N-1A/A 1 filing212607593.htm PRIMARY DOCUMENT

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 15, 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                  File Nos.
                                                                                                                                                                                  333-233596
                                                                                                                                                                                  811-23471

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

[ X ]

Pre-Effective Amendment No. 4

 

Post-Effective Amendment No. __

     

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

[ X ]

Amendment No. 3

 

FRANKLIN TEMPLETON TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

ONE FRANKLIN PARKWAY, SAN MATEO, CA 94403-1906
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code (650) 312-2000

Craig S. Tyle, One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 
(Name and Address of Agent for Service of Process)

Please Send Copy of Communications to:

Timothy A. Spangler, Esq.

Dechert LLP
650 Town Center Drive, Suite 700
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Brenden P. Carroll, Esq.

Dechert LLP

1900 K Street N.W.

Washington, DC 20006

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:

As soon as practicable following the effective date of this Registration Statement.

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.

     

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Preliminary Prospectus dated March 15, 2021

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION

 

Prospectus

 

 

Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money FundTM

Franklin Templeton Trust

April [ ], 2021

Franklin Templeton Investments 

 

 

 

 

 

Ticker                                                                                                      FOCGX

 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

9001 P 04/21

 


 

Contents

Fund Summary
Information about the Fund you should know

Investment Goal................................................................................................................... 1

Fees and Expenses of the Fund........................................................................................... 1

Principal Investment Strategies........................................................................................... 1

Use of Blockchain............................................................................................................... 2

Principal Risks..................................................................................................................... 3

Performance......................................................................................................................... 3

Investment Manager............................................................................................................ 4

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares....................................................................................... 4

Taxes.................................................................................................................................... 4

Fund Details
More information on Investment policies, practices and risks/financial highlights

Investment Goal................................................................................................................... 4

Principal Investment Policies and Practices........................................................................ 4

Principal Risks..................................................................................................................... 5

Management........................................................................................................................ 6

Use of Blockchain............................................................................................................... 6

Distributions and Taxes....................................................................................................... 9

Financial Highlights.......................................................................................................... 10

Your Account
Information about account transactions and services

Buying Shares.................................................................................................................... 11

Investor Services............................................................................................................... 12

Selling Shares.................................................................................................................... 13

Exchanging Shares............................................................................................................ 14

Account Policies................................................................................................................ 15

Questions........................................................................................................................... 16

For More Information
Where to learn more about the Fund

Back Cover

 

 

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Fund Summary

Investment Goal

To provide investors with as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of shareholders’ capital and liquidity. The Fund also tries to maintain a stable $1.00 share price.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

   

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases 

None 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

   

 

Management fees 

0.15% 

 

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees 

None 

 

Other expenses1 

3.36% 

 

Total annual Fund operating expenses

3.51%

 

Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement2

(3.31)%

 

Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement

0.20%

 

1. Other expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

2. The investment manager has contractually agreed to waive or assume certain fees and expenses so that total annual Fund operating expenses (excluding Rule 12b-1 fees, acquired fund fees and expenses and certain non-routine expenses or costs, including those relating to litigation, indemnification, reorganization and liquidation) for the Fund do not exceed 0.20% until July 31, 2021.  Contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreements may not be changed or terminated during the time period set forth above.

Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of the period. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The Example reflects adjustments made to the Fund's operating expenses due to the fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements by management for the 1 Year numbers only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

1 Year

3 Years

$ 20

$ 767

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund invests at least 99.5% of its total assets in Government securities, cash and repurchase agreements collateralized fully by Government securities or cash. For purposes of this policy, “Government securities” means any securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States, or by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the Government of the United States pursuant to authority granted by the Congress of the United States; or any certificate of deposit for any of the foregoing. Government securities include those issued by government agencies or instrumentalities, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), Federal Home Loan Banks and Federal Farm Credit Banks, whose securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The Fund intends to be a “Government money market fund,” as such term is defined in or interpreted under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). Shareholders will be given at least 60 days’ advance notice of any change to the 99.5% policy.

 

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The Fund uses the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable $1.00 share price and does not currently intend to impose liquidity fees or redemption gates on Fund redemptions. Please note, however, that the board of trustees reserves the ability to subject the Fund to a liquidity fee and/or redemption gate in the future, after providing prior notice to shareholders.

The Fund invests in:

U.S. government securities which may include fixed, floating and variable rate securities.

Repurchase agreements which are agreements by the Fund to buy Government securities and then to sell the securities back on an agreed upon date (generally, less than seven days) at a higher price, which reflects prevailing short-term interest rates.

Portfolio maturity and quality   The Fund only buys securities that the investment manager determines present minimal credit risks. The Fund maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of 60 calendar days or less, maintains a dollar-weighted average life for its portfolio of 120 calendar days or less, and only buys securities that mature or are deemed to mature in 397 calendar days or less.

Use of Blockchain

A blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that records transactions between two parties in a verifiable and permanent way using cryptography.  Transactions on the blockchain are verified and authenticated by computers on the network.  The process of authenticating a transaction before it is recorded ensures that only valid and authorized transactions are permanently recorded on the blockchain in collections of transactions called “blocks.” Blockchain networks are based upon software source code that establishes and governs their respective cryptographic systems for verifying transactions.

Although the Fund’s transfer agent will maintain the official record of share ownership in book-entry form, the ownership of the Fund’s shares will also be recorded on the Stellar network’s blockchain. The use of blockchain technology is untested for mutual funds. In the event of a conflict between the blockchain record and the record held by the transfer agent, the transfer agent’s record will be determinative.

The secondary recording of Fund shares on the blockchain will not affect the Fund’s investments. The Fund intends to be a Government money market fund. Accordingly, the Fund will invest, consistent with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, at least 99.5% of its total assets in Government securities, cash and repurchase agreements collateralized fully by Government securities or cash.  The Fund will not invest in any cryptocurrencies (referred to as, among other things, virtual currencies).

Complex information technology and communications systems, such as blockchain networks, are subject to a number of different threats or risks that could adversely affect the Fund. If such an event occurs, the Fund may incur substantial costs. In addition, market events also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the Fund’s operations.  The Fund may never achieve market acceptance and may not be able to attract sizable assets or achieve scale. 

The Fund’s investment manager expects that the secondary recording of Fund shares on the blockchain will initially have minimal impact, if any, on Fund shareholders. For more information regarding the Fund’s use of blockchain technology, see “Use of Blockchain” beginning on page 6 of this prospectus. More detailed information about blockchain technology and the Stellar network, including the regulatory, operational and technological risks associated with distributed ledger technology and the Stellar network, as well as detailed information about the Fund and its policies and risks, can be found in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (SAI).

 

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Principal Risks

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time.

Interest Rate   When interest rates rise, debt security prices generally fall. The opposite is also generally true: debt security prices rise when interest rates fall. Interest rate changes are influenced by a number of factors including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand of debt securities. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to these interest rate changes. The Fund’s yield will vary. A low interest rate environment may prevent the Fund from providing a positive yield or paying Fund expenses out of current income and could impair the Fund’s ability to maintain a stable net asset value. A sharp and unexpected rise in interest rates could cause the Fund’s share price to drop below a dollar.

Credit   U.S. government investments generally have the least credit risk but are not completely free of credit risk. The Fund may incur losses on debt securities that are inaccurately perceived to present a different amount of credit risk by the market, the investment manager or the rating agencies than such securities actually do. Any downgrade of securities issued by the U.S. government may result in a downgrade of securities issued by its agencies or instrumentalities.

Income   Because the Fund can only distribute what it earns, the Fund’s distributions to shareholders may decline when prevailing interest rates fall. Because the Fund limits its investments to high-quality, short-term securities, its portfolio generally will earn lower yields than a portfolio with lower-quality, longer-term securities subject to more risk.

U.S. Government Securities   Not all obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some obligations are backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality, and in some cases there may be some risk of default by the issuer. Government agency or instrumentality issues have different levels of credit support. U.S. government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”), such as Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), may be chartered by Acts of Congress, but their securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. government. Although the U.S. government has provided financial support to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and certain other GSEs, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will continue to do so. Accordingly, securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may involve a risk of non-payment of principal and interest. Investors should remember that guarantees of timely repayment of principal and interest do not apply to the market prices and yields of the securities or to the net asset value or performance of the Fund, which will vary with changes in interest rates and other market conditions.

Repurchase Agreements   A repurchase agreement exposes the Fund to the risk that the party that sells the securities to the Fund may default on its obligation to repurchase them.

Market   The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The market value of a security or other investment may be reduced by market activity or other results of supply and demand unrelated to the issuer. This is a basic risk associated with all investments. When there are more sellers than buyers, prices tend to fall. Likewise, when there are more buyers than sellers, prices tend to rise.

Management   The Fund is subject to management risk because it is exposed to an actively managed investment portfolio. The investment manager applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results.

Performance

Because the Fund is new, it has no performance history. Once the Fund has commenced operations, you can obtain updated performance information by accessing the information through the App (as defined below in “Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares”) or at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

 

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Investment Manager

Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers)

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

In order to open an account with the Fund, you must first download Benji by Franklin Templeton, a mobile application available through the Apple App Store and Google Play (App). The App is free to download and use. All fees associated with the use of the Stellar network will be the responsibility of the investment manager or its affiliates. 

 

Prior to opening your account, the Fund will collect certain information from you in accordance with its anti-money laundering and know-your-customer policies and procedures. You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund at any time through the App, although purchases and redemptions of Fund shares will only be processed during normal business hours on business days. You may only purchase and redeem Fund shares online using the App.  For more information, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Your Account – Account Application” and “Your Account – Privileges via the App”.  

 

The minimum initial purchase for most accounts is $20. There is no minimum investment for subsequent purchases.

Taxes

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income.  It is not anticipated that the Fund will be available to tax-deferred investors.

Fund Details

Investment Goal

The Fund’s investment goal is to provide investors with as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of shareholders’ capital and liquidity. The Fund also tries to maintain a stable $1.00 share price.

Principal Investment Policies and Practices

The Fund invests at least 99.5% of its total assets in Government securities, cash and repurchase agreements collateralized fully by Government securities or cash. In addition, under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in Government securities and repurchase agreements collateralized fully by Government securities. In contrast to the Fund’s 99.5% policy, the Fund’s 80% policy does not include cash. For purposes of these policies, “Government securities” means any securities issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States, or by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the Government of the United States pursuant to authority granted by the Congress of the United States; or any certificate of deposit for any of the foregoing. Government securities include those issued by government agencies or instrumentalities, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), Federal Home Loan Banks and Federal Farm Credit Banks, whose securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. The Fund intends to be a “Government money market fund,” as such term is defined in or interpreted under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). Shareholders will be given at least 60 days’ advance notice of any change to the 99.5% and 80% policies.

The Fund uses the amortized cost method of valuation to seek to maintain a stable $1.00 share price and does not currently intend to impose liquidity fees or redemption gates on Fund redemptions. Please note, however, that the board of trustees reserves the ability to subject the Fund to a liquidity fee and/or redemption gate in the future, after providing prior notice to shareholders.

The Fund invests in:

U.S. government securities which may include fixed, floating and variable rate securities.

 

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Repurchase agreements which are agreements by the Fund to buy Government securities and then to sell the securities back on an agreed upon date (generally, less than seven days) at a higher price, which reflects prevailing short-term interest rates.

Portfolio maturity and quality   The Fund only buys securities that the investment manager determines present minimal credit risks. The Fund maintains a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of 60 calendar days or less, maintains a dollar-weighted average life for its portfolio of 120 calendar days or less, and only buys securities that mature or are deemed to mature in 397 calendar days or less.

Temporary Investments

When the investment manager believes market or economic conditions are unusual or unfavorable for investors, the investment manager may invest up to 100% of the Fund’s assets in a temporary defensive manner by holding all or a substantial portion of its assets in cash. The investment manager may also hold cash when securities meeting the Fund’s investment criteria are unavailable or to maintain liquidity. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to achieve its investment goal.

Principal Risks

Interest Rate

Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and are influenced by a number of factors including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand of debt securities. Changes in government or central bank monetary policy, including changes in tax policy or changes in a central bank’s implementation of specific policy goals, may have a substantial impact on interest rates. There can be no guarantee that any particular government or central bank policy will be continued, discontinued or changed or that any such policy will have the desired effect on interest rates. Debt securities generally tend to lose market value when interest rates rise and increase in value when interest rates fall. A rise in interest rates also has the potential to cause investors to rapidly move out of fixed-income securities. A substantial increase in interest rates may also have an adverse impact on the liquidity of a security, especially those with longer maturities or durations. Securities with longer maturities or durations or lower coupons or that make little (or no) interest payments before maturity tend to be more sensitive to these interest rate changes.

The Fund’s yield will vary; it is not fixed for a specific period like the yield on a bank certificate of deposit. A low interest rate environment may prevent the Fund from providing a positive yield or paying Fund expenses out of current income and could impair the Fund’s ability to maintain a stable net asset value. A sharp and unexpected rise in interest rates could cause the Fund’s share price to drop below a dollar. However, the short maturities of the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio reduce their potential for price fluctuation.

Credit

U.S. government investments generally have the least credit risk but are not completely free of credit risk. The Fund may incur losses on debt securities that are inaccurately perceived to present a different amount of credit risk by the market, the investment manager or the rating agencies than such securities actually do. Any downgrade of securities issued by the U.S. government may result in a downgrade of securities issued by its agencies or instrumentalities.

Income

The Fund’s distributions to shareholders may decline when prevailing interest rates fall, when the Fund experiences defaults on debt securities it holds or when the Fund realizes a loss upon the sale of a debt security. The Fund’s income generally declines during periods of falling interest rates because the Fund must reinvest the proceeds it receives from existing investments (upon their maturity, prepayment, amortization, call or buy-back) at a lower rate of interest or return. Because the Fund limits its investments to high-quality, short-term securities, its portfolio generally will earn lower yields than a portfolio with lower-quality, longer-term securities subject to more risk.

U.S. Government Securities

Not all obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some obligations are backed only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality, and in some cases there may be some risk of default by the issuer. Government agency or instrumentality issues have different levels of credit support. U.S. government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”), such as Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), may be chartered by Acts of Congress, but their securities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. government. Although the U.S. government has provided financial support to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and certain other GSEs, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will continue to do so. Accordingly, securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may involve a risk of non-payment of principal and interest. Investors should remember that guarantees of timely repayment of principal and interest do not apply to the market prices and yields of the securities or to the net asset value or performance of the Fund, which will vary with changes in interest rates and other market conditions.

 

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Repurchase Agreements

A repurchase agreement exposes the Fund to the risk that the party that sells the securities to the Fund may default on its obligation to repurchase them.

Market

The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The Fund’s investments may decline in value due to factors affecting individual issuers (such as the results of supply and demand), or sectors within the securities markets. The value of a security or other investment also may go up or down due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular issuer, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in interest rates or exchange rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, unexpected events and their aftermaths, such as the spread of diseases; natural, environmental or man-made disasters; financial, political or social disruptions; terrorism and war; and other tragedies or catastrophes, can cause investor fear and panic, which can adversely affect the economies of many companies, sectors, nations, regions and the market in general, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that securities or other investments held by the Fund will participate in or otherwise benefit from the advance.

Management

The Fund is exposed to an actively managed investment portfolio and could experience losses (realized and unrealized) if the investment manager’s judgment about markets, interest rates or the attractiveness, relative values, liquidity, or potential appreciation of particular investments made for the Fund prove to be incorrect. There can be no guarantee that these techniques or the investment manager’s investment decisions will produce the desired results. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the investment manager in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goal.

A description of the Fund’s policies and procedures regarding the release of portfolio holdings information is also available in the Fund’s SAI. Portfolio holdings information can be viewed through the App or online at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

Use of Blockchain

A blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that records transactions between two parties in a verifiable and permanent way using cryptography.  Transactions on the blockchain are verified and authenticated by computers on the network (referred to as “nodes” or “validators”) that receive, propagate, verify, and execute transactions.  The process of authenticating a transaction before it is recorded ensures that only valid and authorized transactions are permanently recorded on the blockchain in collections of transactions called “blocks.” Blockchain networks are based upon software source code that establishes and governs their respective cryptographic systems for verifying transactions.

Although the Fund’s transfer agent will maintain the official record of share ownership in book-entry form, the ownership of the Fund’s shares will also be recorded on the Stellar network’s blockchain. The use of blockchain technology is untested for mutual funds. In the event of a conflict between the blockchain record and the record held by the transfer agent, the transfer agent’s record will be determinative.

The secondary recording of Fund shares on the blockchain will not affect the Fund’s investments. The Fund intends to be a Government money market fund. Accordingly, the Fund will invest, consistent with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, at least 99.5% of its total assets in Government securities, cash and repurchase agreements collateralized fully by Government securities or cash.  The Fund will not invest in any cryptocurrencies (referred to as, among other things, virtual currencies).

 

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The Stellar blockchain is available to the public and will store the complete transaction history from issuance of the shares. As a result, robust and transparent data, other than shareholder personal identifying information, will be publicly available through one or more “block explorer” tools capable of displaying activity on the Stellar network. Accordingly, the shares’ issuance and redemption data (and not a shareholder’s personal identifying information) will be exposed to the public. The personal identifying information necessary to associate a given share with the record owner of that share will be maintained by the Fund’s transfer agent (or an affiliate of the transfer agent) in a separate database that is not available to the public. However, if there are data security breaches with respect to the transfer agent’s or its affiliated entity’s database(s) resulting in theft of the information necessary to link personal identity with the shares, the stolen information could be used to determine a shareholder’s identity and complete investing history in the Fund.

Upon the creation of an account through the App, the Fund’s transfer agent will coordinate with an affiliate to create a blockchain wallet for each investor. Each investor will be assigned a unique Stellar network blockchain address for their wallet, and they will be able to track the balance of any Fund shares in their wallet through the App as well via block explorers.

Users of the Stellar network must pay transaction fees (in the form of “Stellar Lumens,” the native digital asset for the operation of Stellar) to the Stellar network in order to validate a transaction. Such transaction fees are intended to protect the Stellar network from frivolous or malicious computational tasks. These transaction fees will be the responsibility of the investment manager or its affiliates; Fund investors will not be required to purchase any Stellar Lumens.

Delays in transaction processing have occurred on the Stellar network.  Such a delay may occur on account of, among other things, the inability of nodes to reach consensus on transactions.  During a network delay, it will not be possible to record transactions in the shares on the blockchain. Should such a delay occur for an extended period of time, the Fund could choose to effect transactions with shareholders manually (i.e., in book-entry form) until such time as the network has resumed normal operation. The Fund may choose to reevaluate the suitability of the Stellar network for the Fund’s shares in the event of future or recurring delays.

Complex information technology and communications systems, such as blockchain networks, are subject to a number of different threats or risks that could adversely affect the Fund, despite the efforts of the Fund and its service providers to adopt technologies, processes, and practices intended to mitigate these risks. If such an event occurs, the Fund may incur substantial costs. Any such event could expose the Fund to civil liability as well as regulatory inquiry and/or action. In addition, market events also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the Fund’s operations.

Although the investment manager has experience managing mutual funds and risk oversight, it has limited experience in the blockchain technology industry. On account of these risks, the Fund may never achieve market acceptance and may not be able to attract sizable assets or achieve scale.  Under these circumstances, the investment manager and the Fund’s board of trustees may take actions including, potentially, restructuring or liquidating the Fund.

