STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
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FRANKLIN TAX-FREE TRUST |
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July 1, 2023 |
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Class | |||||
A |
A1 |
C |
R6 |
Advisor | |
Franklin Federal Intermediate-Term Tax-Free Income Fund |
FKQTX |
FKITX |
FCITX |
FITQX |
FITZX |
Franklin Federal Limited-Term Tax-Free Income Fund |
FFLQX |
FFTFX |
— |
FFTRX |
FTFZX |
Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund |
FHYQX |
FRHIX |
FHYIX |
FHYRX |
FHYVX |
Franklin Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund |
FMAQX |
FMISX |
FMAIX |
FKTMX |
FMAHX |
Franklin New Jersey Tax-Free Income Fund |
FNJQX |
FRNJX |
FNIIX |
FNJRX |
FNJZX |
This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It contains information in addition to the information in the Funds' (hereafter “the Fund”) prospectus. The Fund's prospectus, dated July 1, 2023, which we may amend from time to time, contains the basic information you should know before investing in the Fund. You should read this SAI together with the Fund's prospectus.
The audited financial statements and Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in the Fund's Annual Report to shareholders, for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, are incorporated by reference (are legally a part of this SAI).
For a free copy of the current prospectus or annual report, contact your investment representative or call (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236.
Contents
Mutual funds, annuities, and other investment products: • are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government; • are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank; and • are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of principal. | ||
P.O. Box 997151 Sacramento, CA 95899-7151 (800) DIAL BEN® /342-5236 |
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TF1 SAI 07/23 |
The following information provided with respect to the Fund is in addition to that included in the Fund’s prospectus.
In addition to the main types of investments and strategies undertaken by the Fund as described in the prospectus, the Fund also may invest in other types of instruments and engage in and pursue other investment strategies, which are described in this SAI. Investments and investment strategies with respect to the Fund are discussed in greater detail in the section below entitled "Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks."
Generally, the policies and restrictions discussed in this SAI and in the prospectus apply when the Fund makes an investment. In most cases, the Fund is not required to sell an investment because circumstances change and the investment no longer meets one or more of the Fund's policies or restrictions. If a percentage restriction or limitation is met at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage due to a change in the value of portfolio investments will not be considered a violation of the restriction or limitation, with the exception of the Fund's limitations on borrowing and illiquid securities as described herein or unless otherwise noted herein.
Incidental to the Fund’s other investment activities, including in connection with a bankruptcy, restructuring, workout, or other extraordinary events concerning a particular investment the Fund owns, the Fund may receive securities (including convertible securities, warrants and rights), real estate or other investments that the Fund normally would not, or could not, buy. If this happens, the Fund may, although it is not required to, sell such investments as soon as practicable while seeking to maximize the return to shareholders.
The Fund has adopted certain investment restrictions as fundamental and non-fundamental policies. A fundamental policy may only be changed if the change is approved by (i) more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding shares or (ii) 67% or more of the Fund's shares present at a shareholder meeting if more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy, whichever is less. A non-fundamental policy may be changed without the approval of shareholders.
For more information about the restrictions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act) on the Fund with respect to borrowing and senior securities, see “Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks - Borrowing” below.
Fundamental Investment Policies
Each of the Federal Intermediate-Term Fund's and the Federal Limited-Term Fund's investment goal is to provide investors with as high a level of income exempt from federal income taxes as is consistent with prudent investment management and the preservation of shareholders' capital.
The High Yield Fund's principal investment goal is to provide investors with a high current yield exempt from federal income taxes. Its secondary goal is capital appreciation to the extent possible and consistent with the Fund's principal investment goal.
The Massachusetts Fund's investment goal is to provide investors with as high a level of income exempt from federal income taxes as is consistent with prudent investment management and the preservation of shareholders' capital. The Massachusetts Fund also tries to provide a maximum level of income exempt from personal income taxes, if any, for resident shareholders of Massachusetts.
