UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(MARK ONE)

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from              to      

Commission file number: 001-09318

FRANKLIN RESOURCES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	13-2670991
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

(650) 312-2000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share	BEN	New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☒  Yes    ☐  No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. ☐  Yes   ☒  No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.                ☒  Yes    ☐  No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).          ☒  Yes    ☐  No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer	☒	Accelerated Filer	☐
Non-accelerated Filer	☐	Smaller Reporting Company	☐
		Emerging Growth Company	☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.    ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.    ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). ☐  Yes   ☒  No

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity (“common stock”) held by non-affiliates of the registrant, as of March 31, 2020 (the last business day of registrant’s second quarter of fiscal year 2020), was $4.6 billion based upon the last sale price reported for such date on the New York Stock Exchange.

Number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding at October 31, 2020: 504,591,594.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

Certain portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its annual meeting of stockholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after September 30, 2020, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

FORM 10-K ITEM			PAGE NUMBER
PART I
	ITEM 1.	BUSINESS	3
	ITEM 1A.	RISK FACTORS	18
	ITEM 1B.	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	29
	ITEM 2.	PROPERTIES	30
	ITEM 3.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS	30
	ITEM 4.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES	30
	INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS		31
PART II
	ITEM 5.	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES	33
	ITEM 6.	SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA	34
	ITEM 7.	MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS	35
	ITEM 7A.	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	63
	ITEM 8.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA	65
	ITEM 9.	CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE	107
	ITEM 9A.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	107
	ITEM 9B.	OTHER INFORMATION	107
PART III
	ITEM 10.	DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	108
	ITEM 11.	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	108
	ITEM 12.	SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS	108
	ITEM 13.	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE	108
	ITEM 14.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES	108
PART IV
	ITEM 15.	EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES	109
	ITEM 16.	FORM 10-K SUMMARY	109
EXHIBIT INDEX			109
SIGNATURES			112

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PART I

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.

This Annual Report on Form 10‑K (“Annual Report”) and the documents incorporated by reference herein may include forward-looking statements that reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Such statements are provided under the “safe harbor” protection of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts and generally can be identified by words or phrases written in the future tense and/or preceded by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “depends,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” or other similar words or variations thereof, or the negative thereof, but these terms are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.

Forward-looking statements involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from any future results or outcomes expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report or that are incorporated by reference herein are qualified in their entirety by reference to the risks and uncertainties disclosed in this Annual Report, including those discussed under the headings “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.”

While forward-looking statements are our best prediction at the time that they are made, you should not rely on them and are cautioned against doing so. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other possible future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them.

If a circumstance occurs after the date of this Annual Report that causes any of our forward-looking statements to be inaccurate, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, we undertake no obligation to announce publicly the change to our expectations, or to make any revision to our forward-looking statements, to reflect any change in assumptions, beliefs or expectations, or any change in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any forward-looking statement is based, unless required by law.

Item 1. Business.

GENERAL

Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin”) is a holding company with subsidiaries operating under our Franklin Templeton^® and/or subsidiary brand names. Franklin’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “BEN” and is included in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. In this Annual Report, Franklin and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to as the “Company,” and words such as “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms refer to the Company.

We offer our services and products under our various distinct brand names, including, but not limited to, Franklin^®, Templeton^®, Legg Mason^®, Balanced Equity Management^®, Benefit Street Partners^®, Darby^®, Edinburgh Partners™, Fiduciary Trust™, Franklin Bissett^®, Franklin Mutual Series^®, K2^® and LibertyShares^®. In addition, pursuant to our acquisition of Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”) on July 31, 2020, as described further below, we acquired certain additional brand names including Brandywine Global Investment Management^®, Clarion Partners^®, ClearBridge Investments^®, Martin Currie^®, QS Investors^®, Royce^® Investment Partners and Western Asset Management Company^®. Unless otherwise indicated, our “funds” means the funds offered under our various brand names.

We are a global investment management organization with $1,418.9 billion in assets under management (“AUM”) as of September 30, 2020. Our mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through our investment adviser subsidiaries (“specialist investment managers”), including those acquired through our Legg Mason acquisition, we bring extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, custom multi-asset solutions and alternatives. With more than 70 years of investment experience, we are committed to providing clients with exceptional investment management services and have developed a globally diversified business, including through strategic acquisitions. Our specialist investment managers offer diverse perspectives and specialized expertise across asset classes and strategies, distributed to both institutional and retail clients.

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Through our investment products, we provide investment management and related services to retail, institutional and high-net-worth investors in jurisdictions worldwide. We deliver our investment capabilities through a variety of products and vehicles and via multiple points of access, including directly to investors and through financial intermediaries. Our investment products include our sponsored funds, as well as institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts, retail separately managed account programs, sub-advised products, and other investment vehicles. Our sponsored funds include registered funds (including exchange-traded funds, or “ETFs”) and unregistered funds. We offer a broad product mix of fixed income, equity, multi-asset, alternative and cash management asset classes and solutions that meet a variety of investment goals and needs for investors. In addition to investment management, our services include fund administration, sales and distribution, and shareholder servicing. We may perform services directly or through third parties. We also provide sub-advisory services to certain investment products sponsored by other companies that may be sold to investors under the brand names of those other companies or on a co-branded basis.

We offer our clients the combined experience of our investment professionals with expertise across asset classes and a sharp focus on managing risk. We aim to deliver strong investment performance for our clients by offering a broad range of strategies and drawing on the extensive experience and perspective gained through our long history in the investment management business.

We know that success demands smart and effective business innovation, solutions and technologies, and we remain focused on investment excellence, innovating to meet evolving client goals, and building strong partnerships by delivering superior client service. We continue to focus on the long-term investment performance of our investment products and on providing high quality customer service to our clients.

The business and regulatory environments in which we operate globally remain complex, uncertain and subject to change. We are subject to various laws, rules and regulations globally that impose restrictions, limitations, registration, reporting and disclosure requirements on our business, and add complexity to our global compliance operations.

Acquisition of Legg Mason

On July 31, 2020, we completed our acquisition of Legg Mason pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of February 17, 2020, by and among Franklin, Legg Mason and Alpha Sub, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Legg Mason became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin. Under the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the acquisition, we acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Legg Mason for a purchase consideration of $4.5 billion in cash and $0.2 billion related to the settlement of historical compensation arrangements. Legg Mason has outstanding debt with an aggregate maturity value of $2.0 billion. The transaction increased our assets under management by $797.4 billion as of the date of the acquisition. The acquisition significantly deepens our presence in key geographies and creates an expansive investment platform that is well balanced between institutional and retail client AUM.

Other Recent Development

Effective October 1, 2020, the capabilities of QS Investors, which became one of our specialist investment managers through the Legg Mason acquisition, were combined with our Franklin Templeton Multi-Asset Solutions group to form Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, a solutions platform designed to deliver an expanded range of investment capabilities to clients. Our combined teams of investment professionals oversee various multi-asset strategies, leveraging a broad spectrum of investment capabilities from fundamental to quantitative.

Company History

Since 1947, the Company and its predecessors have been engaged in the investment management and related services business. Franklin was incorporated in the State of Delaware in November 1969, and originated our mutual fund business with the initial Franklin family of funds, known for its fixed income funds and growth and value-oriented equity funds. Over the years, we have expanded and developed our business to meet evolving investor needs, in part, by acquiring companies engaged in investment management and related services. We have added, among others: (i) the Templeton family of funds, known for its global investing strategies and value style of investing, in 1992, (ii) the Franklin Mutual Series family of funds, known for its value-oriented equity funds, in 1996, (iii) the Franklin Bissett family of funds, known for its Canadian taxable fixed income funds and growth-oriented equity funds, in 2000, (iv) the Fiduciary Trust investment management, trust and fiduciary services firm, in 2001, (v) the Darby family of funds, known for its emerging markets investing strategies, in 2003, (vi) the Balanced Equity Management Pty. Limited specialty Australian equity manager, in 2011, (vii) the K2 Advisors hedge funds solutions provider, in 2012, (viii) the Edinburgh Partners global value investment manager based in the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”), in 2018, (ix) the Benefit Street Partners U.S. alternative credit manager, in 2019, (x) the Athena Capital Advisors investment and wealth management firm, in March 2020, (xi) The Pennsylvania Trust Company investment management,

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trust and fiduciary services firm, in May 2020, and (xii) the Legg Mason global investment management organization, including certain specialist investment managers, on July 31, 2020.

OUR BUSINESS STRUCTURE

We believe in the value of active investment management. Through our subsidiaries, we are committed to helping investors navigate global markets, as well as continuing to evolve and build on our strengths to meet the needs of our clients. Through our investment products, including our expanded products acquired through the Legg Mason transaction, we serve a variety of clients including retail, institutional and high-net-worth investors in regions and jurisdictions worldwide. We generally derive our revenues and net income from providing investment management and related services to our products and sub-advised products. Our investment management fees, which represent the majority of our revenues, depend to a large extent on the level and relative mix of our AUM and the types of services provided. These fees and arrangements change from time to time.

Our business is conducted through our subsidiaries, including those specialist investment managers registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”), those registered as investment adviser equivalents in jurisdictions including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the United Arab Emirates, the U.K., and certain other subsidiaries.

Our U.S.-registered funds and most of our non-U.S.-registered funds operate as independent companies subject to the supervision and oversight of the funds’ own boards of directors or trustees. Most of our funds are registered open-end funds that continuously offer their shares to investors. We also offer registered closed-end funds that issue a set number of shares to investors in a public offering which shares are then traded on a public stock exchange. Our specialist investment managers manage a fund’s portfolio of securities in accordance with the fund’s stated objectives. The funds themselves do not have employees. To support the funds’ operations, our subsidiaries either provide or arrange for the investment and other management, shareholder servicing and administrative services required by the funds. We have outsourced certain administration services for our funds to third-party providers. An investor may purchase shares of an open-end fund through a broker-dealer, financial adviser, bank or other similar financial intermediary that provides investment advice to the investor, or an investor may purchase shares of a closed-end fund on the stock exchange where the fund is traded. Financial intermediaries may earn fees and commissions and receive other compensation with respect to fund shares sold to investors.

Our AUM by Asset Class

We offer a broad product mix under our fixed income, equity, multi-asset, alternative and cash management asset classes and solutions to meet a variety of investment goals. Our fees for providing investment management services are generally based on a percentage of AUM in the accounts that we advise, the asset classes of the accounts, and the types of services that we provide for the accounts. As of September 30, 2020, our total AUM by asset class on a worldwide basis was as follows:

Asset Class	Value in Billions		Percentage of Total AUM
Fixed Income	$	656.7	46	%
Equity	432.0		31	%
Multi-Asset	133.8		9	%
Alternative	124.0		9	%
Cash Management	72.4		5	%
Total	$	1,418.9	100	%

See “Assets under Management” under Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of this Annual Report for additional information.

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Broadly speaking, other than changes in net assets due to acquisitions or dispositions by us (such as our acquisition of Legg Mason), the change in the net assets of our products depends primarily upon two factors: (i) the increase or decrease in the market value of the securities and instruments held in the portfolio of investments, and (ii) the level of inflows as compared to the level of outflows. We are subject to the risk of asset volatility resulting from changes in the global capital markets. In addition, changing market conditions and the evolving needs of our clients may cause a shift in our asset mix, potentially resulting in an increase or decrease in our revenues and income depending upon the nature of our AUM and the level of management fees we earn based on our AUM.

Our AUM by Product Type

We believe, despite market risks, that we have a competitive advantage as a result of the economic and geographic diversity of our products available to our clients. As of September 30, 2020, our total AUM by product type was as follows:

(in billions) Asset Class	U.S. Funds		Non-U.S. Funds		Institutional Separate Accounts		Retail Separately Managed Accounts		Other Accounts, Alternative Investment Products and Trusts		Total
Fixed Income	$	199.1	$	69.0	$	342.8	$	30.1	$	15.7	$	656.7
Equity	215.4		71.2		57.2		65.4		22.8		432.0
Multi-Asset	81.9		8.0		6.4		7.8		29.7		133.8
Alternative	6.0		9.0		33.1		—		75.9		124.0
Cash Management	36.4		35.0		1.0		—		—		72.4
Total	$	538.8	$	192.2	$	440.5	$	103.3	$	144.1	$	1,418.9

U.S. Funds. Our U.S. funds include U.S.-registered open-end and closed-end funds, ETFs and other products. As of September 30, 2020, our five largest U.S. funds represented, in the aggregate, 11% of total AUM.

Non-U.S. Funds. Our non-U.S. funds include a variety of funds principally domiciled in Luxembourg or Ireland, registered for sale to non-U.S. investors in certain other countries, and products for the particular local market.

Institutional Separate Accounts. Our institutional separate accounts are for various institutions for which we serve as an investment adviser.

Retail Separately Managed Accounts. Our retail separately managed accounts, commonly known as managed accounts or wrap programs, are sponsored by various financial institutions.

Other Accounts, Alternative Investment Products and Trusts. We also offer and serve as investment adviser to other accounts, alternative investment products and trusts.

Certain Specialist Investment Managers Acquired Through the Legg Mason Transaction

We acquired certain specialist investment managers through the Legg Mason transaction. Our specialist investment managers generally focus on a portion of the asset management industry in terms of the types of assets managed (primarily fixed income, equity or alternatives) and each differs in the types of products and services offered, the investment styles utilized, the distribution channels used, and the types and geographic locations of its clients. Each typically markets its products and services under its own brand name, with certain distribution functions provided by our corporate distribution subsidiaries. We have in place revenue sharing arrangements with certain of our specialist investment managers acquired through the Legg Mason transaction. Below is a brief overview of our specialist investment managers acquired through the Legg Mason transaction.

Brandywine Global Investment Management is a global asset manager based in Philadelphia, with additional offices in the U.K., Canada and Singapore. It provides investment advisory services primarily to separately managed accounts for institutional clients in a range of fixed income, including global and international fixed income, and equity investment strategies. It also provides investment advisory services to U.S. mutual funds, international locally domiciled funds, cross-border funds, privately offered funds, and separately managed account programs sponsored by third parties.