In the future, the ownership of the Fund’s shares may be maintained and recorded primarily on the Stellar network, although there is no guarantee that this will occur.  The Fund’s investment manager believes that the use of blockchain may, in the future, permit reduced settlement times and provide other benefits to Fund shareholders.

 

Furthermore, in the future, the shares may be available for purchase, sale or transfer from one shareholder to another shareholder (or potential shareholder) (“peer-to-peer”) on the blockchain or in a secondary trading market (such as an electronic trading platform that is registered with the SEC as an alternative trading system (ATS)).  Any disruption to the operations of an ATS, including a broker-dealer’s interface with an ATS, could materially disrupt trading in, or potentially result in a complete halt in the trading of, the Fund’s shares on that platform. The Fund has no current agreement to make its shares available for trading on any ATS, but may enter into such an agreement in the future.  These features are not currently, and may never be, available to investors.  These features would be subject to then-existing regulations and regulatory interpretations.

There are risks associated with the issuance, redemption, transfer, custody and record keeping of shares maintained and recorded primarily on a blockchain. For example, shares that are issued using blockchain technology would be subject to the following risks (among others):

 

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·         a rapidly-evolving regulatory landscape in the United States and in other countries, which might result in security, privacy or other regulatory concerns that could require changes to the way transactions in the shares are recorded;

·         the possibility of undiscovered technical flaws in an underlying technology, including in the process by which transactions are recorded to a blockchain (particularly, the Stellar network blockchain), or by which the validity of a copy of such blockchain can be proven;

·         the possibility that cryptographic or other security measures that authenticate prior transactions for a blockchain could be compromised, or “hacked,” which could allow an attacker to alter the blockchain and thereby disrupt the ability to corroborate definitive transactions recorded on the blockchain;

·         the possibility that new technologies or services inhibit access to a blockchain;

·         the possibility that a breach to one blockchain could cause investors, and the public generally, to lose trust in blockchain technology and increase reluctance to issue and invest in assets recorded on blockchains; and

·         because of the differences between the way the shares are issued and recorded as compared to shares in a traditional mutual fund, there is a risk that issues that might easily be resolved by existing law if traditional methods were involved may not be easily resolved for the shares. The occurrence of any related issue or dispute could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s current or future business or the shares.

More detailed information about blockchain technology and the Stellar network, including the regulatory, operational and technological risks associated with distributed ledger technology and the Stellar network, as well as detailed information about the Fund and its policies and risks, can be found in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (SAI).

Management

Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers), One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906, is the Fund’s investment manager. Advisers is a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Resources). Together, Advisers and its affiliates manage, as of January 31, 2021, over $1.49 trillion in assets, and have been in the investment management business since 1947.

The Fund pays Advisers a fee for managing the Fund’s assets. The fee is equal to an annual rate of 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.

In efforts to prevent a negative yield, management (i.e., the investment manager and certain of its affiliates) has voluntarily agreed to waive or limit its fees, assume as its own expense certain expenses otherwise payable by the Fund, and if necessary, make a capital infusion into the Fund. These waivers, expense reimbursements and capital infusions are voluntary and may be modified or discontinued by management at any time and without further notice. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to avoid a negative yield.

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the investment management contract of the Fund will be available in the Fund’s initial annual or semi-annual report to shareholders.

Manager of Managers Structure

The investment manager and the Fund have received an exemptive order from the SEC that allows the Fund to operate in a “manager of managers” structure whereby the investment manager can appoint and replace both wholly-owned and unaffiliated sub-advisors, and enter into, amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements with such sub-advisors, each subject to board approval but without obtaining prior shareholder approval (Manager of Managers Structure). The investment manager does not currently utilize a sub-advisor with respect to the Fund.  The Fund will, however, inform shareholders of the hiring of any sub-advisor within 90 days after the hiring. The SEC exemptive order provides the Fund with greater flexibility and efficiency by preventing the Fund from incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of such sub-advisory agreements.

The use of the Manager of Managers Structure with respect to the Fund is subject to certain conditions that are set forth in the SEC exemptive order. Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the investment manager has the ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Fund’s board of trustees, to oversee sub-advisors and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. The investment manager will also, subject to the review and approval of the Fund’s board of trustees: set the Fund’s overall investment strategy; evaluate, select and recommend sub-advisors to manage all or a portion of the Fund’s assets; and implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that each sub-advisor complies with the Fund’s investment goal, policies and restrictions. Subject to review by the Fund’s board of trustees, the investment manager will allocate and, when appropriate, reallocate the Fund’s assets among sub-advisors and monitor and evaluate the sub-advisors’ performance.

 

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Distributions and Taxes

Income and Capital Gain Distributions

As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you. The Fund intends to declare income dividends from its net investment income each day that its net asset value (NAV) is calculated. Your account (via the App) begins to receive dividends on the day after the Fund receives your investment and continues to receive dividends through the day it receives a request to sell your shares. Capital gains, if any, may be paid at least annually. The Fund may distribute income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either income dividends or capital gain distributions. Your income dividends and capital gain distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares at NAV on the payable date, which has the effect of compounding of dividends.

Annual statements.   After the close of each calendar year, you will receive tax information from the Fund with respect to the federal income tax treatment of the Fund’s distributions occurring during the prior calendar year. If the Fund finds it necessary to reclassify its distributions after you receive your tax information, the Fund will send you revised tax information. Distributions declared in December to shareholders of record in such month and paid in January are taxable as if they were paid in December. Additional tax information about the Fund’s distributions will be available through the App or online at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

Tax Considerations

Fund distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income. This is the case even if you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares. It is not anticipated that the Fund will be available to tax-deferred investors.

Dividend income.   Income dividends are generally subject to tax at ordinary rates. Because the Fund invests primarily in debt securities, it is expected that none of the Fund’s income dividends will be qualified dividends subject to reduced rates of taxation to individuals. A return-of-capital distribution is generally not taxable but will reduce the cost basis of your shares, and will result in a higher capital gain or a lower capital loss when you later sell your shares.

Capital gains.   Fund distributions of short-term capital gains are also subject to tax at ordinary rates. Because the Fund is a money market fund, it does not expect to realize and distribute any long-term capital gains on its investments.

Sales of Fund shares.   Because the Fund seeks to maintain a $1.00 per share NAV, sales of its shares will not generally result in a taxable capital gain or loss for federal or state income tax purposes.

Medicare tax.   An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount. Any liability for this additional Medicare tax is reported on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.

Backup withholding.   A shareholder may be subject to backup withholding on any distributions of income and capital gains if the shareholder has provided either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, has failed to certify that the shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or has not certified that the shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. State backup withholding may also apply.

State and local taxes.   Distributions of ordinary income and capital gains, if any, are generally subject to state and local taxes. However distributions of ordinary income paid to individual shareholders from interest earned by the Fund on certain U.S. Government obligations may be exempt from state and local income taxation depending on the state. Shareholders should contact their tax advisors with respect to the state and local income tax consequences of investing in the Fund, including whether Fund dividends derived from interest on U.S. government obligations held by the Fund qualify for tax free treatment.

 

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Non-U.S. investors.   Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at 30% or a lower treaty rate on Fund dividends of ordinary income. Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. estate tax on the value of their shares. They are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding, claim any exemptions from withholding and claim any treaty benefits. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax are generally provided for capital gains realized on the sale of Fund shares, capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net long-term capital gains, short-term capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net short-term capital gains and interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources. However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding tax at source, any such dividends and distributions of income and capital gains will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.

Other reporting and withholding requirements.   Payments to a shareholder that is either a foreign financial institution or a non-financial foreign entity within the meaning of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on income dividends paid by the Fund. The FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided by such foreign entity if it provides the Fund, and in some cases, the IRS, information concerning the ownership of certain foreign financial accounts or other appropriate certifications or documentation concerning its status under FATCA. The Fund may be required to report certain shareholder account information to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties to comply with FATCA.

Other tax information.   This discussion of “Distributions and Taxes” is for general information only and is not tax advice. You should consult your own tax advisor regarding your particular circumstances, and about any federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences before making an investment in the Fund. Additional information about the tax consequences of investing in the Fund may be found in the SAI.

Financial Highlights

Because the Fund has not commenced investment operations prior to the date of this prospectus, no financial highlights are presented.

 

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Your Account

Buying Shares

Fund shares are offered without a sales charge and are available for investment by individuals only.

Minimum Investments

   

Initial 

Regular accounts, current and former full-time employees, officers, trustees and directors of Franklin Templeton entities, and their family members 

$ 20

Please note that you may only buy shares of a fund eligible for sale in your state or jurisdiction. The Fund and other Franklin Templeton funds are intended for sale to residents of the United States, and, with very limited exceptions, are not registered or otherwise offered for sale in other jurisdictions.

The Fund is available to investors that purchase shares directly from the Fund through the App.  The Fund does not permit investments by financial intermediaries, including futures commission merchants or derivatives clearing organizations for their futures customers or by broker-dealers or other intermediaries on behalf of their customers. Such intermediaries may not hold Fund shares on behalf of their customers.  Furthermore, the Fund does not permit investments by employer sponsored retirement plans, SIMPLE-IRAs, SEP-IRAs, SARSEPs or 403(b) plan accounts, IRAs, IRA Rollovers, Coverdale Education Savings Plans or Roth IRAs.

Many of the Fund’s investments must be paid for in federal funds, which are monies held by the Fund’s custodian on deposit at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and elsewhere. The Fund generally cannot invest money it receives from you until it is available to the Fund in federal funds, which may take up to two days. Until then, your purchase may not be considered in proper form. If the Fund is able to make investments within one business day, it may accept your order with payment in other than federal funds (namely, electronic funds transfer).

In particular, the Fund is not registered in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for sale in any Canadian jurisdiction. The shares offered by this prospectus may not be directly or indirectly offered or sold in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada or to or for the benefit of residents thereof. Prospective investors may be required to declare that they are not Canadian residents and are not acquiring shares on behalf of any Canadian residents. Similarly, the Fund is not registered, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for distribution, in any member country of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA), and may not be directly or indirectly offered or distributed in any such country. If an investor becomes a Canadian, EU or EEA resident after purchasing shares of the Fund, the investor will not be able to purchase any additional shares of the Fund (other than reinvestment of dividends and capital gains).

Franklin Templeton funds include all of the U.S. registered mutual funds of Franklin Templeton. They do not include the funds in the Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust.

 

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Account Application

If you are opening a new account, you will first need to download the App via the Apple App Store or Google Play. The App will provide step-by-step instructions to open and fund a new account. The application process is completed entirely through the App. The App is free to download and use. To save time, you can sign up now for services you may want on your account by completing the appropriate sections of the application (see “Investor Services”). To open an account, you will need to link one of your bank accounts to your App account so that you may use electronic funds transfer to and from your bank account to buy and sell shares. The App will keep your bank information on file for future purchases and redemptions. The App does not accept cash, credit card convenience checks, prepaid debit cards, non-bank money orders, travelers checks or checks drawn on foreign banks as forms of payment to purchase shares.

Buying Shares

Online

Opening an account

Adding to an account

The App is available through the Apple App Store or Google Play. All Fund transactions must be conducted via the App.

Your account must be opened via the App.

To open an account, you will need to link one of your bank accounts to your App account so that you may use electronic funds transfer to and from your bank account to buy and sell shares.

Once you have linked your bank account to the App, you may buy additional shares of the Fund at any time.

To make a same day investment, your order via the App must be received and accepted by us prior to 1 p.m. Pacific time or the close of the New York Stock Exchange whichever is earlier.

Visit us online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

Investor Services

Distributions

Distributions will be automatically reinvested in the Fund.

Privileges via the App

You will be able to obtain or view your account information, and conduct all transactions, via the App, including: buy or sell Fund shares; use electronic funds transfer to buy or sell Fund shares; change your address; and add or change account services (including requesting paper copies of your shareholder documents).

When registering through the App, you will be asked to accept the terms of an online agreement(s), create a user profile and establish a password for online services. You will be automatically enrolled for electronic delivery of your shareholder documents. This will allow you to receive electronic delivery (through the App) of the Fund’s prospectuses, annual/semiannual reports to shareholders, and proxy statements, as well as your account(s) statements and trade confirmations. Paper copies of shareholder documents may be requested by shareholders through the App.  Using the App means you are consenting to sending and receiving personal financial information over the Internet, so you should be sure you are comfortable with the risks.  For a discussion of risks associated with using a blockchain ledger, see “Use of Blockchain” on page 6 of this prospectus.

As long as we and our agents follow reasonable security procedures and act on instructions we reasonably believe are genuine, we will not be responsible for any losses that may occur from unauthorized requests. We will request passwords or other information and also may record calls. We will refuse a telephone request if the caller is unable to provide the requested information or if we reasonably believe the caller is not an individual authorized to act on the account. To help safeguard your account, keep your password confidential, and verify the accuracy of your confirmation statements immediately after you receive them. Contact us immediately if you believe someone has obtained unauthorized access to your account or password. Certain methods of contacting us (such as by phone or via the App) may be unavailable or delayed during periods of unusual market activity.

 

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Note: Digital communication channels are not necessarily secure. If you do choose to send confidential or sensitive information to us via digital communication channels (e.g. email, chat, text messaging, fax), you are accepting the associated risks related to potential lack of security, such as the possibility that your confidential or sensitive information may be intercepted/accessed by a third party and subsequently used or sold.

Selling Shares

You can redeem your shares at any time through the App, although redemptions of Fund shares will only be processed during normal business hours on business days.

Selling Shares in Writing

Generally, requests to sell $100,000 or less can be made via the App. Sometimes, however, to protect you and the Fund we will need written instructions signed by all registered owners, with a signature guarantee for each owner, if:

  • you are selling more than $100,000 worth of shares
  • you want your proceeds paid to someone who is not a registered owner
  • you want to send your proceeds somewhere other than the address of record, or preauthorized bank or brokerage firm account

We also may require a signature guarantee when: we receive instructions from an agent, not the registered owners; you want to send your proceeds to a bank account that was added or changed on your account without a signature guarantee within the last 15 days; you want to send proceeds to your address that was changed without a signature guarantee within the last 15 days; or we believe it would protect the Fund against potential claims based on the instructions received.

A signature guarantee helps protect your account against fraud. You can obtain a signature guarantee at most banks.

A notary public CANNOT provide a signature guarantee.

Selling Recently Purchased Shares

If you sell shares recently purchased, we may delay sending you the proceeds until your electronic funds transfer has cleared, which may take seven business days.

Redemption Proceeds

Redemption proceeds will be sent by electronic funds transfer from your App account to your bank account within seven days after we receive your request in proper form. We are not able to receive or pay out cash in the form of currency or by check.

 

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Selling Shares

To sell some or all of your shares

Via the App

All Fund transactions must be conducted via the App.

As long as your transaction is for $100,000 or less, you can sell your shares via the App without a signature guarantee.

Redemption proceeds will be sent by electronic funds transfer (ACH) from your App account to your bank account within seven days after we receive your request in proper form.

Before requesting to have redemption proceeds sent to a bank account, please make sure we have your current bank account information on file. If we do not have this information, you will need to send written instructions with your bank’s name and a voided check or savings account deposit slip. All bank and Fund account owners must sign the request. If the bank and Fund accounts do not have at least one common owner, each individual must also have his or her signature notarized.

If the bank account was added or changed without a signature guarantee within the last 15 days, you may be required to provide written instructions signed by all Fund account owners, with a signature guarantee for each Fund account owner.

If we receive your request in proper form prior to 1 p.m. Pacific time, or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier, proceeds sent by ACH generally will be available within two to three business days.

 

 

Visit us online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

Exchanging Shares

Shares of the Fund are not eligible to exchange for shares of other Franklin Templeton funds.

Frequent Trading Policy

The Fund’s board of trustees has adopted the following policies and procedures with respect to frequent trading in Fund shares (Frequent Trading Policy).

The Fund does not intend to accommodate short-term or frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares that may be detrimental to the Fund. For example, this type of trading activity could interfere with the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio or materially increase the Fund’s transaction costs, administrative costs or taxes.

Through its transfer agent, the Fund performs ongoing monitoring of shareholder trading in shares of the Fund and other Franklin Templeton funds in order to try and identify shareholder trading patterns that suggest an ongoing short-term trading strategy. If shareholder trading patterns identified by the transfer agent through monitoring or from other information regarding the shareholder’s trading activity in non-Franklin Templeton funds leads the transfer agent to reasonably conclude that such trading may be detrimental to the Fund as described in this Frequent Trading Policy, the transfer agent, on behalf of the Fund, may temporarily or permanently bar future purchases into the Fund or, alternatively, may limit the amount, number or frequency of any future purchases and/or the method by which you may request future purchases and redemptions.

 

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In considering an investor’s trading patterns, the Fund may consider, among other factors, the investor’s trading history in the Fund, in other Franklin Templeton funds, in non-Franklin Templeton mutual funds, or in accounts under common control or ownership (see, for example, “Buying and Selling Shares – Investment by large shareholders” in the SAI). The transfer agent may also reject any purchase request, whether or not it represents part of any ongoing trading pattern, if the Fund’s investment manager or transfer agent reasonably concludes that the amount of the requested transaction may disrupt or otherwise interfere with the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio. In determining what actions should be taken, the Fund’s transfer agent may consider a variety of factors, including the potential impact of such remedial actions on the Fund and its shareholders.

Revocation of trades.   While the Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order for any reason, the Fund may also revoke executed purchase orders that the transfer agent reasonably concludes in its sole discretion may have been contrary to the objectives of the Fund’s Frequent Trading Policy.

Account Policies

Calculating Share Price

When you buy shares, you pay the NAV per share. When you sell shares, you receive the NAV.

The Fund calculates the NAV per share each business day as of 1 p.m. Pacific time or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), whichever is earlier. The Fund does not calculate the NAV on days the NYSE is closed for trading, which include New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE has a scheduled early close, the Fund’s share price would be determined as of the time of the close of the NYSE. If, due to weather or other special or unexpected circumstances, the NYSE has an unscheduled early close on a day that it has opened for business, the Fund reserves the right to consider that day as a regular business day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate its share price as of the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE. The Fund’s NAV per share is readily available through the App and online at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

The Fund’s assets are generally valued at their amortized cost.

Requests to buy and sell shares are processed at the NAV next calculated after we receive your request in proper form through the App.

Redemptions

Typically, the Fund uses cash and cash equivalents held in its portfolio or sells portfolio assets to meet all redemption needs. In unusual circumstances or under stressed market conditions, the Fund may use other methods to meet redemptions, such as the use of lines of credit or interfund lending in reliance on exemptive relief from the SEC.

Redemptions in Kind

The Fund reserves the right to make payments in whole or in part in securities or other assets of the Fund. You should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution. In addition, you will bear the market risk of the securities you hold until the securities are sold.

Redemptions by Large Shareholders

At times, the Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Large redemptions may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so. In addition, these transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs and/or increase in the Fund’s expense ratio. When experiencing a redemption by a large shareholder, the Fund may delay payment of the redemption request up to seven days to provide the investment manager with time to determine if the Fund can redeem the request in-kind or to consider other alternatives to lessen the harm to remaining shareholders. Under certain circumstances, however, the Fund may be unable to delay a redemption request, which could result in the automatic processing of a large redemption that is detrimental to the Fund and its remaining shareholders.

