Is Anyone Familiar with Franklin Templeton Investments

Hi S.,

I am a financial advisor and I do have some clients with FT mutual fund accounts. FT is not my favorite but they are a well known mutual fund family and often found in retirement plans (401K, 403Bs) as one of the choices. You can explore info about the company and the funds on their website without having an account open.

https://www.franklintempleton.com/

Make sure your financial person is well qualified - check brokercheck.org for any issues on his record or previous complaints.

Best wishes,
C.

Just wanted to echo that I've worked in the investment industry and FT is a well known company with a good reputation. Your portfolio should include funds from more than one company though. I assume you're asking about FT because your advisor recommended a portfolio of funds and you have heard of the other names but if the recommendations are just for that company only, find out more about why. It means that either your advisor is not independent or is somehow strongly affiliated with/heavily compensated by that particular fund manager. You want someone who is truly independent - there are 27,000 mutual funds out there and countless private investments and you should be able to pick the best funds that fit your level of risk, growth and income needs at the lowest cost.

ALL of the advice you have received below is spot on.

We are very familiar with Tempelton funds and we are invested with some of their products as well.

I am NOT an financial investor but I am heavily involved with our personal and company investments.

Do you like and trust this financial planner? It is important to have mutual trust and respect for each other. He/she needs to know your goals and priorities so he/she can help you with strategies that will best work for your family. You should have a good line of communication with each other. Check this advisor out to make sure there are no complaints, etc. Also, if you are only being offered 1 family of funds, ask why. Some companies only deal with specific funds so make sure you educate yourself before you delve into the funds and realize you may not be able to make changes, adjustments, without excessive fees.

Make sure you are aware of any and all commissions going in and out of your account and trading. Sometimes there are fees you may not be aware of that can be costly.

This relationship is not one where you set up your accounts and forget about them. You need to have regular meetings with your advisor, at least once a year, to review your portfolio and discuss any possible changes. I routinely have lunch with our advisors to get updates and I follow my accounts on a daily basis online.

Check them out online with the advice below. Best wishes to you!

FT is one of the largest mutual fund companies and is very well respected. I have money with them and have been happy. They have a very wide range of funds and products. Of course all large fund families have funds that don't do well but Franklin is considered conservative and long term focused. It still has strong family ownership that hasn't sold out.

I don't have specific, current information but when I worked in the brokerage industry many years ago (late 80s, early 90s) Franklin was considered a high quality, well fun, fiscally responsible company. Very highly rated.

no clue. i'd love to be one of those au courant money people but i'm not and never will be (despite having been a licensed investment broker in the past, which should chill the heart of anyone who knows me.)
we poked about until we found a financial guy whom we like and trust, and have put ourselves into his hands. i'd keel over from a heart attack if i tried to micro-manage that stuff.
khairete
S. (eyes squeezed shut and fingers in ears)

Is Franklin Templeton your only option? While I do not know anything about them specifically, I believe they are loaded funds which mean that you either pay a commission up front, all along, or when you cash out.

If you have options, I would look at Vanguard. They are no load funds with some of the lowest expense ratios in the industry.

Make sure the no load funds that BD references aren't loaded with residual fees (no load doesn't mean free.) Of course, long term performance is what's important. Sometimes it is better to pay fees for a better performing fund. Also check to see what kind of fund it is. Developing country funds are highly speculative and you have to have the stomach for it.