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Clarion Partners is a manager of real estate investment funds based in New York, with additional offices in Dallas, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, DC, the U.K. and Germany. It provides a broad range of equity and debt real estate strategies across the risk/return spectrum through separate accounts as well as private funds primarily aimed at institutional investors and acts as sub-adviser to a publicly offered Franklin Templeton real estate income fund aimed at retail investors.

ClearBridge Investments is an equity asset manager based in New York, with additional offices in Baltimore, Wilmington and Australia. It provides asset management services to certain equity funds (including balanced funds and closed-end funds), retail separately managed account programs, and to institutional clients primarily through separate accounts. In addition, the capabilities of RARE® Infrastructure, a specialist investment manager acquired through the Legg Mason transaction based in Australia, have been integrated into ClearBridge.

Martin Currie is an international equity specialist based in Scotland, with additional offices in other locations in the U.K., Australia and Singapore. It manages U.S. and international equity portfolios for a global client base of financial institutions, foundations, endowments, pension funds, family offices, government agencies and investment funds.

QS Investors is a customized solutions and global quantitative equities investment manager based in New York, with an additional office in Boston. It provides asset management and advisory services to a diverse array of institutional clients. Effective October 1, 2020, the capabilities of QS Investors were combined with our multi-asset solutions group to form our Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions platform. QS Investors remains an indirect subsidiary of Franklin.

Royce Investment Partners is the investment adviser to The Royce Funds, a proprietary range of equity U.S. mutual funds, and to certain of our international funds. In addition, it manages other pooled and separately managed accounts, primarily for institutional clients. Based in New York, Royce generally invests in smaller company stocks using a value approach.

Western Asset Management Company is a fixed income asset manager based in Pasadena with additional offices and operations around the globe. Its focus is on long-term value investing across a range of fixed income sectors. Western Asset offers fixed income strategies across the liquidity, maturity and risk spectrums.

Our Range of Services and Capabilities

1.    Investment Management Services

We are committed to providing active investment management and strategic advice for our clients. Our specialist investment managers offer fixed income, equity, multi-asset and alternative strategies through various investment products. Through our investment products, we provide a broad array of investment management services to retail, institutional and high-net-worth clients. Our investment products include registered open-end and closed-end funds, private funds, institutional separate accounts, retail separately managed accounts, and other accounts, alternative investment products and trusts. Our clients include institutions, corporations, endowments, charitable foundations, pension and defined contribution plans, and individuals.

We distribute and market globally our different capabilities under our brand names through various subsidiaries. We primarily attract new institutional business through our relationships with pension, defined contribution and management consultants, direct sales efforts and additional mandates from our existing client relationships, as well as from our responses to requests for proposals. We also market and distribute our products through various subsidiaries to institutional investors with separate accounts. A few of our subsidiaries also serve as direct marketing broker-dealers for institutional investors for certain of our private funds, and some of our private funds may utilize third-party placement agents.

Our services also include management of our ETF platforms. Our ETF platforms include smart beta and actively managed ETFs, as well as additional lower fee passive ETF products. ETFs trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETF’s net asset value.

Our specialist investment managers provide investment management services pursuant to agreements in effect with each of our investment products and the products for which we provide sub-advisory services. Investment management fees are generally determined as a percentage of AUM pursuant to such contractual arrangements. Our investment management services include services to accounts for which we have full investment discretion and to accounts for which we have no investment discretion. Our services include fundamental investment research and valuation analyses, including original economic, political, industry and company research, and analyses of suppliers, customers and competitors. Our management fee on an account varies with the types of services that we provide for the account, among other things.

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Our subsidiaries that provide discretionary investment management services for our products and sub-advised products either perform or obtain investment research, and determine which securities the products will purchase, hold or sell under the supervision and oversight of the funds’ boards of directors or trustees, as applicable. In addition, these subsidiaries may take all appropriate steps to implement such decisions, including arranging for the selection of broker-dealers and the execution and settlement of trades in accordance with applicable criteria set forth in the management agreements, internal policies, and applicable law and practice. Our subsidiaries that provide non-discretionary investment management services perform investment research for our clients and make recommendations as to which securities the clients purchase, hold or sell, and may or may not perform trading activities for the products.

For our U.S.-registered funds, the board of directors or trustees of each fund and our management personnel regularly review the investment management fee structures for the funds in light of fund performance, the level and range of services provided, industry conditions and other relevant factors. Most of our investment management agreements between our subsidiaries and our funds must be renewed each year (after an initial two-year term), and must be specifically approved at least annually by a vote of each fund’s board of directors or trustees as a whole and separately by a majority of its directors or trustees who are not interested persons of the fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”), or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the fund’s outstanding voting securities. Our U.S. agreements automatically terminate in the event of their “assignment,” as defined in the Investment Company Act. In addition, either party may terminate such agreement without penalty after prior written notice. If agreements representing a significant portion of our AUM were terminated, it would have a material adverse impact on us.

Under our investment management agreements with our funds and accounts, our monthly and annual fee rates may vary by asset class and type of services provided. Our agreements generally permit us to provide services to more than one fund or account and to other clients so long as our ability to render services to each fund/account is not impaired, and so long as purchases and sales of portfolio securities for various advised funds/accounts are made on an equitable basis.

We use a “master/feeder” fund structure in certain situations. This structure allows an investment adviser to manage a single portfolio of securities at the “master fund” level and have multiple “feeder funds” that invest substantially all of their respective assets into the master fund. Individual and institutional shareholders generally invest in the “feeder funds,” which can offer a variety of tax, service and distribution options.

Our non-U.S.-registered funds, private funds, institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts, and the products for which we provide sub-advisory services are typically subject to various termination rights and/or renewal provisions. Investment management fees are at times waived or voluntarily reduced when a new fund/account is established, and then increased to contractual levels within an established timeline or as net asset values reach certain levels.

2.    Retail Separately Managed Account Programs

Certain of our specialist investment managers provide asset management services to certain retail separately managed account programs sponsored by various financial institutions. These programs typically allow securities brokers or other financial intermediaries to offer their clients the opportunity to choose from a number of asset management services pursuing different investment strategies provided by one or more asset managers, and generally charge an all-inclusive fee that covers asset management, trade execution, asset allocation and custodial and administrative services.

3.    Alternative Strategies

Certain of our specialist investment managers manage alternative investment strategies. These strategies provide our clients with alternatives to traditional equity and fixed income products and services. Our alternative products include private credit funds and structured products, business development companies, hedge funds (funds of funds and custom advisory solutions), private equity funds, venture capital funds and real estate funds. These products employ various investment strategies and approaches, including loan origination, collateralized loan obligations, high-yield credit, hedge fund advisory, private equity and infrastructure transactions in emerging markets, global macro, financial technology, consumer loans, direct real estate investments, and custom-tailored investment programs.

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4.    High-Net-Worth Investment Management, Trust and Custody

Through our subsidiary Fiduciary Trust Company International (“Fiduciary Trust”), including its trust company and investment adviser subsidiaries, and through certain other of our subsidiaries, we provide investment management and related services to, among others, high-net-worth individuals and families, family offices, foundations and institutional clients. Fiduciary Trust offers investment management and advisory services across different investment styles and asset classes. The majority of these client assets are actively managed by individual portfolio managers, while a significant number of clients also seek multi-manager, multi-asset class solutions. Through our trust company subsidiaries, including Fiduciary Trust, we also may provide separately managed accounts, private funds, and trust, custody and related services, including administration, performance measurement, estate planning and tax planning. In addition, through our subsidiary Fiduciary Trust Company of Canada (“FTCC”), we provide investment management, wealth planning, and trust and estate services, and offer products to high-net-worth individuals and families and institutional clients in Canada.

5.    Sales and Distribution

Our sales and distribution capabilities and related efforts are critical components of our business and may be impacted by global distribution trends and changes within the financial services industry. In the U.S., our corporate distribution subsidiaries generally serve as the principal underwriters and distributors of shares of most of our sponsored U.S.-registered open-end funds, or U.S. mutual funds. Outside the U.S., certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries provide sales, distribution and marketing services to our non-U.S.-registered funds. Some of our non-U.S.-registered funds, particularly our Luxembourg and Irish domiciled fund ranges, are distributed globally on a cross-border basis, while others are distributed exclusively in local markets.

We earn sales and distribution fees primarily by distributing our funds pursuant to distribution agreements with the funds. Our U.S. mutual funds generally pay us distribution fees in return for sales, marketing and distribution efforts on their behalf. Under our distribution agreements with our U.S. mutual funds, we offer and sell the fund shares on a continuous basis and pay certain costs associated with selling, marketing and distributing the fund shares, including the costs of developing and producing sales literature, shareholder reports and prospectuses. Sales and distribution fees primarily consist of upfront sales commissions and ongoing distribution fees. Sales commissions are earned from the sale of certain classes of sponsored funds at the time of purchase, and may be reduced or eliminated depending on the amount invested and the type of investor. Therefore, sales fees generally will change with the overall level of gross sales, the size of individual transactions, and the relative mix of sales between different share classes and types of investors. Our sales and marketing teams generally are housed in separate subsidiaries from our asset manager subsidiaries.

The majority of our U.S. mutual funds, with the exception of certain money market funds and certain other funds specifically designed for purchase through separately managed account programs, have adopted distribution plans under Rule 12b-1 (the “Rule 12b-1 Plans”) promulgated under the Investment Company Act. The Rule 12b-1 Plans permit the funds to pay us for marketing, marketing support, advertising, printing and sales promotion services relating to the distribution of their shares, subject to the Rule 12b-1 Plans’ limitations on amounts based on daily average AUM. Similar arrangements exist for the distribution of non-U.S.-registered funds. The Rule 12b-1 Plans are established for one-year terms and must be approved annually by a vote of each fund’s board of directors or trustees as a whole and separately by a majority of its directors or trustees who are not interested persons of the fund under the Investment Company Act. The Rule 12b-1 Plans are subject to termination at any time by a majority vote of the disinterested fund directors or trustees or by the particular fund’s shareholders.

We pay substantially all of our sales and distribution fees earned as revenues, including fees earned under the Rule 12b-1 Plans, to the financial advisers and other intermediaries that sell our funds on our behalf. The distribution agreements with our U.S. mutual funds generally provide for us to pay commission expenses for sales of fund shares to qualifying broker-dealers and other independent financial intermediaries. These financial intermediaries receive various sales commissions and other fees for services in matching investors with funds whose asset classes match such investors’ goals and risk profiles. Such intermediaries also may receive fees for their assistance in explaining the operations of the funds and in servicing and maintaining investors’ accounts, and for reporting and various other distribution services. We are heavily dependent upon these third-party distribution and sales channels and business relationships. There is increasing competition for access to these channels, which has caused our distribution costs to rise and could cause further increases in the future as competition continues and service expectations increase.

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Similar arrangements exist with the distribution of our non-U.S.-registered funds where, generally, our subsidiary that distributes the funds receives maintenance fees from the funds and pays commissions and certain other fees to financial advisers, banks and other intermediaries.

In addition, our distribution subsidiaries may make additional payments to broker-dealers or other intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of shares of our U.S. mutual funds, including for marketing support. We also may make payments for other ancillary services, such as setting up funds on a broker-dealer’s fund trading system. Our non-U.S. subsidiaries may make similar marketing support and other payments to third-party intermediaries located outside the U.S. with respect to investments in, or the distribution of, our non-U.S.-registered funds.

Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by federal or state laws or any self-regulatory agency, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).

6.    Shareholder Servicing

We perform our shareholder servicing services directly or through third parties. Substantially all shareholder servicing fees are earned from our sponsored funds for providing transfer agency services, which include providing shareholder statements, transaction processing, customer service and tax reporting. Fees for U.S. funds are based on the level of AUM and the number of transactions in shareholder accounts, while outside of the U.S., the fees are based on the level of AUM and/or the number of shareholder accounts.

Our subsidiary Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC (“FTIS”) serves as our primary shareholder servicing and dividend-paying agent for certain of our U.S.-registered open-end funds. FTIS is registered with the SEC as a transfer agent under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). FTIS may pay servicing fees to third-party intermediaries primarily to help offset costs associated with client account maintenance support, statement preparation and transaction processing. Such third parties maintain omnibus accounts with funds in the institution’s name on behalf of numerous beneficial owners of fund shares, or provide support for fund shareholder accounts. The funds reimburse FTIS for these third-party payments, subject to certain limitations, as well as other out-of-pocket expenses.

Our Range of Investment Products

Through our specialist investment managers, we offer active, passive and smart beta strategies and a broad range of products under our fixed income, equity, multi-asset, alternative and cash management asset classes and solutions. Our investment products are offered globally to retail, institutional and high-net-worth investors, which include individual investors, qualified groups, trustees, tax-deferred plans (such as individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, in the U.S. and registered retirement saving plans, or RRSPs, in Canada) or money purchase plans, employee benefit and profit sharing plans, trust companies, bank trust departments and institutional investors. Our products include portfolios managed for some of the world’s largest corporations, endowments, charitable foundations, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, as well as wealthy individuals and other institutions. We use various investment techniques to focus on specific client objectives for these specialized portfolios.

The products and capabilities that we offer accommodate a variety of investment goals, spanning the spectrum of our clients’ risk tolerance from capital appreciation (with our more growth-oriented products) to capital preservation (with our fixed income offerings). In seeking to achieve such objectives, each portfolio emphasizes different strategies and invests in different types of instruments.

Our equity investment products include some that are considered value-oriented, others that are considered growth-oriented, and some that use a combination of growth and value characteristics, generally identified as blend or core products. Value investing focuses on identifying companies that our research analysts and portfolio managers believe are undervalued based on a number of different factors, usually put in the context of historical ratios such as price-to-earnings or price-to-book value; however, we also consider the future earnings potential of each individual company on a multi-year basis. Growth investing focuses on identifying companies that our research analysts and portfolio managers believe have sustainable growth characteristics, meeting our criteria for sustainable growth potential, quality and valuation. In this effort, the key variables we examine include: (i) market opportunity (overall size and growth), (ii) competitive positioning of the company, (iii) assessment of management (strength, breadth, depth, and integrity) and execution of plans, and (iv) the general financial strength and profitability of the enterprise, to determine whether the growth and quality aspects are properly reflected in the current share price. Paramount to all of our different equity products is the incorporation of independent, fundamental research through our own collaborative in-house group of investment professionals. Our approach across the variety of equity products we manage

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emphasizes bottom-up stock selection within a disciplined portfolio construction process, and is complemented by our ongoing assessment of risk at both the security and portfolio levels.