The New Jersey Fund’s investment goal is to provide investors with as high a level of income exempt from federal income taxes and from personal income taxes, if any, for resident shareholders of New Jersey as is consistent with prudent investment management and the preservation of shareholders’ capital.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in securities whose interest is free from federal income taxes, including the federal alternative minimum tax. The Fund applies this test to its net assets, except for the Federal Intermediate-Term Fund, the Federal Limited-Term Fund and the Massachusetts Fund, each of which applies this test to its total assets. In addition, under normal market conditions, each state Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that pay interest free from the personal income taxes, if any, of that Fund's state.
The Fund may not:
1. Borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
2. Act as an underwriter, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter when disposing of securities it owns or when selling its own shares.
3. Make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other persons, including other investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC. This limitation does not apply to (i) the lending of portfolio securities, (ii) the purchase of debt securities, other debt instruments, loan participations and/or engaging in direct corporate loans in accordance with its investment goals and policies, and (iii) repurchase agreements to the extent the entry into a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan.
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4. Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from (i) purchasing or selling securities or instruments secured by real estate or interests therein, securities or instruments representing interests in real estate or securities or instruments of issuers that invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, and (ii) making, purchasing or selling real estate mortgage loans.
5. Purchase or sell commodities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC.
6. Issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC.
7. Invest more than 25% of the Fund's net assets in securities of issuers in any one industry (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies).1
8. Purchase the securities of any one issuer (other than the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies, whether registered or excluded from registration under Section 3(c) of the 1940 Act) if immediately after such investment (i) more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in such issuer or (ii) more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer would be owned by the Fund, except that up to 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested without regard to such 5% and 10% limitations.
1. Although not part of the Fund's fundamental investment restriction, consistent with SEC Staff interpretations and guidance, governments or their political subdivisions that issue tax-exempt municipal securities are not considered by the Fund to be members of any industry.
Non-Fundamental Investment Policies
Unlike the state Funds, the Federal Intermediate-Term, Federal Limited-Term and High Yield Funds do not focus their investment in a particular state. The High Yield Fund will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in the municipal securities of any one state or territory.
Municipal securities issued by a state or that state's counties, municipalities, authorities, agencies, or other subdivisions, as well as qualifying municipal securities issued by U.S. territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands, generally pay interest free from federal income tax and from state personal income taxes, if any, for residents of that state.
The Fund tries to invest all of its assets in tax-free municipal securities. The issuer's bond counsel generally gives the issuer an opinion on the tax-exempt status of a municipal security when the security is issued.
Some states may require the Fund to invest a certain amount of its assets in securities of that state, or in securities that are otherwise tax-free under the laws of that state, in order for any portion of the Fund's distributions to be free from the state's personal income taxes. If the Fund's state requires this, the Fund will try to invest its assets as required so that its distributions will be free from personal income taxes for resident shareholders of the Fund's state.
Additional Strategies
The High Yield Fund may invest in securities of issuers that are, or are about to be, involved in reorganizations, financial restructurings, or bankruptcy (generally referred to as “distressed debt”), including defaulted securities if the investment manager believes the issuer may resume making interest payments or other favorable developments seem likely in the near future.
The High Yield Fund may invest in securities rated in any rating category. While the Fund tries to invest in lower-rated securities, the investment manager may consider existing market conditions, the availability of lower-rated securities, and whether the difference in yields between higher- and lower-rated securities justifies the higher risk of lower-rated securities when selecting securities for the High Yield Fund's portfolio. The High Yield Fund, however, currently does not intend to invest more than 10% of its assets in defaulted securities.
Because of its historical investment policy of investing in insured municipal securities, the Massachusetts Fund's portfolio may consist to a large extent of insured municipal securities.
Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks
Certain words or phrases may be used in descriptions of Fund investment policies and strategies to give investors a general sense of the Fund's levels of investment. They are broadly identified with, but not limited to, the following percentages of Fund total assets:
“small portion” |
less than 10% |
“portion” |
10% to 25% |
“significant” |
25% to 50% |
“substantial” |
50% to 66% |
“primary” |
66% to 80% |
“predominant” |
80% or more |
If the Fund intends to limit particular investments or strategies to no more than specific percentages of Fund assets, the prospectus or SAI will clearly identify such limitations. The percentages above are not limitations unless specifically
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stated as such in the Fund's prospectus or elsewhere in this SAI.
The Fund may invest in securities that are rated by various rating agencies such as Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) and S&P® Global Ratings (S&P®), as well as securities that are unrated.
The value of your shares in the Fund will increase as the value of the investments owned by the Fund increases and will decrease as the value of the Fund's investments decreases. In this way, you participate in any change in the value of the investments owned by the Fund. In addition to the factors that affect the value of any particular investment that the Fund owns, the value of the Fund's shares may also change with movement in the investment markets as a whole.
The following is a description of various types of securities, instruments and techniques that may be purchased and/or used by the Fund. Other types of municipal securities or strategies, not specifically described below, may become available or attractive that are similar to those described below and in which the Fund also may invest, if consistent with its investment goal and policies.
Municipal securities general description Municipal securities are issued by a state or that state's counties, municipalities, authorities, agencies, or other subdivisions, as well as by the District of Columbia. These municipal securities generally pay interest free from federal income tax and from state personal income taxes, if any, for residents of that state. In addition, U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, the Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands also issue qualifying municipal securities that generally pay interest free from federal income tax and from state personal income taxes. Generally for all municipal securities, the issuer pays a fixed, floating or variable rate of interest, and must repay the amount borrowed (the “principal”) at maturity. Municipal securities are issued to raise money for a variety of public or private purposes, including financing state or local government, specific projects or public facilities. Municipal securities generally are classified as general or revenue obligations.
The value of the municipal securities may be highly sensitive to events affecting the fiscal stability of the municipalities, agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities that issue securities. In particular, economic, legislative, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of the issuers to pay interest or repay principal may significantly affect the value of the Fund's investments. These developments can include or arise from, for example, insolvency of an issuer, uncertainties related to the tax status of municipal securities, tax base erosion, state or federal constitutional limits on tax increases or other actions, budget deficits and other financial difficulties, or changes in the credit ratings assigned to municipal issuers.
There could be a limited market for certain municipal securities, and the Fund could face illiquidity risks. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of municipal bonds may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations for their publicly-traded securities. The absence or inaccuracy of such information may impact the investment manager’s evaluation of credit and valuation risk.
From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress to restrict or eliminate the federal income tax exemption for interest on municipal bonds. Also, from time to time, proposals have been introduced before state and local legislatures to restrict or eliminate the state and local income tax exemption for interest on municipal bonds. Similar proposals may be introduced in the future. There is a substantial lack of clarity around both the timing and the details of any such tax reform and the impact of any potential tax reform. If any such proposal were enacted, it might restrict or eliminate the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goals. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding potential changes in tax laws.
General obligation bonds. Issuers of general obligation bonds include states, counties, cities, towns and regional districts. The proceeds of these obligations are used to fund a wide range of public projects, including construction or improvement of schools, highways and roads. The basic security behind general obligation bonds is the issuer's pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. The taxes that can be levied for the payment of debt service may be limited or unlimited as to the rate or amount of special assessments.
Revenue bonds. The full faith, credit and taxing power of the issuer do not secure revenue bonds. Instead, the principal security for a revenue bond generally is the net revenue derived from a particular facility, group of facilities, or, in some cases, the proceeds of a special excise tax or other specific revenue source. Revenue bonds are issued to finance a wide variety of capital projects, including: electric, gas, water and sewer systems; highways, bridges and tunnels; port and airport facilities; colleges and universities; and hospitals. The principal security behind these bonds may vary. For example, housing finance authorities have a wide range of security, including partially or fully insured mortgages, rent subsidized and/or collateralized mortgages, and/or the net revenues from housing or other public projects. Many bonds provide additional security in the form of a debt service reserve fund that may be used to make principal and interest payments. Some authorities have further security in the form of state assurances (although without obligation) to make up deficiencies in the debt service reserve fund. As a result, an investment in revenue obligations is subject to greater risk of delay or non-payment if revenue does not accrue as expected or if other conditions are not met for reasons outside the control of the Fund. Conversely, if revenue accrues more quickly than anticipated, the Fund may receive payment
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before expected and have difficulty re-investing the proceeds on equally favorable terms.
