the Board. With the approval of the Board, the
Fund may utilize a pricing service, bank or Securities Dealer to perform any of
the above described functions.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON
DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Distributions
You may receive two types of distributions from the Fund:
1. Income dividends. The Fund receives income generally in the form of
dividends, interest and other income derived from its investments. This income,
less the expenses incurred in the Fund's operations, is its net investment
income from which income dividends may be distributed. Thus, the amount of
dividends paid per share may vary with each distribution.
2. Capital gain distributions. The Fund may derive capital gains or losses in
connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities.
Distributions by the Fund derived from net short-term and net long-term capital
gains (after taking into account any capital loss carryforward or post October
loss deferral) may generally be made once a year in December to reflect any net
short-term and net long-term capital gains realized by the Fund as of October 31
of the current fiscal year and any undistributed capital gains from the prior
fiscal year. The Fund may make more than one distribution derived from net
short-term and net long-term capital gains in any year or adjust the timing of
these distributions for operational or other reasons.
Taxes
As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund has elected and qualified to be treated as
a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. The Board
reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated
investment company if it determines this course of action to be beneficial to
shareholders. In that case, the Fund will be subject to federal and possibly
state corporate taxes on its taxable income and gains, and distributions to
shareholders will be taxable to the extent of the Fund's available earnings and
profits.
Subject to the limitations discussed below, all or a portion of the income
distributions paid by the Fund may be treated by corporate shareholders as
qualifying dividends for purposes of the dividends-received deduction under
federal income tax law. If the aggregate qualifying dividends received by the
Fund (generally, dividends from U.S. domestic corporations, the stock in which
is not debt-financed by the Fund and is held for at least a minimum holding
period) is less than 100% of its distributable income, then the amount of the
Fund's dividends paid to corporate shareholders which may be designated as
eligible for such deduction will not exceed the aggregate qualifying dividends
received by the Fund for the taxable year. The amount or percentage of income
qualifying for the corporate dividends-received deduction will be declared by
the Fund annually in a notice to shareholders mailed shortly after the end of
the Fund's fiscal year.
Corporate shareholders should note that dividends paid by the Fund from sources
other than the qualifying dividends it receives will not qualify for the
dividends-received deduction. For example, any interest income and short-term
capital gain (in excess of any net long-term capital loss or capital loss
carryover) included in investment company taxable income and distributed by the
Fund as a dividend will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction.
Corporate shareholders should also note that availability of the corporate
dividends-received deduction is subject to certain restrictions. For example,
the deduction is eliminated unless the Fund shares have been held (or deemed
held) for at least 46 days in a substantially unhedged manner. The
dividends-received deduction may also be reduced to the extent interest paid or
accrued by a corporate shareholder is directly attributable to its investment in
Fund shares. The entire dividend, including the portion which is treated as a
deduction, is includable in the tax base on which the federal alternative
minimum tax is computed and may also result in a reduction in the shareholder's
tax basis in its Fund shares, under certain circumstances, if the shares have
been held for less than two years. Corporate shareholders whose investment in
the Fund is "debt financed" for these tax purposes should consult with their tax
advisors concerning the availability of the dividends-received deduction.
The Code requires all funds to distribute at least 98% of their taxable ordinary
income earned during the calendar year and at least 98% of their capital gain
net income earned during the 12 month period ending October 31 of each year (in
addition to amounts from the prior year that were neither distributed nor taxed
to the Fund) to you by December 31 of each year in order to avoid the imposition
of a federal excise tax. Under these rules, certain distributions which are
declared in October, November or December but which, for operational reasons,
may not be paid to you until the following January, will be treated for tax
purposes as if paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of the
calendar year in which they are declared. The Fund intends as a matter of policy
to declare such dividends, if any, in December and to pay these dividends in
December or January to avoid the imposition of this tax, but does not guarantee
that its distributions will be sufficient to avoid any or all federal excise
taxes.
Redemptions and exchanges of the Fund's shares are taxable transactions for
federal and state income tax purposes. Gain or loss will be recognized in an
amount equal to the difference between your basis in the shares and the amount
you received, subject to the rules described below. If such shares are a capital
asset in your hands, gain or loss will be capital gain or loss and will be
long-term for federal income tax purposes if your shares have been held for more
than one year.
All or a portion of a loss realized upon a redemption of shares will be
disallowed to the extent you buy other shares of the Fund (through reinvestment
of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the redemption. Any
loss disallowed under these rules will be added to your tax basis of the shares
purchased.
All or a portion of the sales charge incurred in buying shares of the Fund will
not be included in the federal tax basis of such shares sold or exchanged within
90 days of their purchase (for purposes of determining gain or loss with respect
to such shares) if you reinvest the sales proceeds in the Fund or in another
fund in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds and a sales charge which would
otherwise apply to the reinvestment is reduced or eliminated. Any portion of
such sales charge excluded from the tax basis of the shares sold will be added
to the tax basis of the shares acquired in the reinvestment.
Any loss realized upon the redemption of shares within six months from the date
of their purchase will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of
amounts treated as distributions of net long-term capital gain during such six
month period.
The Fund's investment in options and futures contracts, including transactions
involving actual or deemed short sales, are subject to many complex and special
tax rules. For example, OTC options on debt securities and equity options,
including options on stock and on narrow-based stock indexes, will be subject to
tax under Section 1234 of the Code, generally producing a long-term or
short-term capital gain or loss upon exercise, lapse, or closing out of the
option or sale of the underlying stock or security. By contrast, the treatment
of certain other options and futures entered into by the Fund is generally
governed by Section 1256 of the Code. These "Section 1256" positions generally
include listed options on debt securities, options on broad-based stock indexes,
options on securities indexes, options on futures contracts, regulated futures
contracts and certain foreign currency contracts and options thereon.
Absent a tax election to the contrary, each such Section 1256 position held by
the Fund will be marked-to-market (i.e., treated as if it were sold for fair
market value) on the last business day of the Fund's fiscal year, and all gain
or loss associated with fiscal year transactions and mark-to-market positions at
fiscal year end (except certain currency gain or loss covered by Section 988 of
the Code) will generally be treated as 60% long-term capital gain or loss and
40% short-term capital gain or loss. The effect of Section 1256 mark-to-market
rules may be to accelerate income or to convert what otherwise would have been
long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains or short-term capital
losses into long-term capital losses within the Fund. The acceleration of income
on Section 1256 positions may require the Fund to accrue taxable income without
the corresponding receipt of cash. In order to generate cash to satisfy the
distribution requirements of the Code, the Fund may be required to dispose of
portfolio securities that it otherwise would have continued to hold or to use
cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Fund shares. In these ways,
any or all of these rules may affect the amount, character and timing of income
distributed to you by the Fund.
When the Fund holds an option or contract that substantially diminishes the
Fund's risk of loss with respect to another position of the Fund (as might occur
in some hedging transactions), this combination of positions could be treated as
a straddle for tax purposes, resulting in possible deferral of losses,
adjustments in the holding periods of Fund securities and conversion of
short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. Certain tax elections
exist for mixed straddles (i.e., straddles comprised of at least one Section
1256 position and at least one non-Section 1256 position) which may reduce or
eliminate the operation of these straddle rules.
As a regulated investment company, the Fund is also subject to the requirement
that less than 30% of its annual gross income be derived from the sale or other
disposition of securities and certain other investments held for less than three
months ("short-short income"). This requirement may limit the Fund's ability to
engage in options, straddles and futures contracts because these transactions
are often consummated in less than three months, may require the sale of
portfolio securities held less than three months and may, as in the case of
short sales of portfolio securities, reduce the holding periods of certain
securities within the Fund, resulting in additional short-short income for the
Fund.
The Fund will monitor its transactions in options and futures contracts and may
make certain other tax elections in order to mitigate the effect of the above
rules and to prevent disqualification of the Fund as a regulated investment
company under Subchapter M of the Code.
THE FUND'S UNDERWRITER
Pursuant to an underwriting agreement, Distributors acts as principal
underwriter in a continuous public offering for each class of the Fund's shares.
The underwriting agreement will continue in effect for successive annual periods
if its continuance is specifically approved at least annually by a vote of the
Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting
securities, and in either event by a majority vote of the Board members who are
not parties to the underwriting agreement or interested persons of any such
party (other than as members of the Board), cast in person at a meeting called
for that purpose. The underwriting agreement terminates automatically in the
event of its assignment and may be terminated by either party on 90 days'
written notice.
Distributors pays the expenses of the distribution of Fund shares, including
advertising expenses and the costs of printing sales material and prospectuses
used to offer shares to the public. The Fund pays the expenses of preparing and
printing amendments to its registration statements and prospectuses (other than
those necessitated by the activities of Distributors) and of sending
prospectuses to existing shareholders.
DISTRIBUTORS WILL NOT RECEIVE COMPENSATION FROM THE FUND FOR ACTING AS
UNDERWRITER WITH RESPECT TO THE ADVISOR CLASS SHARES.
HOW DOES THE FUND
MEASURE PERFORMANCE?
Performance quotations are subject to SEC rules. These rules require the use of
standardized performance quotations or, alternatively, that every
non-standardized performance quotation furnished by the Fund be accompanied by
certain standardized performance information computed as required by the SEC.
Average annual total return quotations used by the Fund are based on the
standardized methods of computing performance mandated by the SEC. If a Rule
12b-1 plan is adopted, performance figures reflect fees from the date of the
plan's implementation. An explanation of these and other methods used by the
Fund to compute or express performance for the Advisor Class shares follows. For
any period prior to January 1, 1997, the standardized performance quotations for
Advisor Class will be calculated by substituting the performance of Class I for
the relevant time period, and excluding the effect of the maximum sales charge
and including the effect of Rule 12b-1 fees applicable to Class I. Regardless of
the method used, past performance does not guarantee future results, and is an
indication of the return to shareholders only for the limited historical period
used.
Total Return
Average Annual Total Return. Average annual total return is determined by
finding the average annual rates of return over one-, five- and ten-year
periods, or fractional portion thereof, that would equate an initial
hypothetical $1,000 investment to its ending redeemable value. The calculation
assumes income dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested at Net
Asset Value. The quotation assumes the account was completely redeemed at the
end of each one-, five- and ten-year period and the deduction of all applicable
charges and fees. The average annual total return for the Advisor Class shares
for the one-year period ended April 30, 1996 and since inception would have been
44.06% and 23.58%.
These rates of return will be calculated according to the SEC formula:
P(1+T)n = ERV
where:
P = a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000
T = average annual total return
n = number of years
ERV = ending redeemable value of a hypothetical $1,000 payment made at the
beginning of the one-, five- or ten-year periods at the end of the one-, five-
or ten-year periods (or fractional portion thereof)
Cumulative Total Return. The Fund may also quote the cumulative total return for
each class, in addition to the average annual total return. These quotations are
computed the same way, except the cumulative total return will be based on the
actual return for each class for a specified period rather than on the average
return over one-, five- and ten-year periods, or fractional portion thereof. The
cumulative total return for the Advisor Class shares for the one-year period
ended April 30, 1996 and since inception would have been 44.06% and 143.99%.
Volatility
Occasionally statistics may be used to show the Fund's volatility or risk.
Measures of volatility or risk are generally used to compare the Fund's Net
Asset Value or performance to a market index. One measure of volatility is beta.
Beta is the volatility of a fund relative to the total market, as represented by
an index considered representative of the types of securities in which the fund
invests. A beta of more than 1.00 indicates volatility greater than the market
and a beta of less than 1.00 indicates volatility less than the market. Another
measure of volatility or risk is standard deviation. Standard deviation is used
to measure variability of Net Asset Value or total return around an average over
a specified period of time. The idea is that greater volatility means greater
risk undertaken in achieving performance.
Other Performance Quotations
For any period prior to January 1, 1997, sales literature about Advisor Class
may quote a current distribution rate, yield, cumulative total return, average
annual total return and other measures of performance as described elsewhere in
this SAI by substituting the performance of Class I for the relevant time period
and excluding the effect of the maximum sales charge and Rule 12b-1 fees
applicable to Class I.
Sales literature referring to the use of the Fund as a potential investment for
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), Business Retirement Plans, and other
tax-advantaged retirement plans may quote a total return based upon compounding
of dividends on which it is presumed no federal income tax applies.
The Fund may include in its advertising or sales material information relating
to investment objectives and performance results of funds belonging to the
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. Resources is the parent company of the
advisors and underwriter of both the Franklin Group of Funds and Templeton Group
of Funds.
Comparisons
To help you better evaluate how an investment in the Fund may satisfy your
investment objective, advertisements and other materials about the Fund may
discuss certain measures of each class' performance as reported by various
financial publications. Materials may also compare performance (as calculated
above) to performance as reported by other investments, indices, and averages.