Portfolios seeking income generally focus on one or more of the following securities: (i) taxable and tax-exempt money market instruments, (ii) tax-exempt municipal bonds, (iii) global or regional fixed income securities, and (iv) fixed income debt securities of corporations, of the U.S. government and its sponsored agencies and instrumentalities, or of the various states in the U.S. Others focus on investments in particular countries and regions.

In addition, our alternative investment strategies provide our clients with alternatives to traditional equity and fixed income products and services.

COMPETITION

The financial services industry is a highly competitive global industry. Competition is based on various factors, including, among others, business reputation, investment performance, product mix and offerings, service quality and innovation, distribution relationships, and fees charged. We face strong competition from numerous investment management companies, securities brokerage and investment banking firms, insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions, which offer a wide range of financial and investment management services and products to the same retail, institutional and high-net-worth investors and accounts that we are seeking to attract. We offer a broad product mix that meets a variety of investment goals and needs for different investors, and we may periodically introduce new products to provide investors with additional investment options.

Due to our international presence and varied product mix, it is difficult to assess our market position relative to other investment managers on a worldwide basis, but we believe that we are one of the more widely diversified asset managers based in the U.S. We believe that our fixed income and equity asset mix, coupled with our global presence, will serve our competitive needs well over the long term. We continue to focus on the long-term performance of our investment products, service to clients and extensive marketing activities through our strong broker-dealer and other financial institution distribution network as well as with high-net-worth and institutional clients.

The establishment of new investment management firms and continuous development of investment products increases the competition that we face. Many of our competitors have long-standing and established relationships with broker-dealers, investment advisers and their clients, and some have affiliated brokerage businesses. Others have focused on, offer and market specific product lines that provide strong competition to certain of our asset classes. In addition, consolidation in the financial services industry has created stronger competitors, some with greater financial resources and broader distribution channels than our own.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC AREAS

Incorporated herein by reference is certain financial information about our business segment and geographic areas contained in Note 19 – Segment and Geographic Information in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report.

REGULATION

General

We are subject to extensive regulation. Virtually all aspects of our business are subject to various U.S. federal and state, and/or international regulation and supervision. Our regulators have broad authority with respect to the regulation of investment management and other financial services, including among other things, the authority to grant or cancel required licenses or registrations, impose net capital and other financial or operational requirements on us, and other enforcement powers described below. The regulations to which we are subject continue to change and evolve over time. Consequently, there is uncertainty associated with the regulatory environments in which we operate. The rules and regulations applicable to investment management organizations are very detailed and technical. Accordingly, the discussion below is general in nature, does not purport to be complete and is current only as of the date of this Annual Report.

With our global operations, certain of our subsidiaries are registered with or licensed by various U.S. and/or non-U.S. regulators, and our funds are subject to various U.S. and/or non-U.S. laws. In particular, we are subject to various securities, compliance, corporate governance, disclosure, privacy, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, anti-terrorist financing, and economic, trade and sanctions laws and regulations, both domestically and internationally, as well as to various cross-border rules and regulations, such as the data protection rules under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”)

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of the European Union (“EU”). We are subject to sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury (“USDT”), as well as sanctions programs adopted and administered by non-U.S. jurisdictions where our services and products are offered. Our subsidiaries with custody of client assets or accounts are also subject to the applicable laws and regulations of U.S. states and other non-U.S. jurisdictions regarding the reporting and escheatment of unclaimed or abandoned property. We must also comply with complex tax regimes in the jurisdictions where we operate our business.

Failure to comply with applicable U.S. and non-U.S. laws, regulations, rules, codes, notices, directives, guidelines, orders, circulars and/or conditions in the various jurisdictions where we operate could result in a wide range of disciplinary actions against us, our subsidiaries and/or our business. Breaches of applicable laws and rules could result in the imposition of various sanctions and penalties, including, among other things, fines, disgorgements, cease and desist orders, censures, reprimands and the revocation, cancellation, suspension or restriction of licenses, registration status or approvals held by us or our business.

See Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of this Annual Report, for financial information about our business, including certain regulatory financial impacts disclosed therein.

U.S. Regulation

U.S. Regulatory Framework. As a U.S. reporting company, we are subject to U.S. federal securities laws, state securities and corporate laws, state escheatment laws and regulations, and the rules and regulations of certain U.S. regulatory and self-regulatory organizations, such as the SEC and the NYSE. In particular, we are subject to various securities, compliance, corporate governance and disclosure rules adopted by the SEC. We are also subject to various other U.S. federal and state laws, including those affecting corporate governance and disclosure, such as the Securities Act of 1933, the Exchange Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (“Dodd-Frank”), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. As a NYSE-listed company, we are also subject to NYSE listing and disclosure requirements.

As a global investment management organization, certain of our subsidiaries are also subject to the rules and regulations of various U.S. regulatory and self-regulatory organizations, including the SEC, FINRA, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the National Futures Association, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the U.S. Department of Labor, and the USDT. Our non-U.S. operations also may be subject to regulation by U.S. regulators, including the SEC, the CFTC and the DOJ (for example with respect to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977).

Certain of our subsidiaries are registered with the SEC under the Advisers Act and/or the CFTC, and many of our funds are registered with the SEC under the Investment Company Act. These registrations, licenses and authorizations impose numerous obligations, as well as detailed operational requirements, on such subsidiaries and funds. The Advisers Act imposes numerous obligations on our registered investment adviser subsidiaries, including record keeping, operating and marketing requirements, disclosure obligations and prohibitions against fraudulent activities. The Investment Company Act imposes similar obligations on the registered investment companies advised by our subsidiaries.

U.S. Regulatory Reforms. Over the years, the U.S. federal corporate governance and securities laws have been augmented substantially and made significantly more complex by various legislation. As we continue to address our legal and regulatory requirements or focus on meeting new or expanded requirements, we may need to expend a substantial amount of additional time, costs and resources. Regulatory reforms may add further complexity to our business and operations and could require us to alter our investment management services and related activities, which could be costly, impede our growth and adversely impact our AUM, revenues and income. Certain key regulatory reforms in the U.S. that impact or relate to our business, and may cause, or continue to cause, us to incur additional obligations, include:

Dodd-Frank. In July 2010, Dodd-Frank was adopted in the U.S. Dodd-Frank is expansive in scope and has required the adoption of extensive regulations and the issuance of numerous regulatory decisions.

Systemically Important Financial Institutions. Dodd-Frank authorized the establishment of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (“FSOC”), the mandate of which is to identify and respond to threats to U.S. financial stability. Similarly, the U.S. and other members of the G-20 group of nations have empowered the Financial Stability Board (“FSB”) to identify and respond, in a coordinated manner, to threats to global financial stability. The FSOC may designate certain non-bank financial companies as systemically important financial institutions (“SIFIs”), which are subject to supervision and regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The FSB may designate certain non-bank financial companies as

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global systemically important financial institutions (“G-SIFIs”); the additional regulatory requirements triggered by any such designation are not yet established. The FSOC and the FSB, as well as other global regulators, are considering what threats to U.S. and global financial stability, if any, arise from asset management companies and/or the funds that they sponsor or manage, and whether such threats can be mitigated by treating such entities as SIFIs or G-SIFIs and/or subjecting them to additional regulation. To the extent that we or any of our funds are designated as a SIFI or G-SIFI, such designations add additional supervision and/or regulation, which could include requirements related to risk-based capital, leverage, liquidity, credit exposure, stress testing, resolution plans, early remediation, and certain risk management requirements, that could impact our business.

Derivatives and Other Financial Products. Dodd-Frank, as well as other legislation and regulations, impose restrictions and limitations on us related to our financial services and products, resulting in increased scrutiny and oversight. Under such regulations governing derivative transactions, certain categories of swaps are subject to the exchange of margin, while others are required to be submitted for clearing by a regulated clearing organization. In both cases, swaps must be reported on a swap execution facility. The EU and other countries have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, similar requirements. There is some risk that full mutual recognition may not be achieved between the various regulators, which may cause us to incur duplicate regulation and transaction costs. The SEC has also proposed a rule that would impose restrictions on the use of derivatives by registered funds.

In addition, SEC rules have changed the structure and operation for certain types of money market funds, and certain U.S.-registered funds are required to adopt liquidity management programs.

Privacy and Data Protection. There also has been increased regulation with respect to the protection of customer privacy and data, and the need to secure sensitive customer, personnel and others’ information. A majority of the jurisdictions where we operate are covered, or we expect will be soon covered, by privacy and data protection laws and regulations. As the regulatory focus on privacy continues to intensify and laws and regulations concerning the management of personal data continue to expand, risks related to privacy and data collection within our business will increase. In addition to the EU’s GDPR data protection rules (discussed below), we also are or may become subject to or affected by additional country, federal and state laws, regulations and guidance impacting consumer privacy, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) that took effect in January 2020, and provides for enhanced consumer protections for California residents, enforcement authority by the California Attorney General for CCPA violations, and the potential for private litigation, including statutory damages for data security breaches. There are also new laws that have been adopted this year, including, for example, Brazil’s Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados with regulatory enforcement commencing in August 2021, and the California Privacy Rights Act with an effective date of January 1, 2023. Noncompliance with our legal obligations relating to privacy and data protection could result in fines, penalties, legal proceedings by governmental entities or affected individuals, prohibitions on our use of personal data in one or more countries, and other significant legal and financial exposure.

SEC Regulation Best Interest. In June 2019, the SEC adopted a package of new rules, amendments and interpretations, including Regulation Best Interest and a new form of relationship summary, designed to enhance investor protections for all retail customers. Effective June 30, 2020, such rules, among other things: (i) require broker-dealers to act in the best interest of their retail customers when recommending securities and account types, (ii) raise the broker-dealer standard of conduct beyond existing suitability obligations, and (iii) require broker-dealers and registered investment advisers to provide their retail clients with a new relationship summary disclosure document to inform such clients of the nature of their relationships with the clients’ investment professionals, including a description of services offered, the legal standards of conduct that apply to such services, the fees a client might pay, and conflicts of interest that may exist.

U.S. and Global Tax Compliance. The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes various changes to the tax law, including a permanent reduction in the corporate income tax rate and one-time transition tax on certain non-U.S. earnings. See Note 14 – Taxes on Income in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report for more information. Further, pursuant to ongoing efforts to encourage global tax compliance, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) has adopted a global common reporting standard for the automatic exchange of financial information among participating countries (“CRS”), aimed at ensuring that persons with financial assets located outside of their tax residence country pay required taxes. In many cases, intergovernmental agreements between the participating countries will govern implementation of the new CRS rules. CRS is being implemented over a multi-year period and we will continue to monitor the implementing regulations and corresponding intergovernmental agreements to determine our requirements. CRS may subject us to additional reporting, compliance and administrative costs, and burdens in jurisdictions where we operate as a qualifying financial institution.

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The OECD has also undertaken a new project focused on “Addressing the Tax Challenges of the Digitalization of the Economy.” This project may impact all multinational businesses by allocating a greater share of taxing rights to countries where consumers are located regardless of the current physical presence of a business, and by implementing a global minimum tax. There is significant uncertainty regarding such proposal and any unfavorable resolution could have an adverse effect on our effective tax rate.

Non-U.S. Regulation

Our operations outside the U.S. are subject to the laws and regulations of various non-U.S. jurisdictions and non-U.S. regulatory agencies and bodies. Our international operations are subject to regulatory systems in various jurisdictions, comparable to those covering our operations in the U.S.

European Markets and Regulation. In Luxembourg, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (“CSSF”) currently regulates our substantial activities in Luxembourg, including our subsidiary Franklin Templeton International Services S.à r.l. (“FTIS Lux”). FTIS Lux is licensed as a management company for both the Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directive (“UCITS”) and alternative investment funds (“AIFs”) and, as such, it manages our Luxembourg-domiciled UCITS and our EU-domiciled AIFs. FTIS Lux’s license also covers certain MiFID (as defined below) investment services, such as discretionary portfolio management, investment advice and reception and transmission of orders in relation to financial instruments. The CSSF’s rules include capital resource, governance and risk management requirements, business conduct rules, remuneration rules and oversight of systems and controls.

In Ireland, the Central Bank of Ireland (“CBI”) currently regulates our Irish business activities, including our Irish- licensed UCITS and AIF management company and our Irish-domiciled UCITS range. The CBI’s rules include capital resource, governance and risk management requirements, business conduct rules, remuneration rules and oversight of systems and controls.

Our international funds include two broad ranges of cross-border UCITS that are domiciled in Luxembourg and Ireland, respectively, and thereby subject to regulation by the CSSF and CBI. Both UCITS are also registered for public sale in many countries around the world, both in the EU and beyond, and thus are also subject to the laws of, and certain supervision by, the governmental authorities of those countries.

In the U.K., the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (the “PRA”) currently regulate certain of our subsidiaries. Authorization by the FCA and the PRA is required to conduct any financial services-related business in the U.K. pursuant to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The FCA’s and PRA’s rules under that act govern a firm’s capital resources requirements, senior management arrangements, business conduct, interaction with clients, and systems and controls.

In addition to the above, certain of our other European subsidiaries and branches, must comply with the pan-European regime established by the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (“MiFID”), which regulates the provision of investment services and conduct of investment activities throughout the European Economic Area (“EEA”). MiFID sets out detailed requirements governing the organization and business conduct of investment firms and regulated markets. It also includes pre- and post-trade transparency requirements for equity markets and extensive transaction reporting requirements. Luxembourg and the U.K. have adopted the MiFID rules into national legislation, as have those other EU member states in which we have a presence.

A review of MiFID by the European Commission led to the creation of a replacement directive and a new regulation (together “MiFID II”) that extend the scope of the original MiFID in response to issues raised by the financial crisis. Changes apply to pre- and post-trade reporting obligations and there is an expansion of the types of instruments subject to these requirements, such as bonds, structured products and derivatives. A new concept of trading venue has been created and algorithmic trading is subject to specific regulations. There are also changes to business conduct requirements, including selling practices, intermediary inducements and client categorization, as well as the provision of investment advice and management within the EU by non-EU advisers, including ours. Powers have also been given to EU national regulators to ban certain services and products and to the European Securities and Markets Authority to restrict temporarily certain financial activities within the EU.