Anticipation notes Anticipation notes are issued to provide interim financing of various municipal needs in anticipation of the receipt of other sources of money for repayment of the notes.
Bond anticipation notes are normally issued to provide interim financing until a long-term bond financing can be arranged which provides the money for the repayment of the notes.
Revenue anticipation notes are issued in expectation of the receipt of revenue sources, other than tax receipts, such as anticipated revenues from a source such as turnpike tolls.
Tax anticipation notes are issued to finance the short-term working capital needs of municipalities in anticipation of the receipt of various seasonal tax revenues that are used to repay the notes. They are usually general obligations of the issuer and are secured by the taxing power for the payment of principal and interest.
Bank obligations Bank obligations include fixed, floating or variable rate certificates of deposit (CDs), letters of credit, time and savings deposits, bank notes and bankers' acceptances. CDs are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits that are held in a banking institution for a specified period of time at a stated interest rate. Savings deposits are deposits that do not have a specified maturity and may be withdrawn by the depositor at any time. Bankers' acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise. When a bank “accepts” a bankers' acceptance, the bank, in effect, unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument upon maturity. The full amount of the Fund's investment in time and savings deposits or CDs may not be guaranteed against losses resulting from the default of the commercial or savings bank or other institution insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Bank obligations are exempt from registration with the SEC if issued by U.S. banks or foreign branches of U.S. banks. As a result, the Fund will not receive the same investor protections when investing in bank obligations as opposed to registered securities. Bank notes and other unsecured bank obligations are not guaranteed by the FDIC, so the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of the bank or institution. In the event of liquidation, bank notes and unsecured bank obligations generally rank behind time deposits, savings deposits and CDs, resulting in a greater potential for losses to the Fund.
The Fund’s investments in bank obligations may be negatively impacted if adverse economic conditions prevail in the banking industry (such as substantial losses on loans, increases in non-performing assets and charge-offs and declines in total deposits). The activities of U.S. banks and most foreign banks are subject to comprehensive regulations which, in the case of U.S. regulations, have undergone substantial changes in the past decade. The enactment of new legislation or regulations, as well as changes in interpretation and enforcement of current laws, may affect the manner of operations and profitability of domestic and foreign banks. Significant developments in the U.S. banking industry have included increased competition from other types of financial institutions, increased acquisition activity and geographic expansion. Banks may be particularly susceptible to certain economic factors, such as interest rate changes and adverse developments in the market for real estate. Fiscal and monetary policy and general economic cycles can affect the availability and cost of funds, loan demand and asset quality and thereby impact the earnings and financial conditions of banks.
Borrowing The 1940 Act and the SEC's current rules, exemptions and interpretations thereunder, permit the Fund to borrow up to one-third of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed, but less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities) from banks. The Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to such borrowings and to reduce the amount of its borrowings (within three days excluding Sundays and holidays) to restore such coverage if it should decline to less than 300% due to market fluctuations or otherwise. In the event that the Fund is required to reduce its borrowings, it may have to sell portfolio holdings, even if such sale of the Fund's holdings would be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint.
If the Fund makes additional investments while borrowings are outstanding, this may be considered a form of leverage. Leveraging by means of borrowing may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of portfolio securities on the Fund's net asset value, and money borrowed will be subject to interest and other costs (which may include commitment fees and/or the cost of maintaining minimum average balances), which may or may not exceed the income or gains received from the securities purchased with borrowed funds.