These comparisons may include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
a) Dow Jones Composite Average or its component averages - an unmanaged index
composed of 30 blue-chip industrial corporation stocks (Dow Jones Industrial
Average), 15 utilities company stocks (Dow Jones Utilities Average), and 20
transportation company stocks. Comparisons of performance assume reinvestment of
dividends.
b) Standard & Poor's 500 Stock Index or its component indices - an unmanaged
index composed of 400 industrial stocks, 40 financial stocks, 40 utilities
stocks, and 20 transportation stocks. Comparisons of performance assume
reinvestment of dividends.
c) The NYSE composite or component indices - an unmanaged index of all
industrial, utilities, transportation, and finance stocks listed on the
Exchange.
d) Wilshire 5000 Equity Index - represents the return on the market value of all
common equity securities for which daily pricing is available. Comparisons of
performance assume reinvestment of dividends.
e) Lipper - Mutual Fund Performance Analysis and Lipper - Fixed Income Fund
Performance Analysis - measure total return and average current yield for the
mutual fund industry and rank individual mutual fund performance over specified
time periods, assuming reinvestment of all distributions, exclusive of any
applicable sales charges.
f) CDA Mutual Fund Report, published by CDA Investment Technologies, Inc.
analyzes price, current yield, risk, total return, and average rate of return
(average annual compounded growth rate) over specified time periods for the
mutual fund industry.
g) Mutual Fund Source Book, published by Morningstar, Inc. - analyzes price,
yield, risk, and total return for mutual funds.
h) Financial publications: The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Changing
Times, Financial World, Forbes, Fortune, and Money magazines - provide
performance statistics over specified time periods.
i) Consumer Price Index (or Cost of Living Index), published by the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics - a statistical measure of change, over time, in the price
of goods and services in major expenditure groups.
j) Stocks, Bonds, Bills, and Inflation, published by Ibbotson Associates
historical measure of yield, price, and total return for common and small
company stock, long-term government bonds, Treasury bills, and inflation.
k) Savings and Loan Historical Interest Rates - as published in the U.S. Savings
& Loan League Fact Book.
l) Historical data supplied by the research departments of First Boston
Corporation, the J. P. Morgan companies, Salomon Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Lehman
Brothers and Bloomberg L.P.
m) Standard & Poor's 100 Stock Index - an unmanaged index based on the prices of
100 blue-chip stocks, including 92 industrials, one utility, two transportation
companies, and 5 financial institutions. The S&P 100 Stock Index is a smaller
more flexible index for options trading.
n) Morningstar - information published by Morningstar, Inc., including
Morningstar proprietary mutual fund ratings. The ratings reflect Morningstar's
assessment of the historical risk adjusted performance of a fund over specified
time periods relative to other funds within its category.
From time to time, advertisements or information for the Fund may include a
discussion of certain attributes or benefits to be derived from an investment in
the Fund. The advertisements or information may include symbols, headlines, or
other material that highlights or summarizes the information discussed in more
detail in the communication.
Advertisements or information may also compare the performance of Advisor Class
to the return on CDs or other investments. You should be aware, however, that an
investment in the Fund involves the risk of fluctuation of principal value, a
risk generally not present in an investment in a CD issued by a bank. For
example, as the general level of interest rates rise, the value of the Fund's
fixed-income investments, if any, as well as the value of its shares that are
based upon the value of such portfolio investments, can be expected to decrease.
Conversely, when interest rates decrease, the value of the Fund's shares can be
expected to increase. CDs are frequently insured by an agency of the U.S.
government. An investment in the Fund is not insured by any federal, state or
private entity.
In assessing comparisons of performance, you should keep in mind that the
composition of the investments in the reported indices and averages is not
identical to the Fund's portfolio, the indices and averages are generally
unmanaged, and the items included in the calculations of the averages may not be
identical to the formula used by the Fund to calculate its figures. In addition,
there can be no assurance that the Fund will continue its performance as
compared to these other averages.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
The Fund may help you achieve various investment goals such as accumulating
money for retirement, saving for a down payment on a home, college costs and
other long-term goals. The Franklin College Costs Planner may help you in
determining how much money must be invested on a monthly basis in order to have
a projected amount available in the future to fund a child's college education.
(Projected college cost estimates are based upon current costs published by the
College Board.) The Franklin Retirement Planning Guide leads you through the
steps to start a retirement savings program. Of course, an investment in the
Fund cannot guarantee that these goals will be met.
The Fund is a member of the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds, one of the
largest mutual fund organizations in the U.S., and may be considered in a
program for diversification of assets. Founded in 1947, Franklin, one of the
oldest mutual fund organizations, has managed mutual funds for over 48 years and
now services more than 2.5 million shareholder accounts. In 1992, Franklin, a
leader in managing fixed-income mutual funds and an innovator in creating
domestic equity funds, joined forces with Templeton Worldwide, Inc., a pioneer
in international investing. Together, the Franklin Templeton Group has over $152
billion in assets under management for more than 4.2 million U.S. based mutual
fund shareholder and other accounts. The Franklin Templeton Group of Funds
offers 121 U.S. based open-end investment companies to the public. The Fund may
identify itself by its NASDAQ symbol or CUSIP number.
The Dalbar Surveys, Inc. broker-dealer survey has ranked Franklin number one in
service quality for five of the past eight years.
From time to time, the number of Fund shares held in the "street name" accounts
of various Securities Dealers for the benefit of their clients or in centralized
securities depositories may exceed 5% of the total shares outstanding. To the
best knowledge of the Fund, no other person holds beneficially or of record more
than 5% of the Fund's outstanding Advisor Class shares.
In the event of disputes involving multiple claims of ownership or authority to
control your account, the Fund has the right (but has no obligation) to: (a)
freeze the account and require the written agreement of all persons deemed by
the Fund to have a potential property interest in the account, before executing
instructions regarding the account; (b) interplead disputed funds or accounts
with a court of competent jurisdiction; or (c) surrender ownership of all or a
portion of the account to the IRS in response to a Notice of Levy.
Summary of Code of Ethics. Employees of Resources or its subsidiaries who are
access persons under the 1940 Act are permitted to engage in personal securities
transactions subject to the following general restrictions and procedures: (i)
the trade must receive advance clearance from a compliance officer and must be
completed within 24 hours after clearance; (ii) copies of all brokerage
confirmations must be sent to a compliance officer and, within 10 days after the
end of each calendar quarter, a report of all securities transactions must be
provided to the compliance officer; and (iii) access persons involved in
preparing and making investment decisions must, in addition to (i) and (ii)
above, file annual reports of their securities holdings each January and inform
the compliance officer (or other designated personnel) if they own a security
that is being considered for a fund or other client transaction or if they are
recommending a security in which they have an ownership interest for purchase or
sale by a fund or other client.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements contained in the Annual Report to Shareholders
of the Trust, for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996, including the auditors'
report, are incorporated herein by reference. These audited financial statements
do not include information for Advisor Class as these shares were not publicly
offered prior to the date of this SAI.
USEFUL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
1940 Act - Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
Advisers - Franklin Advisers, Inc., the Fund's investment manager
Board - The Board of Trustees of the Trust
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. Class I and Class II differ,
however, primarily in their sales charge structures and Rule 12b-1 plans.
Advisor Class shares are purchased without a sales charge and do not have a Rule
12b-1 plan.
Code - Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
Distributors - Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc., the Fund's principal
underwriter
Franklin Funds - The mutual funds in the Franklin Group of Funds(R) except
Franklin Valuemark Funds and the Franklin Government Securities Trust
Franklin Templeton Funds - The Franklin Funds and the Templeton Funds
Franklin Templeton Group - Franklin Resources, Inc., a publicly owned holding
company, and its various subsidiaries
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds - All U.S. registered investment companies in
the Franklin Group of Funds(R) and the Templeton Group of Funds
FT Services - Franklin Templeton Services, Inc., the Fund's administrator
Investor Services - Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc., the Fund's
shareholder servicing and transfer agent
IRS - Internal Revenue Service
Moody's - Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
Mutual Series - Franklin Mutual Series Fund Inc., a member of the Franklin Group
of Funds, formerly the Mutual Series Fund. Each series of Mutual Series began
offering three classes of shares on November 1, 1996; Class I, Class II and
Class Z. All shares sold before that time are designated Class Z shares.
NASD - National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
Net Asset Value (NAV) - The value of a mutual fund is determined by deducting
the fund's liabilities from the total assets of the portfolio. The net asset
value per share is determined by dividing the net asset value of the fund by the
number of shares outstanding.
NYSE - New York Stock Exchange
Offering Price - The public offering price is based on the Net Asset Value per
share of the class and includes the front-end sales charge, if applicable. The
maximum front-end sales charge is 4.50% for Class I and 1% for Class II. Advisor
Class shares have no front-end charge.
Prospectus - The prospectus for Advisor Class of the Fund dated January 1, 1997,
as may be amended from time to time
Resources - Franklin Resources, Inc.
S&P - Standard & Poor's Corporation
SAI - Statement of Additional Information
SEC - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Securities Dealer - A financial institution which, 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.
Templeton Funds - The U.S. registered mutual funds in the Templeton Group of
Funds except Templeton Capital Accumulator Fund, Inc., Templeton Variable
Annuity Fund, and Templeton Variable Products Series Fund
U.S. - United States
We/Our/Us - Unless a different meaning is indicated by the context, these terms
refer to the Fund and/or Investor Services, Distributors, or other wholly owned
subsidiaries of Resources.
APPENDIX
ADDITIONAL DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS
Corporate Bond Ratings
Moody's
Aaa - Bonds rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the
smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as
"gilt-edged." Interest payments are protected by a large or exceptionally stable
margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely
to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the
fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa - Bonds rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together
with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high grade bonds.
They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not
be as large, fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude, or
there may be other elements present which make the long-term risks appear
somewhat larger.
A - Bonds rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are
considered upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal
and interest are considered adequate but elements may be present which suggest a
susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
Baa - Bonds rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations. They are neither
highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security
appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking
or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such
bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative
characteristics as well.
Ba - Bonds rated Ba are judged to have predominantly speculative elements and
their future cannot be considered well assured. Often the protection of interest
and principal payments is very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during
both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes
bonds in this class.
B - Bonds rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment.
Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of
the contract over any long period of time may be small.
Caa - Bonds rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or
there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.
Ca - Bonds rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a high
degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.
C - Bonds rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and can be regarded as
having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.
Note: Moody's applies numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 in each generic rating
classification from Aa through B in its corporate bond ratings. The modifier 1
indicates that the security ranks in the higher end of its generic rating
category; modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and modifier 3 indicates
that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.
S&P
AAA - This is the highest rating assigned by S&P to a debt obligation and
indicates an extremely strong capacity to pay principal and interest.
AA - Bonds rated AA also qualify as high-quality debt obligations. Capacity to
pay principal and interest is very strong and, in the majority of instances,
differ from AAA issues only in small degree.
A - Bonds rated A have a strong capacity to pay principal and interest, although
they are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in
circumstances and economic conditions.
BBB - Bonds rated BBB are regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay
principal and interest. Whereas they normally exhibit protection parameters,
adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to
a weakened capacity to pay principal and interest for bonds in this category
than for bonds in the A category.
BB, B, CCC, CC - Bonds rated BB, B, CCC and CC are regarded, on balance, as
predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest
and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligations. BB
indicates the lowest degree of speculation and CC the highest degree of
speculation. While such bonds will likely have some quality and protective
characteristics, these are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk
exposures to adverse conditions.
C - Bonds rated C are typically subordinated debt to senior debt that is
assigned an actual or implied CCC - rating. The C rating may also reflect the
filing of a bankruptcy petition under circumstances where debt service payments
are continuing. The C1 rating is reserved for income bonds on which no interest
is being paid.
Commercial Paper Ratings
Moody's
Moody's commercial paper ratings [, which are also applicable to municipal paper
investments permitted to be made by the Fund,] are opinions of the ability of
issuers to repay punctually their promissory obligations not having an original
maturity in excess of nine months. Moody's employs the following designations,
all judged to be investment grade, to indicate the relative repayment capacity
of rated issuers:
P-1 (Prime-1): Superior capacity for repayment.
P-2 (Prime-2): Strong capacity for repayment.
S&P
S&P's ratings are a current assessment of the likelihood of timely payment of
debt having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. Ratings are graded
into four categories, ranging from "A" for the highest quality obligations to
"D" for the lowest. Issues within the "A" category are delineated with the
numbers 1, 2 and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety, as follows:
A-1: This designation indicates the degree of safety regarding timely payment is
very strong. A "plus" (+) designation indicates an even stronger likelihood of
timely payment.
A-2: Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is strong.
However, the relative degree of safety is not as overwhelming as for issues
designated A-1.
A-3: Issues carrying this designation have a satisfactory capacity for timely
payment. They are, however, somewhat more vulnerable to the adverse effects of
changes in circumstances than obligations carrying the higher designations.
FRANKLIN NATURAL
RESOURCES FUND-
ADVISOR CLASS
Franklin Strategic Series
STATEMENT OF
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
JANUARY 1, 1997
777 Mariners Island Blvd., P.O. Box 7777
San Mateo, CA 94403-7777 1-800/DIAL BEN
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How does the Fund Invest its Assets? 2
What are the Fund's Potential Risks? 5
Investment Restrictions........... 9
Officers and Trustees............. 10
Investment Management
and Other Services............... 14
How does the Fund Buy
Securities for its Portfolio?.... 15
How Do I Buy, Sell and Exchange Shares? 16
How are Fund Shares Valued?....... 18
Additional Information on
Distributions and Taxes.......... 19
The Fund's Underwriter............ 21
How does the Fund
Measure Performance?............. 22
Miscellaneous Information......... 24
Financial Statements.............. 25
Useful Terms and Definitions...... 25
When reading this SAI, you will see certain terms beginning with capital
letters. This means the term is explained under "Useful Terms and Definitions."
The Franklin Natural Resources Fund (the "Fund") is a non-diversified series of
the Franklin Strategic Series (the "Trust"), an open-end management investment
company. This SAI relates to the Advisory Class shares of the Fund. The Fund's
investment objective is to provide high total return. The Fund seeks to achieve
its objective by investing primarily in securities of companies that own,
produce, refine, process and market natural resources, as well as those that
provide support services for natural resources companies (i.e. those that
develop technologies or provide services or supplies directly related to the
production of natural resources). The Fund may also invest in securities of
issuers outside the U.S.