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One of the most significant developments in MiFID II is the ban on commission and other payments (“inducements”) to independent advisers and discretionary managers, which has changed the commercial relationships between fund providers and distributors. Arrangements with non-independent advisers have also been affected, as narrower rules around the requirement that any commission reflect an enhancement of the service to customers come into effect, along with a prescriptive list of permissible non-monetary benefits. The interpretation of the inducements rules has also resulted in major changes to how fund managers finance investment research with many firms, including ours, opting to pay for third-party investment research for client accounts covered by MiFID II.

The European Market Infrastructure Regulation sets out rules in relation to the central clearing of specified derivatives. Mutual recognition of central counterparties has been achieved between the EU regulatory authorities and other important jurisdictions including the U.S. In addition, there are rules relating to margin requirements for uncleared over-the-counter derivatives. Future regulatory policy reviews will decide whether these rules are extended to other types of derivative instruments, which could increase operational costs for our business and transactional costs for our clients.

The EU’s Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”) regulates managers of, and service providers to, AIFs that are domiciled and offered in the EU and that are not authorized as retail funds under UCITS. The AIFMD also regulates the marketing within the EU of all AIFs, including those domiciled outside the EU. The introduction of a third-country passport to non-EU AIFs/AIF managers has been delayed until further positive advice is delivered to the European Commission regarding a sufficient number of non-EU countries to better evaluate the impact, including with respect to the proposed withdrawal of the U.K. from the EU. Compliance with the AIFMD’s requirements may restrict AIF marketing and imposes compliance obligations in the form of remuneration policies, capital requirements, reporting requirements, leverage oversight, valuation, stakes in EU companies, the domicile, duties and liability of custodians and liquidity management.

The EU’s Market Abuse Regulation’s (“MAR”) primary aim is to increase market integrity and investor protection, enhancing the attractiveness of securities markets for raising capital. Under MAR, EU market abuse rules become extra-territorial as long as the instrument has a listing on an EEA regulated market.

The EU regulation on packaged retail investment and insurance products (“PRIIPs”) imposed new pre-contractual disclosure requirements under the form of a Key Information Document (“KID”) for the benefit of retail investors when they are considering the purchase of packaged retail investment products or insurance-based products. It requires PRIIP manufacturers to draw up a KID that can be no longer than three pages in length and must be written in simple language. The regulation allows UCITS providers, who are already required to produce the UCITS Key Investor Information Document, a transitional period until December 2021, during which they will be exempt from its terms.

The EU’s GDPR strengthened and unified data protection rules for individuals within the EU. GDPR also addresses export of personal data outside the EU. The primary objectives of GDPR are to give citizens control of their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying data protection regulation within the EU. Compliance with the stringent data protection rules under GDPR requires an extensive review of all of our global data processing systems. The failure to comply properly with GDPR rules on a timely basis and to maintain ongoing compliance with such rules may subject us to enforcement proceedings and significant fines and costs. For example, a failure to comply with GDPR could result in fines of up to 20 million Euros or 4% of our annual global revenues, whichever is higher.

British Exit from the EU (“Brexit”). The U.K. withdrew from the EU on January 31, 2020. The timeline to conclude a new U.K./EU trade agreement by December 31, 2020 has been challenged in recent months by the global economic and health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), and the final terms and implementation date of a new trade agreement remain uncertain. While we are monitoring the consequences very closely for our clients from an investment perspective, we believe that Brexit will not have a material impact on the way our firm operates in the U.K. or within the EU. Our long-standing U.K. businesses are expected to continue to provide their services to U.K. and certain non-EU customers. Furthermore, we have regulated subsidiaries and branch offices across continental Europe such that, in the event of a future restriction on cross-border trade in financial services and products between the U.K. and the EU, Brexit would be likely to have a limited effect on our EU business. Moreover, our primary cross-border UCITS, the Franklin Templeton Investment Funds Société d’Investissement à Capital Variable, or SICAV, investment fund range, which is the most widely-distributed such range in the world, is based in Luxembourg, and a smaller cross-border UCITS, also distributed throughout the EU and beyond, is based in Ireland. We have separate, U.K.-domiciled fund ranges that are, and will continue to be, distributed mainly in the U.K.

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Australia. In Australia, our subsidiaries are subject to various Australian federal and state laws and are regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”). ASIC regulates companies, financial markets and financial services in Australia. ASIC imposes certain conditions on licensed financial services organizations that apply to our subsidiaries, including requirements relating to capital resources, operational capability and controls.

Canada. In Canada, our subsidiaries are subject to provincial and territorial laws and are registered with and regulated by provincial and territorial securities regulatory authorities. The mandate of Canadian securities regulatory authorities is generally to protect investors and to foster fair and efficient capital markets. Securities regulatory authorities impose certain requirements on registrants, including a standard of conduct, capital and insurance, record keeping, regulatory financial reporting, conflict of interest management, compliance systems and security holder reporting. In addition, as a federally licensed trust company, FTCC is subject to regulation and supervision by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada and another subsidiary, FTC Investor Services Inc., is a member of and regulated by the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada. These regulatory bodies have similar requirements to those of the securities regulatory authorities with a view to ensuring the capital adequacy and sound business practices of the subsidiaries and the appropriate treatment of their clients.

In December 2019, rule amendments to implement the client focused reforms initiative of the Canadian Securities Administrators (“CSA”), the umbrella organization of provincial and territorial securities regulatory authorities, became effective and will be phased in during a two-year transition period. These rule amendments, among other things, enhance current registrant requirements in the areas of know your client, know your product, suitability, conflicts of interest and relationship disclosure information. The purposes of such amendments are to better align the interests of Canadian registrants with the interests of their clients, to improve outcomes for clients and to make clearer to clients the nature and the terms of their relationship with registrants. In addition, in 2020, the CSA published final rule amendments regarding certain of its previously proposed policy changes from June 2018 in connection with its mutual fund fee reform project. The final amendments prohibit: (i) all forms of deferred sales charges (“DSC”) in connection with the purchase of mutual fund securities (except in Ontario which is proposing restrictions on the use of DSC), and (ii) the payment of trailing commissions to discount brokers in respect of their distribution of mutual fund securities. These rule amendments will become effective in June 2022.

Cayman Islands. In the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (“CIMA”) is responsible for the regulation and supervision of financial services, the monitoring of compliance with anti-money laundering regulations, and the issuance of statements of principle and guidance. In February 2020, the Cayman Islands enacted the Private Funds Law 2020 (the “Private Funds Law”), which requires private funds that engage in business in or from the Cayman Islands to register with CIMA, unless an exemption applies. The Private Funds Law applies to any Cayman Islands closed-end fund. Open-end funds such as hedge funds continue to be regulated by the Mutual Funds Law in the Cayman Islands. The new registration requirements applicable to our private funds domiciled in the Cayman Islands have posed, and may continue to pose, additional compliance costs and burdens on our business.

Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, our subsidiary is subject to the Securities and Futures Ordinance (“SFO”) and its subsidiary legislation, which governs the securities and futures markets and regulates, among others, offers of investments to the public and provides for the licensing of dealing in securities and asset management activities and intermediaries. This legislation is administered by the Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”). The SFC is also empowered under the SFO to establish standards for compliance as well as codes and guidelines. Our subsidiary and its employees conducting any of the regulated activities specified in the SFO are required to be licensed with the SFC, and are subject to the rules, codes and guidelines issued by the SFC from time to time.

India. The Securities and Exchange Board of India, Reserve Bank of India, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion are the major regulatory authorities that are capable of issuing directions of a binding nature to our subsidiaries in India.

Japan. In Japan, our subsidiaries are subject to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and the Act on Investment Trusts and Investment Corporations. These laws are administered and enforced by the Japanese Financial Services Agency, which establishes standards for compliance, including capital adequacy and financial soundness requirements, customer protection requirements, and business conduct rules.

Singapore. In Singapore, our subsidiaries are subject to, among others, the Securities and Futures Act (“SFA”), the Financial Advisers Act (“FAA”) and the subsidiary legislation promulgated pursuant to these Acts, which are administered by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”). Our asset management subsidiaries and their employees conducting regulated activities specified in the SFA and/or the FAA are required to be licensed with the MAS.

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Other Non-U.S. Jurisdictions. There are similar legal and regulatory arrangements in effect in many other non-U.S. jurisdictions where our subsidiaries, branches and representative offices, as well as certain joint ventures or companies in which we own minority stakes, are authorized to conduct business. We are also subject to regulation and supervision by, among others, the Securities Commission of The Bahamas, the Central Bank of Brazil and the Comissão de Valores Mobiliários in Brazil, the China Securities Regulatory Commission in the People’s Republic of China, the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service in South Korea, the Securities Commission in Malaysia, the Comision Nacional Bancaria y de Valores in Mexico, the Polish Securities and Exchange Commission, the Romanian Financial Services Authority, the Swiss Federal Banking Commission, the Financial Supervisory Commission in the Republic of China, the Dubai Financial Services Authority in the United Arab Emirates, and the State Securities Commission of Vietnam.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

We have used, registered, and/or applied to register certain trademarks, service marks and trade names to distinguish our sponsored products and services from those of our competitors in the U.S. and in other countries and jurisdictions, including, but not limited to, Franklin^®, Templeton^®, Legg Mason^®, Balanced Equity Management^®, Benefit Street Partners^®, Darby^®, Edinburgh Partners™, Fiduciary Trust™, Franklin Bissett^®, Franklin Mutual Series^®, K2^® and LibertyShares^®. In addition, pursuant to our Legg Mason acquisition, our additional brand names include Brandywine Global Investment Management^®, Clarion Partners^®, ClearBridge Investments^®, Martin Currie^®, QS Investors^®, Royce^® Investment Partners and Western Asset Management Company^®. Our trademarks, service marks and trade names are important to us and, accordingly, we enforce our trademark, service mark and trade name rights. The Franklin Templeton^® brand has been, and continues to be, extremely well received both in our industry and with our clients, reflecting the fact that our brand, like our business, is based in part on trust and confidence. If our brand is harmed, our future business prospects may be adversely affected.

HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES

As of September 30, 2020, we employed approximately 11,800 employees and operated offices in over 30 countries. We depend upon our key personnel to manage our business, including our portfolio managers, investment analysts, investment advisers, sales and management personnel and other professionals as well as our executive officers and business unit heads. The retention of our key investment personnel is material to the management of our business. The departure of our key investment personnel could cause us to lose clients, which could adversely affect our business.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

The SEC maintains a website that contains current and periodic reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including Franklin, that file electronically with the SEC, at www.sec.gov. Additional information about Franklin’s filings can also be obtained through our website at www.franklinresources.com under “Investor Relations.” We make available free of charge on our website Franklin’s Annual Report on Form 10‑K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10‑Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Franklin periodically provides other information for investors on its website, such as press releases, presentations and other information about financial performance. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this Annual Report.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

PANDEMIC-RELATED RISKS

Our business and operations are subject to adverse effects from the outbreak and spread of contagious diseases such as COVID-19, and we expect such adverse effects to continue.

The outbreak and spread of contagious diseases such as COVID-19, a highly transmissible and pathogenic disease, has adversely affected, and we expect will continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted and will likely continue to result in a widespread national and global public health crisis. Such infectious illness outbreaks or other adverse public health developments in countries where we operate, as well as local, state and/or national government restrictive measures implemented to control such outbreaks, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, the financial condition of individual issuers or companies and capital markets, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen, and such impacts could be significant and long term. Such extraordinary events and their aftermaths can cause investor fear and panic, which can further adversely affect the operations and performance of companies, sectors, nations, regions and financial markets in general and in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. The COVID-19 pandemic has already adversely affected and will likely continue to adversely affect global economies and markets, and has resulted in a global economic downturn and disruptions in commerce that will continue to evolve, including with respect to financial and other economic activities, services, travel and supply chains. Global and national health concerns, and uncertainty regarding the impact of COVID-19, could lead to further and/or increased volatility in global capital and credit markets, adversely affect our key executives and other personnel, clients, investors, providers, suppliers, lessees, and other third parties, and negatively impact our AUM, revenues, income, business and operations.

Our business has been and will likely continue to be negatively impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic, including by the potential reoccurrence of periods of increased spread of COVID-19, and ensuing economic downturn in global financial markets. The global spread of COVID-19, and the various governmental actions and economic effects related to the pandemic, have had, and are expected to continue to have, negative impacts on our business and operations, including volatility in asset values, reduced demand for our products and services, concerns for and restrictions on our personnel (including health concerns, quarantines, shelter-in-place orders and restrictions on travel), and increased privacy and cybersecurity risks. Past economic downturns have caused, and the current economic downturn is causing and is expected to continue to cause, periods of significant volatility in our stock price, decreases and fluctuations in our AUM, revenues and income, increased liquidity risks and redemptions from our funds and other products, resulting in difficulties obtaining cash to settle redemptions, fund closures, poor investment performance of our products and corporate investments, increased focus on expense management, capital resources and related planning, and could cause reputational harm, legal claims, and other factors that may arise or develop. Current increased liquidity risks and redemptions in our funds and other products have required, and may continue to require, increased cash in the form of loans or other lines of credit for them to draw on to help settle redemptions and for other related purposes. We have in some cases voluntarily determined to, and without obligation could in the future, extend such loans. In addition, such increased liquidity risks and redemptions have caused, and could continue to cause, fund closures and related regulatory and governmental reviews or investigations and legal claims or actions, subjecting us to legal and regulatory risks and potential financial exposure.