In addition to borrowings that are subject to 300% asset coverage and are considered by the SEC to be permitted “senior securities,” the Fund is also permitted under the 1940 Act to borrow for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of its total assets at the time when the loan is made. A loan will be presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within 60 days and is not extended or renewed.
Callable securities Callable securities give the issuer the right to redeem the security on a given date or dates (known as the call dates) prior to maturity. In return, the call feature is
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factored into the price of the debt security, and callable debt securities typically offer a higher yield than comparable non-callable securities. Certain securities may be called only in whole (the entire security is redeemed), while others may be called in part (a portion of the total face value is redeemed) and possibly from time to time as determined by the issuer. There is no guarantee that the Fund will receive higher yields or a call premium on an investment in callable securities.
The period of time between the time of issue and the first call date, known as call protection, varies from security to security. Call protection provides the investor holding the security with assurance that the security will not be called before a specified date. As a result, securities with call protection generally cost more than similar securities without call protection. Call protection will make a callable security more similar to a long-term debt security, resulting in an associated increase in the callable security's interest rate sensitivity.
Documentation for callable securities usually requires that investors be notified of a call within a prescribed period of time. If a security is called, the Fund will receive the principal amount and accrued interest, and may receive a small additional payment as a call premium. Issuers are more likely to exercise call options in periods when interest rates are below the rate at which the original security was issued, because the issuer can issue new securities with lower interest payments. Callable securities are subject to the risks of other debt securities in general, including prepayment risk, especially in falling interest rate environments.
Commercial paper Commercial paper is an unsecured, short-term loan to a corporation, typically for financing accounts receivable and inventory with maturities of up to 270 days. The Fund may invest in taxable commercial paper only for temporary defensive purposes.
Convertible zero-coupon and step coupon bonds Convertible zero-coupon securities have no coupon until a predetermined date, at which time they convert to a specified coupon security. Zero-coupon bonds tend to react more sharply to changes in interest rates than traditional bonds.
Cybersecurity With the increased use of technologies such as mobile devices and Web-based or “cloud” applications, and the dependence on the Internet and computer systems to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cybersecurity incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events (arising from external or internal sources) that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, physical damage to a computer or network system or lose operational capacity. Cybersecurity attacks include, but are not limited to, infection by malicious software, such as malware or computer viruses or gaining unauthorized access to digital systems, networks or devices that are used to service the Fund’s operations (e.g., through “hacking,” “phishing” or malicious software coding) or other means for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cybersecurity attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on the Fund’s websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Recently, geopolitical tensions may have increased the scale and sophistication of deliberate cybersecurity attacks, particularly those from nation-states or from entities with nation-state backing. In addition, authorized persons could inadvertently or intentionally release confidential or proprietary information stored on the Fund’s systems.
Cybersecurity incidents affecting the Fund’s investment manager and other service providers to the Fund or its shareholders (including, but not limited to, sub-advisors, accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to both the Fund and its shareholders, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business and the Fund to process transactions (including fulfillment of purchases and redemptions), violations of applicable privacy and other laws (including the release of private shareholder information) and attendant breach notification and credit monitoring costs, regulatory fines, penalties, litigation costs, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, forensic investigation and remediation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cybersecurity incidents affecting issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, counterparties with which the Fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and other service providers) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to safeguard against and reduce the risk of any cybersecurity incidents in the future. In addition to administrative, technological and procedural safeguards, the Fund’s investment manager has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent or reduce the impact of, such cybersecurity incidents. However, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified, as well as the rapid development of new threats. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
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Because technology is frequently changing, new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the Fund's ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund, the investment manager and their service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time.
Defaulted debt securities If the issuer of a debt security in the Fund's portfolio defaults, the Fund may have unrealized losses on the security, which may lower the Fund's net asset value. Defaulted securities tend to lose much of their value before they default. Thus, the Fund's net asset value may be adversely affected before an issuer defaults. The Fund may incur additional expenses if it tries to recover principal or interest payments on a defaulted security. Defaulted debt securities often are illiquid. An investment in defaulted debt securities is generally considered speculative and may expose the Fund to similar risks as an investment in high-yield debt.