Advisor Class shares are only available for purchase by certain persons,
including, among others, certain financial institutions (such as banks, trust
companies, savings institutions and credit unions); government and tax-exempt
entities; pension, profit sharing and employee benefit plans; certain qualified
groups, including family trusts, endowments, foundations and corporations;
Franklin Templeton Fund Allocator Series; and directors, trustees, officers and
full time employees (and their family members) of Franklin Templeton Group and
the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
The Prospectus, dated January 1, 1997, as may be amended from time to time,
contains the basic information you should know before investing in the Fund. For
a free copy, call 1-800/DIAL BEN or write the Fund at the address shown.
THIS SAI IS NOT A PROSPECTUS. IT CONTAINS INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO AND IN MORE
DETAIL THAN SET FORTH IN THE PROSPECTUS. THIS SAI IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE YOU
WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS OF THE FUND,
AND SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PROSPECTUS.
MUTUAL FUNDS, ANNUITIES, AND OTHER INVESTMENT PRODUCTS:
O ARE NOT FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE
FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, OR ANY OTHER AGENCY OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT;
O ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED BY, ANY BANK;
O ARE SUBJECT TO INVESTMENT RISKS, INCLUDING THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL.
How does the Fund Invest its Assets?
The following provides more detailed information about some of the securities
the Fund may buy and its investment policies. You should read it together with
the section in the Prospectus entitled "How does the Fund Invest its Assets?"
Loans of Portfolio Securities. As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may lend
its portfolio securities consistent with procedures approved by the Board. The
Fund will not lend its portfolio securities if such loans are not permitted by
the laws or regulations of any state in which its shares are qualified for sale.
Loans will be subject to termination by the Fund in the normal settlement time,
currently three business days after notice, or by the borrower on one day's
notice. Borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. Any
gain or loss in the market price of the borrowed securities which occurs during
the term of the loan inures to the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may pay
reasonable finders', borrowers', administrative and custodial fees in connection
with a loan of its securities.
Illiquid Investments. The Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets
in illiquid securities. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its net assets in
illiquid securities, the disposition of which may be subject to legal or
contractual restrictions. To comply with applicable state restrictions, the Fund
will limit its investments in illiquid securities, including illiquid securities
with legal or contractual restrictions on resale, except for Rule 144A
restricted securities, and including securities which are not readily
marketable, to 10% of the Fund's net assets. Subject to these limitations, the
Board has authorized the Fund to invest in restricted securities where such
investments are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and has
authorized such securities to be considered liquid to the extent Advisers
determines that there is a liquid institutional or other market for such
securities - for example, restricted securities that may be freely transferred
among qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, and for which a liquid institutional market has developed. The
Board will review any determination by Advisers to treat a restricted security
as a liquid security on an ongoing basis, including Advisers' assessment of
current trading activity and the availability of reliable price information. In
determining whether a restricted security is properly considered a liquid
security, Advisers and the Board will take into account the following factors:
(i) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; (ii) the number of
dealers willing to buy or sell the security and the number of other potential
buyers; (iii) dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and (iv) the
nature of the security and marketplace trades (e.g., the time needed to dispose
of the security, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of
transfer). To the extent the Fund invests in restricted securities that are
deemed liquid, the general level of illiquidity in the Fund may be increased if
qualified institutional buyers become uninterested in buying these securities or
the market for these securities contracts.
When-Issued or Delayed Delivery Transactions. The Fund may buy securities on a
when-issued or delayed delivery basis. These transactions are arrangements under
which the Fund buys securities with payment and delivery scheduled for a future
time. The securities are subject to market fluctuation prior to delivery to the
Fund and generally do not earn interest until their scheduled delivery date.
Therefore, the value or yields at delivery may be more or less than the purchase
price or the yields available when the transaction was entered into. Although
the Fund will generally buy these securities on a when-issued basis with the
intention of acquiring the securities, it may sell the securities before the
settlement date if it is deemed advisable. When the Fund is the buyer, it will
maintain, in a segregated account with its custodian bank, cash or high-grade
marketable securities having an aggregate value equal to the amount of its
purchase commitments until payment is made. In such an arrangement, the Fund
relies on the seller to complete the transaction. The seller's failure to do so
may cause the Fund to miss a price or yield considered advantageous. The Fund is
not subject to any percentage limit on the amount of its assets that may be
invested in when-issued purchase obligations. To the extent the Fund engages in
when-issued and delayed delivery transactions, it will do so only for the
purpose of acquiring portfolio securities consistent with its investment
objective and policies, and not for the purpose of investment leverage.
Standby Commitment Agreements. The Fund may, from time to time, enter into
standby commitment agreements. These agreements commit the Fund, for a stated
period of time, to buy a stated amount of a security that may be issued and sold
to the Fund at the option of the issuer. The price and coupon of the security is
fixed at the time of the commitment. When the Fund enters into the agreement,
the Fund is paid a commitment fee, regardless of whether the security is
ultimately issued, typically equal to approximately 0.5% of the aggregate
purchase price of the security that the Fund has committed to buy. The Fund will
enter into such agreements only for the purpose of investing in the security
underlying the commitment at a yield and/or price that is considered
advantageous to the Fund.
The Fund will not enter into a standby commitment with a remaining term in
excess of 45 days and will limit its investment in standby commitments so that
the aggregate purchase price of the securities subject to the commitments with
remaining terms exceeding 7 days, together with the value of other portfolio
securities deemed illiquid, will not exceed the Fund's limit on holding illiquid
investments, taken at the time of acquisition of such commitment or security.
See "What Are the Fund's Potential Risks? - Illiquid Investments." The Fund will
at all times maintain a segregated account with its custodian bank of cash, cash
equivalents, U.S. government securities or other high grade liquid debt
securities denominated in U.S. dollars or non-U.S. currencies in an aggregate
amount equal to the purchase price of the securities underlying the commitment.
There can be no assurance that the securities subject to a standby commitment
will be issued, and the value of the security, if issued, on the delivery date
may be more or less than its purchase price. Since the issuance of the security
underlying the commitment is at the option of the issuer, the Fund may bear the
risk of a decline in the value of the security and may not benefit from an
appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period.
The purchase of a security subject to a standby commitment agreement and the
related commitment fee will be recorded on the date on which the security can
reasonably be expected to be issued, and the value of the security will
thereafter be reflected in the calculation of the Fund's Net Asset Value. The
cost basis of the security will be adjusted by the amount of the commitment fee.
In the event the security is not issued, the commitment fee will be recorded as
income on the expiration date of the standby commitment.
Currency Hedging Transactions
In order to hedge against currency exchange rate risks, the Fund may enter into
forward currency exchange contracts and currency futures contracts and options
on such futures contracts, as well as buy put or call options and write covered
put and call options on currencies traded in U.S. or foreign markets.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts. The Fund may enter into forward
foreign currency exchange contracts in certain circumstances, as indicated in
the Prospectus. Additionally, when Advisers believes that the currency of a
particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S.
dollar, the Fund may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount
of dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or
all of the Fund's portfolio securities denominated in that foreign currency. The
precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities
involved is not generally possible because the future value of such securities
in foreign currencies changes as a consequence of market movements in the value
of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and
the date it matures. Using forward contracts to protect the value of the Fund's
portfolio securities against a decline in the value of a currency does not
eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. It simply
establishes a rate of exchange which each Fund can achieve at some future point
in time. The precise projection of short-term currency market movements is not
possible, and short-term hedging provides a mean of fixing the dollar value of
only a portion of the Fund's foreign assets.
The Fund may engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in one currency
to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities denominated in a
different currency if Advisers determines that there is a pattern of correlation
between the two currencies. The Fund may also buy and sell forward contracts (to
the extent they are not deemed "commodities") for non-hedging purposes when
Advisers anticipates that the foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in
value, but securities denominated in that currency do not present attractive
investment opportunities and are not held in the Fund's portfolio.
The Fund's custodian bank will place cash or liquid high grade debt securities
(i.e., securities rated in one of the top three ratings categories by Moody's
Investors Service ("Moody's") or Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P") or, if
unrated, deemed by Advisers to be of comparable credit quality) into a
segregated account of the Fund in an amount equal to the value of the Fund's
total assets committed to the consummation of forward foreign currency exchange
contracts requiring the Fund to buy foreign currencies. If the value of the
securities placed in the segregated account declines, additional cash or
securities is placed in the account on a daily basis so that the value of the
account equals the amount of the Fund's commitments with respect to its
contracts. The segregated account is marked-to-market on a daily basis. Although
the contracts are not presently regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission (the "CFTC"), the CFTC may in the future assert authority to regulate
these contracts. If this happens, the Fund's ability to use forward foreign
currency exchange contracts may be restricted.
The Fund generally will not enter into a forward contract with a term of greater
than one year.
Writing and Buying Currency Call and Put Options. The Fund may write (sell)
covered put and call options and buy put and call options on foreign currencies
for the purpose of protecting against declines in the dollar value of portfolio
securities and against increases in the dollar cost of securities to be
acquired. The Fund may use options on currency to cross-hedge, which involves
writing or buying options on one currency to hedge against changes in exchange
rates for a different currency with a pattern of correlation. In addition, the
Fund may buy call options on currency for non-hedging purposes when Advisers
anticipates that the currency will appreciate in value, but the securities
denominated in that currency do not present attractive investment opportunities
and are not included in the Fund's portfolio.
A call option written by the Fund obligates the Fund to sell specified currency
to the holder of the option at a specified price at any time before the
expiration date. A put option written by the Fund would obligate the Fund to buy
specified currency from the option holder at a specified time before the
expiration date. The writing of currency options involves a risk that the Fund
will, upon exercise of the option, be required to sell currency subject to a
call at a price that is less than the currency's market value or be required to
buy currency subject to a put at a price that exceeds the currency's market
value.
The Fund may terminate its obligations under a call or put option by buying an
option identical to the one it has written. These purchases are referred to as
"closing purchase transactions." The Fund would also be able to enter into
closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on
options purchased by the Fund.
The Fund would normally buy call options in anticipation of an increase in the
dollar value of the currency in which securities to be acquired by the Fund are
denominated. The purchase of a call option would entitle the Fund, in return for
the premium paid, to buy specified currency at a specified price during the
option period. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option
period, the value of the currency exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the
premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no
gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.
The Fund would normally buy put options in anticipation of a decline in the
dollar value of currency in which securities in its portfolio are denominated
("protective puts"). The purchase of a put option would entitle the Fund, in
exchange for the premium paid, to sell specific currency at a specified price
during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is designed merely to
offset or hedge against a decline in the dollar value of the Fund's portfolio
securities due to currency exchange rate fluctuations. The Fund would ordinarily
realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying
currency decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the
premium and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain
or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of
protective put options would tend to be offset by countervailing changes in the
value of the underlying currency.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Advisers may choose to hedge
against changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates,
by buying and selling various kinds of futures contracts. The Fund may also
enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to any such
contracts and options. The futures contracts may be based on foreign currencies.
The Fund will engage in futures and related options transactions only for bona
fide hedging or other appropriate risk management purposes as defined below. All
futures contracts entered into by the Fund are traded on U.S. exchanges or
boards of trade that are licensed and regulated by the CFTC or on foreign
exchanges.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement
between two parties to buy and sell particular financial instruments for an
agreed price during a designated month (or to deliver the final cash settlement
price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling
for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contract).
The Fund can sell futures contracts on a specified currency to protect against a
decline in the value of the currency and its portfolio securities that are
denominated in that currency. The Fund can buy futures contracts on foreign
currency to fix the price in U.S. dollars of a security denominated in the
currency that the Fund has acquired or expects to acquire.
Although futures contracts by their terms generally call for the actual delivery
or acquisition of underlying securities, in most cases the contractual
obligation is fulfilled before the date of the contract without having to make
or take delivery. The contractual obligation is offset by buying (or selling, as
the case may be) on a commodities exchange an identical futures contract calling
for delivery in the same month. This transaction, which is effected through a
member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the
securities or the cash value of the index underlying the contractual
obligations. The Fund may incur brokerage fees when it buys or sells futures
contracts.
Positions taken in the futures markets are not normally held to maturity, but
are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions that may result in a
profit or a loss. While the Fund's futures contracts on currency will usually be
liquidated in this manner, the Fund may instead make or take delivery of the
currency whenever it appears economically advantageous for it to do so. A
clearing corporation associated with the exchange on which futures on currency
are traded guarantees that, if still open, the sale or purchase will be
performed on the settlement date.
Hedging Strategies With Futures. Hedging by use of futures contracts seeks to
establish, with more certainty than would otherwise be possible, the effective
price or currency exchange rate on portfolio securities or securities that the
Fund owns or proposes to acquire. The Fund may sell futures contracts on
currency in which its portfolio securities are denominated or in one currency to
hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities denominated in a different
currency if there is an established historical pattern of correlation between
the two currencies.
The CFTC and U.S. commodities exchanges have established limits referred to as
"speculative position limits" on the maximum net long or net short position that
any person may hold or control in a particular futures contract. Trading limits
are also imposed on the maximum number of contracts that any person may trade on
a particular trading day. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions
found to be in violation of these limits and it may impose other sanctions or
restrictions. The Fund does not believe that these trading and positions limits
will have an adverse impact on its strategies for hedging its securities.
Options on Futures Contracts. The acquisition of put and call options on futures
contracts will give the Fund the right (but not the obligation), for a specified
price, to sell or to buy, respectively, the underlying futures contract at any
time during the option period. As the buyer of an option on a futures contract,
the Fund obtains the benefit of the futures position if prices move in a
favorable direction but limits its risk of loss in the event of an unfavorable
price movement, to the loss of the premium and transaction costs.
The writing of a call option on a futures contract generates a premium that may
be partially offset by a decline in the value of the Fund's assets. By writing a
call option, the Fund becomes obligated, in exchange for the premium, to sell a
futures contract, which may have a value higher than the exercise price.