Our business operations are complex and conducted in numerous countries around the globe, and in order to remain competitive, we must continue to perform our asset management and related business responsibilities for our clients and investors properly and effectively throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, among other matters, is dependent on the health and safety of our personnel, the ability of our personnel to work remotely successfully, and our ability to have our personnel return to work at our offices safely and effectively in compliance with applicable requirements. We have implemented our business continuity plans globally to manage our business during this pandemic, including broad and extended work-from-home capabilities for our personnel where feasible and, as governmental shelter-in-place restrictions have been lifted in various jurisdictions, we have implemented measures for the return of a portion of our personnel to certain of our offices. We can provide no assurance that our efforts and planning for either environment will be sufficient to protect the health and safety of our personnel and maintain the success of our business. Further, we depend on a number of third-party providers to support our operations, and any failure of our providers to fulfill their obligations could adversely impact our business. Moreover, we now have an increased dependency on remote equipment and connectivity infrastructure to access critical business systems that may be subject to failure, disruption or unavailability that could negatively impact our business operations. Additionally, multiple regions in which we operate have shelter-in-place movement restrictions on our personnel and third-party vendors and service providers that may impact our ability to satisfy or respond timely to potential technology issues or needs impacting our business and operations. Further, we, like many others during this time, have been subject to

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an increase in phishing and other social engineering attempts by malicious actors to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information. If our cybersecurity diligence and efforts to offset the increased risks associated with greater reliance on mobile, collaborative and remote technologies during this pandemic are not effective or successful, we will be at increased risk for cybersecurity or data privacy incidents.

Any inability to recover successfully following the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to the economic, investment or operational impacts to our company or industry could further negatively impact our business and operations. As of the time of this filing, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, it is not possible to predict the full extent to which the coronavirus will adversely impact our business, liquidity, capital resources, financial results and operations, which impacts will depend on numerous developing factors that are highly uncertain and rapidly changing. The impacts and risks described herein relating to COVID-19 augment the discussion of overlapping risks in our risk factors below, which may be heightened by COVID-19.

MARKET AND VOLATILITY RISKS

Volatility and disruption of our business and the capital and credit markets and adverse changes in the global economy may significantly affect our results of operations and may put pressure on our financial results.

The asset management industry continues to experience disruption and challenges, including a shift to lower-fee passively managed products, increased fee pressure, regulatory changes, an increasing and changing role of technology in asset management services, the continuous introduction of new products and services and the consolidation of financial services firms through mergers and acquisitions. Further, the capital and credit markets have and may continue, from time to time, to experience volatility and disruption worldwide. Declines in global financial market conditions have in the past resulted in significant decreases in our AUM, revenues and income, and future declines may further negatively impact our financial results. Such declines have had, and may in the future have, a material adverse impact on our results of operations. We may need to modify our business, strategies or operations and we may be subject to additional constraints or costs in order to compete in a changing global economy and business environment.

The amount and mix of our AUM are subject to significant fluctuations.

Fluctuations in the amount and mix of our AUM may be attributable in part to market conditions outside of our control that have had, and in the future could have, a negative impact on our revenues and income. We derive substantially all of our operating revenues and net income from providing investment management and related services to investors in jurisdictions worldwide through our investment products, which include our sponsored funds, as well as institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts, retail separately managed account programs, sub-advised products, and other investment vehicles. In addition to investment management, our services include fund administration, sales and distribution, and shareholder servicing. We may perform services directly or through third parties. The level of our revenues depends largely on the level and relative mix of AUM. Our investment management fee revenues are based primarily on a percentage of AUM and vary with the nature and strategies of our products. Any decrease in the value or amount of our AUM because of market volatility or other factors, such as asset outflows or a decline in the price of stocks, in particular market segments or in the securities market generally, negatively impacts our revenues and income.

We are subject to significant risk of asset volatility from changes in the global financial, equity, debt and commodity markets.

Individual financial, equity, debt and commodity markets may be adversely affected by financial, economic, political, electoral, diplomatic or other instabilities that are particular to the country or region in which a market is located, including without limitation local acts of terrorism, economic crises, political protests, war, insurrection or other business, social or political crises. Global economic conditions, exacerbated by war, terrorism, social, civil or political unrest, natural disasters, public health crises, such as epidemics or pandemics, or financial crises, changes in the equity, debt or commodity marketplaces, changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates, inflation rates, the yield curve, defaults by trading counterparties, bond defaults, revaluation and bond market liquidity risks, geopolitical risks, the imposition of economic sanctions and other factors that are difficult to predict, affect the mix, market values and levels of our AUM. For example, changes in financial market prices, currency exchange rates and/or interest rates have in the past caused, and could in the future cause, the value of our AUM to decline, which would result in lower investment management fee revenues. Changing market conditions could also cause an impairment to the value of our goodwill and other intangible assets.

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Our funds may be subject to liquidity risks or an unanticipated large number of redemptions and fund closures.

Due to market volatility or other events or conditions described above, our funds may need to sell securities or instruments that they hold, possibly at a loss, or draw on any available lines of credit, to obtain cash to maintain sufficient liquidity or settle these redemptions, or settle in-kind with securities held in the applicable fund. While we have no legal or contractual obligation to do so, we have in the past provided, and may in the future at our discretion provide, financial support to our funds to enable them to maintain sufficient liquidity in any such event. Changes in investor preferences regarding our more popular products have in the past caused, and could in the future cause, sizable redemptions and lower the value of our AUM, which would result in lower revenue and operating results. Increased market volatility and changes in investor preferences also increase the risk of fund closures. Any decrease in the level of our AUM resulting from market declines, credit or interest rate volatility or uncertainty, increased redemptions or other factors could negatively impact our revenues and income.

A shift in our asset mix toward lower fee products may negatively impact our revenues.

Changing market conditions and investor preferences may cause a shift in our asset mix toward certain lower fee products, such as fixed income products, and away from equity and multi-asset products. This may cause a related decline in our revenues and income, as we generally derive higher fee revenues and income from our equity and certain multi-asset products than from our fixed income products. Increases in interest rates, particularly if rapid, as well as uncertainty in the future direction of interest rates, may have a negative impact on our fixed income products. Although the shorter duration of the bond investments in many of these products may help mitigate interest rate risk, rising interest rates or interest rate uncertainty typically decrease the total return on many bond investments due to lower market valuations of existing bonds. Further, changing market conditions and investor preferences also may cause a shift in our asset mix toward lower fee ETFs. Moreover, we generally derive higher investment management and distribution fees from our international products than from our U.S. products, and higher sales fees from our U.S. products than from our international products. Changing market conditions may cause a shift in our asset mix between international and U.S. products, potentially resulting in a decline in our revenues and income depending upon the nature of our AUM and the level of fees we earn on that AUM.

We may not effectively manage risks associated with the replacement of benchmark indices.

The withdrawal and replacement of widely used benchmark indices such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) with alternative benchmark rates may introduce a number of risks for our business, our clients and the financial services industry more widely. These include financial risks arising from potential changes in the valuation of financial instruments linked to benchmark indices, pricing and operational risks, and legal implementation and revised documentation risks. The FCA in the U.K., which regulates LIBOR, has announced that it will no longer compel panel banks to submit rates for LIBOR after 2021. The publication of LIBOR is therefore not guaranteed beyond 2021, and it appears highly likely that LIBOR will be discontinued or modified by the end of 2021. At this time, no consensus exists as to which reference rate or rates or benchmarks may become acceptable alternatives to LIBOR, although the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of market participants convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as the recommend alternative to LIBOR. The selection of SOFR as the alternative reference rate, however, currently presents certain market concerns because a term structure for SOFR has not yet developed, and there is not yet a generally accepted methodology for adjusting SOFR. Accordingly, the withdrawal and replacement of LIBOR may pose financial risks and uncertainties to our business. We also may face operational challenges adopting successor benchmarks.

INVESTMENT AND PERFORMANCE RISKS

Poor investment performance of our products could reduce the level of our AUM or affect our sales, and negatively impact our revenues and income.

Our investment performance, along with achieving and maintaining superior distribution and client service, is critical to the success of our business. Strong investment performance often stimulates sales of our products. Poor investment performance as compared to third-party benchmarks or competitive products has led, and could in the future lead, to a decrease in sales of our products and stimulate redemptions from existing products, generally lowering the overall level of AUM and reducing the management fees we earn. We can provide no assurance that past or present investment performance in our products will be indicative of future performance. If we fail, or appear to fail, to address successfully and promptly the underlying causes of poor investment performance, we may be unsuccessful in repairing any existing or continuing harm to our performance and our future business prospects would likely be negatively affected.

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Harm to our reputation may negatively impact our revenues and income.

Our reputation is critical to the success of our business. We believe that our brand names have been, and continue to be, well received both in our industry and with our clients, reflecting the fact that our brands, like our business, are based in part on trust and confidence. If our brands or reputation are harmed, existing clients may reduce amounts held in, or withdraw entirely from, our products, or our clients and products may terminate their management agreements with us, which could reduce the amount of our AUM and cause us to suffer a corresponding loss in our revenues and income. In addition, reputational harm may prevent us from attracting new clients or developing new business.

GLOBAL OPERATIONAL RISKS

Our completed acquisition of Legg Mason, Inc. remains subject to integration risks.

On July 31, 2020, we completed our acquisition of Legg Mason, Inc. pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, and Legg Mason became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin. Important ongoing integration-related risks related to our completed acquisition of Legg Mason include the risks that the anticipated benefits of the transaction, including the realization of revenue, tax benefits, financial benefits or returns and expense and other synergies, may not be fully realized, or may take longer to realize than expected, and that the integration may cost more than expected. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic-related risks may result in unanticipated regulatory, planning and/or operational delays that may adversely impact the anticipated timeline and achievement of our ongoing integration goals. The ongoing integration of Legg Mason is a time-consuming and expensive process that, without adequate planning and effective and timely implementation, could significantly disrupt our business. Our failure to meet the challenges involved in successfully integrating the operations of Legg Mason or to otherwise realize any of the anticipated benefits of the acquisition could adversely impair our business and operations as noted above.

Our business operations are complex and a failure to perform operational tasks properly or comply with applicable regulatory requirements could have an adverse effect on our revenues and income.

Through our subsidiaries, we provide investment management and related services to investors globally. In order to be competitive and comply with our agreements, we must properly perform our fund and portfolio administration and related responsibilities, including portfolio recordkeeping and accounting, security pricing, corporate actions, investment restrictions compliance, daily net asset value computations, account reconciliations, and required distributions to fund shareholders. Many of our operations are complex and dependent on our ability to process and monitor a large number of transactions effectively, which may occur across numerous markets and currencies at high volumes and frequencies. Although we expend considerable resources on internal controls, supervision, technology and training in an effort to ensure that such transactions do not violate applicable guidelines, rules and regulations or adversely affect our clients, counterparties or us, our operations are ultimately dependent on our personnel, as well as others involved in our business, such as third-party vendors, providers and other intermediaries, and subject to potential human errors. Our personnel and others involved in our business may, from time to time, make mistakes that are not always immediately detected, which may disrupt our operations, cause losses, lead to regulatory fines or sanctions, litigation, or otherwise damage our reputation. In addition, any misrepresentation of our services and products in advertising materials, public relations information, social media or other external communications could also adversely affect our reputation and business prospects. Our investment management fees, which represent the majority of our revenues, are dependent on fees earned under investment management agreements that we have with our products and clients. Our revenues could be adversely affected if such agreements representing a significant portion of our AUM are terminated. Further, certain of our subsidiaries may act as general partner for various investment partnerships, which may subject them to liability for the partnerships’ liabilities. If we fail to perform and monitor our operations properly, our business could suffer and our revenues and income could be adversely affected.

Failure to establish adequate controls and risk management policies, or the circumvention of controls and policies, could have an adverse effect on our global operations, reputation and financial position.

Although we have adopted risk management, operational and financial controls and compliance policies, procedures and programs that are subject to regular review and update, we cannot ensure that these measures will enable us effectively to identify and manage internal and external risks including those related to fraudulent activity and dishonesty. We are subject to the risk that our personnel, contractors, vendors and other third parties may deliberately or recklessly circumvent or violate our controls to commit fraud against our business, products and/or client accounts, pay or solicit bribes, or otherwise act in ways inconsistent with our controls, policies, workplace culture and business principles. Continued attempts to circumvent our policies and controls or repeated incidents involving violation of controls and policies, fraud or conflicts of interests could

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negatively impact our business and reputation and result in adverse publicity, regulatory investigations and actions, legal proceedings and losses and adversely affect our operations, reputation, AUM and financial results.

We face risks, and corresponding potential costs and expenses, associated with conducting operations and growing our business in numerous countries.

We sell our products, such as our funds and strategies, and offer our investment management and related services, in many different regulatory jurisdictions around the world, and intend to continue to expand our operations internationally. As we do so, we will continue to face challenges to the adequacy of our resources, procedures and controls to operate our business consistently and effectively. In order to remain competitive, we must be proactive and prepared to implement necessary resources when growth opportunities present themselves, whether as a result of a business acquisition or rapidly increasing business activities in particular markets or regions. Local regulatory environments may vary widely in terms of scope, adequacy and sophistication. Similarly, local distributors, and their policies and practices as well as financial viability, may vary widely and they may be inconsistent or less developed or mature than other more internationally focused distributors. Growth of our international operations has involved and may continue to involve near-term increases in expenses, as well as additional capital costs, such as information systems and technology costs, and costs related to compliance with particular regulatory or other local requirements or needs. Local requirements or needs also may place additional demands on sales and compliance personnel and resources, such as meeting local language requirements, while also integrating personnel into an organization with a single operating language. Finding, hiring and retaining additional, well-qualified personnel and crafting and adopting policies, procedures and controls to address local or regional requirements remain challenges as we expand our operations internationally.

Moreover, regulators in non-U.S. jurisdictions could also change their policies or laws in a manner that might restrict or otherwise impede our ability to distribute or authorize products or maintain their authorizations in their respective markets. Any of these local requirements, activities or needs could increase the costs and expenses we incur in a specific jurisdiction without any corresponding increase in revenues and income from operating in the jurisdiction. Certain laws and regulations both inside and outside the U.S. have extraterritorial application. This may lead to duplicative or conflicting legal or regulatory burdens and additional costs and risks. For example, with respect to Brexit, although the U.K. has now formally left the EU as of January 31, 2020, it is still unclear what final terms may be agreed to among the parties through the December 31, 2020 implementation period, and the ultimate impact on us.