The Fund may not buy defaulted debt securities. However, the Fund is not required to sell a debt security that has defaulted if the investment manager believes it is advantageous to continue holding the security.
The High Yield Fund, however, may buy defaulted debt securities. Investments in securities of issuers that are, or are about to be, involved in reorganizations, financial restructurings, or bankruptcy (generally referred to as "distressed debt") typically involve the purchase of lower-rated or defaulted debt securities, comparable unrated debt securities, or other indebtedness of such issuers. By purchasing all or a part of an issuer's direct indebtedness, the Fund, in effect, steps into the shoes of the lender. If the loan is secured, the Fund will generally have a priority claim to the assets of the issuer ahead of unsecured creditors and stockholders. The risk that the Fund may lose its entire investment in defaulted bonds is greater in comparison to investing in non-defaulted bonds.
High-yield securities High-yield or lower-rated debt securities (also referred to as “junk bonds”) are securities that have been rated by Moody's or S&P below their top four rating categories (e.g., BB or Ba and lower) and are considered below investment grade. These securities generally have greater risk with respect to the payment of interest and repayment of principal, or may be in default and are often considered to be speculative and involve greater risk of loss. Adverse publicity, investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, or real or perceived adverse economic conditions may decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated debt securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of lower-rated debt securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher- rated securities. The Fund relies on the investment manager's judgment, analysis and experience in evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer of lower-rated securities. There can be no assurance the investment manager will be successful in evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer or the value of high-yield debt securities generally.
The prices of lower-rated debt securities may be less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher rated debt securities, but more sensitive to economic conditions. Market anticipation of an economic downturn, for example, could cause a decline in lower-rated debt securities prices. This is because an economic downturn could lessen the ability of a highly leveraged issuer to make principal and interest payments on its debt securities. Similarly, the impact of individual adverse developments, or public perceptions thereof, will be greater for lower-rated securities because the issuers of such securities are more likely to default or enter bankruptcy. If the issuer of lower-rated debt securities defaults, the Fund may incur substantial expenses to seek recovery of all or a portion of its investments or to exercise other rights as a security holder. The Fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise to exercise its rights as a security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the Fund's shareholders.
The markets in which lower-rated debt securities are traded are more limited than those in which higher-rated securities are traded. The existence of limited markets for particular securities may diminish the Fund's ability to sell the securities at desirable prices to meet redemption requests or to respond to a specific economic event, such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer. Reduced secondary market liquidity for certain lower-rated debt securities also may make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain accurate market quotations for the purposes of valuing the Fund's portfolio.
The credit risk factors described above also apply to high-yield zero coupon and deferred interest securities. These securities have an additional risk, however, because unlike securities that pay interest periodically until maturity, zero coupon bonds and similar securities will not make any interest or principal payments until the cash payment date or maturity of the security. If the issuer defaults, the Fund may not obtain any return on its investment.
Illiquid securities Generally, an “illiquid security” or “illiquid investment” is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid investments generally include investments for which no market exists or which are legally restricted as to their transfer (such as those issued pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the federal securities
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laws). Restricted securities are generally sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the 1933 Act. If registration of a security previously acquired in a private transaction is required, the Fund, as the holder of the security, may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time it will be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security. To the extent it is determined that there is a liquid institutional or other market for certain restricted securities, the Fund would consider them to be liquid securities. An example is a restricted security that may be freely transferred among qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, and for which a liquid institutional market has developed. Rule 144A securities may be subject, however, to a greater possibility of becoming illiquid than securities that have been registered with the SEC.
The following factors may be taken into account in determining whether a restricted security is properly considered a liquid security: (i) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; (ii) the number of dealers willing to buy or sell the security and the number of other potential buyers; (iii) any dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and (iv) the nature of the security and of the marketplace trades (e.g., any demand, put or tender features, the method of soliciting offers, the mechanics and other requirements for transfer, and the ability to assign or offset the rights and obligations of the security). The nature of the security and its trading includes the time needed to sell the security, the method of soliciting offers to purchase or sell the security, and the mechanics of transferring the security including the role of parties such as foreign or U.S. custodians, subcustodians, currency exchange brokers, and depositories.