 

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Statements, Reports and Prospectuses

You will receive quarterly account statements electronically through the App that show all your account transactions for the calendar quarters. You will receive monthly accounts statements for all other months. You also will receive, or receive notice of the availability of, the Fund’s financial reports every six months. In addition, you will receive an annual updated summary prospectus electronically through the App (prospectus available upon request). At any time you may view current prospectuses/summary prospectuses and financial reports through the App or online at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX. You may also print paper copies of the Fund’s financial reports and current prospectus/summary prospectus through the App.

Additional Policies

Please note that the Fund maintains additional policies and reserves certain rights, including:

  • The Fund may restrict, reject or cancel any purchase orders.
  • Typically, redemptions are processed by the next business day provided the redemption request is received in proper form and good order, but may take up to seven days to be processed if making immediate payment would adversely affect the Fund or there is another cause for delay (for example, if you sell shares recently purchased, proceeds may be delayed until your electronic funds transfer has cleared). In certain circumstances, however, the Fund may not have the ability to delay a redemption request or may not have the time to determine whether a particular redemption would have an adverse effect on the Fund before the redemption request is paid.
  • The Fund may modify, suspend, or terminate privileges via the App at any time.
  • When you buy shares, it does not create a checking or other bank account relationship with the Fund or any bank.
  • The Fund may stop offering shares completely or may offer shares only on a limited basis, for a period of time or permanently.
  • In unusual circumstances, we may temporarily suspend redemptions or postpone the payment of proceeds, as allowed by federal securities laws.
  • The Fund may pay redemption proceeds in securities or other assets rather than cash (also known as a redemption in-kind) if the investment manager determines it is in the best interest of the Fund, consistent with applicable law. The investment manager will, in its sole discretion, determine whether a redemption in-kind will be considered for a particular redemption request or type of redemption request. In certain circumstances, however, the investment manager may not have the ability to determine whether a particular redemption could be paid in-kind before the redemption request is paid. If a redemption request is redeemed in-kind, investors should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.
  • You may only buy shares of a fund eligible for sale in your state or jurisdiction.

 

Questions

If you have any questions about the Fund or your account, you can write to us at P.O. Box 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733-8030. You also can call us at one of the following numbers. For your protection and to help ensure we provide you with quality service, all calls may be monitored or recorded.

Department Name   

Telephone Number   

   

Shareholder Services   

(800) 632-2301 

 

Fund Information   

(800) DIAL BEN
(800) 342-5236 

 

Hearing Impaired Assistance   

For hearing impaired assistance,
please contact us via a Relay Service. 

 

 

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For More Information

You can learn more about the Fund in the following documents:

Annual/Semiannual Report to Shareholders

Will include a discussion of recent market conditions and Fund strategies that significantly affected Fund performance during its last fiscal year, financial statements, detailed performance information, portfolio holdings and, in the annual report only, the independent registered public accounting firm’s report.

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

Contains more information about the Fund, its investments and policies. It is incorporated by reference (is legally a part of this prospectus).

For a free copy of the current annual/semiannual report, when available, or the SAI, please call us at the number below. You also can view the current annual/semiannual report, when available, and the SAI through the App or online at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

 

 

 

Franklin Templeton Investments 

One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906
(800) DIAL BEN®/342-5236
www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX

For hearing impaired assistance, please contact us via a Relay Service.

 

Investment Company Act file #811-23471

 

© 2021 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.

 


 

 

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 SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DATED MARCH 15, 2021 THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

 

(i)           

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DATED  MARCH 15, 2021

THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE Securities and Exchange Commission IS EFFECTIVE. THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

 

 

Contents

Goal, Strategies and Risks. 2

Officers and Trustees. 17

Management and Other Services. 24

Portfolio Transactions. 25

Distributions and Taxes. 26

Organization, Voting Rights and Principal Holders. 31

Buying and Selling Shares. 31

Pricing Shares. 33

The Underwriter 34

Performance. 34

Miscellaneous Information. 34

Description of Ratings. 35

TICKER                                                                                                                   FOCGX

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It contains information in addition to the information in the Fund’s prospectus. The Fund’s prospectus, dated April [ ], 2021, which we may amend from time to time, contains the basic information you should know before investing in the Fund. You should read this SAI together with the Fund’s prospectus.

A free copy of the current prospectus or annual/semiannual report (when available), is available through the Benji by Franklin Templeton application (App), which is available for download through the Apple App Store and Google Play. You can also view the current prospectus and the annual/semiannual report (when available) online at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

Mutual funds, annuities, and other investment products:

·    are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government;

·    are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank; and

·    are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of principal.

P.O. Box 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733-8030 (800) DIAL BEN® /342-5236                                                                    9001 SAI 4/21

 

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Goal, Strategies and Risks

The following information provided with respect to the Fund is in addition to that included in the Fund’s prospectus.

In addition to the main types of investments and strategies undertaken by the Fund as described in the prospectus, the Fund also may invest in other types of instruments and engage in and pursue other investment strategies, which are described in this SAI. Investments and investment strategies with respect to the Fund are discussed in greater detail in the section below entitled “Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks.”

Generally, the policies and restrictions discussed in this SAI and in the prospectus apply when the Fund makes an investment. In most cases, the Fund is not required to sell an investment because circumstances change and the investment no longer meets one or more of the Fund’s policies or restrictions. If a percentage restriction or limitation is met at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage due to a change in the value of portfolio investments will not be considered a violation of the restriction or limitation, with the exception of the Fund’s limitations on borrowing as described herein or unless otherwise noted herein.

The Fund has adopted certain investment restrictions as fundamental and non-fundamental policies. A fundamental policy may only be changed if the change is approved by (i) more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding shares or (ii) 67% or more of the Fund’s shares present at a shareholder meeting if more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy, whichever is less. A non-fundamental policy may be changed without the approval of shareholders.

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the Fund is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government. The Fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the Fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time. Shares of the Fund are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank.

For more information about the restrictions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act) on the Fund with respect to borrowing and senior securities, see “Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks- Borrowing” below.

Fundamental Investment Policies

The Fund’s investment goal is to provide investors with as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of shareholders’ capital and liquidity. The Fund also tries to maintain a stable $1.00 share price. In all cases, the Fund may pursue its policies by investing in another registered investment company with the same investment goal and substantially similar policies and restrictions as the Fund.

The Fund may not:

1.  Borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

2.  Act as an underwriter except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter when disposing of securities it owns or when selling its own shares.

3.  Make loans if, as a result, more than 331/3% of its total assets would be lent to other persons, including other investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC. This limitation does not apply to (i) the lending of portfolio securities, (ii) the purchase of debt securities, other debt instruments, loan participations and/or engaging in direct corporate loans in accordance with its investment goals and policies, and (iii) repurchase agreements to the extent the entry into a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan.1

4.  Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from (i) purchasing or selling securities or instruments secured by real estate or interests therein, securities or instruments representing interests in real estate or securities or instruments of issuers that invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, and (ii) making, purchasing or selling real estate mortgage loans.

5.  Purchase or sell commodities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC.

6.  Issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC.

 

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7.  Invest more than 25% of its net assets in securities of issuers in any one industry (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and other similar obligations of domestic banks).2

8.  Purchase the securities of any one issuer (other than the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies, whether registered or excluded from registration under Section 3(c) of the 1940 Act) if immediately after such investment (i) more than 5% of the value of its total assets would be invested in such issuer or (ii) more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer would be owned by the Fund, except that up to 25% of the value of its total assets may be invested without regard to such 5% and 10% limitations.3

1.  In general, “direct corporate loans” or direct investments in corporate loans are investments in new corporate loans where the Fund may invest as an initial investor and have a direct contractual relationship with the borrower (as opposed to a participation interest where the Fund’s sole contractual relationship is with the seller of the interest). Purchasing a loan or an interest in a loan in this fashion would allow the Fund to avoid the credit risk of the agent bank or other intermediary.

2.  To the extent that the Fund invests in underlying funds, the Fund will take into account the holdings of the affiliated underlying funds in which it invests and will not ignore information about unaffiliated underlying funds.

3.  The Fund will be considered to have satisfied this restriction if it is in compliance with Rule 2a-7(d)(3) and (e) under the 1940 Act (or any successor rule thereto).

Non-Fundamental Investment Policies

The Fund:

1.  Will invest in obligations or instruments issued by banks and savings institutions with assets of at least $1 billion.

2.  May invest in an obligation issued by a branch of a bank only if the parent bank has assets of at least $5 billion.

3.  May not make any new investments while any outstanding loans exceed 5% of its total assets.

4.  Only intends to buy stripped securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government.

5.  May not invest more than 5% of its total assets (measured at the time of acquisition) in illiquid securities, as defined under applicable regulation.

6.  Will invest 100% of its assets in securities with remaining maturities of 397 calendar days or less, or in another open-end management investment company that has the same investment goals and policies.

Maturity, for purposes of the Fund’s investment policies, is calculated in accordance with Rule 2a-7, including Rule 2a-7’s maturity shortening provisions.

Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks

Certain words or phrases may be used in descriptions of Fund investment policies and strategies to give investors a general sense of the Fund’s levels of investment. They are broadly identified with, but not limited to, the following percentages of Fund total assets:

“small portion”            less than 10%

“portion”                       10% to 25%

“significant”                 25% to 50%

“substantial”                50% to 66%

“primary”                      66% to 80%

“predominant”             80% or more

If the Fund intends to limit particular investments or strategies to no more than specific percentages of Fund assets, the prospectus or SAI will clearly identify such limitations. The percentages above are not limitations unless specifically stated as such in the Fund’s prospectus or elsewhere in this SAI.

The Fund may invest in securities that are rated by various rating agencies such as Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s) and S&P® Global Ratings (S&P®), as well as securities that are unrated.

The following are requirements for money market fund investments, and securities and techniques used by the Fund:

Liquidity  The Fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets (measured at the time of acquisition) in illiquid securities, as defined under applicable regulation.

The Fund is required to invest at least 10% of its total assets (measured at the time of acquisition) in “daily liquid assets” and at least 30% of its total assets (measured at the time of acquisition) in “weekly liquid assets.” “Daily liquid assets” are cash (including demand deposits), direct obligations of the U.S. Government, securities (including repurchase agreements) that will mature or are subject to a demand feature that is exercisable and payable within one business day or amounts receivable and due unconditionally within one business day on pending sales of portfolio securities. “Weekly liquid assets” are cash (including demand deposits), direct obligations of the U.S. Government, U.S. Government agency/instrumentality discount notes (without provision for the payment of interest) with remaining maturities of 60 calendar days or less, securities (including repurchase agreements) that will mature or are subject to a demand feature that is exercisable and payable within five business days or amounts receivable and due unconditionally within five business days on pending sales of portfolio securities. For purposes of these two definitions, maturity is determined without reference to the maturity shortening exceptions in Rule 2a-7 regarding interest rate readjustments.

 

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Maturity. The Fund is required to maintain a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of no greater than 60 calendar days and the Fund is required to maintain a dollar-weighted average life of no greater than 120 calendar days. “Weighted average life” is portfolio maturity measured without reference to provisions that otherwise permit the maturity of certain adjustable rate securities to be deemed to be “shortened” to their interest rate reset dates.

Suspension of redemptions. In the event that (a) the Fund, at the end of a business day, has invested less than 10% of its total assets in weekly liquid assets or (b) the Fund’s price per share as computed for the purpose of distribution, redemption and repurchase, rounded to the nearest 1%, has deviated from the stable price established by the Fund’s board of trustees or (c) the Trust’s board of trustees, including a majority of trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust as defined in the 1940 Act, determines that such a deviation is likely to occur, and the board of trustees, including a majority of trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust, irrevocably has approved the liquidation of the Fund, the Fund’s board of trustees has the authority to suspend redemptions of Fund shares.

The following is a description of various types of securities, instruments and techniques that may be purchased and/or used by the Fund:

Borrowing  The 1940 Act and the SEC’s current rules, exemptions and interpretations thereunder, permit the Fund to borrow up to one-third of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed, but less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities) from banks. The Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to such borrowings and to reduce the amount of its borrowings (within three days excluding Sundays and holidays) to restore such coverage if it should decline to less than 300% due to market fluctuations or otherwise. In the event that the Fund is required to reduce its borrowings, it may have to sell portfolio holdings, even if such sale of the Fund’s holdings would be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint.

If the Fund makes additional investments while borrowings are outstanding, this may be considered a form of leverage. Leveraging by means of borrowing may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of portfolio securities on the Fund’s net asset value, and money borrowed will be subject to interest and other costs (which may include commitment fees and/or the cost of maintaining minimum average balances), which may or may not exceed the income or gains received from the securities purchased with borrowed funds.

In addition to borrowings that are subject to 300% asset coverage and are considered by the SEC to be permitted “senior securities,” the Fund is also permitted under the 1940 Act to borrow for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of its total assets at the time when the loan is made. A loan will be presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within 60 days and is not extended or renewed.

Debt securities - general description  In general, a debt security represents a loan of money to the issuer by the purchaser of the security. A debt security typically has a fixed payment schedule that obligates the issuer to pay interest to the lender and to return the lender’s money over a certain time period. A company typically meets its payment obligations associated with its outstanding debt securities before it declares and pays any dividend to holders of its equity securities. Bonds, notes and commercial paper are examples of debt securities and differ in the length of the issuer’s principal repayment schedule, with bonds carrying the longest repayment schedule and commercial paper the shortest:

Bonds. A bond is a debt security in which investors lend money to an entity that borrows for a defined period of time, usually a period of more than five years, at a specified interest rate.

Commercial paper. Commercial paper is an unsecured, short-term loan to a corporation, typically for financing accounts receivable and inventory with maturities of up to 270 days.

Debentures. A debenture is an unsecured debt security backed only by the creditworthiness of the borrower, not by collateral.

Bills. A bill is a short-term debt instrument, usually with a maturity of two years or less.

 

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Notes. A note is a debt security usually with a maturity of up to ten years.

For purposes of the discussion in this SAI of the risks of investing in debt securities generally, loans or other short-term instruments, which otherwise may not technically be considered securities, are included.

Debt securities are all generally subject to interest rate, credit, income and prepayment risks and, like all investments, are subject to liquidity and market risks to varying degrees depending upon the specific terms and type of security. The Fund’s investment manager attempts to reduce credit and market risk through diversification of the Fund’s portfolio and ongoing credit analysis of each issuer, as well as by monitoring economic developments, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful at doing so.

Illiquid securities  Generally, an “illiquid security” or “illiquid investment”  is any investment that cannot be disposed of partially or in full in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the instrument. Illiquid investments generally include investments for which no market exists or which are legally restricted as to their transfer (such as those issued pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the federal securities laws). Restricted securities are generally sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (1933 Act). If registration of a security previously acquired in a private transaction is required, the Fund, as the holder of the security, may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time it will be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security. To the extent it is determined that there is a liquid institutional or other market for certain restricted securities, the Fund would consider them to be liquid securities. An example is a restricted security that may be freely transferred among qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, and for which a liquid institutional market has developed. Rule 144A securities may be subject, however, to a greater possibility of becoming illiquid than securities that have been registered with the SEC.

The following factors may be taken into account in determining whether a restricted security is properly considered a liquid security: (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) any dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and (iv) the nature of the security and of the marketplace trades (e.g., any demand, put or tender features, the method of soliciting offers, the mechanics and other requirements for transfer, and the ability to assign or offset the rights and obligations of the security). The nature of the security and its trading includes the time needed to sell the security, the method of soliciting offers to purchase or sell the security, and the mechanics of transferring the security including the role of parties such as foreign or U.S. custodians, subcustodians, currency exchange brokers, and depositories.

The sale of illiquid investments often requires more time and results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses than the sale of investments eligible for trading on national securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter (OTC) markets. Illiquid investments often sell at a price lower than similar investments that are not subject to restrictions on resale.

The risk to the Fund in holding illiquid investments is that they may be more difficult to sell if the Fund wants to dispose of the investment in response to adverse developments or in order to raise money for redemptions or other investment opportunities. Illiquid trading conditions may also make it more difficult for the Fund to realize an investment’s fair value.

The Fund may also be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain investment, issuer, or sector due to overall limitations on its ability to invest in illiquid investments and the difficulty in purchasing such investments.

Interfund lending program  Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the SEC (Lending Order), the Fund has the ability to lend money to, and borrow money from, other Franklin Templeton funds for temporary purposes (Interfund Lending Program) pursuant to a master interfund lending agreement (Interfund Loan). Lending and borrowing through the Interfund Lending Program provides the borrowing fund with a lower interest rate than it would have paid if it borrowed money from a bank, and provides the lending fund with an alternative short-term investment with a higher rate of return than other available short-term investments. All Interfund Loans would consist only of uninvested cash reserves that the lending fund otherwise would invest in short-term repurchase agreements or other short-term instruments. The Fund may only participate in the Interfund Lending Program to the extent permitted by its investment goal(s), policies and restrictions and only subject to meeting the conditions of the Lending Order.

 

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The limitations of the Interfund Lending Program are described below and these and the other conditions of the Lending Order permitting interfund lending are designed to minimize the risks associated with interfund lending for both the lending and borrowing fund. However, no borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When a fund borrows money from another fund under the Interfund Lending Program, there is a risk that the Interfund Loan could be called on one business day’s notice, in which case the borrowing fund may have to utilize a line of credit, which would likely involve higher rates, seek an Interfund Loan from another fund, or liquidate portfolio securities if no lending sources are available to meet its liquidity needs. Interfund Loans are subject to the risk that the borrowing fund could be unable to repay the loan when due, and a delay in repayment could result in a lost opportunity by the lending fund or force the lending fund to borrow or liquidate securities to meet its liquidity needs.

Under the Interfund Lending Program, the Fund may borrow on an unsecured basis through the Interfund Lending Program if its outstanding borrowings from all sources immediately after the borrowing total 10% or less of its total assets, provided that if the Fund has a secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another fund, the Fund’s Interfund Loan will be secured on at least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding loan that requires collateral. If the Fund’s total outstanding borrowings immediately after an Interfund Loan exceed 10% of its total assets, the Fund may borrow through the Interfund Lending Program on a secured basis only. The Fund may not borrow under the Interfund Lending Program or from any other source if its total outstanding borrowings immediately after such borrowing would be more than 33 1/3% of its total assets or any lower threshold provided for by the Fund’s investment restrictions.

If the Fund has outstanding bank borrowings, any Interfund Loans to the Fund would: (a) be at an interest rate equal to or lower than that of any outstanding bank loan, (b) be secured at least on an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding bank loan that requires collateral, (c) have a maturity no longer than any outstanding bank loan (and in any event not over seven days), and (d) provide that, if an event of default by the Fund occurs under any agreement evidencing an outstanding bank loan to the Fund, that event of default will automatically (without need for action or notice by the lending Fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the interfund lending agreement, entitling the lending fund to call the Interfund Loan (and exercise all rights with respect to any collateral), and that such call would be made if the lending bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement with the borrowing fund.

In addition, no fund may lend to another fund through the Interfund Lending Program if the loan would cause the lending fund’s aggregate outstanding loans through the Interfund Lending Program to exceed 15% of its current net assets at the time of the loan. A fund’s Interfund Loans to any one fund shall not exceed 5% of the lending fund’s net assets. The duration of Interfund Loans will be limited to the time required to obtain cash sufficient to repay such Interfund Loan, either through the sale of portfolio securities or the net sales of the fund’s shares, but in no event more than seven days, and for purposes of this condition, loans effected within seven days of each other will be treated as separate loan transactions. Each Interfund Loan may be called on one business day’s notice by a lending fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing fund.