In addition, from time to time, we enter into joint ventures or take minority stakes in companies in which we typically do not have control. These investments may involve risks, including the risk that the controlling stakeholder or joint venture partner may have business interests, strategies or goals that are inconsistent with ours. The business decisions or other actions or omissions of the controlling stakeholder, joint venture partner or the entity itself may result in liability to us or harm to our reputation, or adversely affect the value of our investment in the entity.

Our focus on international markets as a source of investments and sales of our products subjects us to increased exchange rate and market-specific political, economic or other risks that may adversely impact our revenues and income generated overseas.

While we maintain a significant portion of our operations in the U.S., we also provide services and earn revenues in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Canada. As a result, we are subject to foreign currency exchange risk through our non-U.S. operations. Fluctuations in the exchange rates to the U.S. dollar have affected, and may in the future affect, our financial results from one period to the next. While we have taken steps to reduce our exposure to foreign exchange risk, for example, by denominating a significant amount of our transactions in U.S. dollars, our situation may change in the future. Appreciation of the U.S. dollar could in the future moderate revenues from managing our products internationally, or could affect relative investment performance of certain of our products invested in non-U.S. securities. In addition, we have risk associated with the foreign exchange revaluation of U.S. dollar balances held by certain non-U.S. subsidiaries for which the local currency is the functional currency. Separately, management fees that we earn tend to be higher in connection with non-U.S. AUM than with U.S. AUM. Consequently, downturns in international markets have in the past had, and could in the future have, a significant effect on our revenues and income. Moreover, our emerging market portfolios and revenues derived from managing these portfolios are subject to significant risks of loss from financial, economic, political and diplomatic developments, currency fluctuations, social instability, changes in governmental policies, expropriation, nationalization, asset confiscation and changes in legislation related to non-U.S. ownership. International trading markets, particularly in some emerging market countries, are often smaller, less liquid, less regulated and significantly more volatile than those in the U.S. Any ongoing and future business, economic, political or social unrest affecting these markets, in addition to any direct consequences such unrest may have on our personnel and facilities located in the affected area, also may have

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a lasting impact on the long-term investment climate in these and other areas and, as a result, our AUM and the corresponding revenues and income that we generate from them may be negatively affected.

COMPETITION AND DISTRIBUTION RISKS

We may review and pursue strategic transactions that could pose risks to our business.

As part of our business strategy, we regularly consider, and have discussions with respect to, potential strategic transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, consolidations, joint ventures or similar transactions, some of which may be deemed material. There can be no assurance that we will find suitable candidates for strategic transactions at acceptable prices, have sufficient capital resources to accomplish our strategy, or be successful in entering into agreements for desired transactions. In addition, such transactions typically involve a number of risks and present financial, managerial and operational challenges. Acquisitions, including our recent acquisition of Legg Mason, and related transactions pose the risk that any business we acquire may lose customers or personnel or could underperform relative to expectations. We also may not realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition, including with respect to revenue, tax benefits, financial benefits or returns, and expense and other synergies. We could also experience financial or other setbacks if transactions encounter unanticipated problems, including problems related to execution or integration. Entries into material transactions typically are announced publicly even though they may remain subject to numerous closing conditions, contingencies and approvals, and there is no assurance that any announced transaction will actually be consummated. Future transactions also may further increase our leverage or, if we issue equity securities to pay for acquisitions, dilute the holdings of our existing stockholders.

Failure to properly address the increased transformative pressures affecting the asset management industry could negatively impact our business.

The asset management industry is facing transformative pressures and trends from a variety of different sources including increased fee pressure; a continued shift away from actively managed core equities and fixed income strategies towards alternative, passive and smart beta strategies; increased demands from clients and distributors for client engagement and services; a trend towards institutions developing fewer relationships and partners and reducing the number of investment managers they work with; increased regulatory activity and scrutiny of many aspects of the asset management industry, including transparency/unbundling of fees, inducements, conflicts of interest, capital, liquidity, solvency, leverage, operational risk management, controls and compensation; addressing the key emerging markets in the world, such as China and India, which often have populations with different needs, preferences and horizons than the more developed U.S. and European markets; and advances in technology and increasing client interest in interacting digitally with their investment portfolios. As a result of the trends and pressures discussed above, the asset management industry is facing an increased level of disruption. If we are unable to adapt our strategy and business to address adequately these trends and pressures, we may be unable to meet client needs satisfactorily, our competitive position may weaken, and our business results and operations may be adversely affected.

Strong competition from numerous and sometimes larger companies with competing offerings and products could limit or reduce sales of our products, potentially resulting in a decline in our market share, revenues and income.

We compete with numerous investment management companies, securities brokerage and investment banking firms, insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions. Our products also compete with products offered by these competitors, as well as with real estate investment trusts, hedge funds and other products. The periodic establishment of new investment management companies and other competitors increases the competition that we face. At the same time, consolidation in the financial services industry has created stronger competitors with greater financial resources and broader distribution channels than our own. Competition is based on various factors, including, among others, business reputation, investment performance, product mix and offerings, service quality and innovation, distribution relationships, and fees charged. Further, although we may offer certain types of ETFs, to the extent that there is a trend among existing or potential clients in favor of lower fee index and other ETFs, it may favor our competitors who may offer such products that are more established or on a larger scale than we do. Additionally, competing securities broker-dealers and banks, upon which we rely to distribute and sell certain of our funds and other products, also may sell their own proprietary funds and products, which could limit the distribution of our products. To the extent that existing or potential clients, including securities broker-dealers, decide to invest in or distribute the products of our competitors, the sales of our products as well as our market share, revenues and income could decline. Our ability to attract and retain AUM is also dependent on the relative investment performance of our products, offering a mix of products and strategies that meets investor demands, and our ability to maintain our investment management fees and pricing structure at competitive levels.

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Increasing competition and other changes in the third-party distribution and sales channels on which we depend could reduce our income and hinder our growth.

We derive nearly all of our fund sales through third-party broker-dealers, banks, investment advisers and other financial intermediaries. Because we rely on third-party distribution and sales channels to sell our products, we do not control the ultimate investment recommendations given by them to clients. Increasing competition for these distribution and sales channels, and regulatory changes and initiatives, have caused our distribution costs to rise and could cause further cost increases in the future, or could otherwise negatively impact the distribution of our products. Higher distribution costs lower our income, and consolidations in the broker-dealer or banking industries could also adversely impact our income. A failure to maintain our third-party distribution and sales channels, or a failure to maintain strong business relationships with our distributors and other intermediaries, may impair our distribution and sales operations. Any inability to access and successfully sell our products to clients through such third-party channels could have a negative effect on our level of AUM and adversely impact our business.

Moreover, we can provide no assurance that we will continue to have access to the third-party financial intermediaries that currently distribute our products, or that we will continue to have the opportunity to offer all or some of our existing products through them. If several of the major financial advisers that distribute our products were to cease operations or limit or otherwise end the distribution of our products, it could have a significant adverse impact on our income.

Further, the standards of conduct and disclosure and reporting requirements, with respect to fees, products, services and possible conflicts of interest, applicable to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries in the U.S., remain subject to change and enhancement pursuant to business and regulatory developments and requirements, including with respect to investor suitability obligations, enhanced investor protections for retail customers, and increased compliance requirements.

In addition, the U.K., the Netherlands and the EU, through MiFID II, have adopted regimes that ban, or may limit, the payment of commissions and other inducements to intermediaries in relation to certain sales to retail customers in those jurisdictions, and similar regimes are under consideration in several other jurisdictions. Depending on their exact terms, such regimes may result in existing flows of business moving to less profitable channels or even to competitors providing substitutable products outside the regime. Arrangements with non-independent advisers will also be affected as narrower rules related to the requirement that commissions reflect an enhancement of the service to customers come into effect, along with a prescriptive list of permissible non-monetary benefits. The interpretation of the inducements rules has also resulted in major changes to how fund managers, including us, finance investment research with many firms, by opting to pay for third-party investment research for client accounts covered by MiFID II.

THIRD-PARTY RISKS

Any failure of our third-party providers to fulfill their obligations, or our failure to maintain good relationships with our providers, could adversely impact our business.

We currently, and may in the future, depend on a number of third-party providers to support various operational, administrative, market data, distribution, and other business needs of our company. In addition, we may, from time to time, transfer vendor contracts and services from one provider to another. If our third-party providers fail to deliver required services on a timely basis, or if we experience other negative service quality or relationship issues with our providers, we may be exposed to significant costs and/or operational difficulties, and our ability to conduct and grow our business may be impaired. In addition, we have outsourced certain administration services for our funds to third-party providers. Such administrative and functional changes are costly and complex, and may expose us to heightened operational risks. Any failure to mitigate such risks could result in reputational harm to us, as well as financial losses to us and our clients. The failure of any key provider or vendor to fulfill its obligations to us could result in outcomes inconsistent with our or our clients’ objectives and requirements, result in legal liability and regulatory issues for us, and otherwise adversely impact us.

We may be adversely affected if any of our third-party providers is subject to a successful cyber or security attack.

Due to our interconnectivity with third-party vendors, advisors, central agents, exchanges, clearing organizations and other financial institutions, we may be adversely affected if any of them is subject to a successful cyber attack or other privacy or information security event, including those arising due to the use of mobile technology or a third-party cloud environment. Most of the software applications that we use in our business are licensed from, and supported, upgraded and maintained by, third-party vendors. Our third-party applications include enterprise cloud storage and cloud computing application services provided and maintained by third-party vendors. Any breach, suspension or termination of certain of these licenses or the related support, upgrades and maintenance could cause temporary system delays or interruption that could adversely impact

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our business. Our third-party applications may include confidential and proprietary data provided by vendors and by us, including personal employee and/or client data.

TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY RISKS

Our ability to manage and grow our business successfully can be impeded by systems and other technological limitations.

Our continued success in effectively managing and growing our business depends on our ability to integrate our varied accounting, financial, information, and operational systems on a global basis, including in connection with our recent Legg Mason acquisition. Moreover, adapting or developing the existing technology systems we use to meet our internal needs, as well as client needs, industry demands and new regulatory requirements, is also critical for our business. The introduction of new technologies presents new challenges to us. We have an ongoing need to upgrade and improve our technology continually, including our data processing, financial, accounting, shareholder servicing and trading systems. Further, we also must be proactive and prepared to implement new technology when growth opportunities present themselves, whether as a result of a business acquisition or rapidly increasing business activities in particular markets or regions. These needs could present operational issues or require significant capital spending, and may require us to reevaluate the current value and/or expected useful lives of the technology we use, which could negatively impact our results of operations. In addition, technology is subject to rapid advancements and changes and our competitors may, from time to time, implement newer technologies or more advanced platforms for their services and products, including digital advisers and other advanced electronic systems, which could adversely affect our business if we are unable to remain competitive.

Any significant limitation, failure or security breach of our information and cyber security infrastructure, software applications, technology or other systems that are critical to our operations could disrupt our business and harm our operations and reputation.

We are highly dependent upon the use of various proprietary and third-party information and security technology, software applications and other technology systems to operate our business. We are also dependent on the continuity and effectiveness of our information and cyber security infrastructure, management oversight and reporting framework, policies, procedures and capabilities to protect our computer and telecommunications systems and the data that reside on or are transmitted through them and contracted third-party systems. We use technology on a daily basis in our business to, among other things, support our business continuity and operations, process and transmit confidential communications, store and maintain data, obtain securities pricing information, process client transactions, and provide reports and other customer services to our clients. Any disruptions, inaccuracies, delays, theft, systems failures, data security or privacy breaches, or cyber or other security breaches in these and other processes could subject us to significant client dissatisfaction and losses and damage our reputation. We have been, and expect to continue to be, the subject of these types of risks, breaches and/or attacks, as well as attempts to co-opt our brand. Although we take protective measures, including measures to secure and protect information through system security technology and our internal security procedures, we can provide no assurance that any of these measures will prove effective. The technology systems we use remain vulnerable to denial of service attacks, unauthorized access, computer viruses, potential human errors and other events and circumstances that may have a security impact, such as an external or internal hacker attack by one or more cyber criminals (including through the use of phishing attacks, malware, ransomware and other methods and activities maliciously designed to obtain and exploit confidential information and to cause system and service disruption and other damage) or our personnel or vendors inadvertently or recklessly causing us to release confidential information, which could materially harm our operations and reputation.

Potential system disruptions, failures or breaches of the technology we use or the security infrastructure we rely upon could result in: (i) material financial loss or costs, (ii) delays in clients’ ability to access account information or in our ability to process transactions, (iii) the unauthorized disclosure or modification of sensitive or confidential client and business information, (iv) loss of valuable information, (v) breach of client and vendor contracts, (vi) liability for stolen assets, information or identity, (vii) remediation costs to repair damage caused by the failure or breach, (viii) additional security and organizational costs to mitigate against future incidents, (ix) reputational harm, (x) loss of confidence in our business and products, (xi) liability for failure to review and disclose applicable incidents or provide relevant updated disclosure properly and timely, (xii) regulatory investigations or actions, and/or (xiii) legal claims, litigation, and liability costs, any one or more of which may be material. Moreover, loss or unauthorized disclosure or transfer of confidential and proprietary data or confidential customer identification information could further harm our reputation and subject us to liability under laws that protect confidential data and personal information, resulting in increased costs or a decline in our revenues or common stock price. Further, although we take precautions to password protect and encrypt our laptops and sensitive information on our other mobile electronic devices, if such devices are stolen, misplaced or left unattended, they may become vulnerable to hacking or other unauthorized use, creating a possible security risk, which may require us to incur additional administrative

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costs and/or take remedial actions. In addition, the failure to manage and operate properly the data centers we use could have an adverse impact on our business. Although we have in place certain disaster recovery plans, we may experience system delays and interruptions as a result of natural disasters, power failures, acts of war, and third-party failures.

Our inability to recover successfully, should we experience a disaster or other business continuity problem, could cause material financial loss, regulatory actions, legal liability, and/or reputational harm.