Conversely, the writing of a put option on a futures contract generates a
premium that may partially offset an increase in the price of securities that
the Fund intends to buy. However, the Fund becomes obligated to buy a futures
contract, which may have a value lower than the exercise price. Thus, the loss
incurred by the Fund in writing options on futures is potentially unlimited and
may exceed the amount of the premium received. The Fund will incur transaction
costs in connection with the writing of options on futures.
The holder or writer of an option on a futures contract may terminate its
position by selling or buying an offsetting option on the same series. There is
no guarantee that closing transactions can be effected. The Fund's ability to
establish and close out positions on its options will be subject to the
development and maintenance of a liquid market.
Options and forward and futures contracts and related options are generally
considered "derivative securities."
WHAT ARE THE FUND'S POTENTIAL RISKS?
Political and Economic Risks. Investing in securities of non-U.S. companies may
entail additional risks due to the potential political and economic instability
of certain countries and the risks of expropriation, nationalization,
confiscation or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investment and on
repatriation of capital invested. In the event of expropriation, nationalization
or other confiscation by any country, the Fund could lose its entire investment
in that country.
Illiquid Investments. The sale of restricted or illiquid securities often
requires more time and results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts
and other selling expenses than does the sale of securities eligible for trading
on national securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter markets. Restricted
securities often sell at a price lower than similar securities that are not
subject to restrictions on resale.
Religious and Ethnic Instability. Certain countries in which the Fund may invest
may have vocal minorities that advocate radical religious or revolutionary
philosophies or support ethnic independence. Any disturbance on the part of
these individuals could carry the potential for wide-spread destruction or
confiscation of property owned by individuals and entities foreign to the
country and could cause the loss of the Fund's investment in those countries.
Foreign Investment Restrictions. Certain countries prohibit or impose
substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly
their equity markets, by foreign entities such as the Fund. As illustrations,
certain countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign
persons, or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular
company, or limit the investment by foreign persons to only a specific class of
securities of a company that may have less advantageous terms than securities of
the company available for purchase by nationals. Moreover, the national policies
of certain countries may restrict investment opportunities in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to national interests. Some countries require
governmental approval for the repatriation of investment income, capital or the
proceeds of securities sold by foreign investors. The Fund could be adversely
affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval
for repatriation, as well as by the application to it of other restrictions on
investments.
Non-Uniform Corporate Disclosure Standards and Governmental Regulation. Foreign
companies are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and
financial reporting standards or to other regulatory requirements comparable to
those applicable to U.S. companies. There will be less available information
concerning foreign issuers of securities held by the Fund than is available
concerning U.S. issuers. In instances where the financial statements of an
issuer are not deemed to reflect accurately the financial situation of the
issuer, Advisers may take appropriate steps to evaluate the proposed investment,
which may include on-site inspection of the issuer, interviews with its
management and consultations with accountants, bankers and other specialists.
Adverse Market Characteristics. Securities of many foreign issuers may be less
liquid and their prices more volatile than securities of comparable U.S.
issuers. In addition, foreign securities exchanges and brokers are generally
subject to less governmental supervision and regulation than in the U.S., and
foreign securities exchange transactions are usually subject to fixed
commissions, which are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S.
transactions. In addition, foreign securities exchange transactions may be
subject to difficulties associated with the settlement of 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 a portfolio
security due to settlement problems could either result 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 gain
to the buyer. Advisers will consider these difficulties when determining the
allocation of the Fund's assets, although Advisers does not believe that these
difficulties will have a material adverse effect on the Fund's portfolio trading
activities.
Non-U.S. Taxes. The Fund's net investment income from foreign issuers may be
subject to non-U.S. withholding or other taxes, thereby reducing the Fund's net
investment income.
Currency Fluctuations. Because the Fund under normal circumstances will invest a
substantial portion of its total assets in the securities of foreign issuers
that are denominated in foreign currencies, the strength or weakness of the U.S.
dollar against such foreign currencies will account for part of the Fund's
investment performance. A decline in the value of any particular currency
against the U.S. dollar will cause a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the
Fund's holdings of securities denominated in that currency and, therefore, will
cause an overall decline in the Fund's Net Asset Value and any net investment
income and capital gains to be distributed to you in U.S. dollars.
The rate of exchange between the U.S. dollar and other currencies is determined
by several factors, including the supply and demand for particular currencies,
central bank efforts to support particular currencies, the movement of interest
rates, the pace of business activity in certain other countries and the U.S.,
and other economic and financial conditions affecting the world economy.
Although the Fund values its assets daily in terms of U.S. dollars, the Fund
does not intend to convert its holdings of foreign currencies into U.S. dollars
on a daily basis. The Fund will do so from time to time, and you should be aware
of the costs of currency conversion. Although foreign exchange dealers do not
charge a fee for conversion, they do realize a profit based on the difference
(the "spread") between the prices at which they are buying and selling various
currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to the Fund at
one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the Fund desire to
sell that currency to the dealer.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts. While the Fund may enter into
forward contracts to reduce currency exchange rate risks, transactions in these
contracts involve certain other risks. Thus, while the Fund may benefit from
such transactions, unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in a
poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in any
forward contract. Moreover, there may be imperfect correlation between the
Fund's portfolio holdings of securities denominated in a particular currency and
forward contracts entered into by the Fund. This imperfect correlation may cause
the Fund to sustain losses that will prevent the Fund from achieving a complete
hedge or expose the Fund to risk of foreign exchange loss.
Options on Currency. An exchange-traded options position may be closed out only
on an options exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the
same series. Although the Fund will generally buy or write only those options
for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance
that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular
option or at any particular time. For some options, no secondary market on an
exchange may exist. In this event, it might not be possible to effect closing
transactions in particular options, with the result that the Fund would have to
exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction
costs upon the sale of underlying securities pursuant to the exercise of put
options. If the Fund, as a covered call option writer, is unable to effect a
closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it will not be able to sell
the underlying currency (or security denominated in that currency) until the
option expires or it delivers the underlying currency upon exercise.
There is no assurance that higher than anticipated trading activity or other
unforeseen events might not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the
Option Clearing Corporation inadequate, and thereby result in the institution by
an exchange of special procedures that may interfere with the timely execution
of customers' orders.
The Fund may buy and write over-the-counter options to the extent consistent
with its limitation on investments in restricted securities, as described in the
Prospectus. Trading in over-the-counter options is subject to the risk that the
other party will be unable or unwilling to close-out options purchased or
written by the Fund.
The amount of the premiums that the Fund may pay or receive may be adversely
affected as new or existing institutions, including other investment companies,
engage in or increase their option buying and writing activities.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. While transactions in
futures contracts and options on futures may reduce certain risks, these
transactions themselves entail certain other risks. Thus, while the Fund may
benefit from the use of futures and options on futures, unanticipated changes in
interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a
poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into any
futures contracts or options transactions. In the event of an imperfect
correlation between a future position and portfolio position that is intended to
be protected, the desired protection may not be obtained and the Fund may be
exposed to risk of loss.
High Yielding, Fixed-income Securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its
assets in lower rated, fixed-income securities and unrated securities of
comparable quality. Because of the Fund's policy of investing in higher
yielding, higher risk securities, an investment in the Fund is accompanied by a
higher degree of risk than is present with an investment in higher rated, lower
yielding securities. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not be
considered a complete investment program and should be carefully evaluated for
its appropriateness in light of your overall investment needs and goals. If you
are on a fixed income or retired, you should also consider the increased risk of
loss to principal that is present with an investment in higher risk securities
such as those in which the Fund invests.
The market value of lower rated, fixed-income securities and unrated securities
of comparable quality, commonly known as junk bonds, tends to reflect individual
developments affecting the issuer to a greater extent than the market value of
higher rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general
level of interest rates. Lower rated securities also tend to be more sensitive
to economic conditions than higher rated securities. These lower rated
fixed-income securities are considered by the rating agencies, on balance, to be
predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest
and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation and will
generally involve more credit risk than securities in the higher rating
categories. Even securities rated triple B by S&P or Moody's, ratings which are
considered investment grade, possess some speculative characteristics.
Issuers of high yielding, fixed-income securities are often highly leveraged and
may not have more traditional methods of financing available to them. Therefore,
the risk associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers is generally
greater than is the case with higher rated securities. For example, during an
economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, highly
leveraged issuers of high yielding securities may experience financial stress.
During these periods, such issuers may not have sufficient cash flow to meet
their interest payment obligations. The issuer's ability to service its debt
obligations may also be adversely affected by specific developments affecting
the issuer, the issuer's inability to meet specific projected business
forecasts, or the unavailability of additional financing. The risk of loss due
to default by the issuer may be significantly greater for the holders of high
yielding securities because such securities are generally unsecured and are
often subordinated to other creditors of the issuer. Current prices for
defaulted bonds are generally significantly lower than their purchase price, and
the Fund may have unrealized losses on such defaulted securities that are
reflected in the price of the Fund's shares. In general, securities that default
lose much of their value in the time period prior to the actual default so that
the Fund's net assets are impacted prior to the default. The Fund may retain an
issue that has defaulted because the issue may present an opportunity for
subsequent price recovery.
High yielding, fixed-income securities frequently have call or buy-back features
that permit an issuer to call or repurchase the securities from the Fund.
Although such securities are typically not callable for a period from three to
five years after their issuance, if a call were exercised by the issuer during
periods of declining interest rates, Advisers may find it necessary to replace
the securities with lower yielding securities, which could result in less net
investment income to the Fund. The premature disposition of a high yielding
security due to a call or buy-back feature, the deterioration of the issuer's
creditworthiness, or a default may also make it more difficult for the Fund to
manage the timing of its receipt of income, which may have tax implications. The
Fund may be required under the Code and U.S. Treasury regulations to accrue
income for income tax purposes on defaulted obligations and to distribute the
income to the Fund's shareholders even though the Fund is not currently
receiving interest or principal payments on such obligations. In order to
generate cash to satisfy any or all of these distribution requirements, the Fund
may be required to dispose of portfolio securities that it otherwise would have
continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of
Fund shares.
The Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yielding securities
because there may be a thin trading market for a particular security at any
given time. The market for lower rated, fixed-income securities generally tends
to be concentrated among a smaller number of dealers than is the case for
securities that trade in a broader secondary retail market. Generally,
purchasers of these securities are predominantly dealers and other institutional
buyers, rather than individuals. To the extent the secondary trading market for
a particular high yielding, fixed-income security does exist, it is generally
not as liquid as the secondary market for higher rated securities. Reduced
liquidity in the secondary market may have an adverse impact on market price and
the Fund's ability to dispose of particular issues, when necessary, to meet the
Fund's liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as a
deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer. Reduced liquidity in the
secondary market for certain securities may also make it more difficult for the
Fund to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing
the Fund's portfolio. Current values for these high yield issues are obtained
from pricing services and/or a limited number of dealers and may be based upon
factors other than actual sales. (See "How Are Fund Shares Valued?" in this
SAI.)
The Fund is authorized to acquire high yielding, fixed-income securities that
are sold without registration under the federal securities laws and therefore
carry restrictions on resale. While many high yielding securities have been sold
with registration rights, covenants and penalty provisions for delayed
registration, if the Fund is required to sell restricted securities before the
securities have been registered, it may be deemed an underwriter of the
securities under the Securities Act of 1933, which entails special
responsibilities and liabilities. The Fund may incur special costs in disposing
of restricted securities; however, the Fund will generally incur no costs when
the issuer is responsible for registering the securities.
The Fund may acquire high yielding, fixed-income securities during an initial
underwriting. These securities involve special risks because they are new
issues. Advisers will carefully review their credit and other characteristics.
The Fund has no arrangement with its underwriter or any other person concerning
the acquisition of these securities.
The high yield securities market is relatively new and much of its growth prior
to 1990 paralleled a long economic expansion. The recession that began in 1990
disrupted the market for high yielding securities and adversely affected the
value of outstanding securities and the ability of issuers of such securities to
meet their obligations. Although the economy has improved considerably and high
yielding securities have performed more consistently since that time, there is
no assurance that the adverse effects previously experienced will not reoccur.
For example, the highly publicized defaults of some high yield issuers during
1989 and 1990 and concerns regarding a sluggish economy which continued into
1993, depressed the prices for many of these securities. While market prices may
be temporarily depressed due to these factors, the ultimate price of any
security will generally reflect the true operating results of the issuer.