Investment grade debt securities  Investment grade debt securities are securities that are rated at the time of purchase in the top four ratings categories by one or more independent rating organizations such as S&P (rated BBB- or better) or Moody’s (rated Baa3 or higher) or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s investment manager. Generally, a higher rating indicates the rating agency’s opinion that there is less risk of default of obligations thereunder including timely repayment of principal and payment of interest. Debt securities in the lowest investment grade category may have speculative characteristics and more closely resemble high-yield debt securities than investment-grade debt securities. Lower-rated securities may be subject to all the risks applicable to high-yield debt securities and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than is the case with higher grade debt securities.

A number of risks associated with rating agencies apply to the purchase or sale of investment grade debt securities.

LIBOR Transition The Fund may invest in financial instruments that may have floating or variable rate calculations for payment obligations or financing terms based on LIBOR, which is the benchmark interest rate at which major global banks lend to one another in the international interbank market for short-term loans.  On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) announced its intention to cease sustaining the LIBOR after 2021 (although there are initiatives to delay the discontinuation beyond 2021 for certain LIBOR rates). There remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate. As such, the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the Fund or the Fund’s investments that use or may use a floating rate based on LIBOR cannot yet be determined.

 

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The transition process might lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that currently rely on LIBOR to determine interest rates. It could also lead to a reduction in the value of some LIBOR-based investments and reduce the effectiveness of new hedges placed against existing LIBOR-based instruments. Since the usefulness of LIBOR as a benchmark could deteriorate during the transition period, these effects could occur prior to the end of 2021.

In June 2017, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of large U.S. banks working with the Federal Reserve, announced a replacement for LIBOR, the Secured Overnight Funding Rate (SOFR). The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing the SOFR in April 2018, which is a broad measure of the cost of overnight borrowing of cash collateralized by Treasury securities. SOFR is intended to serve as a reference rate for U.S. dollar-based debt and derivatives and ultimately reduce the markets’ dependence on LIBOR. Bank working groups and regulators in other countries have suggested other alternatives for their markets, including the Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate in the UK.

Repurchase agreements  Under a repurchase agreement, the Fund agrees to buy securities guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities from a qualified bank, broker-dealer or other counterparty and then to sell the securities back to such counterparty on an agreed upon date (generally less than seven days) at a higher price, which reflects currently prevailing short-term interest rates. Entering into repurchase agreements allows the Fund to earn a return on cash in the Fund’s portfolio that would otherwise remain un-invested. The counterparty must transfer to the Fund’s custodian, as collateral, securities with an initial market value of at least 102% (in the case of a counterparty that is a bank or broker-dealer) or 100% (if the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) is the counterparty) of the dollar amount paid by the Fund to the counterparty. The investment manager will monitor the value of such collateral daily to determine that the value of the collateral equals or exceeds the repurchase price. The Fund considers repurchase agreements with the FRBNY to be U.S. Government securities for purposes of the Fund’s investment policies.

Repurchase agreements may involve risks in the event of default or insolvency of the counterparty, including possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund’s ability to sell the underlying securities and additional expenses in seeking to enforce the Fund’s rights and recover any losses. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with parties who meet certain creditworthiness standards, i.e., the FRBNY or banks or broker-dealers that the investment manager has determined, based on the information available at the time, present no serious risk of becoming involved in bankruptcy proceedings within the time frame contemplated by the repurchase agreement. Although the Fund seeks to limit the credit risk under a repurchase agreement by carefully selecting counterparties and accepting only high quality collateral, some credit risk remains. The counterparty could default which may make it necessary for the Fund to incur expenses to liquidate the collateral. In addition, the collateral may decline in value before it can be liquidated by the Fund.

A repurchase agreement with more than seven days to maturity is considered an illiquid security and is subject to the Fund’s investment restriction on illiquid securities.

Stripped securities  Stripped securities are debt securities that have been transformed from a principal amount with periodic interest coupons into a series of zero coupon bonds, each with a different maturity date corresponding to one of the payment dates for interest coupon payments or the redemption date for the principal amount. Stripped securities are subject to all the risks applicable to zero coupon bonds as well as certain additional risks.

Like zero coupon bonds, stripped securities do not provide for periodic payments of interest prior to maturity. Rather they are offered at a discount from their face amount that will be paid at maturity. This results in the security being subject to greater fluctuations in response to changing interest rates than interest-paying securities of similar maturities. Federal income taxes generally accrue on stripped securities each year although no cash income is received until maturity, and the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities that it would otherwise continue to hold in order to obtain sufficient cash to make distributions to shareholders required for U.S. tax purposes.

 

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The riskiness of an investment in stripped securities depends on the type involved. Some stripped securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Others receive an implied backing by the U.S. government as a sponsor or partner in the agency or entity issuing the stripped security. A few are secured with a guarantee from the financial institution or broker or dealer through which the stripped security is held. Others are supported only by the collateral, revenue stream or third party guarantee securing the underlying debt obligation from which zero coupon bonds were stripped. Stripped securities include: U.S. Treasury STRIPS, Stripped Government Securities, Stripped Corporate Securities, and Stripped Eurodollar Obligations.

Stripped government securities are issued by the U.S. federal, state and local governments and their agencies and instrumentalities, and by “mixed-ownership government corporations.” Stripped government securities vary widely in the terms, conditions and relative assurances of payment. The type of debt obligation from which the stripped government security was taken will indicate many of the risks associated with that investment. U.S. Treasury STRIPS is a type of stripped government securities.

U.S. Treasury STRIPS (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities) are considered U.S. Treasury securities for purposes of the Fund’s investment policies and are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Their risks are similar to those of other U.S. government securities, although their price may be more volatile. The U.S. Treasury has facilitated transfers of ownership of zero coupon securities by accounting separately for the beneficial ownership of particular interest coupon and principal payments on Treasury securities through the Federal Reserve book-entry record-keeping system.

U.S. government securities  U.S. government securities include obligations of, or securities guaranteed by, the U.S. federal government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Some U.S. government securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. These include U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). A second category of U.S. government securities are those supported by the right of the agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise to borrow from the U.S. government to meet its obligations. These include securities issued by Federal Home Loan Banks.

A third category of U.S. government securities are those supported by only the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise. These include securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). In the event of a default, an investor like the Fund would only have legal recourse to the issuer, not the U.S. government. Although the U.S. government has provided support for these securities in the past, there can be no assurance that it will do so in the future. The U.S. government has also made available additional guarantees for limited periods to stabilize or restore a market in the wake of an economic, political or natural crisis. Such guarantees, and the economic opportunities they present, are likely to be temporary and cannot be relied upon by the Fund. Any downgrade of the credit rating of the securities issued by the U.S. government may result in a downgrade of securities issued by its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-sponsored entities.

Variable rate securities  Variable rate securities are debt securities that provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate paid on the debt security. Floating rate securities, adjustable rate securities and inverse floating rate securities (referred to as “inverse floaters”) are types of variable rate securities. An adjustable rate security is a debt security with an interest rate which is adjusted according to a formula that specifies the interval at which the rate will be reset and the interest rate index, benchmark or other mechanism upon which the reset rate is based. A floating rate debt security has a rate of interest which is usually established as the sum of a base lending rate (e.g., the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the U.S. Prime Rate, the Prime Rate of a designated U.S. bank or the certificate of deposit rate) plus a specified margin. The interest rate on prime rate-based loans and securities floats periodically as the prime rate changes. The interest rate on LIBOR-based and CD-based loans and securities is reset periodically, typically at regular intervals ranging between 30 days and one year. Certain floating rate securities will permit the borrower to select an interest rate reset period of up to one year.

Some variable rate securities are structured with put features that permit holders to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the issuers or certain financial intermediaries at or about the time the interest rate is reset. If the Fund purchases a variable rate security with a put feature and market movements make exercise of the put unattractive, the Fund will forfeit the entire amount of any premium paid plus related transaction costs.

 

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Movements in the relevant index or benchmark on which adjustments are based will affect the interest paid on these securities and, therefore, the current income earned by the Fund and the securities’ market value. The degree of volatility in the market value of the variable rate securities held by the Fund will generally increase along with the length of time between adjustments, the degree of volatility in the applicable index, benchmark or base lending rate and whether the index, benchmark or base lending rate to which it resets or floats approximates short-term or other prevailing interest rates. It will also be a function of the maximum increase or decrease of the interest rate adjustment on any one adjustment date, in any one year, and over the life of the security. These maximum increases and decreases are typically referred to as “caps” and “floors,” respectively.

During periods when short-term interest rates move within the caps and floors of the security held by the Fund, the interest rate of such security will reset to prevailing rates within a short period. As a result, the fluctuation in market value of the variable rate security held by the Fund is generally expected to be limited.

In periods of substantial short-term volatility in interest rates, the market value of such debt securities may fluctuate more substantially if the caps and/or floors prevent the interest rates from adjusting to the full extent of the movements in the market rates during any one adjustment period or over the term of the security. In the event of dramatic increases in interest rates, any lifetime caps on these securities may prevent the securities from adjusting to prevailing rates over the term of the security. In either the case of caps or floors, the market value of the securities may be reduced.

The income earned by the Fund and distributed to shareholders will generally increase or decrease along with movements in the relevant index, benchmark or base lending rate. Thus the Fund’s income will be more unpredictable than the income earned on similar investments with a fixed rate of interest.

When-issued and delayed delivery transactions  When-issued and delayed delivery transactions are arrangements under which the Fund buys securities that have been authorized but not yet issued, with payment for and delivery of the security scheduled for a future time. To the extent the Fund engages in these transactions, it will do so only for the purpose of acquiring portfolio securities consistent with its investment goals and policies. Although the Fund will generally buy securities on a when-issued basis with the intention of holding the securities, the Fund may sell the securities before the settlement date if the investment manager believes it is advisable to do so.

Entering into a when-issued or delayed delivery transaction may be viewed as a form of leverage and will result in associated risks for the Fund. To mitigate these risks, when the Fund enters into this type of transaction, it will segregate liquid assets (consisting of cash, cash equivalents or other liquid portfolio securities) equal to the Fund’s obligations under the transaction, as determined on a daily basis. However, the Fund does not consider the purchase and/or sale of securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis to be a borrowing for purposes of the Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions or other limitations on borrowing.

The Fund also relies on the counterparty to complete the transaction. The counterparty’s failure to do so may cause the Fund to miss a price or yield considered advantageous to the Fund. Although their price typically reflects accrued interest, securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis do not generally earn interest until their scheduled delivery date. Purchases of securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis are also subject to the risk that the market value or the yield at delivery may be more or less than the market price or yield available when the transaction was entered into.

Many when-issued or delayed-delivery transactions also are subject to the risk that a counterparty may become bankrupt or otherwise fail to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, including making payments or fulfilling other obligations to the Fund. The Fund may obtain no or only limited recovery in a bankruptcy or other organizational proceedings, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.

The following is a description of the general risks associated with the Fund’s investing in debt securities:

Credit  Debt securities are subject to the risk of an issuer’s (or other party’s) failure or inability to meet its obligations under the security. Multiple parties may have obligations under a debt security. An issuer or borrower may fail to pay principal and interest when due. A guarantor, insurer or credit support provider may fail to provide the agreed upon protection. A counterparty to a transaction may fail to perform its side of the bargain. An intermediary or agent interposed between the investor and other parties may fail to perform the terms of its service. Also, performance under a debt security may be linked to the obligations of other persons who may fail to meet their obligations. The credit risk associated with a debt security could increase to the extent that the Fund’s ability to benefit fully from its investment in the security depends on the performance by multiple parties of their respective contractual or other obligations. The market value of a debt security is also affected by the market’s perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer.

 

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The Fund may incur substantial losses on debt securities that are inaccurately perceived to present a different amount of credit risk than they actually do by the market, the investment manager or the rating agencies. Credit risk is generally greater where less information is publicly available, where fewer covenants safeguard the investors’ interests, where collateral may be impaired or inadequate, where little legal redress or regulatory protection is available, or where a party’s ability to meet obligations is speculative. Additionally, any inaccuracy in the information used by the Fund to evaluate credit risk may affect the value of securities held by the Fund.

Obligations under debt securities held by the Fund may never be satisfied or, if satisfied, only satisfied in part.

Some securities are subject to risks as a result of a credit downgrade or default by a government, or its agencies or, instrumentalities. Credit risk is a greater concern for high-yield debt securities and debt securities of issuers whose ability to pay interest and principal may be considered speculative. Debt securities are typically classified as investment grade-quality (medium to highest credit quality) or below investment grade-quality (commonly referred to as high-yield or junk bonds). Many individual debt securities are rated by a third party source, such as Moody’s or S&P to help describe the creditworthiness of the issuer.

Debt securities ratings  The investment manager performs its own independent investment analysis of securities being considered for the Fund’s portfolio, which includes consideration of, 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. The investment manager also considers the ratings assigned by various investment services and independent rating agencies, such as Moody’s and S&P, that publish ratings based upon their assessment of the relative creditworthiness of the rated debt securities. Generally, a lower rating indicates higher credit risk. Higher yields are ordinarily available from debt securities in the lower rating categories. These ratings are described at the end of this SAI under “Description of Ratings.”

Using credit ratings to evaluate debt securities can involve certain risks. For example, ratings assigned by the rating agencies are based upon an analysis completed at the time of the rating of the obligor’s ability to pay interest and repay principal. Rating agencies typically rely to a large extent on historical data which may not accurately represent present or future circumstances. Ratings do not purport to reflect the risk of fluctuations in market value of the debt security and are not absolute standards of quality and only express the rating agency’s current opinion of an obligor’s overall financial capacity to pay its financial obligations. A credit rating is not a statement of fact or a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a debt obligation. Also, credit quality can change suddenly and unexpectedly, and credit ratings may not reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or events since the security was last rated. Rating agencies may have a financial interest in generating business, including from the arranger or issuer of the security that normally pays for that rating, and providing a low rating might affect the rating agency’s prospects for future business. While rating agencies have policies and procedures to address this potential conflict of interest, there is a risk that these policies will fail to prevent a conflict of interest from impacting the rating.

Income  Income risk is the risk that the Fund’s income will decline during periods of falling interest rates, when the Fund experiences defaults on debt securities it holds or when the Fund realizes a loss upon a sale of a debt security. The Fund’s income declines when interest rates fall because, as the Fund’s higher-yielding debt securities mature, are prepaid or are sold, the Fund may have to re-invest the proceeds in debt securities that have lower interest rates. The amount and rate of distributions that the Fund’s shareholders receive are affected by the income that the Fund receives from its portfolio holdings. If the income is reduced, distributions by the Fund to shareholders may be less.

Fluctuations in income paid to the Fund are generally greater for variable rate debt securities. The Fund will be deemed to receive taxable income on certain securities which pay no cash payments until maturity, such as zero-coupon securities. The Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities that it would otherwise continue to hold in order to obtain sufficient cash to make the distribution to shareholders required for U.S. tax purposes.

 

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Inflation  The market price of debt securities generally falls as inflation increases because the purchasing power of the future income and repaid principal is expected to be worth less when received by the Fund. Debt securities that pay a fixed rather than variable interest rate are especially vulnerable to inflation risk because variable-rate debt securities may be able to participate, over the long term, in rising interest rates which have historically corresponded with long-term inflationary trends.

Interest rate  The market value of debt securities generally varies in response to changes in prevailing interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable. In addition, short-term and long-term rates are not necessarily correlated to each other as short-term rates tend to be influenced by government monetary policy while long-term rates are market driven and may be influenced by macroeconomic events (such as economic expansion or contraction), inflation expectations, as well as supply and demand. During periods of declining interest rates, the market value of debt securities generally increases. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of debt securities generally declines. This occurs because new debt securities are likely to be issued with higher interest rates as interest rates increase, making the old or outstanding debt securities less attractive. In general, the market prices of long-term debt securities or securities that make little (or no) interest payments are more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations than shorter-term debt securities. The longer the Fund’s average weighted portfolio duration, the greater the potential impact a change in interest rates will have on its share price. Also, certain segments of the fixed income markets, such as high quality bonds, tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than other segments, such as lower-quality bonds.

Prepayment  Debt securities, especially bonds that are subject to “calls,” such as asset-backed or mortgage-backed securities, are subject to prepayment risk if their terms allow the payment of principal and other amounts due before their stated maturity. Amounts invested in a debt security that has been “called” or “prepaid” will be returned to an investor holding that security before expected by the investor. In such circumstances, the investor, such as a fund, may be required to re-invest the proceeds it receives from the called or prepaid security in a new security which, in periods of declining interest rates, will typically have a lower interest rate. Prepayment risk is especially prevalent in periods of declining interest rates and will result for other reasons, including unexpected developments in the markets for the underlying assets or mortgages. For example, a decline in mortgage interest rates typically initiates a period of mortgage refinancings. When homeowners refinance their mortgages, the investor in the underlying pool of mortgage-backed securities (such as a fund) receives its principal back sooner than expected, and must reinvest at lower, prevailing rates.

Securities subject to prepayment risk are often called during a declining interest rate environment and generally offer less potential for gains and greater price volatility than other income-bearing securities of comparable maturity.

Call risk is similar to prepayment risk and results from the ability of an issuer to call, or prepay, a debt security early. If interest rates decline enough, the debt security’s issuer can save money by repaying its callable debt securities and issuing new debt securities at lower interest rates.

The following is a description of other risks associated with the Fund’s investments:

Liquidity  Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell at the price at which the Fund has valued the security, whether because of current market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, or the specific type of investment. If the market for a particular security becomes illiquid (for example, due to changes in the issuer’s financial condition), the Fund may be unable to sell such security at an advantageous time or price due to the difficulty in selling such securities. To the extent that the Fund and its affiliates hold a significant portion of an issuer’s outstanding securities, the Fund may also be subject to greater liquidity risk than if the issuer’s securities were more widely held. The Fund may also need to sell some of the Fund’s more liquid securities when it otherwise would not do so in order to meet redemption requests, even if such sale of the liquid holdings would be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint. Reduced liquidity may also have an adverse impact on a security’s market value and the sale of such securities often results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market for certain securities will also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio and thus pricing may be prone to error when market quotations are volatile, infrequent and/or subject to large spreads between bid and ask prices. In addition, prices received by the Fund for securities may be based on institutional “round lot” sizes, but the Fund may purchase, hold or sell smaller, “odd lot” sizes, which may be harder to sell. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than round lots, which may affect the Fund’s ability to accurately value its investments.

 

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The market for certain equity or debt securities may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. For example, dealer capacity in certain fixed income markets appears to have undergone fundamental changes since the financial crisis of 2008, which may result in low dealer inventories and a reduction in dealer market-making capacity. An increase in interest rates due to the tapering of the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative easing program and other similar central bank actions, coupled with a reduction in dealer market-making capacity, may decrease liquidity and increase volatility in the fixed income markets. Liquidity risk generally increases (meaning that securities become more illiquid) as the number, or relative need, of investors seeking to liquidate in a given market increases; for example, when an asset class or classes fall out of favor and investors sell their holdings in such classes, either directly or indirectly through investment funds, such as mutual funds.

Management  The investment manager’s judgments about markets, interest rates or the attractiveness, relative values or potential appreciation of particular investment strategies or sectors or securities purchased for the Fund’s portfolio may prove to be incorrect, all of which could cause the Fund to perform less favorably and may result in a decline in the Fund’s share price.