Should we experience a local or regional disaster or other business continuity problem, such as an earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, terrorist attack, public health crisis, pandemic or other natural or man-made disaster, our continued success will depend, in part, on the safety and availability of our personnel, our office facilities and infrastructure, and the proper functioning of our technology, computer, telecommunication and other systems and operations that are critical to our business. See “Pandemic-Related Risks” above for risks relating to COVID-19. While our operational size, the diversity of locations from which we operate, and our various back-up systems provide us with an advantage, should we experience a local or regional disaster or other business continuity event, we could still experience operational challenges, in particular depending upon how such a local or regional event may affect our personnel across our operations or with regard to particular aspects of our operations, such as key executives or personnel in our technology groups. Moreover, as we grow our operations in new geographic regions, the potential for particular types of natural or man-made disasters, political, economic or infrastructure instabilities, information, technology or security limitations or breaches, or other country- or region-specific business continuity risks increases. Past disaster recovery efforts have demonstrated that even seemingly localized events may require broader disaster recovery efforts throughout our operations and, consequently, we regularly assess and take steps to improve upon our existing business continuity plans. However, a disaster on a significant scale or affecting certain of our key operating areas within or across regions, or our inability to recover successfully following a disaster or other business continuity problem, could adversely impact our business and operations.

HUMAN CAPITAL RISKS

We depend on key personnel and our financial performance could be negatively affected by the loss of their services.

The success of our business will continue to depend upon our key personnel, including our portfolio managers, investment analysts, investment advisers, sales and management personnel and other professionals as well as our executive officers and business unit heads. Competition for qualified, motivated, and highly-skilled executives, professionals and other key personnel in the investment management industry remains significant. Our success depends to a substantial degree upon our ability to find, attract, retain and motivate qualified individuals, including through competitive compensation packages, and upon the continued contributions of these people. Global and/or local laws and regulations could impose restrictions on compensation paid by financial institutions, which could restrict our ability to compete effectively for qualified professionals. As our business develops, we may need to increase the number of individuals that we employ. Moreover, in order to retain certain key personnel, we may be required to increase compensation to such individuals and increase our key management succession planning, resulting in additional expense without a corresponding increase in potential revenues. There is no assurance that we will be successful in finding, attracting and retaining qualified individuals, and the departure of key investment personnel, in particular, could cause us to lose clients, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and business prospects. In addition, due to the global nature of our business, our key personnel may, from time to time, have reasons to travel to regions susceptible to higher risk of civil unrest, organized crime or terrorism, and we may be unable to ensure the safety of our personnel traveling to such regions.

CASH MANAGEMENT RISKS

Our ability to meet cash needs depends upon certain factors, including the market value of our assets, our operating cash flows and our perceived creditworthiness.

If we are unable to obtain cash, financing or access to the capital markets in a timely manner, we may be forced to incur unanticipated costs or revise our business plans, and our business could be adversely impacted. Further, our access to the capital markets depends significantly on our credit ratings. A reduction in our long- or short-term credit ratings could increase our borrowing costs and limit our access to the capital markets. Volatility in the global financing markets also may impact our ability to access the capital markets should we seek to do so, and may have an adverse effect on investors’ willingness to purchase our securities, interest rates, credit spreads and/or the valuation levels of equity markets.

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We are dependent on the earnings of our subsidiaries.

Substantially all of our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries. As a result, our cash flow and our ability to fund operations are dependent upon the earnings of our subsidiaries and the distribution of earnings, loans or other payments by our subsidiaries. Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and have no obligation to fund our payment obligations, whether by dividends, distributions, loans or other payments. Any payments to us by our subsidiaries could be subject to statutory or contractual restrictions and are contingent upon our subsidiaries’ earnings and business considerations. Certain of our subsidiaries are subject to regulatory restrictions that may limit their ability to transfer assets to their parent companies. Our financial condition could be adversely affected if certain of our subsidiaries are unable to distribute assets to us.

LEGAL AND REGULATORY RISKS

We are subject to extensive, complex, overlapping and frequently changing rules, regulations, policies, and legal interpretations.

There is uncertainty associated with the regulatory and compliance environments in which we operate. Our business is subject to extensive and complex, overlapping and/or conflicting, and frequently changing and increasing rules, regulations, policies and legal interpretations, around the world. Political and electoral changes, developments and conflicts have in the past introduced, and may in the future introduce, additional uncertainty. Our regulatory and compliance obligations impose significant operational and cost burdens on us and cover a broad range of requirements related to financial reporting and other disclosure matters, securities and other financial instruments, investment and advisory matters, accounting, tax, compensation, ethics, intellectual property, data protection, privacy, sanctions programs, and escheatment requirements. We may be adversely affected by a failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and changes in the countries in which we operate. For a more extensive discussion of certain laws, regulations (including certain pending regulatory reforms) and regulators to which we are subject, see “Item 1 – Business – Regulation” in Part I of this Annual Report.

We may be adversely affected as a result of new or revised legislation or regulations or by changes in the interpretation of existing laws and regulations, in the U.S. and other jurisdictions.

The laws and regulations applicable to our business generally involve restrictions and requirements in connection with a variety of technical, specialized, and expanding matters and concerns. Over the years, the U.S. federal corporate governance and securities laws, and laws in other jurisdictions, have been augmented substantially and made significantly more complex by various legislation. As we continue to address our legal and regulatory requirements or focus on meeting new or expanded requirements, we may need to expend a substantial amount of additional time, costs and resources. Regulatory reforms may add further complexity to our business and operations and could require us to alter our investment management services and related activities, which could be costly, impede our growth and adversely impact our AUM, revenues and income. Regulatory reforms also may impact our clients, which could cause them to change their investment strategies or allocations in a manner adverse to our business. Certain key regulatory reforms in the U.S. and other jurisdictions that may impact or relate to our business, and may cause us to incur additional obligations, include regulatory matters related to systemically important financial institutions, derivatives and other financial products, privacy and data protection, retail and other investor protections, and other asset management disclosure and compliance requirements. The impacts of these and other regulatory reforms on us, now and in the future, could be significant. We expect that the regulatory requirements and developments applicable to us will cause us to continue to incur additional compliance and administrative burdens and costs. Any inability to meet applicable requirements within the required timeframes may subject us to sanctions or other restrictions by governments and/or regulators that could adversely impact our broader business objectives.

Global regulatory and legislative actions and reforms have made compliance in the regulatory environment in which we operate more costly and future actions and reforms could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

As in the U.S., regulatory and legislative actions outside the U.S. have been augmented substantially and made more complex by measures such as the EU’s Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive and MiFID II. Further, ongoing changes in the EU’s regulatory framework applicable to our business, including changes related to Brexit and any other changes in the composition of the EU’s member states, may add further complexity to our global risks and operations. Moreover, the adoption of new laws, regulations or standards and changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws, regulations or standards have directly affected, and will continue to affect, our business. With new laws and changes in interpretation of existing requirements, the associated time we must dedicate to and related costs we must incur in meeting the regulatory complexities of our business have increased. We may be required to continue to invest significant additional management

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time and resources to address new regulations being adopted pursuant to MiFID II and other laws. For example, MiFID II requires the unbundling of research and execution charges for trading. The industry’s response to the unbundling rules is still evolving and could lead to increased research costs. Outlays associated with meeting regulatory complexities have also increased as we expand our business into new jurisdictions.

The EU’s GDPR strengthened and unified data protection rules for individuals within the EU. GDPR also addresses export of personal data outside the EU. The primary objectives of GDPR are to give citizens control of their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying data protection regulation within the EU. Compliance with the stringent data protection rules under GDPR requires an extensive review of all of our global data processing systems. The failure to comply properly with GDPR rules on a timely basis and to maintain ongoing compliance with such rules may subject us to enforcement proceedings and significant fines and costs. For example, a failure to comply with GDPR could result in fines up to 20 million Euros or 4% of our annual global revenues, whichever is higher.

Compliance activities to address these and other new legal requirements have required, and will continue to require, us to expend additional time and resources, and, consequently, we are incurring increased costs of doing business, which potentially negatively impacts our profitability and future financial results. Finally, any further regulatory and legislative actions and reforms affecting the investment management industry, including compliance initiatives, may negatively impact revenues by increasing our costs of accessing or operating in financial markets or by making certain investment offerings less favorable to our clients.

Failure to comply with the laws, rules or regulations in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate could result in substantial harm to our reputation and results of operations.

As with all investment management companies, our activities are highly regulated in almost all countries in which we conduct business. Failure to comply with the applicable laws, rules, regulations, codes, directives, notices or guidelines in any of our jurisdictions could result in civil liability, criminal liability and/or sanctions against us, including fines, censures, injunctive relief, the suspension or expulsion from a particular jurisdiction or market, or the revocation of licenses or charters, any of which could adversely affect our reputation and operations. Moreover, any potential accounting or reporting error, whether financial or otherwise, if material, could damage our reputation and adversely affect our business. While management has focused attention and resources on our compliance policies, procedures and practices, the regulatory environments of the jurisdictions where we conduct our business, or where our products are organized or sold, are complex, uncertain and subject to change. Local regulatory environments may vary widely and place additional demands on our sales, investment, legal and compliance personnel. In recent years, the regulatory environments in which we operate have seen significant increased and evolving regulations, which have imposed and may continue to impose additional compliance and operational requirements and costs on us in the applicable jurisdictions. Regulators could also change their policies or laws in a manner that might restrict or otherwise impede our ability to offer our services and products in their respective markets, or we may be unable to keep up with, or adapt to, the ever changing, complex regulatory requirements in such jurisdictions or markets, which could further negatively impact our business.

Changes in tax laws or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

We are subject to income taxes as well as non-income-based taxes, and are subject to ongoing tax audits, in various jurisdictions in which we operate. Tax authorities may disagree with certain positions we have taken and assess additional taxes. We regularly assess the likely outcomes of these audits in order to determine the appropriateness of our tax provision. However, there can be no assurance that we will accurately predict the outcomes of these audits and the actual outcomes could have a material impact on our net income or financial condition. Changes in tax laws or tax rulings may at times materially impact our effective tax rate.

Further, pursuant to ongoing efforts to encourage global tax compliance, the OECD has adopted certain common reporting standards aimed at ensuring that persons with financial assets located outside of their tax residence country pay required taxes. Such standards may subject us to additional reporting, compliance and administrative costs, and burdens in jurisdictions where we operate as a qualifying financial institution.

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Regulatory and governmental examinations and/or investigations, litigation and the legal risks associated with our business, could adversely impact our AUM, increase costs and negatively impact our profitability and/or our future financial results.

We operate in a highly regulated industry and routinely receive and respond to regulatory and governmental requests for documents or other information, subpoenas, examinations and investigations in connection with our business activities. Further, regulatory or governmental examinations or investigations that have been inactive could become active. In addition, from time to time, we are named as a party in litigation. We may be obligated, and under our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and standard form of director indemnification agreement are obligated under certain conditions, or may choose, to indemnify directors, officers or personnel against liabilities and expenses they may incur in connection with such matters to the extent permitted under applicable law. Even if claims made against us are without merit, litigation typically is an expensive process. Risks associated with legal liability often are difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude can remain unknown for significant periods of time. Eventual financial exposures from and expenses incurred relating to any examinations, investigations, litigation, and/or settlements could adversely impact our AUM, increase costs and/or negatively impact our profitability and financial results. Examinations, investigations, allegations, findings or judgments of wrongdoing by regulatory or governmental authorities or in litigation against us, or settlements with respect thereto, could affect our regulatory licenses, reputation, increase our costs of doing business and/or negatively impact our revenues, any of which could have a material negative impact on our financial results. For a discussion of certain legal proceedings and regulatory matters in which we are involved, see the “Legal Proceedings” section in Note 16 – Commitments and Contingencies in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report.

Our contractual obligations may subject us to indemnification costs and liability to third parties.

In the ordinary course of business, we enter into contracts with third parties, including, without limitation, clients, vendors, and other service providers, that contain a variety of representations and warranties and that provide for indemnifications by us in certain circumstances. Pursuant to such contractual arrangements, we may be subject to indemnification costs and liability to third parties if, for example, we breach any material obligations under the agreements or agreed standards of care, or in the event such third parties have certain legal claims asserted against them. The terms of these indemnities vary from contract to contract, and future indemnification claims against us could negatively impact our financial condition.

Failure to protect our intellectual property may negatively impact our business.

Although we take steps to safeguard and protect our intellectual property, including but not limited to our trademarks, patents, copyrights and trade secrets, there can be no assurance that we will be able effectively to protect our rights. If our intellectual property rights were violated, we could be subject to economic and reputational harm that could negatively impact our business and competitiveness in the marketplace. Conversely, while we take efforts to avoid infringement of the intellectual property of third parties, if we are deemed to infringe on a third party’s intellectual property rights it could expose us to litigation risks, license fees and reputational harm.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

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Item 2. Properties.

We conduct our worldwide operations using a combination of owned and leased facilities. While we believe our facilities are suitable and adequate to conduct our business at present, we will continue to acquire, lease and dispose of facilities throughout the world as necessary.

We own our San Mateo, California corporate headquarters and various other office buildings in the U.S. and internationally. We lease excess owned space to third parties under leases with terms through 2030. Our owned properties consist of the following:

Location	Owned Square Footage	Owned Square Footage Leased to Third Parties
San Mateo, California	743,793	357,383
St. Petersburg, Florida	560,948	314,685
Rancho Cordova, California	445,023	62,660
Hyderabad, India	379,052	—
Poznan, Poland	284,436	—
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida	102,246	20,264
Edinburgh, Scotland	87,016	26,210
Other	90,891	12,091
Total	2,693,405	793,293

We lease office space in 16 states in the U.S. and Washington, D.C., and internationally, including, for example, in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong), Germany, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and the U.K. As of September 30, 2020, we leased and occupied approximately 2,175,000 square feet of office space worldwide, and subleased to third parties approximately 417,000 square feet of excess leased space.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

Incorporated herein by reference is information regarding certain legal proceedings and regulatory matters in which we are involved as set forth under “Legal Proceedings” contained in Note 16 – Commitments and Contingencies in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

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INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following description of our executive officers is included as an unnumbered item in this Part I of this Annual Report in lieu of being included in our definitive proxy statement for our annual meeting of stockholders. Set forth below are the name, age, present title, and certain other information for each of our executive officers as of the filing date of this Annual Report. Each executive officer is appointed by our board of directors and holds his or her office until the earlier of his or her death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal.