Factors adversely impacting the market value of high yielding securities will
adversely impact the Fund's Net Asset Value. In addition, the Fund may incur
additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default
in the payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings. The Fund will
rely on Advisers' judgment, analysis and experience in evaluating the
creditworthiness of an issuer. In this evaluation, Advisers will take into
consideration, among other things, the issuer's financial resources, its
sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, its operating history, the
quality of the issuer's management and regulatory matters.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The Fund has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies. These
restrictions may not be changed without the approval of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Under the 1940 Act, this means the
approval of (i) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund or (ii) 67%
or more of the shares of the Fund present at a shareholder meeting if more than
50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are represented at the meeting in
person or by proxy, whichever is less. The Fund may not:
1. Make loans to other persons, except by the purchase of bonds, debentures or
similar obligations which are publicly distributed or of a character usually
acquired by institutional investors, or through loans of the Fund's portfolio
securities, or to the extent the entry into a repurchase agreement or similar
transaction may be deemed a loan;
2. Borrow money or mortgage or pledge any of its assets, except in the form of
reverse repurchase agreements or from banks for temporary or emergency purposes
in an amount up to 33% of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the
amount borrowed) based on the lesser of cost or market, less liabilities (not
including the amount borrowed) at the time the borrowing is made. While
borrowings exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets, the Fund will not make any
additional investments;
3. Underwrite securities of other issuers (does not preclude the Fund from
obtaining such short-term credit as may be necessary for the clearance of
purchases and sales of its portfolio securities) or invest more than 5% of its
assets in illiquid securities with legal or contractual restrictions on resale
(although the Fund may invest in Rule 144A restricted securities to the full
extent permitted under the federal securities laws); except that all or
substantially all of the assets of the Fund may be invested in another
registered investment company having the same investment objective and policies
as the Fund;
4. Invest in securities for the purpose of exercising management or control of
the issuer; except that all or substantially all of the assets of the Fund may
be invested in another registered investment company having the same investment
objective and policies as the Fund;
5. Effect short sales, unless at the time the Fund owns securities equivalent in
kind and amount to those sold (which will normally be for deferring recognition
of gains or losses for tax purposes);
6. Invest directly in real estate, real estate limited partnerships or illiquid
securities issued by real estate investment trusts (the Fund may, however,
invest up to 10% of its assets in marketable securities issued by real estate
investment trusts);
7. Invest directly in interests in oil, gas or other mineral leases, exploration
or development programs;
8. Invest in the securities of other investment companies, except where there is
no commission other than the customary brokerage commission or sales charge, or
except that securities of another investment company may be acquired pursuant to
a plan of reorganization, merger, consolidation or acquisition, and except where
the Fund would not own, immediately after the acquisition, securities of the
investment companies which exceed in the aggregate i) more than 3% of the
issuer's outstanding voting stock, ii) more than 5% of the Fund's total assets
and iii) together with the securities of all other investment companies held by
the Fund, exceed, in the aggregate, more than 10% of the Fund's total assets;
except that all or substantially all of the assets of the Fund may be invested
in another registered investment company having the same investment objective
and policies as the Fund. Pursuant to available exemptions from the 1940 Act,
the Fund may invest in shares of one or more money market funds managed by
Advisers, or its affiliates;
9. Purchase from or sell to its officers and trustees, or any firm of which any
officer or trustee is a member, as principal, any securities, but may deal with
such persons or firms as brokers and pay a customary brokerage commission; or
purchase or retain securities of any issuer if one or more of the officers or
trustees of the Trust, or its investment adviser, own beneficially more than
one-half of 1% of the securities of such issuer and all such officers and
trustees together own beneficially more than 5% of such securities;
10. Concentrate in any industry, except that under normal circumstances the Fund
will invest at least 25% of total assets in the securities issued by domestic
and foreign companies operating within the natural resources sector; except that
all or substantially all of the assets of the Fund may be invested in another
registered investment company having the same investment objective and policies
as the Fund; and
11. Invest more than 10% of its assets in securities of companies which have a
record of less than three years continuous operation, including the operations
of any predecessor companies; except that all or substantially all of the assets
of the Fund may be invested in another registered investment company having the
same investment objective and policies as the Fund.
In addition to these fundamental policies, it is the present policy of the Fund
(which may be changed without shareholder approval) not to engage in joint or
joint and several trading accounts in securities, except that it may participate
in joint repurchase arrangements, invest its short-term cash in shares of the
Franklin Money Fund (pursuant to the terms of any order, and any conditions
therein, issued by the SEC permitting such investments), or combine orders to
purchase or sell with orders from other persons to obtain lower brokerage
commissions. The Fund may not invest in excess of 5% of its net assets, valued
at the lower of cost or market, in warrants, nor more than 2% of its net assets
in warrants not listed on either the New York or American Stock Exchange.
If a percentage restriction is met at the time of investment, a later increase
or decrease in the percentage due to a change in value of portfolio securities
or the amount of assets will not be considered a violation of any of the
foregoing restrictions.
OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES
The Board has the responsibility for the overall management of the Fund,
including general supervision and review of its investment activities. The
Board, in turn, elects the officers of the Fund who are responsible for
administering the Fund's day-to-day operations. The affiliations of the officers
and Board members and their principal occupations for the past five years are
shown below. Members of the Board who are considered "interested persons" of the
Fund under the 1940 Act are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Frank H. Abbott, III (75) Trustee
1045 Sansome St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
President and Director, Abbott Corporation (an investment company); and
director, trustee or managing general partner, as the case may be, of 31 of the
investment companies in the Franklin Group of Funds.
Harris J. Ashton (64) Trustee
General Host Corporation
Metro Center, 1 Station Place
Stamford, CT 06904-2045
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, General Host
Corporation (nursery and craft centers); Director, RBC Holdings, Inc. (a bank
holding company) and Bar-S Foods; and director, trustee or managing general
partner, as the case may be, of 55 of the investment companies in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds.
Harmon E. Burns (51) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Trustee
San Mateo, CA 94404
Executive Vice President, Secretary and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.;
Executive Vice President and Director, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.;
Executive Vice President, Franklin Advisers, Inc.; Director, Franklin/Templeton
Investor Services, Inc.; officer and/or director, as the case may be, of other
subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc.; and officer and/or director or trustee
of 60 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
S. Joseph Fortunato (64) Trustee
Park Avenue at Morris County
P. O. Box 1945
Morristown, NJ 0796945
Member of the law firm of Pitney, Hardin, Kipp & Szuch; Director of General Host
Corporation; director, trustee or managing general partner, as the case may be,
of 57 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
David W. Garbellano (81) Trustee
111 New Montgomery St., #402
San Francisco, CA 94105
Private Investor; Assistant Secretary/Treasurer and Director, Berkeley Science
Corporation (a venture capital company); and director, trustee or managing
general partner, as the case may be, of 30 of the investment companies in the
Franklin Group of Funds.
Charles B. Johnson (63) Chairman of
777 Mariners Island Blvd. the Board
San Mateo, CA 94404 and Trustee
President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; Chairman of the Board and
Director, Franklin Advisers, Inc. and Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.;
Director, Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc. and General Host
Corporation; and officer and/or director, trustee or managing general partner,
as the case may be, of most other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and
of 56 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. (56) President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Trustee
San Mateo, CA 94404
Executive Vice President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc. and Franklin
Templeton Distributors, Inc.; President and Director, Franklin Advisers, Inc.;
Director, Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc.; and officer and/or
director, trustee or managing general partner, as the case may be, of most other
subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of 60 of the investment companies
in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Frank W. T. LaHaye (67) Trustee
20833 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Suite 102
Cupertino, CA 95014
General Partner, Peregrine Associates and Miller & LaHaye, which are General
Partners of Peregrine Ventures and Peregrine Ventures II (venture capital
firms); Chairman of the Board and Director, Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc.;
Director, FischerImaging Corporation; and director or trustee or managing
general partner, as the case may be, of 26 of the investment companies in the
Franklin Group of Funds.
Gordon S. Macklin (68) Trustee
8212 Burning Tree Road
Bethesda, MD 20817
Chairman, White River Corporation (information services); Director, Fund
American Enterprises Holdings, Inc., MCI Communications, Inc., MedImmune, Inc.
(biotechnology), InfoVest Corporation (information services), Fusion Systems
Corporation (industrial technology), and Source One Mortgage Services
Corporation (information services); and director, trustee or managing general
partner, as the case may be, of 52 of the investment companies in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds; and formerly held the following positions: Chairman,
Hambrecht and Quist Group; Director, H & Q Healthcare Investors; and President,
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
Kenneth V. Domingues (64) Vice President -
777 Mariners Island Blvd. Financial Reporting
San Mateo, CA 94404 and Accounting
Standards
Senior Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc., Franklin Advisers, Inc., and
Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.; officer and/or director, as the case may
be, of other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc.; and officer and/or
managing general partner, as the case may be, of 37 of the investment companies
in the Franklin Group of Funds.
Martin L. Flanagan (36) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Chief
San Mateo, CA 94404 Financial Officer
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Franklin
Resources, Inc.; Executive Vice President, Templeton Worldwide, Inc.; Senior
Vice President and Treasurer, Franklin Advisers, Inc. and Franklin Templeton
Distributors, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Franklin/Templeton Investor Services,
Inc.; officer of most other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc.; and
officer, director and/or trustee of 60 of the investment companies in the
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Deborah R. Gatzek (48) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd. and Secretary
San Mateo, CA 94404
Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Franklin Resources, Inc.; Senior Vice
President, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.; Vice President, Franklin
Advisers, Inc. and officer of 60 of the investment companies in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds.
Charles E. Johnson (40) Vice President
500 East Broward Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33394-3091
Senior Vice President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; Senior Vice
President, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.; President and Director,
Templeton Worldwide, Inc. and Franklin Institutional Services Corporation;
officer and/or director, as the case may be, of some of the subsidiaries of
Franklin Resources, Inc. and officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may
be, of 39 of the investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Diomedes Loo-Tam (57) Treasurer and
777 Mariners Island Blvd. Principal
San Mateo, CA 94404 Accounting
Officer
Employee of Franklin Advisers, Inc.; and officer of 37 of the investment
companies in the Franklin Group of Funds.
Edward V. McVey (59) Vice President
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404
Senior Vice President/National Sales Manager, Franklin Templeton Distributors,
Inc.; and officer of 32 of the investment companies in the Franklin Group of
Funds.
The table above shows the officers and Board members who are affiliated with
Distributors and Advisers. Nonaffiliated members of the Board are currently paid
$2,400 per year (or $300 for each of the Trust's eight regularly scheduled Board
meetings) plus $300 per meeting attended. As shown above, some of the
nonaffiliated Board members also serve as directors, trustees or managing
general partners of other investment companies in the Franklin Templeton Group
of Funds. They may receive fees from these funds for their services. The
following table provides the total fees paid to nonaffiliated Board members by
the Trust and by other funds in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
Number of Boards
Total Fees in the Franklin
Total Fees Received from the Templeton Group
Received from Franklin Templeton of Funds on Which
Name the Trust* Group of Funds** Each Serves***
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frank H. Abbott, III $1,200 $162,420 31
Harris J. Ashton 1,200 327,925 55
S. Joseph Fortunato 1,200 344,745 57
David Garbellano 1,200 146,100 30
Frank W.T. LaHaye 900 143,200 26
Gordon S. Macklin 1,200 321,525 52
*FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED APRIL 30, 1996. THE TRUST BEGAN PAYING FEES TO ITS
NONAFFILIATED BOARD MEMBERS ON FEBRUARY 1, 1996.
**FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1995.
***WE BASE THE NUMBER OF BOARDS ON THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES
IN THE FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP OF FUNDS. THIS NUMBER DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TOTAL
NUMBER OF SERIES OR FUNDS WITHIN EACH INVESTMENT COMPANY FOR WHICH THE BOARD
MEMBERS ARE RESPONSIBLE. THE FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP OF FUNDS CURRENTLY
INCLUDES 61 REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANIES, WITH APPROXIMATELY 171 U.S. BASED
FUNDS OR SERIES.NONAFFILIATED MEMBERS OF THE BOARD ARE REIMBURSED FOR EXPENSES
INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH ATTENDING BOARD MEETINGS, PAID PRO RATA BY EACH FUND
IN THE FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP OF FUNDS FOR WHICH THEY SERVE AS DIRECTOR,
TRUSTEE OR MANAGING GENERAL PARTNER. NO OFFICER OR BOARD MEMBER RECEIVED ANY
OTHER COMPENSATION, INCLUDING PENSION OR RETIREMENT BENEFITS, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, FROM THE FUND OR OTHER FUNDS IN THE FRANKLIN TEMPLETON GROUP OF
FUNDS. CERTAIN OFFICERS OR BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE SHAREHOLDERS OF RESOURCES MAY
BE DEEMED TO RECEIVE INDIRECT REMUNERATION BY VIRTUE OF THEIR PARTICIPATION, IF
ANY, IN THE FEES PAID TO ITS SUBSIDIARIES.
As of December 6, 1996, the officers and Board members, as a group, owned of
record and beneficially the following shares of the Fund: approximately 1,377
Class I shares, or less than 1% of the total outstanding Class I shares of the
Fund. Many of the Board members also own shares in other funds in the Franklin
Templeton Group of Funds. Charles B. Johnson and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. are
brothers and the father and uncle, respectively, of Charles E. Johnson.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
AND OTHER SERVICES
Investment Manager and Services Provided. The Fund's investment manager is
Advisers. Advisers provides investment research and portfolio management
services, including the selection of securities for the Fund to buy, hold or
sell and the selection of brokers through whom the Fund's portfolio transactions
are executed. Advisers' activities are subject to the review and supervision of
the Board to whom Advisers renders periodic reports of the Fund's investment
activities. Advisers is covered by fidelity insurance on its officers, directors
and employees for the protection of the Fund.
Advisers and its affiliates act as investment manager to numerous other
investment companies and accounts. Advisers may give advice and take action with
respect to any of the other funds it manages, or for its own account, that may
differ from action taken by Advisers on behalf of the Fund. Similarly, with
respect to the Fund, Advisers is not obligated to recommend, buy or sell, or to
refrain from recommending, buying or selling any security that Advisers and
access persons, as defined by the 1940 Act, may buy or sell for its or their own
account or for the accounts of any other fund. Advisers is not obligated to
refrain from investing in securities held by the Fund or other funds that it
manages. Of course, any transactions for the accounts of Advisers and other
access persons will be made in compliance with the Fund's Code of Ethics. Please
see "Miscellaneous Information Summary of Code of Ethics."
Management Fees. Under its management agreement, the Fund pays Advisers a
management fee equal to an annual rate of 0.625 of 1% for the first $100 million
of average daily net assets of the Fund; 0.50 of 1% in excess of $100 million up
to $250 million of average daily net assets; 0.45 of 1% in excess of $250
million up to $10 billion of average daily net assets; 0.44 of 1% in excess of
$10 billion up to $12.5 billion of average daily net assets; 0.42 of 1% in
excess of $12.5 billion up to $15 billion of average daily net assets; and 0.40
of 1% in excess of $15 billion of average daily net assets. The fee is computed
daily and paid monthly. Each class pays its proportionate share of the
management fee.