The investment manager selects investments for the Fund based on its own analysis and information as well as on external sources of information, such as information that the investment manager obtains from other sources including through conferences and discussions with third parties, and data that issuers of securities provide to the investment manager or file with government agencies. The investment manager may also use information concerning institutional positions and buying activity in a security. The investment manager is not in a position to confirm the completeness, genuineness or accuracy of any of such information that is provided or filed by an issuer, and in some cases, complete and accurate information is not readily available. It is also possible that information on which the investment manager relies could be wrong or misleading. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the investment manager in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goal. Management risk is greater when less qualitative information is available to the investment manager about an investment.

Although the investment manager has experience managing mutual funds and risk oversight, it has limited experience in the blockchain technology industry. More detailed information about distributed ledger technology and the Stellar network, including the regulatory, operational and technological risks associated with distributed ledger technology and the Stellar network, is included in the sections below entitled “Use of Blockchain,” “The Stellar Network,” “Blockchain Regulation,” and “Operations and Technology.” On account of these risks, the Fund may never achieve market acceptance and may not be able to attract sizable assets or achieve scale. Under these circumstances, the investment manager and the Fund’s board of trustees may take actions including, potentially, restructuring or liquidating the Fund. 

Market  The market value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a single corporate borrower or security issuer. These general market conditions include real or perceived adverse economic or regulatory conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency exchange rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. Market values may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or sector, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry, or a particular segment, such as mortgage or government securities. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that the Fund’s securities will participate in or otherwise benefit from the advance.

The following is a description of other risks associated with distributed ledger technology:

Use of Blockchain  A blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that records transactions between two parties in a verifiable and permanent way using cryptography.  Transactions on the blockchain are verified and authenticated by computers on the network (referred to as “nodes” or “validators”) that receive, propagate, verify, and execute transactions.  The process of authenticating a transaction before it is recorded ensures that only valid and authorized transactions are permanently recorded on the blockchain in collections of transactions called “blocks.” Blockchain networks are based upon software source code that establishes and governs their respective cryptographic systems for verifying transactions.

 

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Although the Fund’s transfer agent will maintain the official record of share ownership in book-entry form, the ownership of the Fund’s shares will also be recorded on the Stellar network’s blockchain. The use of blockchain technology is untested for mutual funds. In the event of a conflict between the blockchain record and the record held by the transfer agent, the transfer agent’s record will be determinative.  

 

The secondary recording of Fund shares on the blockchain will not affect the Fund’s investments. The Fund intends to be a Government money market fund. Accordingly, the Fund will invest, consistent with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, at least 99.5% of its total assets in Government securities, cash and repurchase agreements collateralized fully by Government securities or cash.  The Fund will not invest in any cryptocurrencies (referred to as, among other things, virtual currencies). 

 

Upon the creation of an account through the App, the Fund’s transfer agent will coordinate with an affiliate to create a blockchain wallet for each investor. Each investor will be assigned a unique Stellar network blockchain address for their wallet, and they will be able to track the balance of any Fund shares in their wallet through the App as well as on a public “block explorer” tool capable of displaying activity on the Stellar network.

 

Users of the Stellar network must pay transaction fees (in the form of “Stellar Lumens,” the native digital asset for the operation of Stellar) to the Stellar network in order to validate a transaction. Such transaction fees are intended to protect the Stellar network from frivolous or malicious computational tasks. These transaction fees will be the responsibility of the investment manager or its affiliates; Fund investors will not be required to purchase any Stellar Lumens.

 

Delays in transaction processing have occurred on the Stellar network.  Such a delay may occur on account of, among other things, the inability of nodes to reach consensus on transactions.  During a network delay, it will not be possible to record transactions in the shares on the blockchain. Should such a delay occur for an extended period of time, the Fund could choose to effect transactions with shareholders manually (i.e., in book-entry form) until such time as the network has resumed normal operation. The Fund may choose to reevaluate the suitability of the Stellar network for the Fund’s shares in the event of future or recurring delays.

 

In the future, the ownership of the Fund’s shares may be maintained and recorded primarily on the Stellar network, although there is no guarantee that this will occur.  Alternatively, the Fund’s shares may be recorded on a blockchain other than the Stellar network if the Fund’s investment manager determines that such a change would be in the best interest of the Fund and Fund shareholders. The Fund’s investment manager believes that the use of blockchain may, in the future, permit reduced settlement times and provide other benefits to Fund shareholders.

 

Furthermore, in the future, the shares may be available for purchase, sale or transfer from one shareholder to another shareholder (or potential shareholder) (“peer-to-peer”) on the blockchain or in a secondary trading market (such as an electronic trading platform that is registered with the SEC as an alternative trading system (ATS)).  Any disruption to the operations of an ATS, including a broker-dealer’s interface with an ATS, could materially disrupt trading in, or potentially result in a complete halt in the trading of, the Fund’s shares on that platform. The Fund has no current agreement to make its shares available for trading on any ATS, but may enter into such an agreement in the future.  These features are not currently, and may never be, available to investors. These features would be subject to then-existing regulations and regulatory interpretations.

 

There are risks associated with the issuance, redemption, transfer, custody and record keeping of shares maintained and recorded primarily on a blockchain. For example, shares that are issued using blockchain technology would be subject to the following risks (among others):

1.    a rapidly-evolving regulatory landscape in the United States and in other countries, which might result in security, privacy or other regulatory concerns that could require changes to the way transactions in the shares are recorded;

2.    the possibility of undiscovered technical flaws in an underlying technology, including in the process by which transactions are recorded to a blockchain (particularly, the Stellar network blockchain), or by which the validity of a copy of such blockchain can be proven;

 

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3.    the possibility that cryptographic or other security measures that authenticate prior transactions for a blockchain could be compromised, or “hacked,” which could allow an attacker to alter the blockchain and thereby disrupt the ability to corroborate definitive transactions recorded on the blockchain;

4.    the possibility that new technologies or services inhibit access to a blockchain;

5.    the possibility that a breach to one blockchain could cause investors, and the public generally, to lose trust in blockchain technology and increase reluctance to issue and invest in assets recorded on blockchains; and

6.    because of the differences between the way the shares are issued and recorded as compared to shares in a traditional mutual fund, there is a risk that issues that might easily be resolved by existing law if traditional methods were involved may not be easily resolved for the shares. The occurrence of any related issue or dispute could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s current or future business or the shares.

The Stellar Network  The suitability of the Stellar network (and its underlying blockchain ledger) on which the shares will rely could decline due to a variety of causes, adversely affecting the functionality of the shares and an investment in the Fund. Blockchain networks are based on software protocols that govern the peer-to-peer interactions between computers connected to these networks. The suitability of the Stellar network for the functionality of the shares depends upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

1.  The effectiveness of the informal groups of (often uncompensated) developers contributing to the protocols that underlie the network;

2.  Effectiveness of the validators and the network’s consensus mechanisms to effectively secure the network against confirmation of invalid transactions;

3.  The continued participation of a number of trusted validators;

4.  The lack of collusion between trusted validators;

5.  Disputes among the developers or validators of the network;

6.  Changes in the consensus or validation scheme that underlies the network;

7.  The failure of cybersecurity controls or security breaches of the network;

8.  The inability of validators to reach consensus and the consequential halting of transaction verification on the network;

9.  The existence of undiscovered technical flaws in the network;

10.  The development of new or existing hardware or software tools or mechanisms that could negatively impact the functionality of the systems;

11.  The price of Lumens, the blockchain asset associated with the network;

12.  The cost of transaction fees to use the Stellar network;

13.  Intellectual property rights-based or other claims against the network’s participants;

14.  The continued adoption of the Stellar network; and

15.  The maturity of the computer software programming software development kit (“SDK”) used in connection with the network.

Unfavorable developments or characteristics of any of the above or other circumstances could adversely affect the Fund’s operations or the functionality of the shares.

Furthermore, the Stellar ledger is available to the public and will store the complete transaction history from issuance of the shares. As a result, robust and transparent data, other than shareholder personal identifying information, will be publicly available via block explorers. Accordingly, the shares’ issuance and redemption data (and not a shareholder’s personal identifying information) will be exposed to the public. The personal identifying information necessary to associate a given share with the record owner of that share will be maintained by the Fund’s transfer agent (or an affiliate of the transfer agent) in a separate database that is not available to the public. However, if there are data security breaches with respect to the transfer agent’s or its affiliated entity’s database(s) resulting in theft of the information necessary to link personal identity with the shares, the stolen information could be used to determine a shareholder’s identity and complete investing history in the Fund.  Concerns over these privacy issues may limit adoption of public-ledger blockchain technology, reducing the potential market acceptance for the shares and the size of the Fund.

Blockchain Regulation  Regulation of digital assets, blockchain technologies and digital asset platforms is currently developing and likely to rapidly evolve, varies significantly among international, federal, state and local jurisdictions and is subject to significant uncertainty.

 

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Various legislative and executive bodies in the United States and in other countries are currently considering, or may in the future consider, laws, regulations, guidance, or other actions, which may severely impact the Fund, and thus the Fund’s shareholders. Failure by the Fund or any Fund service provider to comply with any laws, rules or regulations, some of which may not exist yet or are subject to interpretation and may be subject to change, could result in a variety of adverse consequences to the Fund (and thus to the Fund’s shareholders), including civil penalties and fines.

New or changing laws and regulations or interpretations of existing laws and regulations may adversely impact the Fund’s ability to issue and redeem shares or otherwise make distributions on shares, the secondary market liquidity and market price of shares (should such secondary market liquidity be available in the future), shareholders’ ability to access or otherwise utilize an exchange or platform for trading of the shares (should such a platform or exchange exist in the future and such activity be permitted by the Fund) and the structure, rights and transferability of the shares (should shareholders be permitted to transfer or exchange shares in the future). Therefore, there can be no assurance that any new or continuing regulatory scrutiny or initiatives will not have an adverse impact on the shares or impede the Fund’s current or future activities.

In addition, because of the differences between the way the shares are issued and recorded as compared to shares in a traditional mutual fund, there is a risk that issues that might easily be resolved by existing law if traditional methods were involved may not be easily resolved for the shares. The occurrence of any related issue or dispute could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s current or future business or the shares.

Blockchain networks currently face an uncertain regulatory landscape in not only the United States but also in many foreign jurisdictions such as the European Union and China. Various foreign jurisdictions may, in the near future, adopt laws, regulations or directives that affect the Stellar network and its users, developers and service providers that fall within such jurisdictions’ regulatory scope. Such laws, regulations or directives may conflict with those of the United States or may directly and negatively impact the Fund and its service providers. The effect of any future regulatory change is impossible to predict, but such change could be substantial and adverse to the shareholders, the Fund and the Fund’s service providers.

Operations and Technology  The Fund, its service providers and other market participants increasingly depend on complex information technology and communications systems to conduct business functions. These systems are subject to a number of different threats or risks that could adversely affect the Fund, despite the efforts of the Fund and its service providers to adopt technologies, processes, and practices intended to mitigate these risks. For example, unauthorized third parties may attempt to improperly access, modify, disrupt the operations of, or prevent access to these systems of the Fund, the Fund’s service providers, counterparties, or other market participants or data within them (a “cyber-attack”). In addition, power or communications outages, acts of god, information technology equipment malfunctions, operational errors, and inaccuracies within software or data processing systems may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data. If such an event occurs, the Fund may incur substantial costs, including those associated with forensic analysis of the origin and scope of the event; increased and upgraded cybersecurity; investment losses from sabotaged trading systems; identity theft; unauthorized use of proprietary information; litigation; adverse investor reaction; the dissemination of confidential and proprietary information; and reputational damage. Any such event could expose the Fund to civil liability as well as regulatory inquiry and/or action. In addition, market events also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the Fund’s operations.

Policies and Procedures Regarding the Release of Portfolio Holdings

The Fund’s overall policy with respect to the release of portfolio holdings is to release such information consistent with applicable legal requirements and the fiduciary duties owed to shareholders. Subject to the limited exceptions described below, the Fund will not make available to anyone non-public information with respect to its portfolio holdings, until such time as the information is made available to all shareholders or the general public.

For purposes of this policy, portfolio holdings information does not include aggregate, composite or descriptive information that does not present risks of dilution, arbitrage, market timing, insider trading or other inappropriate trading for the Fund. Information excluded from the definition of portfolio holdings information generally includes, without limitation: (1) descriptions of allocations among asset classes, regions, countries or industries/sectors; (2) aggregated data such as average or median ratios, market capitalization, credit quality or duration; (3) performance attributions by industry, sector or country; or (4) aggregated risk statistics. Such information, if made available to anyone, will be made available to any person upon request, but, because such information is generally not material to investors, it may or may not be posted on the Fund’s website. In addition, other information may also be deemed to not be portfolio holdings information if, in the reasonable belief of the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (or his/her designee), the release of such information would not present risks of dilution, arbitrage, market timing, insider trading or other inappropriate trading for the Fund.

 

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Information concerning the Fund’s portfolio holdings as well as its dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity as of the last business day or any subsequent calendar day of the preceding month will be posted on its website no later than five business days after the end of the month and remain posted on the website for six months thereafter. In addition, the Fund files monthly with the SEC portfolio holdings and other information about the Fund and its portfolio as of the last business day of the preceding month (or any subsequent calendar day of such month) within five business days of the end of each month. This information is made public upon filing.

In addition, a complete list of the Fund’s portfolio holdings is generally released no sooner than 20 calendar days after the end of each calendar month. Commentaries and other materials that may reference specific holdings information of the Fund as of the most recent calendar quarter end are also subject to the same 20-day lag requirement. Other descriptive information, such as the Fund’s top 10 holdings, may be released monthly, no sooner than five days after the end of each month. Released portfolio holdings information can be viewed through the App or online at www.franklintempleton.com/FOCGX.

To the extent that this policy would permit the release of portfolio holdings information regarding a particular portfolio holding for the Fund that is the subject of ongoing purchase or sale orders/ programs, or if the release of such portfolio holdings information would otherwise be sensitive or inappropriate, the portfolio manager for the Fund may request that the release of such information be withheld.

Exceptions to the portfolio holdings release policy will be made only when: (1) the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for releasing portfolio holdings information in advance of release to all shareholders or the general public; (2) the recipient is subject to a duty of confidentiality pursuant to a signed non­disclosure agreement; and (3) the release of such information would not otherwise violate the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws or fiduciary duties owed to Fund shareholders. The determination of whether to grant an exception, which includes the determination of whether the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for releasing portfolio holdings information in advance of release to all shareholders or the general public shall be made by the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee, following a request submitted in writing.

The eligible third parties to whom portfolio holdings information may be released in advance of general release fall into the following categories: data consolidators (including rating agencies), fund rating/ranking services and other data providers, service providers to the Fund, and municipal securities brokers using the Investor Tools product which brings together buyers and sellers of municipal securities in the normal operation of the municipal securities markets. In addition, should the Fund process a shareholder’s redemption request in-kind, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, provide portfolio holdings information to such shareholder to the extent necessary to allow the shareholder to prepare for receipt of such portfolio securities.

The specific entities to whom the Fund may provide portfolio holdings in advance of their release to the general public are:

·       Bloomberg, Capital Access, CDA (Thomson Reuters), FactSet, Fidelity Advisors, Standard & Poor’s, Vestek, and Fidelity Trust Company, all of whom may receive portfolio holdings information 15 days after the quarter end.

·       Service providers to the Fund that receive portfolio holdings information from time to time in advance of general release in the course of performing, or to enable them to perform, services for the Fund, including: Custodian Bank and Sub-Administrator: JPMorgan; Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Outside Fund Legal Counsel: Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP; Independent Directors’/ Trustees’ Counsel: Vedder Price P.C.; Proxy Voting Services: Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC and Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc.; Brokerage Analytical Services: Sanford Bernstein, Brown Brothers Harriman, Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets, JP Morgan Securities Inc.; Financial Printers: Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. or GCOM Solutions, Inc.

 

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In all cases, eligible third parties are required to execute a non-disclosure agreement. Non-disclosure agreements include the following provisions:

·       The recipient agrees to keep confidential, and to limit the dissemination of, any portfolio holdings information received.

·       The recipient agrees not to trade on the non-public information received, including some or all of the following: (1) agreeing not to purchase or sell any portfolio securities based on any information received; (2) agreeing not to trade against any U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund, including the Fund; (3) agreeing not to knowingly engage in any trading practices that are adverse to any such fund; and (4) agreeing not to trade in shares of any such fund.

·       The recipient agrees to refresh its representation as to confidentiality and abstention from trading upon request from Franklin Templeton.

In no case does the Fund receive any compensation in connection with the arrangements to release portfolio holdings information to any of the above-described recipients of the information.

Several investment managers within Franklin Templeton (F-T Managers) serve as investment managers to offshore funds that are registered or otherwise authorized for sale with foreign regulatory authorities. The release of portfolio holdings information for such offshore funds is excluded from the Fund’s portfolio holdings release policy if such information is given to offshore banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies, registered investment managers and other financial institutions (offshore investment managers) with discretionary authority to select offshore funds on behalf of their clients. Because such offshore funds may from time to time invest in securities substantially similar to those of the Fund, there is the risk that such portfolio holdings information may be used to trade inappropriately against the Fund. To mitigate such risks, such information may only be disclosed for portfolio analytics, such as risk analysis/asset allocation, and the offshore investment manager will be required to execute a non-disclosure agreement, whereby such offshore investment manager: (1) agrees to maintain such information as confidential, including limiting the dissemination of such information, (2) is prohibited from trading on the information received, including (a) purchasing or selling any portfolio securities based on any information received; (b) trading against any U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund, including the Fund; (c) knowingly engaging in any trading practices that are adverse to any such fund; and (d) trading in shares of any such fund that is substantially similar to the offshore fund, and (3) agrees to refresh its representation as to confidentiality and abstention from trading upon request from Franklin Templeton. In addition, an offshore fund may release information regarding the top contributors and detractors to such fund’s portfolio performance monthly to those recipients who have executed a non-disclosure agreement containing the provisions described above, or who have confirmed electronically its agreement to such provisions. Country-specific offshore funds that are not, in the aggregate, substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund, are not subject to the restrictions imposed by the policy.

Certain F-T Managers serve as investment advisers to privately placed funds that are exempt from registration, including Canadian institutional pooled funds and commingled trusts maintained by a Franklin Templeton trust company. In certain circumstances, such unregistered private funds may have portfolio holdings that are not, in the aggregate, substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered fund, as determined by the Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee. Under such circumstances the release of portfolio holdings information to a client or potential client of the unregistered private fund may be permissible. In circumstances where an unregistered private fund invests in portfolio securities that, in the aggregate, are substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered fund, such private funds are subject to the restrictions imposed by the policy, except that the release of holdings information to a current investor in the private fund is permissible conditioned upon such investor’s execution of a non-disclosure agreement to mitigate the risk that portfolio holdings information may be used to trade inappropriately against a fund. Such non-disclosure agreement must provide that the investor: (1) agrees to maintain such information as confidential, including limiting the dissemination of such information (except that the investor may be permitted to disseminate such information to an agent as necessary to allow the performance of portfolio analytics with respect to the investor’s investment in the private fund), and (2) is prohibited from trading on the information received, including (a) trading against any U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund, including the Fund; (b) knowingly engaging in any trading practices that are adverse to any such fund; and (c) trading in shares of any U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund that is managed in a style substantially similar to that of the private fund.