Jennifer M. Johnson

Age 56

President of Franklin since December 2016, and Chief Executive Officer and director of Franklin since February 2020; formerly, Chief Operating Officer of Franklin from February 2017 to February 2020, Co-President of Franklin from October 2015 to December 2016, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Franklin from March 2010 to September 2015, Executive Vice President–Operations and Technology of Franklin from December 2005 to March 2010, and Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Franklin from May 2003 to December 2005; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin, including certain of the specialist investment managers acquired through the Legg Mason transaction; director or trustee of certain funds registered as investment companies managed or advised by subsidiaries of Franklin.

Gregory E. Johnson

Age 59

Executive Chairman of Franklin since February 2020, Chairman of the Board of Franklin since June 2013 and director of Franklin since January 2007; Chairman of the San Francisco Giants, a professional baseball organization, since November 2019; formerly, Chief Executive Officer of Franklin from July 2005 to February 2020, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Franklin from January 2004 to July 2005, and President of Franklin from December 1999 to September 2015; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin; director or trustee of certain funds registered as investment companies managed or advised by subsidiaries of Franklin.

Rupert H. Johnson, Jr.

Age 80

Vice Chairman of Franklin since December 1999 and director of Franklin since 1971; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin; director or trustee of certain funds registered as investment companies managed or advised by subsidiaries of Franklin.

Matthew Nicholls

Age 48

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Franklin since May 2019; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin, including certain of the specialist investment managers acquired through the Legg Mason transaction since August 2020. Formerly, with Citigroup, Inc. (a financial services firm) from 1995 to May 2019, as Managing Director, Global Head of Financial Institutions, Corporate Banking, and Global Head of Asset Management, Corporate and Investment Banking, from 2017 to May 2019, as Managing Director, Co-Head, Financial Institutions Corporate and Investment Banking, North America, and Global Head of Asset Management, Corporate and Investment Banking, from 2014 to 2017, as Managing Director, Co-Head, North America, Financial Institutions Corporate and Investment Banking from 2011 to 2014, as Managing Director and Co-Head, North America, Financial Institutions Corporate Banking from 2007 to 2011, and as Managing Director and Co-Head of Asset Management Banking from 2006 to 2007.

Jed A. Plafker

Age 49

Executive Vice President of Franklin since April 2019, formerly, Senior Vice President from June 2018 to April 2019; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin, including certain of the specialist investment managers acquired through the Legg Mason transaction, for example, as Manager of Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC and Clarion Partners Holdings LLC since August 2020, and Director of ClearBridge Investments, LLC and Western Asset Management Company, LLC since August 2020; as well as Executive Vice President of Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC since April 2009, President and director of Templeton Institutional, Inc. since September 2009, and President since February 2017 and director since December 2016 of Templeton Worldwide, Inc.

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Alok Sethi

Age 59

Officer and/or director of various investment adviser, operations, and technology related subsidiaries of Franklin for more than the past five years, including, for example, as Senior Vice President of Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC and Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC since July 2014, Vice President of FASA, LLC since June 2014, and Vice President of Franklin Templeton Companies, LLC since June 2010.

Gwen L. Shaneyfelt

Age 58

Chief Accounting Officer of Franklin since April 2019; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin, including certain of the specialist investment managers acquired through the Legg Mason transaction, including, for example, as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Legg Mason, Inc., Director of ClearBridge Investments, LLC and Manager of Royce & Associates GP, LLC since August 2020; as well as Director of Franklin Templeton Fund Management Limited since May 2019, Manager of Franklin Templeton International Services S.à r.l. since November 2013, and Senior Vice President of Franklin Templeton Companies, LLC since March 2011.

Adam B. Spector

Age 52

Executive Vice President, Global Advisory Services, of Franklin since October 1, 2020, responsible for global retail and institutional distribution, including marketing and product strategy, and Managing Partner of Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC, a specialist investment manager acquired through the Legg Mason transaction, since November 2014, responsible for the overall management of Brandywine including infrastructure, legal and compliance, business strategy, and sales and client service; formerly, Managing Director of Brandywine from 2012 to 2014, Head of Marketing, Sales and Client Service of Brandywine from 2003 to 2014, and Senior Vice President of Client Service of Brandywine from 1997 to 2003; officer and/or director of certain other subsidiaries of Franklin.

Craig S. Tyle

Age 60

Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Franklin since August 2005; formerly, a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP (a law firm) from March 2004 to July 2005 and General Counsel for the Investment Company Institute (a trade group for the U.S. fund industry) from September 1997 through March 2004; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin; officer of certain funds registered as investment companies managed or advised by subsidiaries of Franklin.

Family Relationships

Jennifer M. Johnson and Gregory E. Johnson are siblings, and their uncle is Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. Each serves as both a director and an executive officer of Franklin.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Our common stock is traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “BEN.” At October 31, 2020, there were 2,731 stockholders of record of our common stock.

The following table provides information with respect to the shares of our common stock that we repurchased during the three months ended September 30, 2020.

Month	Total Number of Shares Purchased	Average Price Paid per Share		Total Number of Shares Purchased As Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs	Maximum Number of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
July 2020	—	$	—	—	39,722,462
August 2020	669,887	21.06		669,887	39,052,575
September 2020	838,451	20.26		838,451	38,214,124
Total	1,508,338			1,508,338

Under our stock repurchase program, which is not subject to an expiration date, we can repurchase shares of our common stock from time to time in the open market and in private transactions in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, including without limitation applicable federal securities laws. In order to pay taxes due in connection with the vesting of employee and executive officer stock and stock unit awards, we may repurchase shares under our program using a net stock issuance method. In April 2018, we announced that our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 80.0 million additional shares of our common stock under the stock repurchase program.

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30,	20201				2019				2018				2017			2016
Summary of Operations2 (in millions)
Operating revenues	$	5,566.5			$	5,669.4			$	6,204.5			$	6,305.0		$	6,534.6
Operating income	1,048.9				1,466.9				2,028.2				2,199.6			2,295.1
Operating margin	18.8		%		25.9		%		32.7		%		34.9		%	35.1		%
Net income attributable to Franklin Resources, Inc.	798.9			3	1,195.7			4	764.4			5	1,696.7			1,726.7
Financial Data (in millions)
Total assets	$	20,220.9			$	14,532.2			$	14,383.5			$	17,534.0		$	16,098.8
Debt	3,017.1				696.9				695.9				1,044.2			1,401.2
Debt of consolidated investment products	1,333.4				50.8				32.6				53.4			682.2
Franklin Resources, Inc. stockholders’ equity	10,114.5				9,906.5				9,899.2				12,620.0			11,935.8
Operating cash flows	1,021.4				201.6				2,229.7				1,135.4			1,727.7
Investing cash flows	(3,243.1		)		(1,077.1		)		(290.4		)		52.0			192.2
Financing cash flows	194.2				(40.5		)		(3,761.7		)		(956.0		)	(1,800.7		)
Assets Under Management (in billions)
Ending	$	1,418.9			$	692.6			$	717.1			$	753.2		$	733.3
Average6	832.9				697.0				740.5				736.9			749.3
Per Common Share
Earnings
Basic	$	1.59			$	2.35			$	1.39			$	3.01		$	2.94
Diluted	1.59				2.35				1.39				3.01			2.94
Cash dividends declared	1.08				1.04				3.92				0.80			0.72
Book value	20.43				19.84				19.07				22.74			20.93

 ^{__________________} 

¹  Includes the impact of the Company’s acquisition of Legg Mason, Inc. which was effective July 31, 2020. See Note 3 – Acquisitions in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10‑K for more information.

²  In fiscal year 2020, the Company changed the presentation of its consolidated statements of income to include dividend and interest income and other expenses from consolidated investment products in non-operating income. Amounts for the comparative prior fiscal years have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on previously reported net income attributable to Franklin Resources, Inc.

³  Includes an income tax benefit of $27.0 million, net of valuation allowance, from capital losses subsequent to the change in corporate tax structure of a foreign holding company to a U.S. branch.

⁴  Includes an income tax charge of $86.0 million due to a revision to the estimated income tax charge that was recognized in fiscal year 2018 resulting from enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“the Tax Act”).

⁵  Includes an estimated income tax charge of $968.8 million resulting from enactment of the Tax Act.

⁶  Represents simple monthly average AUM.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The following discussion and analysis of the results of operations and financial condition of Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin”) and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) should be read in conjunction with the “Forward-looking Statements” disclosure set forth in Part I and the “Risk Factors” set forth in Item 1A of Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10‑K (this “Annual Report”) and in any more recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), each of which describe our risks, uncertainties and other important factors in more detail.

OVERVIEW

We are a global investment management organization and derive our operating revenues and net income from providing investment management and related services in jurisdictions worldwide for investors in our investment products, which include our sponsored funds, as well as institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts, retail separately managed account programs, sub-advised products, and other investment vehicles. In addition to investment management, our services include fund administration, sales and distribution, and shareholder servicing. We may perform services directly or through third parties. We offer our services and products under our various distinct brand names, including, but not limited to, Franklin^®, Templeton^®, Legg Mason^®, Balanced Equity Management^®, Benefit Street Partners^®, Darby^®, Edinburgh Partners™, Fiduciary Trust™, Franklin Bissett^®, Franklin Mutual Series^®, K2^® and LibertyShares^®. In addition, pursuant to our acquisition of Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”) on July 31, 2020, we acquired certain additional brand names including Brandywine Global Investment Management^®, Clarion Partners^®, ClearBridge Investments^®, Martin Currie^®, QS Investors^®, Royce^® Investment Partners and Western Asset Management Company^®. We offer a broad product mix of fixed income, equity, multi-asset, alternative and cash management asset classes and solutions that meet a wide variety of specific investment goals and needs for individual and institutional investors. We also provide sub-advisory services to certain investment products sponsored by other companies which may be sold to investors under the brand names of those other companies or on a co-branded basis.

The level of our revenues depends largely on the level and relative mix of assets under management (“AUM”). As noted in the “Risk Factors” section set forth above in Item 1A of Part I of this Annual Report, the amount and mix of our AUM are subject to significant fluctuations and can negatively impact our revenues and income. The level of our revenues also depends on mutual fund sales, the number of shareholder transactions and accounts, and the fees charged for our services, which are based on contracts with our funds and our clients. These arrangements could change in the future.

As further noted in the “Risk Factors” section, the outbreak and spread of contagious diseases such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), a highly transmissible and pathogenic disease, has adversely affected, and we expect will continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations. Global health concerns, and uncertainty regarding the impact of COVID-19, could lead to further and/or increased volatility in global capital and credit markets, adversely affect our key executives and other personnel, clients, investors, providers, suppliers, lessees, and other third parties, and negatively impact our AUM, revenues, income, business and operations. As of the time of this filing, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, it is not possible to predict the full extent to which COVID-19 will adversely impact our business, liquidity, capital resources, financial results and operations due to numerous developing factors that are highly uncertain and rapidly changing.

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 (“fiscal year 2020”), the global equity markets experienced volatility reflecting, among other things, ongoing global concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, but provided overall strong positive returns. Despite easing of shutdown measures and some signs of economic recovery following significant accommodative economic efforts by governments and central banks, concerns about the severe economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic persist. The S&P 500 Index and MSCI World Index increased 15.2% and 11.0% for the fiscal year.

Our total AUM was $1,418.9 billion at September 30, 2020, which was 105% higher than at September 30, 2019 reflecting an increase of $806.5 billion from acquisitions, partially offset by $61.6 billion of long-term net outflows, $9.9 billion of cash management net outflows and $8.7 billion from net market change, distributions and other. Simple monthly average AUM (“average AUM”) increased 19% during fiscal year 2020.

The business and regulatory environments in which we operate globally remain complex, uncertain and subject to change. We are subject to various laws, rules and regulations globally that impose restrictions, limitations, registration, reporting and disclosure requirements on our business, and add complexity to our global compliance operations.

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Uncertainties regarding the global economy remain for the foreseeable future. As we continue to confront the challenges of the current economic and regulatory environments, we remain focused on the investment performance of our products and on providing high quality service to our clients. We continuously perform reviews of our business model. While we remain focused on expense management, we will also seek to attract, retain and develop personnel and invest strategically in systems and technology that will provide a secure and stable environment. We will continue to seek to protect and further our brand recognition while developing and maintaining broker-dealer and client relationships. The success of these and other strategies may be influenced by the factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

(in millions, except per share data)										2020 vs. 2019		2019 vs. 2018
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	20201			2019			2018
Operating revenues2	$	5,566.5		$	5,669.4		$	6,204.5		(2	%)	(9	%)
Operating income2	1,048.9			1,466.9			2,028.2			(28	%)	(28	%)
Operating margin3	18.8		%	25.9		%	32.7		%
Net income attributable to Franklin Resources, Inc.	$	798.9		$	1,195.7		$	764.4		(33	%)	56	%
Diluted earnings per share	$	1.59		$	2.35		$	1.39		(32	%)	69	%
As adjusted (non-GAAP):4
Adjusted operating income	$	1,491.1		$	1,654.2		$	2,093.5		(10	%)	(21	%)
Adjusted operating margin	38.5		%	42.6		%	49.8		%
Adjusted net income	$	1,311.0		$	1,331.3		$	798.1		(2	%)	67	%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share	$	2.61		$	2.62		$	1.45		0	%	81	%

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¹  Includes the impact of the Company’s acquisition of Legg Mason, Inc. which was effective July 31, 2020. See Note 3 – Acquisitions in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report for information.

²  In fiscal year 2020, the Company changed the presentation of its consolidated statements of income to include dividend and interest income and other expenses from consolidated investment products in non-operating income (expense). Amounts for the comparative prior fiscal years have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on previously reported net income attributable to Franklin Resources, Inc.

³  Defined as operating income divided by total operating revenues.

⁴  “Adjusted operating income,” “adjusted operating margin,” “adjusted net income” and “adjusted diluted earnings per share” are based on methodologies other than generally accepted accounting principles. See “Supplemental Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for definitions and reconciliations of these measures.

The Company acquired Legg Mason effective July 31, 2020, and the results of operations for fiscal year 2020 include two months of Legg Mason’s results. Operating income decreased