For the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996, management fees, before any advance
waiver, totaled $21,007. Under an agreement by Advisers to waive its fees, the
Fund paid no management fees for that period.
Management Agreement. The management agreement is in effect until April 30,
1997. It may continue in effect for successive annual periods if its continuance
is specifically approved at least annually by a vote of the Board or by a vote
of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities, and in
either event by a majority vote of the Board members who are not parties to the
management agreement or interested persons of any such party (other than as
members of the Board), cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. The
management agreement may be terminated without penalty at any time by the Board
or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting
securities, or by Advisers on 30 days' written notice, and will automatically
terminate in the event of its assignment, as defined in the 1940 Act.
Administrative Services. Under an agreement with Advisers, FT Services provides
certain administrative services and facilities for the Fund. These include
preparing and maintaining books, records, and tax and financial reports, and
monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements. FT Services is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Resources.
Under its administration agreement, Advisers pays FT Services a monthly
administration fee equal to an annual rate of 0.15% of the Fund's average daily
net assets up to $200 million, 0.135% of average daily net assets over $200
million up to $700 million, 0.10% of average daily net assets over $700 million
up to $1.2 billion, and 0.075% of average daily net assets over $1.2 billion.
The fee is paid by Advisers. It is not a separate expense of the Fund.
Shareholder Servicing Agent. Investor Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Resources, is the Fund's shareholder servicing agent and acts as the Fund's
transfer agent and dividend-paying agent. Investor Services is compensated on
the basis of a fixed fee per account.
Custodians. Bank of New York, Mutual Funds Division, 90 Washington Street, New
York, New York, 10286, acts as custodian of the securities and other assets of
the Fund. Bank of America NT & SA, 555 California Street, 4th Floor, San
Francisco, California 94104, acts as custodian for cash received in connection
with the purchase of Fund shares. Citibank Delaware, One Penn's Way, New Castle,
Delaware 19720, acts as custodian in connection with transfer services through
bank automated clearing houses. The custodians do not participate in decisions
relating to the purchase and sale of portfolio securities.
Auditors. Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., 333 Market Street, San Francisco, California
94105, are the Fund's independent auditors. During the period June 5, 1995
through the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996, their auditing services consisted
of rendering an opinion on the financial statements of the Trust included in the
Trust's Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996.
Advisor Class shares of the Fund were not offered to the public before January
1, 1997.
HOW DOES THE FUND BUY
SECURITIES FOR ITS PORTFOLIO?
The selection of brokers and dealers to execute transactions in the Fund's
portfolio is made by Advisers in accordance with criteria set forth in the
management agreement and any directions that the Board may give.
When placing a portfolio transaction, Advisers seeks to obtain prompt execution
of orders at the most favorable net price. When portfolio transactions are done
on a securities exchange, the amount of commission paid by the Fund is
negotiated between Advisers and the broker executing the transaction. The
determination and evaluation of the reasonableness of the brokerage commissions
paid in connection with portfolio transactions are based to a large degree on
the professional opinions of the persons responsible for the placement and
review of the transactions. These opinions are based on the experience of these
individuals in the securities industry and information available to them about
the level of commissions being paid by other institutional investors of
comparable size. Advisers will ordinarily place orders to buy and sell
over-the-counter securities on a principal rather than agency basis with a
principal market maker unless, in the opinion of Advisers, a better price and
execution can otherwise be obtained. Purchases of portfolio securities from
underwriters will include a commission or concession paid by the issuer to the
underwriter, and purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid
and ask price.
The amount of commission is not the only factor Advisers considers in the
selection of a broker to execute a trade. If Advisers believes it is in the
Fund's best interest, Advisers may place portfolio transactions with brokers who
provide the types of services described below, even if it means the Fund will
pay a higher commission than if no weight were given to the broker's furnishing
of these services. This will be done only if, in the opinion of Advisers, the
amount of any additional commission is reasonable in relation to the value of
the services. Higher commissions will be paid only when the brokerage and
research services received are bona fide and produce a direct benefit to the
Fund or assist Advisers in carrying out its responsibilities to the Fund, or
when it is otherwise in the best interest of the Fund to do so, whether or not
such services may also be useful to Advisers in advising other clients.
When Advisers believes several brokers are equally able to provide the best net
price and execution, it may decide to execute transactions through brokers who
provide quotations and other services to the Fund, in an amount of total
brokerage as may reasonably be required in light of these services.
Specifically, these services may include providing the quotations necessary to
determine the Fund's Net Asset Value, as well as research, statistical and other
data.
It is not possible to place a dollar value on the special executions or on the
research services received by Advisers from dealers effecting transactions in
portfolio securities. The allocation of transactions in order to obtain
additional research services permits Advisers to supplement its own research and
analysis activities and to receive the views and information of individuals and
research staff of other securities firms. As long as it is lawful and
appropriate to do so, Advisers and its affiliates may use this research and data
in their investment advisory capacities with other clients. If the Fund's
officers are satisfied that the best execution is obtained, consistent with
internal policies the sale of Fund shares, as well as shares of other funds in
the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds, may also be considered a factor in the
selection of broker-dealers to execute the Fund's portfolio transactions.
Because Distributors is a member of the NASD, it may sometimes receive certain
fees when the Fund tenders portfolio securities pursuant to a tender-offer
solicitation. As a means of recapturing brokerage for the benefit of the Fund,
any portfolio securities tendered by the Fund will be tendered through
Distributors if it is legally permissible to do so. In turn, the next management
fee payable to Advisers will be reduced by the amount of any fees received by
Distributors in cash, less any costs and expenses incurred in connection with
the tender.
If purchases or sales of securities of the Fund and one or more other investment
companies or clients supervised by Advisers are considered at or about the same
time, transactions in these securities will be allocated among the several
investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all by
Advisers, taking into account the respective sizes of the funds and the amount
of securities to be purchased or sold. In some cases this procedure could have a
detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as the Fund is
concerned. In other cases it is possible that the ability to participate in
volume transactions and to negotiate lower brokerage commissions will be
beneficial to the Fund.
During the fiscal year ended April 30, 1996, the Fund paid brokerage commissions
totaling $21,405.
As of April 30, 1996, the Fund did not own securities of its regular
broker-dealers.
HOW DO I BUY, SELL AND EXCHANGE SHARES?
Additional Information on Buying Shares
Securities laws of states where the Fund offers its shares may differ from
federal law. Banks and financial institutions that sell shares of the Fund may
be required by state law to register as Securities Dealers.
When you buy shares, if you submit a check or a draft that is returned unpaid to
the Fund we may impose a $10 charge against your account for each returned item.
Distributors and/or its affiliates provide financial support to various
Securities Dealers that sell shares of the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds.
This support is based primarily on the amount of sales of fund shares. The
amount of support may be affected by: total sales; net sales; levels of
redemptions; the proportion of a Securities Dealer's sales and marketing efforts
in the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds; a Securities Dealer's support of, and
participation in, Distributors' marketing programs; a Securities Dealer's
compensation programs for its registered representatives; and the extent of a
Securities Dealer's marketing programs relating to the Franklin Templeton Group
of Funds. Financial support to Securities Dealers may be made by payments from
Distributors' resources, from Distributors' retention of underwriting
concessions and, in the case of funds that have Rule 12b-1 plans, from payments
to Distributors under such plans. In addition, certain Securities Dealers may
receive brokerage commissions generated by fund portfolio transactions in
accordance with the NASD's rules.
Reinvestment Date. Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends will be
purchased at the Net Asset Value determined on the business day following the
dividend record date (sometimes known as the "ex-dividend date"). The processing
date for the reinvestment of dividends may vary and does not affect the amount
or value of the shares acquired.
Additional Information on Exchanging Shares
If you request the exchange of the total value of your account, declared but
unpaid income dividends and capital gain distributions will be exchanged into
the new fund and will be invested at Net Asset Value. Backup withholding and
information reporting may apply. Information regarding the possible tax
consequences of an exchange is included in the tax section in this SAI and in
the Prospectus.
If a substantial number of shareholders should, within a short period, sell
their shares of the Fund under the exchange privilege, the Fund might have to
sell portfolio securities it might otherwise hold and incur the additional costs
related to such transactions. On the other hand, increased use of the exchange
privilege may result in periodic large inflows of money. If this occurs, it is
the Fund's general policy to initially invest this money in short-term,
interest-bearing money market instruments, unless it is believed that attractive
investment opportunities consistent with the Fund's investment objective exist
immediately. This money will then be withdrawn from the short-term money market
instruments and invested in portfolio securities in as orderly a manner as is
possible when attractive investment opportunities arise.
The proceeds from the sale of shares of an investment company are generally not
available until the fifth business day following the sale. The funds you are
seeking to exchange into may delay issuing shares pursuant to an exchange until
that fifth business day. The sale of Fund shares to complete an exchange will be
effected at Net Asset Value at the close of business on the day the request for
exchange is received in proper form. Please see "May I Exchange Shares for
Shares of Another Fund?" in the Prospectus.
Additional Information on Selling Shares
Systematic Withdrawal Plan. There are no service charges for establishing or
maintaining a systematic withdrawal plan. Once your plan is established, any
distributions paid by the Fund will be automatically reinvested in your account.
Payments under the plan will be made from the redemption of an equivalent amount
of shares in your account, generally on the first business day of the month in
which a payment is scheduled before February 1997 and on the 25th day of the
month beginning with your February 1997 payment. If the 25th falls on a weekend
or holiday, we will process the redemption on the prior business day.
Redeeming shares through a systematic withdrawal plan may reduce or exhaust the
shares in your account if payments exceed distributions received from the Fund.
This is especially likely to occur if there is a market decline. If a withdrawal
amount exceeds the value of your account, your account will be closed and the
remaining balance in your account will be sent to you. Because the amount
withdrawn under the plan may be more than your actual yield or income, part of
the payment may be a return of your investment.
The Fund may discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan by notifying you in
writing and will automatically discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan if all
shares in your account are withdrawn or if the Fund receives notification of the
shareholder's death or incapacity.
Through Your Securities Dealer. If you sell shares through your Securities
Dealer, it is your dealer's responsibility to transmit the order to the Fund in
a timely fashion. Any loss to you resulting from your dealer's failure to do so
must be settled between you and your Securities Dealer.
Redemptions in Kind. The Fund has committed itself to pay in cash (by check) all
requests for redemption by any shareholder of record, limited in amount,
however, during any 90-day period to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the value
of the Fund's net assets at the beginning of the 90-day period. This commitment
is irrevocable without the prior approval of the SEC. In the case of redemption
requests in excess of these amounts, the Board reserves the right to make
payments in whole or in part in securities or other assets of the Fund, in case
of an emergency, or if the payment of such a redemption in cash would be
detrimental to the existing shareholders of the Fund. In these circumstances,
the securities distributed would be valued at the price used to compute the
Fund's net assets and you may incur brokerage fees in converting the securities
to cash. The Fund does not intend to redeem illiquid securities in kind. If this
happens, however, you may not be able to recover your investment in a timely
manner.
General Information
If dividend checks are returned to the Fund marked "unable to forward" by the
postal service, we will consider this a request by you to change your dividend
option to reinvest all distributions. The proceeds will be reinvested in
additional shares at Net Asset Value until we receive new instructions.
If mail is returned as undeliverable or we are unable to locate you or verify
your current mailing address, we may deduct the costs of our efforts to find you
from your account. These costs may include a percentage of the account when a
search company charges a percentage fee in exchange for its location services.
All checks, drafts, wires and other payment mediums used to buy or sell shares
of the Fund must be denominated in U.S. dollars. We may, in our sole discretion,
either (a) reject any order to buy or sell shares denominated in any other
currency or (b) honor the transaction or make adjustments to your account for
the transaction as of a date and with a foreign currency exchange factor
determined by the drawee bank.
Special Services. The Franklin Templeton Institutional Services Department
provides specialized services, including recordkeeping, for institutional
investors. The cost of these services is not borne by the Fund.
Investor Services may pay certain financial institutions that maintain omnibus
accounts with the Fund on behalf of numerous beneficial owners for recordkeeping
operations performed with respect to such owners. For each beneficial owner in
the omnibus account, the Fund may reimburse Investor Services an amount not to
exceed the per account fee that the Fund normally pays Investor Services. These
financial institutions may also charge a fee for their services directly to
their clients.
Certain shareholder servicing agents may be authorized to accept your
transaction request.
HOW ARE FUND SHARES VALUED?
We calculate the Net Asset Value per share of each class as of the scheduled
close of the NYSE, generally 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, each day that the NYSE is
open for trading. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund is informed that the NYSE
observes the following holidays: New Year's Day, Presi-dents' Day, Good Friday,
Memorial Day, Indepen-dence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
For the purpose of determining the aggregate net assets of the Fund, cash and
receivables are valued at their realizable amounts. Interest is recorded as
accrued and dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Portfolio securities
listed on a securities exchange or on the NASDAQ National Market System for
which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last quoted sale
price of the day or, if there is no such reported sale, within the range of the
most recent quoted bid and ask prices. Over-the-counter portfolio securities are
valued within the range of the most recent quoted bid and ask prices. Portfolio
securities that are traded both in the over-the-counter market and on a stock
exchange are valued according to the broadest and most representative market as
determined by Advisers.
Portfolio securities underlying actively traded call options are valued at their
market price as determined above. The current market value of any option held by
the Fund is its last sale price on the relevant exchange before the time when
assets are valued. Lacking any sales that day or if the last sale price is
outside the bid and ask prices, options are valued within the range of the
current closing bid and ask prices if the valuation is believed to fairly
reflect the contract's market value.