 

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Some F-T Managers serve as sub-advisers to other mutual funds not within the Franklin Templeton fund complex (“other funds”), which may be managed in a style substantially similar to that of a U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund. Such other funds are not subject to the Fund’s portfolio holdings release policy. The sponsors of such funds may disclose the portfolio holdings of such funds at different times than the Fund discloses its portfolio holdings.

In addition, some F-T Managers also serve as investment managers to separate accounts, which are subject to the Fund’s policy with respect to the release of the separate account’s holdings to consultants and potential clients. Separate accounts that are not, in the aggregate, substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund, however, are not subject to the restrictions imposed by the policy.

The Fund’s portfolio holdings release policy and all subsequent amendments have been reviewed and approved by the Fund’s board, and any other material amendments shall also be reviewed and approved by the board. The investment manager’s compliance staff conducts periodic reviews of compliance with the policy and provides at least annually a report to the board regarding the operation of the policy and any material changes recommended as a result of such review. The investment manager’s compliance staff also will supply the board yearly with a list of exceptions granted to the policy, along with an explanation of the legitimate business purpose of the Fund that is served as a result of the exception.

Officers and Trustees

Franklin Templeton Trust (Trust) has a board of trustees. Each trustee will serve until that person resigns, retires and/or a successor is elected and qualified. The board is responsible for the overall management of the Trust, including general supervision and review of the Fund’s investment activities. The board, in turn, elects the officers of the Trust who are responsible for administering the Fund’s day-to-day operations. The board also monitors the Fund to ensure that no material conflicts exist among share classes (to the extent that more than one share class is offered by the Fund). While none are expected, the board will act appropriately to resolve any material conflict that may arise.

The name, year of birth and address of the officers and board members, as well as their affiliations, positions held with the Trust, principal occupations during at least the past five years, number of portfolios overseen in the Franklin Templeton fund complex and other directorships held during at least the past five years are shown below.

 

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Independent Board Members

Name, Year of Birth
and Address

Position

Length of time Served

Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Board Member1

Other Directorships Held During at Least the Past 5 Years

Rohit Bhagat (1964)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Lead Independent Trustee

Since 2020

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AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. (investment solutions) (2018-present) and PhonePe (payment and financial services) (2020-present); and formerly, Axis Bank (financial) (2013-2021), FlipKart Limited (eCommerce company) (2019-2020); CapFloat Financial Services Pvt., Ltd. (non-banking finance company) (2018) and Zentific Investment Management (hedge fund) (2015-2018).

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:

Managing Member, Mukt Capital, LLC (private investment firm) (2014-present); Advisor, Optimal Asset Management (investment technology and advisory services company) (2015-present); and formerly, Chairman, Asia Pacific, BlackRock (2009-2012); Global Chief Operating Officer, Barclays Global Investors (investment management) (2005-2009); and Senior Partner, The Boston Consulting Group (management consulting) (1992-2005).

 

Deborah D. McWhinney (1955)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Trustee   

Since 2020

49

IHS Markit (information services) (2015-present), Borg Warner (automotive) (2018-present) and Legal Shield (consumer services) (2020-present); and formerly, Fluor Corporation (construction and engineering) (2014-2020) and Focus Financial Partners, LLC (financial services) (2018-2020).

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:

Director of various companies; and formerly, Board Member, Lloyds Banking Group (2015-2018) (financial institution)) and Fresenius Medical Group (2016-2018) (healthcare); Chief Executive Officer (2013-2014) and Chief Operating Officer (2011-2013), CitiGroup Global Enterprise Payments (financial services); and President, Citi’s Personal Banking and Wealth Management (2009-2011).

 

 

Anantha K. Pradeep (1963)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Trustee   

Since 2020

49

None

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:

Chief Executive Officer, Smilable, Inc. (technology company) (2014-present); Chief Executive Officer, MachineVantage (technology company) (2018-present); Founder and Managing Partner, Consult Meridian, LLC (consulting company) (2009-present); and formerly, Founder, BoardVantage (board portal solutions provider delivering paperless process for boards and leadership) (2000-2002).

 

 

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Interested Board Members and Officers

Name, Year of Birth
and Address

Position

Length of time Served

Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Board Member1

Other Directorships Held During at Least the Past 5 Years

Jennifer M. Johnson2 (1964)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Trustee and Chairperson of the Board

Since 2020

60

None

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:

Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of six of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton; and formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (1994-2015); Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2005-2010); and Senior Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2003-2005).

 

Alison E. Baur (1964)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Vice President

Since 2019

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
Deputy General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; and officer of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of 42 of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton.

 

Breda M. Beckerle (1958)
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Chief Compliance Officer

Since 2020

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
Chief Compliance Officer, Fiduciary Investment Management International, Inc., Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Advisory Services, LLC, Franklin Mutual Advisers, LLC, Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC; and officer of 42 of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton.

 

Steven J. Gray (1955)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Vice President

Since 2020

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
Senior Associate General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; Vice President, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc. and FASA, LLC; and officer of 42 of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton.

 

Matthew T. Hinkle (1971)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Chief Executive Officer - Finance and Administration

Since 2019

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; officer of 42 of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton; and
formerly, Vice President, Global Tax (2012-April 2017) and Treasurer/Assistant Treasurer, Franklin Templeton (2009-2017).

 

Robert Lim (1948)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Vice President - AML Compliance

Since 2020

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
Vice President, Franklin Templeton Companies, LLC; Chief Compliance Officer, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc. and Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC; and officer of 42 of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton.

 

Patrick O'Connor (1967)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

President and Chief Executive Officer – Investment Management

Since 2019

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
President and Chief Investment Officer, Franklin Advisory Services, LLC; Senior Vice President, Franklin Advisers, Inc.; officer of three of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton; and
formerly, Managing Director, Head of iShares Product Canada, BlackRock (1998-2014).

 

Vivek Pai (1970)
300 S.E. 2nd Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-1923

Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer

Since 2020

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
Treasurer, U.S. Fund Administration & Reporting and officer of three of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton.

 

Navid J. Tofigh (1972)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Vice President
and Secretary

Since 2020

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
Associate General Counsel and officer of 42 of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton.

 

Craig S. Tyle (1960)
One Franklin Parkway
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

Vice President

Since 2020

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc.; and officer of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of 42 of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton.

 

Lori A. Weber (1964)
300 S.E. 2nd Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-1923

Vice President

Since 2020

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:
Senior Associate General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; Assistant Secretary, Franklin Resources, Inc.; Vice President and Secretary, Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC; and officer of 42 of the investment companies in Franklin Templeton.

 

 

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Note 1: Officer information is current as of the date of this SAI. It is possible that after this date, information about officers may change.

1.  We base the number of portfolios on each separate series of the U.S. registered investment companies within the Franklin Templeton fund complex. These portfolios have a common investment manager or affiliated investment managers.

2. Jennifer M. Johnson is considered to be an interested person of the Fund under the federal securities laws due to her position as an officer of Franklin Resources Inc., which is the parent company of the Fund's investment manager and distributor.

 

The Trust's independent board members constitute the sole independent board members of three investment companies in the Franklin Templeton complex for which each independent board member currently is paid a $110,000 annual retainer fee, together with a $7,000 per meeting fee ($3,500 per meeting held via telephone) for attendance at each regularly scheduled board meeting, a portion of which fees are allocated to the Trust. To the extent held, compensation may also be paid for attendance at specially held board meetings. The Trust's lead independent board member is paid an annual supplemental retainer of $15,000 for services to such investment companies, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. Board members who serve on the Audit Committee of the Trust and such other funds are paid a $3,000 fee per Committee meeting in which they participate, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. Rohit Bhagat, who serves as chairman of the Audit Committee of the Trust and such other funds, receives a fee of $10,000 per year, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. Board members who serve on the Nominating Committee of the Trust and such other funds are paid a $3,000 fee per Committee meeting in which they participate, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. Anantha K. Pradeep, who serves as chairman of the Nominating Committee of the Trust and such other funds, receives a fee of $10,000 per year, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust.

The following table provides the total fees paid to independent board members by the Trust and by other funds in Franklin Templeton.

Name

Total Fees Received from the Trust ($)1

Total Fees Received from Franklin Templeton 2

Number
of Boards
in Franklin Templeton  on which Each Serves3

Rohit Bhagat

$0

169,000

3

Deborah D. McWhinney

 

0

        144,000

3

Anantha Pradeep

0

154,000

3

 

1.  As of the date of this SAI, the Trust had not yet commenced operations.

2.  For the calendar year ending December 31, 2020.

3.  We base the number of boards on the number of U.S. registered investment companies in Franklin Templeton. This number does not include the total number of series or portfolios within each investment company for which the board members are responsible.

Independent board members are reimbursed for expenses incurred in connection with attending board meetings and such expenses are paid pro rata by each fund in Franklin Templeton for which they serve as director or trustee. No officer or board member received any other compensation, including pension or retirement benefits, directly or indirectly from the Trust or other funds in Franklin Templeton. Certain officers or board members who are shareholders of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Resources) may be deemed to receive indirect remuneration by virtue of their participation, if any, in the fees paid to its subsidiaries.

 

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Board members historically have followed a policy of having substantial investments in one or more of the Franklin Templeton funds, as is consistent with their individual financial goals. In February 1998, this policy was formalized through the adoption of a requirement that each board member invest one-third of fees received for serving as a director or trustee of a Templeton fund (excluding committee fees) in shares of one or more Templeton funds and one-third of fees received for serving as a director or trustee of a Franklin fund (excluding committee fees) in shares of one or more Franklin funds until the value of such investments equals or exceeds five times the annual retainer and regular board meeting fees paid to such board member. Investments in the name of family members or entities controlled by a board member constitute fund holdings of such board member for purposes of this policy, and a three-year phase-in period applies to such investment requirements for newly elected board members. In implementing such policy, a board member’s fund holdings existing on February 27, 1998, are valued as of such date with subsequent investments valued at cost.

The following tables provide the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the board members of the Trust on December 31, 2020.

Independent Board Members

Name of Board Member

Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund1

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Funds Overseen by the Board Member in the Franklin Templeton Fund Complex

Rohit Bhagat

None

None

Deborah D. McWhinney

None

None

Anantha K. Pradeep

None

None

Interested Board Members

Name of Board Member

Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund1

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Funds Overseen by the Board Member in the Franklin Templeton Fund Complex

Jennifer M. Johnson

None.

Over $100,000

1.     As of the date of this SAI, the Trust had not yet commenced operations.

Board committees  The board maintains two standing committees: the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee. The Audit Committee is generally responsible for recommending the selection of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm (auditors), including evaluating their independence and meeting with such auditors to consider and review matters relating to the Trust’s financial reports and internal controls. The Audit Committee is comprised of the following independent trustees of the Trust: Rohit Bhagat (Chair), Deborah D. McWhinney and Anantha Pradeep. The Nominating Committee is comprised of the following independent trustees of the Trust: Rohit Bhagat, Deborah D. McWhinney and Anantha Pradeep (Chair).

The Nominating Committee is responsible for selecting candidates to serve as board members and recommending such candidates (a) for selection and nomination as independent board members by the incumbent independent board member and the full board; and (b) for selection and nomination as interested board members by the full board.

When the board has or expects to have a vacancy, the Nominating Committee receives and reviews information on individuals qualified to be recommended to the full board as nominees for election as board members, including any recommendations by “Qualifying Fund Shareholders” (as defined below). The Nominating Committee expects to be able to identify, from its own resources an ample number of qualified candidates. The Nominating Committee, however, will review recommendations from Qualifying Fund Shareholders to fill vacancies on the board if these recommendations are submitted in writing and addressed to the Nominating Committee at the Trust’s offices at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 and are presented with appropriate background material concerning the candidate that demonstrates his or her ability to serve as a board member, including as an independent board member, of the Trust. A Qualifying Fund Shareholder is a shareholder who (i) has continuously owned of record shares of the Fund having a net asset value of not less than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) during the 24-month period prior to submitting the recommendation; and (ii) provides a written notice to the Nominating Committee containing the following information: (a) the name and address of the Qualifying Fund Shareholder making the recommendation; (b) the number of shares of the Fund which are owned by such Qualifying Fund Shareholder and the length of time that such shares have been so owned by the Qualifying Fund Shareholder; (c) a description of all arrangements and understandings between such Qualifying Fund Shareholder and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the recommendation is being made; (d) the name, age, date of birth, business address and residence address of the person or persons being recommended; (e) such other information regarding each person recommended by such Qualifying Fund Shareholder as would be required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the SEC had the nominee been nominated by the board; (f) whether the shareholder making the recommendation believes the person recommended would or would not be an “interested person” of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act; and (g) the written consent of each person recommended to serve as a board member of the Trust if so nominated and elected/appointed.

 

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The Nominating Committee may amend these procedures from time to time, including the procedures relating to the evaluation of nominees and the process for submitting recommendations to the Nominating Committee.

Board role in risk oversight  The board, as a whole, considers risk management issues as part of its general oversight responsibilities throughout the year at regular board meetings, through regular reports that have been developed by management, in consultation with the board and its counsel. These reports address certain investment, valuation, liquidity and compliance matters. The board also may receive special written reports or presentations on a variety of risk issues (e.g., COVID-19 related issues), either upon the board’s request or upon the investment manager’s initiative. In addition, the Audit Committee of the board meets regularly with the investment manager’s internal audit group to review reports on their examinations of functions and processes within Franklin Templeton that affect the Fund.

With respect to investment risk, the board receives regular written reports describing and analyzing the investment performance of the Fund. In addition, the portfolio managers of the Fund meet regularly with the board to discuss portfolio performance, including investment risk. To the extent that the Fund changes a particular investment strategy that could have a material impact on the Fund’s risk profile, the board generally is consulted with respect to such change. To the extent that the Fund invests in certain complex securities, including derivatives, the board receives periodic reports containing information about exposure of the Fund to such instruments. In addition, the investment manager’s investment risk personnel meet regularly with the board to discuss a variety of issues, including the impact on the Fund of the investment in particular securities or instruments, such as derivatives and commodities.

With respect to valuation, the Fund’s administrator provides regular written reports to the board that enable the board to monitor the number of fair valued securities in a particular portfolio, the reasons for the fair valuation and the methodology used to arrive at the fair value. The board also reviews dispositional analysis information on the sale of securities that require special valuation considerations such as illiquid or fair valued securities. In addition, the Fund’s Audit Committee reviews valuation procedures and results with the Fund’s auditors in connection with such Committee’s review of the results of the audit of the Fund’s year-end financial statements.

With respect to compliance risks, the board receives regular compliance reports prepared by the investment manager’s compliance group and meets regularly with the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) to discuss compliance issues, including compliance risks. In accordance with SEC rules, the independent board members meet regularly in executive session with the CCO, and the Fund’s CCO prepares and presents an annual written compliance report to the board. The Fund’s board adopts compliance policies and procedures for the Fund and approves such procedures for the Fund’s service providers. The compliance policies and procedures are specifically designed to detect and prevent violations of the federal securities laws.

The investment manager periodically provides an enterprise risk management presentation to the board to describe the way in which risk is managed on a complex-wide level. Such presentation covers such areas as investment risk, reputational risk, personnel risk, and business continuity risk.

Board structure  Seventy-five percent of board members consist of independent board members who are not deemed to be “interested persons” by reason of their relationship with the Fund’s management or otherwise as provided under the 1940 Act. While the Chairperson of the Board is an interested person, the board is also served by a lead independent board member. The lead independent board member, together with independent counsel, reviews proposed agendas for board meetings and generally acts as a liaison with management with respect to questions and issues raised by the independent board members. The lead independent board member also presides at separate meetings of independent board members held in advance of each scheduled board meeting where various matters, including those being considered at such board meeting are discussed. It is believed such structure and activities assure that proper consideration is given at board meetings to matters deemed important to the Fund and its shareholders.

 

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Trustee qualifications  Information on the Fund’s officers and board members appears above including information on the business activities of board members during the past five years and beyond. In addition to personal qualities, such as integrity, the role of an effective Fund board member inherently requires the ability to comprehend, discuss and critically analyze materials and issues presented in exercising judgments and reaching informed conclusions relevant to his or her duties and fiduciary obligations. The board believes that the specific background of each board member evidences such ability and is appropriate to his or her serving on the Fund’s board. As indicated, Rohit Bhagat has extensive experience in the asset management and financial services industries, Deborah D. McWhinney has extensive management, risk and cyber security experience, Dr. Pradeep has served as chief executive officer of consulting and technology companies and Jennifer M. Johnson is a high ranking executive officer of Franklin Templeton.

Management and Other Services

Investment manager and services provided  The Fund’s investment manager is Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers). The investment manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of Resources, a publicly owned company engaged in the financial services industry through its subsidiaries. Charles B. Johnson (former Chairman and Director of Resources) and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. are the principal shareholders of Resources.

The investment manager provides investment research and portfolio management services, and selects the securities for the Fund to buy, hold or sell. The investment manager also selects the brokers who execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions. The investment manager provides periodic reports to the board, which reviews and supervises the investment manager’s investment activities. To protect the Fund, the investment manager and its officers, directors and employees are covered by fidelity insurance.

The investment manager makes decisions for the Fund in accordance with its obligations as investment adviser to the Fund. From time to time, certain affiliates may request that the investment manager focus the Fund’s investments on certain securities, strategies or markets or shift the Fund’s strategy slightly to enhance its attractiveness to specific investors, which may create a conflict of interest. The investment manager may, but is not required to, focus or shift the Fund’s investments in the manner requested provided that the investment manager believes that such investments are consistent with the Fund’s stated investment goals and strategies and are in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the investment manager and its affiliates manage numerous other investment companies and accounts. The investment manager 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 the investment manager on behalf of the Fund. Similarly, with respect to the Fund, the investment manager is not obligated to recommend, buy or sell, or to refrain from recommending, buying or selling any security that the investment manager and access persons, as defined by applicable federal securities laws, may buy or sell for its or their own account or for the accounts of any other fund. The investment manager is not obligated to refrain from investing in securities held by the Fund or other funds it manages.

The Fund, its investment manager and the Fund’s principal underwriter have each adopted a code of ethics, as required by federal securities laws. Under the code of ethics, employees who are designated as access persons may engage in personal securities transactions, including transactions involving securities that are being considered for the Fund or that are currently held by the Fund, subject to certain general restrictions and procedures. The personal securities transactions of access persons of the Fund, its investment manager and the Fund’s principal underwriter will be governed by the code of ethics. The code of ethics is on file with, and available from, the SEC.

Management fees  The Fund pays the investment manager a fee equal to an annual rate of 0.15% of the value of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

The fee is calculated at the close of business each day according to the terms of the management agreement.

Administrator and services provided Franklin Templeton Services, LLC (FT Services) has an agreement with the investment manager to provide certain administrative services and facilities for the Fund. FT Services is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Resources and is an affiliate of the Fund’s investment manager and principal underwriter.

 

24

 


 

The administrative services FT Services provides include preparing and maintaining books, records, and tax and financial reports, and monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements.

Administration fees  The Fund’s investment manager pays FT Services a monthly fee equal to 105% of the internal costs incurred by FT Services for providing administrative services to the Fund. The investment manager also reimburses FT Services for fees paid by FT Services to any third-party service provider for sub-administration and other services contemplated by the agreement between the investment manager and FT Services. The fee is paid by the Fund’s investment manager and is not an additional expense of the Fund.