The value of a foreign security is determined as of the close of trading on the
foreign exchange on which it is traded or as of the scheduled close of trading
on the NYSE, if that is earlier. The value is then converted into its U.S.
dollar equivalent at the foreign exchange rate in effect at noon, New York time,
on the day the value of the foreign security is determined. If no sale is
reported at that time, the mean between the current bid and ask prices is used.
Occasionally events that affect the values of foreign securities and foreign
exchange rates may occur between the times at which they are determined and the
close of the NYSE and will, therefore, not be reflected in the computation of
the Net Asset Value of each class. If events materially affecting the values of
these foreign securities occur during this period, the securities will be valued
in accordance with procedures established by the Board.
Generally, trading in corporate bonds, U.S. government securities and money
market instruments is substantially completed each day at various times before
the scheduled close of the NYSE. The value of these securities used in computing
the Net Asset Value of each class is determined as of such times. Occasionally,
events affecting the values of these securities may occur between the times at
which they are determined and the scheduled close of the NYSE that will not be
reflected in the computation of the Net Asset Value of each class. If events
materially affecting the values of these securities occur during this period,
the securities will be valued at their fair value as determined in good faith by
the Board.
Other securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued at
the current market price, which may be obtained from a pricing service, based on
a variety of factors including recent trades, institutional size trading in
similar types of securities (considering yield, risk and maturity) and/or
developments related to specific issues. Securities and other assets for which
market prices are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined
following procedures approved by the Board. With the approval of the Board, the
Fund may utilize a pricing service, bank or Securities Dealer to perform any of
the above described functions.Additional Information on Distributions and Taxes
Distributions
You may receive two types of distributions from the Fund:
1. Income dividends. The Fund receives income generally in the form of
dividends, interest and other income derived from its investments. This income,
less the expenses incurred in the Fund's operations, is its net investment
income from which income dividends may be distributed. Thus, the amount of
dividends paid per share may vary with each distribution.
2. Capital gain distributions. The Fund may derive capital gains or losses in
connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities.
Distributions by the Fund derived from net short-term and net long-term capital
gains (after taking into account any capital loss carryforward or post October
loss deferral) may generally be made once a year in December to reflect any net
short-term and net long-term capital gains realized by the Fund as of October 31
of the current fiscal year and any undistributed capital gains from the prior
fiscal year. The Fund may make more than one distribution derived from net
short-term and net long-term capital gains in any year or adjust the timing of
these distributions for operational or other reasons.
Taxes
As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund has elected and qualified to be treated as
a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. The Board
reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated
investment company if it determines this course of action to be beneficial to
shareholders. In that case, the Fund will be subject to federal and possibly
state corporate taxes on its taxable income and gains, and distributions to
shareholders will be taxable to the extent of the Fund's available earnings and
profits.
Subject to the limitations discussed below, all or a portion of the income
distributions paid by the Fund may be treated by corporate shareholders as
qualifying dividends for purposes of the dividends-received deduction under
federal income tax law. If the aggregate qualifying dividends received by the
Fund (generally, dividends from U.S. domestic corporations, the stock in which
is not debt-financed by the Fund and is held for at least a minimum holding
period) is less than 100% of its distributable income, then the amount of the
Fund's dividends paid to corporate shareholders which may be designated as
eligible for such deduction will not exceed the aggregate qualifying dividends
received by the Fund for the taxable year. The amount or percentage of income
qualifying for the corporate dividends-received deduction will be declared by
the Fund annually in the Fund's fiscal year end annual report.
Corporate shareholders should note that dividends paid by the Fund from sources
other than the qualifying dividends it receives will not qualify for the
dividends-received deduction. For example, any interest income and short-term
capital gain (in excess of any net long-term capital loss or capital loss
carryover) included in investment company taxable income and distributed by the
Fund as a dividend will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction.
Corporate shareholders should also note that availability of the corporate
dividends-received deduction is subject to certain restrictions. For example,
the deduction is eliminated unless the Fund shares have been held (or deemed
held) for at least 46 days in a substantially unhedged manner. The
dividends-received deduction may also be reduced to the extent interest paid or
accrued by a corporate shareholder is directly attributable to its investment in
Fund shares. The entire dividend, including the portion which is treated as a
deduction, is includable in the tax base on which the federal alternative
minimum tax is computed and may also result in a reduction in the shareholder's
tax basis in its Fund shares, under certain circumstances, if the shares have
been held for less than two years. Corporate shareholders whose investment in
the Fund is "debt financed" for these tax purposes should consult with their tax
advisors concerning the availability of the dividends-received deduction.
The Code requires all funds to distribute at least 98% of their taxable ordinary
income earned during the calendar year and at least 98% of their capital gain
net income earned during the twelve month period ending October 31 of each year
(in addition to amounts from the prior year that were neither distributed nor
taxed to the Fund) to you by December 31 of each year in order to avoid the
imposition of a federal excise tax. Under these rules, certain distributions
which are declared in October, November or December but which, for operational
reasons, may not be paid to you until the following January, will be treated for
tax purposes as if paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of the
calendar year in which they are declared. The Fund intends as a matter of policy
to declare such dividends, if any, in December and to pay these dividends in
December or January to avoid the imposition of this tax, but does not guarantee
that its distributions will be sufficient to avoid any or all federal excise
taxes.
Redemptions and exchanges of Fund shares are taxable transactions for federal
and state income tax purposes. Gain or loss will be recognized in an amount
equal to the difference between your basis in the shares and the amount
received, subject to the rules described below. If such shares are a capital
asset in your hands, gain or loss will be capital gain or loss and will be
long-term for federal income tax purposes if your shares have been held for more
than one year.
All or a portion of the sales charge incurred in buying shares of the Fund will
not be included in the federal tax basis of such shares sold or exchanged within
90 days of their purchase (for purposes of determining gain or loss with respect
to such shares) if you reinvest the sales proceeds in the Fund or in another
fund in the Franklin Templeton Funds and a sales charge which would otherwise
apply to the reinvestment is reduced or eliminated. Any portion of the sales
charge excluded from the tax basis of the shares sold will be added to the tax
basis of the shares acquired in the reinvestment.
All or a portion of a loss realized upon a redemption of shares will be
disallowed to the extent you buy other shares of the Fund (through reinvestment
of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the redemption. Any
loss disallowed under these rules will be added to your tax basis of the shares
repurchased.
Any loss realized upon the redemption of shares within six months from the date
of their purchase will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of
amounts treated as distributions of net long-term capital gain during such six
month period.
The Fund's investment in options and forward contracts are subject to many
complex and special tax rules. For example, over-the-counter options on debt
securities and equity options, including options on stock and on narrow-based
stock indexes, will be subject to tax under Section 1234 of the Code, generally
producing a long-term or short-term capital gain or loss upon exercise, lapse,
or closing out of the option or sale of the underlying stock or security. By
contrast, the Fund's treatment of certain other options, futures and forward
contracts entered into by the Fund is generally governed by Section 1256 of the
Code. These "Section 1256" positions generally include listed options on debt
securities, options on broad-based stock indexes, options on securities indexes,
options on futures contracts, regulated futures contacts and certain foreign
currency contacts and options thereon.
Absent a tax election to the contrary, each Section 1256 position held by the
Fund will be marked-to-market (i.e., treated as if it were sold for fair market
value) on the last business day of the Fund's fiscal year, and all gain or loss
associated with fiscal year transactions and mark-to-market positions at fiscal
year end (except certain foreign currency gain or loss covered by Section 988 of
the Code) will generally be treated as 60% long-term capital gain or loss and
40% short-term capital gain or loss. The effect of Section 1256 mark-to-market
rules may be to accelerate income or to convert what otherwise would have been
long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains or short-term capital
losses into long-term capital losses within the Fund. The acceleration of income
on Section 1256 positions may require the Fund to accrue taxable income without
the corresponding receipt of cash. In order to generate cash to satisfy the
distribution requirements of the Code, the Fund may be required to dispose of
portfolio securities that it otherwise would have continued to hold or to use
cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Fund shares. In these ways,
any or all of these rules may affect both the amount, character and timing of
income distributed to you by the Fund.
When the Fund holds an option or contract which substantially diminishes the
Fund's risk of loss with respect to another position of the Fund (as might occur
in some hedging transactions), this combination of positions could be treated as
a "straddle" for tax purposes, resulting in possible deferral of losses,
adjustments in the holding periods of Fund securities and conversion of
short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. Certain tax elections
exist for mixed straddles (i.e., straddles comprised of at least one Section
1256 position and at least one non-Section 1256 position) which may reduce or
eliminate the operation of these straddle rules.
In order for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company, at least 90%
of the Fund's annual gross income must consist of dividends, interest and
certain other types of qualifying income and no more than 30% of its annual
gross income may be derived from the sale or other disposition of securities or
certain other instruments held for less than 3 months. Foreign exchange gains
derived by the Fund with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stock or
securities, or options or futures with respect to such stock or securities is
qualifying income for purposes of this 90% limitation.
Currency speculation or the use of currency forward contracts or other currency
instruments for non-hedging purposes may generate gains deemed not to be derived
with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stock or securities and
related options or forwards. Under current law, non-directly-related gains
arising from foreign currency positions or instruments held for less than 3
months are treated as derived from the disposition of securities held less than
3 months in determining the Fund's compliance with the 30% limitation. The Fund
will limit its activities involving foreign exchange gains to the extent
necessary to comply with these requirements.
The Fund is authorized to invest in foreign securities (see the discussion in
the Prospectus under "How Does the Fund Invest Its Assets?"). Such investments,
if made, will have the following tax consequences.
The Fund may be subject to foreign withholding taxes on income from certain of
its foreign securities. Because the Fund will likely invest 50% or less of its
total assets in securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will not be
entitled under the Code to pass-through to you your pro rata share of the
foreign taxes paid by the Fund. These taxes will be taken as a deduction by the
Fund.
Foreign exchange gains and losses realized by the Fund in connection with
certain transactions involving foreign currencies, foreign currency payables or
receivables, foreign currency-denominated debt securities, foreign currency
forward contracts, and options or futures contracts on foreign currencies are
subject to special tax rules which may cause such gains and losses to be treated
as ordinary income and losses rather than capital gains and losses and may
affect the amount and timing of the Fund's income or loss from such transactions
and in turn its distributions to you. Additionally, investments in foreign
securities pose special issues to the Fund in meeting its asset diversification
and income tests as a regulated investment company. The Fund will limit its
investments in foreign securities to the extent necessary to comply with these
requirements.
If the Fund owns shares in a foreign corporation that constitutes a "passive
foreign investment company" (a "PFIC") for federal income tax purposes and the
Fund does not elect to treat the foreign corporation as a "qualified electing
fund" within the meaning of the Code, the Fund may be subject to U.S. federal
income taxation on a portion of any "excess distribution" it receives from the
PFIC or any gain it derives from the disposition of such shares, even if such
income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its U.S.
shareholders. The Fund may also be subject to additional interest charges in
respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. Any tax paid
by the Fund as a result of its ownership of shares in a PFIC will not give rise
to a deduction or credit to the Fund or to any shareholder. A PFIC means any
foreign corporation if, for the taxable year involved, either (i) it derives at
least 75% of its gross income from "passive income" (including, but not limited
to, interest, dividends, royalties, rents and annuities), or (ii) on average, at
least 50% of the value (or adjusted basis, if elected) of the assets held by the
corporation produce "passive income."
On April 1, 1992, proposed U.S. Treasury regulations were issued regarding a
special mark-to-market election for regulated investment companies. Under these
regulations, the annual mark-to-market gain, if any, on shares held by the Fund
in a PFIC would be treated as an excess distribution received by the Fund in the
current year, eliminating the deferral and the related interest charge. These
excess distribution amounts are treated as ordinary income, which the Fund will
be required to distribute to you even though the Fund has not received any cash
to satisfy this distribution requirement. These regulations would be effective
for taxable years ending after the promulgation of the proposed regulations as
final regulations.
THE FUND'S UNDERWRITER
Pursuant to an underwriting agreement, Distributors acts as principal
underwriter in a continuous public offering for shares of each class of the
Fund's shares. The underwriting agreement will continue in effect for successive
annual periods if its continuance is specifically approved at least annually by
a vote of the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund's
outstanding voting securities, and in either event by a majority vote of the
Board members who are not parties to the underwriting agreement or interested
persons of any such party (other than as members of the Board), cast in person
at a meeting called for that purpose. The underwriting agreement terminates
automatically in the event of its assignment and may be terminated by either
party on 90 days' written notice.
Distributors pays the expenses of the distribution of Fund shares, including
advertising expenses and the costs of printing sales material and prospectuses
used to offer shares to the public. The Fund pays the expenses of preparing and
printing amendments to its registration statements and prospectuses (other than
those necessitated by the activities of Distributors) and of sending
prospectuses to existing shareholders.
Distributors will not receive compensation from the Fund for acting as
underwriter with respect to the Advisor Class shares.
HOW DOES THE FUND
MEASURE PERFORMANCE?
Performance quotations are subject to SEC rules. These rules require the use of
standardized performance quotations or, alternatively, that every
non-standardized performance quotation furnished by the Fund be accompanied by
certain standardized performance information computed as required by the SEC.
Current yield and average annual total return quotations used by the Fund are
based on the standardized methods of computing performance mandated by the SEC.
If a Rule 12b-1 plan is adopted, performance figures reflect fees from the date
of the plan's implementation. An explanation of these and other methods used by
the Fund to compute or express performance for the Advisor Class shares follows.
For any period prior to January 1, 1997, the standardized performance quotations
for Advisor Class will be calculated by substituting the performance of Class I
for the relevant time period, and excluding the effect of the maximum sales
charge and including the effect of Rule 12b-1 fees applicable to Class I.