Shareholder servicing and transfer agent  Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC (Investor Services) is the Fund’s shareholder servicing agent and acts as the Fund’s transfer agent and dividend-paying agent. Investor Services is located at 3344 Quality Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-7313. Please send all correspondence to Investor Services at P.O. Box 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733-8030.

Investor Services contracts with an affiliated service provider to record share issuance and redemption on the Stellar network. Investor Services and its affiliate will also be responsible for the creation and maintenance of the App.

Investor Services receives a fee for servicing Fund shareholder accounts. The Fund also will reimburse Investor Services for certain out-of-pocket expenses necessarily incurred in servicing the shareholder accounts in accordance with the terms of its servicing contract with the Fund.

Sub-administrator  JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JPMorgan) has an agreement with FT Services to provide certain sub-administrative services for the Fund. The administrative services JPMorgan provides include, but are not limited to, certain fund accounting, financial reporting, tax, corporate governance and compliance and legal administration services.

Custodian  JPMorgan, 270 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-2070, acts as custodian of the Fund’s assets.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm  PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111-4004, is the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm audits the financial statements that will be included in the Fund’s Annual Report to shareholders (when available).

Portfolio Transactions

Since most purchases by the Fund are principal transactions at net prices, the Fund incurs little or no brokerage costs. The Fund deals directly with the selling or buying principal or market maker without incurring charges for the services of a broker on its behalf, unless it is determined that a better price or execution may be obtained by using the services of a broker. Purchases of portfolio securities from underwriters will include a commission or concession paid to the underwriter, and purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid and ask price. The Fund seeks to obtain prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price. Transactions may be directed to dealers in return for research and statistical information, as well as for special services provided by the dealers in the execution of orders.

It is not possible to place an accurate dollar value on the special execution or on the research services the investment manager receives from dealers effecting transactions in portfolio securities. The allocation of transactions to obtain additional research services allows the investment manager to supplement its own research and analysis activities and to receive the views and information of individuals and research staffs from many securities firms. The receipt of these products and services does not reduce the investment manager’s research activities in providing investment advice to the Fund.

As long as it is lawful and appropriate to do so, the investment manager and its affiliates may use this research and data in their investment advisory capacities with other clients.

If purchases or sales of securities of the Fund and one or more other investment companies or clients supervised by the investment manager 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 the investment manager, taking into account the respective sizes of the accounts and the amount of securities to be purchased or sold. In some cases this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as the Fund is concerned. In other cases it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions may improve execution and reduce transaction costs to the Fund.

 

25

 


 

Distributions and Taxes

The following discussion is a summary of certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders, some of which may not be described in the Fund’s prospectus. No attempt is made to present a complete detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders. The discussions here and in the prospectus are not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

The following discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and applicable regulations in effect on the date of this SAI, including any amendments to the Code resulting from 2017 legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Future legislative, regulatory or administrative changes, including any provisions of law that sunset and thereafter no longer apply, or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect. Where indicated below, IRS refers to the United States Internal Revenue Service.

This is for general information only and not tax advice. All investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the federal, state, local and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.

Distributions  The Fund intends to declare income dividends from its net investment income each day that its net asset value is calculated and pay them monthly. Capital gains, if any, may be paid at least annually. The Fund may distribute income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary or appropriate in the board’s discretion. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either income dividends or capital gain distributions. Your income dividends and capital gain distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares at net asset value. Distributions declared in December to shareholders of record in such month and paid in January are taxable as if they were paid in December.

Distributions of net investment income.

The Fund earns taxable income from many sources, including interest on domestic money market obligations, U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements, and ordinary income from the sale of market discount bonds. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund’s net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. The Fund does not pay “interest” to you. Any income dividends the Fund pays from this income will be taxable to you as ordinary income.

Distributions of capital gains. The Fund may realize short-term capital gains and losses in connection with sales of its portfolio securities. Distributions of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains (if any) will be taxable to you as ordinary income. Net short-term capital gains will normally be included in ordinary income distributions only once a year, but may be included in these distributions more frequently to assist the Fund in maintaining a stable $1 offering price. Because the Fund is a money fund, it does not anticipate realizing any long-term capital gains on its investments.

Returns of capital. If the Fund’s distributions exceed its earnings and profits (i.e., generally, its taxable income and realized capital gains) for a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in that taxable year may be characterized as a return of capital to you. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce the cost basis in your Fund shares and will result in a higher capital gain or in a lower capital loss when you sell your shares. Any return of capital in excess of the basis in your Fund shares, however, will be taxable as a capital gain. In the case of a non-calendar year fund, earnings and profits are first allocated to distributions made on or before December 31 of its taxable year and then to distributions made thereafter. The effect of this provision is to “push” returns of capital into the next calendar year.

Undistributed capital gains. The Fund may retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain for each taxable year. The Fund currently intends to distribute net capital gains. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the applicable corporate tax rate. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders treated as if each received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain, and will increase the tax basis for its shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.

Information on the amount and tax character of distributions  The Fund will inform you of the amount of your income dividends at the time they are paid, and will advise you of their tax status for federal income tax purposes shortly after the close of each calendar year.

 

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Election to be taxed as a regulated investment company  The Fund has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company during the current fiscal year. As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you. In order to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company, the Fund must satisfy the requirements described below.

Distribution requirement. The Fund must distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable income and 90% of its net tax-exempt income, if any, for the tax year (including, for purposes of satisfying this distribution requirement, certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year that are treated as made during such taxable year).

Income requirement. The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from qualified publicly traded partnerships (QPTPs).

Asset diversification test. The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which the Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in securities of an issuer and as to which the Fund does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) or of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses, or, in the securities of one or more QPTPs.

In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by the Fund for purposes of the income requirement or the identification of the issuer for purposes of the asset diversification test is uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to such type of investment may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to satisfy these requirements. In other circumstances, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the income requirement, distribution requirement, or asset diversification test, which may have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the asset diversification test or income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.

If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the applicable corporate tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company, subject to savings provisions for certain qualification failures, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, would thus have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In that case, the Fund would be liable for federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable income and gains, and distributions to you would be taxed as dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. Even if such savings provisions apply, the Fund may be subject to a monetary sanction of $50,000 or more. Moreover, the board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

Capital loss carryovers  The capital losses of the Fund, if any, do not flow through to shareholders. Rather, the Fund may use its capital losses, subject to applicable limitations, to offset its capital gains without being required to pay taxes on or distribute to shareholders such gains that are offset by the losses. If the Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. Any such net capital losses of the Fund that are not used to offset capital gains may be carried forward indefinitely, subject to certain limitations, to reduce any future capital gains realized by the Fund in succeeding taxable years. Because the Fund is a money fund, it does not anticipate realizing any long-term capital losses.

 

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Excise tax distribution requirements

Required distributions. To avoid federal excise taxes, the Code requires the Fund to distribute to you by December 31 of each year, at a minimum, the following amounts:

·       98% of its taxable ordinary income earned during the calendar year;

·       98.2% of its capital gain net income earned during the 12-month period ending October 31; and

·       100% of any undistributed amounts of these categories of income or gain from the prior year.

The Fund intends to declare and pay these distributions in December (or to pay them in January, in which case you must treat them as received in December), but can give no assurances that its distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all taxes.

Tax reporting for income and excise tax years. Because the periods for measuring a regulated investment company’s income are different for income (determined on a fiscal year basis) and excise tax years (determined as noted above), special rules are required to calculate the amount of income earned in each period, and the amount of earnings and profits needed to support that income. For example, if the Fund uses the excise tax period ending on October 31 as the measuring period for calculating and paying out capital gain net income and realizes a net capital loss between November 1 and the end of the Fund’s fiscal year, the Fund may calculate its earnings and profits without regard to such net capital loss in order to make its required distribution of capital gain net income for excise tax purposes. The Fund also may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year, which may change the timing, amount, or characterization of Fund distributions.

A “qualified late year loss” includes (i) any net capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, or, if there is no such loss, any net long-term capital loss or any net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (“post-October capital losses”), and (ii) the sum of (1) the excess, if any, of (a) specified losses incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) specified gains incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) ordinary losses incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) the ordinary income incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year. The terms “specified losses” and “specified gains” mean ordinary losses and gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property (including the termination of a position with respect to such property) and foreign currency losses and gains. The terms “ordinary losses” and “ordinary income” mean other ordinary losses and income that are not described in the preceding sentence. The Fund may only elect to treat any post-October capital loss, specified gains and specified losses incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year in determining its taxable income for the current year.

Because these rules are not entirely clear, the Fund may be required to interpret the “qualified late-year loss” and other rules relating to these different year-ends to determine its taxable income and capital gains. The Fund’s reporting of income and its allocation between different taxable and excise tax years may be challenged by the IRS, possibly resulting in adjustments in the income reported by the Fund on its tax returns and/or by the Fund to you on your year-end tax statements.

Medicare tax A  3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on net investment income earned by certain individuals, estates and trusts. “Net investment income,” for these purposes, means investment income, including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares, reduced by the deductions properly allocable to such income. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (1) the shareholder’s net investment income or (2) the amount by which the shareholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000 (in any other case). Any liability for this additional Medicare tax will be reported on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.

Sales of Fund shares  Sales of Fund shares will not generally result in a taxable capital gain or loss for federal or state income tax purposes.

 

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Tax certification and backup withholding  Tax laws require that you certify your tax information when you become an investor in the Fund. For U.S. citizens and resident aliens, this certification is made on IRS Form W-9. Under these laws, you may be subject to federal backup withholding at 24%, and state backup withholding may also apply, on a portion of your taxable distributions unless you:

·       provide your correct Social Security or taxpayer identification number,

·       certify that this number is correct,

·       certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, and

·       certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

The Fund must also withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding and information reporting.

Qualified dividends and the corporate dividends-received deduction  Because the income of the Fund is primarily derived from investments earning interest rather than dividend income, generally none of its income dividends will be qualifying dividend income or dividends eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction.

U.S. government securities  The income earned on certain U.S. government obligations is generally exempt from state and local personal income taxes if earned directly by you. States also grant tax-free status to mutual fund dividends paid to you from interest earned on these obligations, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by a fund. Distributions of ordinary income paid by the Fund to individual shareholders from interest earned on U.S. Government obligations may be exempt from state and local income taxation depending on the state. Shareholders should contact their tax advisors with respect to the state and local income tax consequences of investing in the Fund, including whether Fund dividends derived from interest on U.S. government obligations held by the Fund qualify for tax free treatment.

Investment in complex securities  The Fund may invest in securities issued or purchased at a discount that may require it to accrue and distribute income not yet received. In order to generate sufficient cash to make these distributions, the Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio that it otherwise might have continued to hold. These rules could affect the amount, timing and tax character of income distributed by the Fund to you.

State income taxes  Some state tax codes adopt the Code through a certain date. As a result, such conforming states may not have adopted the version of the Code as amended by enactment of 2017 legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, or other federal tax laws enacted after the applicable conformity date. Other states may have adopted an income or other basis of tax that differs from the Code.

The tax information furnished by the Fund to shareholders and the IRS annually with respect to the amount and character of dividends paid by the Fund will be prepared on the basis of current federal income tax law to comply with the information reporting requirements of the Code and not necessarily on the basis of the law of any state in which a shareholder is resident or otherwise subject to tax. Under the current California Revenue and Taxation Code, certain funds are required to report tax information to the California Franchise Tax Board annually.

Accordingly, the amount and character of income for state income tax purposes may differ from that for federal income tax purposes. Franklin Templeton provides additional tax information through the App to assist shareholders with the preparation of their federal and state income tax returns. Shareholders are solely responsible for determining the amount and character of income to report on their federal, state and local income tax returns each year as a result of their purchase, holding and sale of Fund shares.

Non-U.S. investors  Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax, and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements.

In general. The United States imposes a flat 30% withholding tax (or a tax at a lower treaty rate) on U.S. source dividends. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax are provided for capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from long-term capital gains (if any), interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources, and short-term capital gain dividends, unless you are a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the calendar year. “Qualified interest income” includes, in general, the sum of the Fund’s U.S. source: i) bank deposit interest, ii) short-term original issue discount, iii) portfolio interest, and iv) any interest-related dividend passed through from another regulated investment company.

 

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However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding tax at source, any taxable distributions will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.

It may not be practical in every case for the Fund to report to shareholders, and the Fund reserves the right in these cases to not report, interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends.

Effectively connected income. Taxable ordinary income dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. investors on portfolio investments are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax at 30% or a lower treaty rate. However, if you hold your Fund shares in connection with a U.S. trade or business, your income and gains may be considered effectively connected income and taxed in the U.S. on a net basis at graduated income tax rates in which case you may be required to file a nonresident U.S. income tax return.

U.S. estate tax. An individual who is a non-U.S. investor will be subject to U.S. federal estate tax on the value of the Fund shares owned at the time of death, unless a treaty exemption applies between the country of residence of the non-U.S. investor and the U.S. Even if a treaty exemption is available, a decedent’s estate may nevertheless be required to file a U.S. estate tax return to claim the exemption, as well as to obtain a U.S. federal transfer certificate. The transfer certificate will identify the property (i.e., Fund shares) on which a U.S. federal tax lien has been released and is required before the Fund can release a nonresident alien decedent’s investment in the Fund to his or her estate. A transfer certificate is not required for property administered by an executor or administrator appointed, qualified and acting within the United States. For estates with U.S. situs assets of not more than $60,000 (there is a statutory estate tax credit for this amount of property), an affidavit from the executor of the estate or other authorized individual along with additional evidence requested by the IRS relating to the decedent’s estate evidencing the U.S. situs assets may be provided in lieu of a federal transfer certificate. Transfers by gift of shares of the Fund by a non-U.S. investor who is a nonresident alien individual will not be subject to U.S. federal gift tax. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. investor entitled to claim the benefits of a treaty between the country of residence of the non-U.S. investor and the U.S. may be different from the consequences described above.

Tax certification and backup withholding as applied to non-U.S. investors. Non-U.S. investors have special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding at a rate of 24% and, if applicable, to obtain the benefit of any income tax treaty between the non-U.S. investor’s country of residence and the United States. To claim these tax benefits, the non-U.S. investor must provide a properly completed Form W-8BEN (or other Form W-8, where applicable) to establish his or her status as a non-U.S. investor, to claim beneficial ownership over the assets in the account, and to claim, if applicable, a reduced rate of or exemption from withholding tax under the applicable treaty. A Form W-8BEN generally remains in effect for a period of three years beginning on the date that it is signed and ending on the last day of the third succeeding calendar year. In certain instances, Form W-8BEN may remain valid indefinitely unless the investor has a change of circumstances that renders the form incorrect and necessitates a new form and tax certification. Non-U.S. investors must advise the Fund of any change of circumstances that would render the information given on the form incorrect and must then provide a new W-8BEN to avoid the prospective application of backup withholding.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act  Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions (FFI) or non-financial foreign entities (NFFE) that are shareholders in the Fund may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on income dividends paid by the Fund. The FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided:

(a)   by an FFI, if it reports certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI, and

(b)   by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners, or (ii) if it does have such owners, reports information relating to them to the withholding agent, which will, in turn, report that information to the IRS. The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (IGA) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with a number of other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA. An entity in one of those countries may be required to comply with the terms of an IGA and applicable local law instead of U.S. Treasury regulations.

An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding if it is deemed compliant or by becoming a “participating FFI,” which requires the FFI to enter into a U.S. tax compliance agreement with the IRS under section 1471(b) of the Code (FFI agreement) under which it agrees to verify, report and disclose certain of its U.S. accountholders and provided that such entity meets certain other specified requirements. The FFI will report to the IRS, or, depending on the FFI’s country of residence, to the government of that country (pursuant to the terms and conditions of an applicable IGA and applicable law), which will, in turn, report to the IRS. An FFI that is resident in a country that has entered into an IGA with the U.S. to implement FATCA will be exempt from FATCA withholding provided that the FFI shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

 

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An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from the Fund can avoid the FATCA withholding tax generally by certifying that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner. The NFFE will report information either (i) to the Fund, or other applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn, report information to the IRS, or (ii) directly to the IRS.

Such foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by U.S. Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in the Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA in order to avoid FATCA withholding. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the U.S. tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above.

Organization, Voting Rights and Principal Holders

The Fund is a diversified, open-end management investment company, commonly called a mutual fund.

The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 2, 2019, and is registered with the SEC.

The Fund currently offers one class of shares. The Fund may offer additional classes of shares in the future.

The Trust has noncumulative voting rights. For board member elections, 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. The Fund may hold special meetings, however, for matters requiring shareholder approval.

As of the date of this SAI, the Fund does not have any shareholders.

Buying and Selling Shares

The Fund continuously offers its shares through Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc. (Distributors). You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund at any time through the App, although purchases and redemptions of Fund shares will only be processed during normal business hours on business days. The App is available for download through the Apple App Store and Google Play. The App is free to download and use.

The Fund and other U.S. registered investment companies within the Franklin Templeton fund complex are intended for sale to residents of the U.S., and, with very limited exceptions, are not registered or otherwise offered for sale in other jurisdictions. The above restrictions are generally not applicable to sales in U.S. territories or to diplomatic staff members or members of the U.S. military with an APO or FPO address outside of the U.S. Investors are responsible for compliance with tax, securities, currency exchange or other regulations applicable to redemption and purchase transactions in any state or jurisdiction to which they may be subject. Investors should consult with appropriate tax and legal advisors to obtain information on the rules applicable to these transactions.

In particular, the Fund is not registered in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for sale in any Canadian jurisdiction. Shares of the Fund may not be directly or indirectly offered or sold in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada or to or for the benefit of residents thereof. Prospective investors may be required to declare that they are not Canadian residents and are not acquiring shares on behalf of any Canadian residents. If an investor becomes a Canadian resident after purchasing shares of the Fund, the investor will not be able to purchase any additional shares of the Fund (other than reinvestment of dividends and capital gains) or exchange shares of the Fund for other U.S. registered Franklin Templeton funds.

Similarly, the Fund is not registered, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for distribution, in any member country of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA). The shares offered by this prospectus may not be directly or indirectly offered or distributed in any such country. If an investor becomes an EU or EEA resident after purchasing shares of the Fund, the investor will not be able to purchase any additional shares of the Fund (other than reinvestment of dividends and capital gains) or exchange shares of the Fund for other U.S. registered Franklin Templeton funds.

 

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All electronic funds transfers (ACH) used to buy or sell shares of the Fund must be denominated in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank. 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. We may deduct any applicable banking charges imposed by the bank from your account.

Investment by large shareholders  Particularly during times of overall market turmoil or price volatility, the Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders such as institutional investors (including those trading by use of non-discretionary mathematical formulas) purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund’s expense ratio.

When experiencing such purchases and redemptions by large shareholders, the Fund may restrict or reject trading activity in accordance with the Frequent Trading Policy of the Fund as set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus.

No Exchange privilege  Shares of the Fund may not be exchanged for shares of any other Franklin Templeton fund.

Redemptions in kind  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.

Share certificates  We will credit your shares to your Fund account through the App and we do not issue share certificates. This eliminates the costly problem of replacing lost, stolen or destroyed certificates.

All purchases of Fund shares will be credited to you, in full and fractional Fund shares (rounded to the nearest 1/100 of a share), in an account maintained for you by the Fund’s transfer agent.

General information

In most cases, if mail is returned as undeliverable we are required to take certain steps to try to find you free of charge. If these attempts are unsuccessful, however, we may deduct the costs of any additional efforts to find you from your account. These costs may include a percentage of the account when a search company charges a percentage fee in exchange for its location services.