Regardless of the method used, past performance does not guarantee future
results, and is an indication of the return to shareholders only for the limited
historical period used.
Total Return
Average Annual Total Return. Average annual total return is determined by
finding the average annual rates of return over one-, five- and ten-year
periods, or fractional portion thereof, that would equate an initial
hypothetical $1,000 investment to its ending redeemable value. The calculation
assumes income dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested at Net
Asset Value. The quotation assumes the account was completely redeemed at the
end of each one-, five- and ten-year period and the deduction of all applicable
charges and fees.
These figures were calculated according to the SEC formula:
P(1+T)n = ERV
where:
P = a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000
T = average annual total return
n = number of years
ERV = ending redeemable value of a hypothetical $1,000 payment made at the
beginning of the one-, five- or ten-year periods at the end of the one-, five-
or ten-year periods
Cumulative Total Return. The Fund may also quote the cumulative total return for
each class, in addition to the average annual total return. These quotations are
computed the same way, except the cumulative total return will be based on the
actual return for each class for a specified period rather than on the average
return over one-, five- and ten-year periods. The cumulative total return for
the Advisor Class shares for the period June 5, 1995 (inception) to April 30,
1996 would have been 33.36%.
Yield
Current Yield. Current yield of each class shows the income per share earned by
the Fund. It is calculated by dividing the net investment income per share of
each class earned during a 30-day base period by the Net Asset Value per share
on the last day of the period and annualizing the result. Expenses accrued for
the period include any fees charged to all shareholders of each class during the
base period. The yield for the 30-day period ended April 30, 1996 for the
Advisor Class shares would have been 1.07%.
These rates of return will be calculated using the following SEC formula:
Yield = 2 [(A-B + 1)6 - 1]
cd
where:
a = dividends and interest earned during the period
b = expenses accrued for the period (net of reimbursements)
c = the average daily number of shares outstanding during the period that were
entitled to receive dividends
d = the Net Asset Value per share on the last day of the period
Current Distribution Rate
Current yield, which is calculated according to a formula prescribed by the SEC,
is not indicative of the amounts which were or will be paid to shareholders of a
class. Amounts paid to shareholders are reflected in the quoted current
distribution rate. For Advisor Class, the current distribution rate is usually
computed by annualizing the dividends paid per share by the class during a
certain period and dividing that amount by the current Net Asset Value. The
current distribution rate differs from the current yield computation because it
may include distributions to shareholders from sources other than dividends and
interest, such as premium income from option writing and short-term capital
gains and is calculated over a different period of time. The current
distribution rate for the 30-day period ended April 30, 1996 for the Advisor
Class shares would have been 0.48%.
Volatility
Occasionally statistics may be used to show the Fund's volatility or risk.
Measures of volatility or risk are generally used to compare the Fund's Net
Asset Value or performance to a market index. One measure of volatility is beta.
Beta is the volatility of a fund relative to the total market, as represented by
an index considered representative of the types of securities in which the fund
invests. A beta of more than 1.00 indicates volatility greater than the market
and a beta of less than 1.00 indicates volatility less than the market. Another
measure of volatility or risk is standard deviation. Standard deviation is used
to measure variability of Net Asset Value or total return around an average over
a specified period of time. The idea is that greater volatility means greater
risk undertaken in achieving performance.
Other Performance Quotations
For any period prior to January 1, 1997, sales literature about Advisor Class
may quote a current distribution rate, yield, cumulative total return, average
annual total return and other measures of performance as described elsewhere in
this SAI by substituting the performance of Class I for the relevant time period
and excluding the effect of the maximum sales charge and Rule 12b-1 fees
applicable to Class I.
Sales literature referring to the use of the Fund as a potential investment for
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), Business Retirement Plans, and other
tax-advantaged retirement plans may quote a total return based upon compounding
of dividends on which it is presumed no federal income tax applies.
The Fund may include in its advertising or sales material information relating
to investment objectives and performance results of funds belonging to the
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds. Resources is the parent company of the
advisors and underwriter of both the Franklin Group of Funds and Templeton Group
of Funds.
Comparisons
To help you better evaluate how an investment in the Fund may satisfy your
investment objective, advertisements and other materials about the Fund may
discuss certain measures of each class' performance as reported by various
financial publications. Materials may also compare performance (as calculated
above) to performance as reported by other investments, indices, and averages.
These comparisons may include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
a) Dow Jones Composite Average or its component averages - an unmanaged index
composed of 30 blue-chip industrial corporation stocks (Dow Jones Industrial
Average), 15 utilities company stocks (Dow Jones Utilities Average), and 20
transportation company stocks. Comparisons of performance assume reinvestment of
dividends.
b) Standard & Poor's 500 Stock Index or its component indices - an unmanaged
index composed of 400 industrial stocks, 40 financial stocks, 40 utilities
stocks, and 20 transportation stocks. Comparisons of performance assume
reinvestment of dividends.
c) The NYSE composite or component indices - an unmanaged index of all
industrial, utilities, transportation, and finance stocks listed on the NYSE.
d) Wilshire 5000 Equity Index - represents the return on the market value of all
common equity securities for which daily pricing is available. Comparisons of
performance assume reinvestment of dividends.
e) Lipper - Mutual Fund Performance Analysis and Lipper - Fixed Income Fund
Performance Analysis - measure total return and average current yield for the
mutual fund industry and rank individual mutual fund performance over specified
time periods, assuming reinvestment of all distributions, exclusive of any
applicable sales charges.
f) CDA Mutual Fund Report, published by CDA Investment Technologies, Inc.
analyzes price, current yield, risk, total return, and average rate of return
(average annual compounded growth rate) over specified time periods for the
mutual fund industry.
g) Mutual Fund Source Book, published by Morningstar, Inc. - analyzes price,
yield, risk, and total return for mutual funds.
h) Valueline Index - an unmanaged index which follows the stocks of
approximately 1,700 companies.
i) Consumer Price Index (or Cost of Living Index), published by the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics - a statistical measure of change, over time, in the price
of goods and services in major expenditure groups.
j) Historical data supplied by the research departments of First Boston
Corporation, the J. P. Morgan companies, Salomon Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Lehman
Brothers and Bloomberg L.P.
k) Financial publications: The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Changing
Times, Financial World, Forbes, Fortune, and Money magazines - provide
performance statistics over specified time periods.
l) Morgan Stanley Capital International World Indices, including, among others,
the Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australia, Far East Index
("EAFE Index"). The EAFE index is an unmanaged index of more than 1,000
companies of Europe, Australia and the Far East.
m) Financial Times Actuaries Indices - including the FTA-World Index (and
components thereof), which are based on stocks in major world equity markets.
n) Morningstar - information published by Morningstar, Inc., including
Morningstar proprietary mutual fund ratings. The ratings reflect Morningstar's
assessment of the historical risk adjusted performance of a fund over specified
time periods relative to other funds within its category.
From time to time, advertisements or information for the Fund may include a
discussion of certain attributes or benefits to be derived from an investment in
the Fund. The advertisements or information may include symbols, headlines, or
other material that highlights or summarizes the information discussed in more
detail in the communication.
Advertisements or information may also compare the performance of Advisor Class
to the return on CDs or other investments. You should be aware, however, that an
investment in the Fund involves the risk of fluctuation of principal value, a
risk generally not present in an investment in a CD issued by a bank. For
example, as the general level of interest rates rise, the value of the Fund's
fixed-income investments, if any, as well as the value of its shares that are
based upon the value of such portfolio investments, can be expected to decrease.
Conversely, when interest rates decrease, the value of the Fund's shares can be
expected to increase. CDs are frequently insured by an agency of the U.S.
government. An investment in the Fund is not insured by any federal, state or
private entity.
In assessing comparisons of performance, you should keep in mind that the
composition of the investments in the reported indices and averages is not
identical to the Fund's portfolio, the indices and averages are generally
unmanaged, and the items included in the calculations of the averages may not be
identical to the formula used by the Fund to calculate its figures. In addition,
there can be no assurance that the Fund will continue its performance as
compared to these other averages.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
The Fund may help you achieve various investment goals such as accumulating
money for retirement, saving for a down payment on a home, college costs and
other long-term goals. The Franklin College Costs Planner may help you in
determining how much money must be invested on a monthly basis in order to have
a projected amount available in the future to fund a child's college education.
(Projected college cost estimates are based upon current costs published by the
College Board.) The Franklin Retirement Planning Guide leads you through the
steps to start a retirement savings program. Of course, an investment in the
Fund cannot guarantee that these goals will be met.
The Fund is a member of the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds, one of the
largest mutual fund organizations in the U.S., and may be considered in a
program for diversification of assets. Founded in 1947, Franklin, one of the
oldest mutual fund organizations, has managed mutual funds for over 48 years and
now services more than 2.5 million shareholder accounts. In 1992, Franklin, a
leader in managing fixed-income mutual funds and an innovator in creating
domestic equity funds, joined forces with Templeton Worldwide, Inc., a pioneer
in international investing. Together, the Franklin Templeton Group has over $152
billion in assets under management for more than 4.2 million U.S. based mutual
fund shareholder and other accounts. The Franklin Templeton Group of Funds
offers 121 U.S. based open-end investment companies to the public. The Fund may
identify itself by its NASDAQ symbol or CUSIP number.
The Dalbar Surveys, Inc. broker-dealer survey has ranked Franklin number one in
service quality for five of the past eight years.
From time to time, the number of Fund shares held in the "street name" accounts
of various Securities Dealers for the benefit of their clients or in centralized
securities depositories may exceed 5% of the total shares outstanding. To the
best knowledge of the Fund, no other person holds beneficially or of record more
than 5% of the Fund's outstanding Advisor Class shares.
In the event of disputes involving multiple claims of ownership or authority to
control your account, the Fund has the right (but has no obligation) to: (a)
freeze the account and require the written agreement of all persons deemed by
the Fund to have a potential property interest in the account, before executing
instructions regarding the account; (b) interplead disputed funds or accounts
with a court of competent jurisdiction; or (c) surrender ownership of all or a
portion of the account to the IRS in response to a Notice of Levy.
Summary of Code of Ethics. Employees of Resources or its subsidiaries who are
access persons under the 1940 Act are permitted to engage in personal securities
transactions subject to the following general restrictions and procedures: (i)
the trade must receive advance clearance from a compliance officer and must be
completed within 24 hours after clearance; (ii) copies of all brokerage
confirmations must be sent to a compliance officer and, within 10 days after the
end of each calendar quarter, a report of all securities transactions must be
provided to the compliance officer; and (iii) access persons involved in
preparing and making investment decisions must, in addition to (i) and (ii)
above, file annual reports of their securities holdings each January and inform
the compliance officer (or other designated personnel) if they own a security
that is being considered for a fund or other client transaction or if they are
recommending a security in which they have an ownership interest for purchase or
sale by a fund or other client.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements contained in the Annual Report to Shareholders
of the Trust, for the period June 5, 1995 through April 30, 1996, including the
auditors' report, are incorporated herein by reference. These audited financial
statements do not include information for Advisor Class as these shares were not
publicly offered prior to the date of this SAI.
USEFUL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
1940 Act - Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
Advisers - Franklin Advisers, Inc., the Fund's investment manager
Board - The Board of Trustees of the Trust
CD - Certificate of deposit
Class I and Advisor Class - The Fund offers two classes of shares, designated
"Class I," and "Advisor Class." The two classes have proportionate interests in
the Fund's portfolio. Class I shares are purchased with a sales charge and have
a Rule 12b-1 plan. Advisor Class shares are purchased without a sales charge and
do not have a Rule 12b-1 plan.
Code - Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
Distributors - Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc., the Fund's principal
underwriter
Franklin Funds - The mutual funds in the Franklin Group of Funds(R) except
Franklin Valuemark Funds and the Franklin Government Securities Trust
Franklin Templeton Funds - The Franklin Funds and the Templeton Funds
Franklin Templeton Group - Franklin Resources, Inc., a publicly owned holding
company, and its various subsidiaries
Franklin Templeton Group of Funds - All U.S. registered investment companies in
the Franklin Group of Funds(R) and the Templeton Group of Funds
FT Services - Franklin Templeton Services, Inc., the Fund's administrator
Investor Services - Franklin/Templeton Investor Services, Inc., the Fund's
shareholder servicing and transfer agent
IRS - Internal Revenue Service
Moody's - Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
Mutual Series - Franklin Mutual Series Fund Inc., a member of the Franklin Group
of Funds, formerly the Mutual Series Fund. Each series of Mutual Series began
offering three classes of shares on November 1, 1996; Class I, Class II and
Class Z. All shares sold before that time are designated Class Z shares.
NASD - National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
Net Asset Value (NAV) - The value of a mutual fund is determined by deducting
the fund's liabilities from the total assets of the portfolio. The net asset
value per share is determined by dividing the net asset value of the fund by the
number of shares outstanding.
NYSE - New York Stock Exchange
Offering Price - The public offering price is based on the Net Asset Value per
share of the class and includes the front-end sales charge, if applicable. The
maximum front-end sales charge is 4.50% for Class I. Advisor Class shares have
no front-end sales charge.
Prospectus - The prospectus for Advisor Class of the Fund dated January 1, 1997,
as may be amended from time to time
Resources - Franklin Resources, Inc.
S&P - Standard & Poor's Corporation
SAI - Statement of Additional Information
SEC - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Securities Dealer - A financial institution which, 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.
Templeton Funds - The U.S. registered mutual funds in the Templeton Group of
Funds except Templeton Capital Accumulator Fund, Inc., Templeton Variable
Annuity Fund, and Templeton Variable Products Series Fund
U.S. - United States
We/Our/Us - Unless a different meaning is indicated by the context, these terms
refer to the Fund and/or Investor Services, Distributors, or other wholly owned
subsidiaries of Resources.