Redemption proceeds shall be sent to you by electronic funds transfer (ACH). Neither the Fund nor its agents shall be liable to you or any other person if, for any reason, a redemption request by ACH is not processed as described in the prospectus.

Investor Services may charge you separate fees, negotiated directly with you, for providing special services in connection with your account. Fees for special services will not increase the Fund’s expenses.

In the event of disputes involving conflicting claims of ownership or authority to control your shares, the Fund has the right (but has no obligation) to: (i) restrict the shares and require the written agreement of all persons deemed by the Fund to have a potential interest in the shares before executing instructions regarding the shares; or (ii) interplead disputed shares or the proceeds from the court-ordered sale thereof with a court of competent jurisdiction.

Should the Fund be required to defend against joint or multiple shareholders in any action relating to an ownership dispute, you expressly grant the Fund the right to obtain reimbursement for costs and expenses including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees and court costs, by unilaterally redeeming shares from your account.

The Fund or its transfer agent may be required (i) pursuant to a validly issued levy, garnishment or other form of legal process, to sell your shares and remit the proceeds to a levying officer or other recipient; or (ii) pursuant to a final order of forfeiture or other form of legal process, to sell your shares and remit the proceeds to the U.S. or state government as directed.

 

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As long as we or our agents follow reasonable security procedures and act on instructions we or our agents reasonably believe are genuine, we and our agents will not be responsible for any losses that may occur from unauthorized requests in any form (written, telephone, online or via the App, as appropriate). We will investigate any unauthorized request that you report to us and we will ask you to cooperate with us in the investigation, which may require you to file a police report and complete a notarized affidavit regarding the unauthorized request. We will assist in the claims process, on your behalf, with other financial institutions regarding the unauthorized request.

Using good faith efforts, the investment manager attempts to identify class action litigation settlements and regulatory or governmental recovery funds involving securities presently or formerly held by the Fund or issuers of such securities or related parties (Claims) in which the Fund may be eligible to participate. When such Claims are identified, the investment manager will cause the Fund to file proofs of claim. Currently, such Claim opportunities predominate in the U.S. and in Canada; the investment manager’s efforts are therefore focused on Claim opportunities in those jurisdictions. The investment manager may learn of such class action lawsuit or victim fund recovery opportunities in jurisdictions outside of North America (Foreign Actions), in which case the investment manager has complete discretion to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether to cause the Fund to file proofs of claim in such Foreign Actions. In addition, the investment manager may participate in bankruptcy proceedings relating to securities held by the Fund and join creditors’ committees on behalf of the Fund.

Further, the investment manager may on occasion initiate and/or recommend, and the board of trustees of the Fund may approve, pursuit of separate litigation against an issuer or related parties in connection with securities presently or formerly held by the Fund (whether by opting out of an existing class action lawsuit or otherwise).

Pricing Shares

The valuation of the Fund’s portfolio securities, including any securities set aside on the Fund’s books for when-issued securities, is based on the amortized cost of the securities, which does not take into account unrealized capital gains or losses. This method involves valuing an instrument at its cost and thereafter assuming a constant amortization to maturity of any discount or premium, regardless of the impact of fluctuating interest rates on the market value of the instrument. While this method provides certainty in calculation, it may result in periods during which value, as determined by amortized cost, is higher or lower than the price the Fund would receive if it sold the instrument. During periods of declining interest rates, the daily yield on shares of the Fund computed as described above may tend to be higher than a like computation made by a fund with identical investments but using a method of valuation based upon market prices and estimates of market prices for all of its portfolio instruments. Thus, if the use of amortized cost by the Fund resulted in a lower aggregate portfolio value on a particular day, a prospective investor in the Fund would be able to obtain a somewhat higher yield than would result from an investment in a fund using only market values, and existing investors in the Fund would receive less investment income. The opposite would be true in a period of rising interest rates. The Fund’s use of amortized cost, which helps the Fund maintain a $1.00 share price, is permitted by a rule adopted by the SEC.

The board has established procedures designed to stabilize, to the extent reasonably possible, the Fund’s price per share at $1.00, as computed for the purpose of sales and redemptions. These procedures include a review of the Fund’s holdings by the board, at such intervals as it may deem appropriate, to determine if the Fund’s net asset value calculated by using available market quotations deviates from $1.00 per share based on amortized cost. The extent of any deviation will be examined by the board. If a deviation exceeds 1/2 of 1%, the board will promptly consider what action, if any, will be initiated. If the board determines that a deviation exists that may result in material dilution or other unfair results to investors or existing shareholders, it will take corrective action that it regards as necessary and appropriate, which may include selling portfolio instruments before maturity to realize capital gains or losses or to shorten average portfolio maturity, withholding dividends, redeeming shares in kind, or establishing a net asset value per share by using available market quotations.

The Underwriter

Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc. (Distributors) acts as the principal underwriter in the continuous public offering of the Fund’s shares. Distributors is located at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906.

 

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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, current yield and effective yield quotations used by the Fund are based on the standardized methods of computing performance mandated by the SEC. An explanation of these and other methods used by the Fund to compute or express performance follows. Regardless of the method used, past performance does not guarantee future results, and is an indication of the return to shareholders only for the limited historical period used.

Average annual total return  Average annual total return is determined by finding the average annual rates of return over certain periods that would equate an initial hypothetical $1,000 investment to its ending redeemable value. The calculation assumes income dividends are reinvested at net asset value. The quotation assumes the account was completely redeemed at the end of each period and the deduction of all applicable charges and fees.

The following SEC formula is used to calculate these figures:

P(1 +T)n = ERV

where:

P = a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000

T = average annual total return

n = number of years

ERV = ending redeemable value of a hypothetical $1,000 payment made at the beginning of each period at the end of each period

Current yield  Current yield shows the income per share earned by the Fund. It is calculated by determining the net change, excluding capital changes, in the value of a hypothetical pre­existing account with a balance of one share at the beginning of the period, subtracting a hypothetical charge reflecting deductions from shareholder accounts, and dividing the difference by the value of the account at the beginning of the base period to obtain the base period return. The result is then annualized by multiplying the base period return by 365/7.

Effective yield  The Fund’s effective yield is calculated in the same manner as its current yield, except the annualization of the return for the seven day period reflects the results of compounding.

The following SEC formula is used to calculate these figures:

Effective yield = [(Base period return + 1)365/7] -1

Other performance quotations  The Fund may include in its advertising or sales material information relating to investment goals and performance results of funds belonging to Franklin Templeton. Resources is the parent company of the advisors and underwriter of Franklin Templeton funds.

Miscellaneous Information

The Fund is a member of the Franklin Templeton Legg Mason fund complex, 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 is one of the oldest mutual fund organizations and now services more than 2 million shareholder accounts. In 1992, Franklin, a leader in managing fixed-income mutual funds and an innovator in creating domestic equity funds, joined forces with Templeton, a pioneer in international investing. The Mutual Series team, known for its value-driven approach to domestic equity investing, became part of the organization four years later. In 2001, the Fiduciary Trust team, known for providing global investment management to institutions and high net worth clients worldwide, joined the organization. On July 31, 2020, Franklin Templeton acquired Legg Mason, a global investment management firm with specialized expertise across asset classes and markets around the globe. Legg Mason’s affiliates include; Brandywine Global, Clarion Partners, ClearBridge Investments, Martin Currie, QS Investors, Royce Investment Partners and Western Asset. Together, Franklin Templeton has, as of January 31, 2021, over $1.49 trillion in assets under management for more than 3 million U.S. based mutual fund shareholder and other accounts. Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason offers over 300 U.S. based open-end investment companies to the public. The Fund may identify itself by its NASDAQ symbol or CUSIP number.

Currently, there are more mutual funds than there are stocks listed on the NYSE. While many of them have similar investment goals, no two are exactly alike.

 

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Description of Ratings

Corporate Obligation Ratings

Moody’s

INVESTMENT GRADE

Aaa: Bonds rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.

Aa: Bonds rated Aa are judged to be high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A: Bonds rated A are considered upper medium-grade obligations and are subject to low credit risk.

Baa: Bonds rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk and are considered medium-grade obligations. As such they may have certain speculative characteristics.

BELOW INVESTMENT GRADE

Ba: Bonds rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B: Bonds rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa: Bonds rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca: Bonds rated Ca are considered highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C: Bonds rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default. They have little prospects for recovery of principal or interest.

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

S&P®

The issue rating definitions are expressions in terms of default risk. As such, they pertain to senior obligations of an entity. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy. (Such differentiation applies when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.) Accordingly, in the case of junior debt, the rating may not conform exactly with the category definition.

INVESTMENT GRADE

AAA: This is the highest rating assigned by S&P to a debt obligation. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA: Obligations rated AA differ from AAA issues only in a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A: Obligations rated A are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in the higher ratings categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB: Obligations rated BBB exhibit adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

BELOW INVESTMENT GRADE

BB, B, CCC, CC, C: Obligations rated BB, B, CCC, CC and C are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. BB indicates the least degree of speculation and C the highest degree of speculation. While these obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB: An obligation rated BB is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC: An obligation rated CCC is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

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CC: An obligation rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

C: A subordinated debt or preferred stock obligation rated C is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The C rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed or similar action taken, but payments on this obligation are being continued. The C rating is also assigned to a preferred stock issue in arrears on dividends or sinking fund payments, but that is still making payments.

D: Obligations rated D are in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating is also used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from “AA” to “CCC” may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

r: This symbol is attached to the ratings of instruments with significant noncredit risks and highlights risks to principal or volatility of expected returns that are not addressed in the credit rating.

Short-Term Debt Ratings

Moody’s

Moody’s short-term debt ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs and to individual short-term debt instruments. These obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding 13 months, unless explicitly noted. Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment capacity of rated issuers:

P-1 (Prime-1): Issuers (or supporting institutions) so rated have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-2 (Prime-2): Issuers (or supporting institutions) so rated have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

P-3 (Prime-3): Issuers (or supporting institutions) so rated have an acceptable ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

S&P®

S&P’s ratings are a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the U.S., for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days — including commercial paper. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. The result is a dual rating, in which the short-term rating addresses the put feature, in addition to the usual long-term rating.

A-1:        This designation indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2:        Issues carrying this designation are somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations carrying the higher designations. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3:        Issues carrying this designation exhibit adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B: Issues carrying this designation are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

C: Issues carrying this designation are currently vulnerable to nonpayment and are dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D: Issues carrying this designation are in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the due date even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

 

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FRANKLIN TEMPLETON TRUST


File Nos. 811-23471 & 333-233596

PART C
Other Information

Item 28. Exhibits.

The following exhibits are incorporated by reference to the previously filed documents indicated below, except as noted:

(a)           Agreement and Declaration of Trust

(i)                  Certificate of Trust of Franklin Templeton Trust, a Delaware Statutory Trust, dated August 2, 2019

Filing: Initial Filing on Form N-1A

File No. 811-23471

Filing Date: September 3, 2019

(ii)                Agreement and Declaration of Trust of Franklin Templeton Trust, a Delaware Statutory Trust, dated August 2, 2019

Filing: Initial Filing on Form N-1A

File No. 811-23471

Filing Date: September 3, 2019

(b)                By-laws

(i)                  By-Laws of Franklin Templeton Trust, a Delaware Statutory Trust, dated August 2, 2019

Filing: Initial Filing on Form N-1A

File No. 811-23471

Filing Date: September 3, 2019

(c)                 Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders

(i)                  Agreement and Declaration of Trust

(a)                 Article III, Shares

(b)                Article V, Shareholders’ Voting Powers and Meetings

(c)                 Article VI, Net Asset Value; Distributions; Redemptions; Transfers

(d)                Article VIII, Certain Transactions: Section 4

(e)                 Article X, Miscellaneous: Section 4

(ii)                By-Laws

(a)                 Article II, Meetings of Shareholders

(b)                Article VI, Records and Reports: Section 1, 2 and 3

(c)                 Article VII, General Matters: Section 3, 4, 6 and 7

(d)                Article VIII, Amendments: Section 1

(iii)              Part B, Statement of Additional Information – Item 22

(d)                Investment Advisory Contracts

(i)                  Investment Management Agreement between Registrant and Franklin Advisers, Inc., dated as of April 6, 2021


 
 

(e)                 Underwriting Contracts

(i)                  Form of Distribution Agreement between Registrant and Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc.

(f)                  Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts

Not Applicable.

(g)                Custodian Agreements

(i)                  Global Custody Agreement between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, dated March 1, 2020

(ii)           Joinder to Global Custody Agreement dated March 1, 2020, between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, dated July 15, 2020

(iii)          Form of Second Joinder to Global Custody Agreement dated March 1, 2020, between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, with respect to Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund

(h)                Other Material Contracts

(i)                  Amended and Restated Transfer Agent and Shareholder Services Agreement between Registrant and Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC, dated as of April 6, 2021

(ii)           Subcontract for Fund Administration Services between Franklin Advisers, Inc. and Franklin Templeton Services LLC, dated as of April 6, 2021

(iii)          Amendment to Fund Services Agreement between Franklin Templeton Services, LLC and J.P Morgan Chase Bank, dated January 22, 2020

(i)                  Legal Opinion

(i)                  Opinion and consent of counsel

To be filed by amendment.

(j)                  Other Opinions

(i)                  Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To be filed by amendment.

(k)                Omitted Financial Statements

Not Applicable.

(l)                  Initial Capital Agreements

To be filed by amendment.

(m)               Rule 12b-1 Plan

Not Applicable.


 
 

(n)                Rule 18f-3 Plan

Not Applicable.

(o)                Code of Ethics

(i)            Code of Ethics, dated September 1, 2020

(p)                Power of Attorney

(i)                  Power of Attorney dated March 16, 2020

 

Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund

None

Item 30. Indemnification

The Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”) provides that any person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or other agent, including the underwriter, of such Trust shall be liable to the Trust and its shareholders only for (1) any act or omission that constitutes a bad faith violation of the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing, or (2) the person’s own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person (such conduct referred to herein as Disqualifying Conduct) and for nothing else.  Except in these instances and to the fullest extent that limitations of liability of agents are permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (the “Delaware Act”), these Agents (as defined in the Declaration) shall not be responsible or liable for any act or omission of any other Agent of the Trust or any investment adviser or principal underwriter.  Moreover, except and to the extent provided in these instances, none of these Agents, when acting in their respective capacity as such, shall be personally liable to any other person, other than such Trust or its shareholders, for any act, omission or obligation of the Trust or any trustee thereof.

The Trust shall indemnify, out of its property, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, any of the persons who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (as defined in the Declaration) because the person is or was an Agent of such Trust.  These persons shall be indemnified against any Expenses (as defined in the Declaration), judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the Proceeding if the person acted in good faith or, in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful.  The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not in itself create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.  There shall nonetheless be no indemnification for a person’s own Disqualifying Conduct.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be permitted to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Trust pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Trust has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Trust of expenses incurred or paid by a Trustee, officer or controlling person of the Trust in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with securities being registered, the Trust may be required, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, to submit to a court or appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

The officers and directors of Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers), Registrant’s investment manager also serves as officers and/or directors/trustees for (1) Advisers’ corporate parent, Franklin Resources, Inc., and/or (2) other investment companies in Franklin Templeton Investments.  For additional information please see Part B and Schedules A and D of Form ADV of Advisers (SEC File 801-26292), incorporated herein by reference, which set forth the officers and directors of Advisers and information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by those officers and directors during the past two years.


 
 

Item 32. Principal Underwriters

(a)                 Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc. (Distributors) also acts as principal underwriter of shares of:

Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds
Franklin California Tax-Free Income Fund
Franklin California Tax-Free Trust
Franklin Custodian Funds
Franklin ETF Trust
Franklin Federal Tax-Free Income Fund
Franklin Fund Allocator Series
Franklin Global Trust
Franklin Gold and Precious Metals Fund
Franklin High Income Trust
Franklin Investors Securities Trust
Franklin Managed Trust

Franklin Municipal Securities Trust
Franklin Mutual Series Funds

Franklin New York Tax-Free Income Fund
Franklin New York Tax-Free Trust
Franklin Real Estate Securities Trust
Franklin Strategic Mortgage Portfolio
Franklin Strategic Series
Franklin Tax-Free Trust

Franklin Templeton ETF Trust
Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust

Franklin U.S. Government Money Fund

Franklin Value Investors Trust
Institutional Fiduciary Trust
Templeton China World Fund
Templeton Developing Markets Trust
Templeton Funds
Templeton Global Investment Trust
Templeton Global Smaller Companies Fund
Templeton Growth Fund, Inc.
Templeton Income Trust
Templeton Institutional Funds

 

(b)                The information required with respect to each director and officer of Distributors is incorporated by reference to Part B of this Form N-1A and Schedule A of Form BD filed by Distributors with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1934 (SEC File No. 008-05889).

(c)                 Not Applicable.  Registrant’s principal underwriter is an affiliated person of an affiliated person of the Registrant.

Item 33.  Location of Accounts and Records

The accounts, books or other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 are kept by the Fund at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 or its shareholder services agent, Franklin Templeton Investor Services LLC, at 3344 Quality Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-7313.


 

Item 34. Management Services

There are no management-related service contracts not discussed in Part A or Part B.

Item 35. Undertakings

Not Applicable


 

 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of San Mateo and the State of California, on the 15th day of March, 2021.

FRANKLIN TEMPLETON TRUST

(Registrant)

 

 

By: /s/ Navid J. Tofigh
Navid J. Tofigh
Vice President and Secretary

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

Signature

Title

Date

 

/s/ Patrick O’Connor*

Patrick O’Connor

President and Chief Executive Officer – Investment Management

March 15, 2021

/s/ Matthew T. Hinkle*

Matthew T. Hinkle

Chief Executive Officer – Finance and Administration

March 15, 2021

/s/ Vivek Pai*

Vivek Pai

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer

March 15, 2021

/s/ Jennifer M. Johnson*

Jennifer M. Johnson

Trustee

March 15, 2021

/s/ Rohit Bhagat*

Rohit Bhagat

Trustee

March 15, 2021

/s/ Anantha K. Pradeep*

Anantha K. Pradeep

Trustee

March 15, 2021

 

 

 

*By: /s/ Navid J. Tofigh

          Navid J. Tofigh

          Attorney-in-Fact

                (Pursuant to Power of Attorney previously filed herewith)

 


 
 

EXHIBITS INDEX

 

The following exhibits are attached:

 

EXHIBIT NO.

Description

EX-99.d(i)

Investment Management Agreement between Registrant and Franklin Advisers, Inc.

EX-99.e(i)

Form of Distribution Agreement between Registrant and Franklin/Templeton Distributors, Inc.

EX-99.g(i)

Global Custody Agreement between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank

EX-99.g(ii)

Joinder to Global Custody Agreement dated March 1, 2020, between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank

EX-99.g(iii)

Form of Second Joinder to Global Custody Agreement dated March 1, 2020, between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, with respect to Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund

EX-99.h(i)

Amended and Restated Transfer Agent and Shareholder Services Agreement between Registrant and Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC

EX-99.h(ii)

Subcontract for Fund Administration Services between Franklin Advisers, Inc. and Franklin Templeton Services LLC

EX-99.h(iii)

Amendment to Fund Services Agreement between Franklin Templeton Services, LLC and J.P Morgan Chase Bank

EX-99.o(i)

Code of Ethics

EX-99.p(i)

Power of Attorney