The sale of illiquid investments often requires more time and results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses than the sale of investments eligible for trading on national securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter (OTC) markets. Illiquid investments often sell at a price lower than similar investments that are not subject to restrictions on resale.
The risk to the Fund in holding illiquid investments is that they may be more difficult to sell if the Fund wants to dispose of the investment in response to adverse developments or in order to raise money for redemptions or other investment opportunities. Illiquid trading conditions may also make it more difficult for the Fund to realize an investment's fair value.
The Fund may also be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain investment, issuer, or sector due to overall limitations on its ability to invest in illiquid investments and the difficulty in purchasing such investments.
If illiquid investments exceed 15% of the Fund’s net assets after the time of purchase, the Fund will take steps to reduce its holdings of illiquid investments to or below 15% of its net assets within a reasonable period of time, and will notify the Trust’s board of trustees and make the required filings with the SEC in accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act. Because illiquid investments may not be readily marketable, the portfolio managers and/or investment personnel may not be able to dispose of them in a timely manner. As a result, the Fund may be forced to hold illiquid investments while their price depreciates. Depreciation in the price of illiquid investments may cause the net asset value of the Fund to decline.
Insurance The Fund may also invest in insured municipal securities. Normally, the underlying rating of an insured security is one of the top three ratings of Fitch, Moody's or S&P. An insurer may insure municipal securities that are rated below the top three ratings or that are unrated if the securities otherwise meet the insurer's quality standards.
The Fund will only enter into a contract to buy an insured municipal security if either permanent insurance or an irrevocable commitment to insure the municipal security by a qualified municipal bond insurer is in place. The insurance feature guarantees the scheduled payment of principal and interest, but does not guarantee (i) the market value of the insured municipal security, (ii) the value of the Fund's shares, or (iii) the Fund's distributions.
Types of insurance. There are three types of insurance: new issue, secondary and portfolio. A new issue insurance policy is purchased by the issuer when the security is issued. A secondary insurance policy may be purchased by the Fund after a security is issued. With both new issue and secondary policies, the insurance continues in force for the life of the security and, thus, may increase the credit rating of the security, as well as its resale value. However, in response to market conditions rating agencies have lowered their ratings on some municipal bond insurers below BBB or withdrawn ratings. In such cases the insurance is providing little or no enhancement of credit or resale value to the municipal security and the security's rating will reflect the higher of the insurer rating or the underlying rating of the security.
The Fund may buy a secondary insurance policy at any time if the investment manager believes the insurance would be in the best interest of the Fund. The Fund is likely to buy a secondary insurance policy if, in the investment manager's opinion, the Fund could sell a security at a price that exceeds the current value of the security, without insurance, plus the cost of the insurance. The purchase of a secondary policy, if available, may enable the Fund to sell a defaulted security at a price similar to that of comparable securities that are not in
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default. The Fund would value a defaulted security covered by a secondary insurance policy at its market value.
The Fund also may buy a portfolio insurance policy. Unlike new issue and secondary insurance, which continue in force for the life of the security, portfolio insurance only covers securities while they are held by the Fund. If the Fund sells a security covered by portfolio insurance, the insurance protection on that security ends and, thus, cannot affect the resale value of the security. As a result, the Fund may continue to hold any security insured under a portfolio insurance policy that is in default or in significant risk of default and, absent any unusual or unforeseen circumstances as a result of the portfolio insurance policy, would likely value the defaulted security, or security for which there is a significant risk of default, at the same price as comparable securities that are not in default. While a defaulted security is held in the Fund's portfolio, the Fund continues to pay the insurance premium on the security but also collects interest payments from the insurer and retains the right to collect the full amount of principal from the insurer when the security comes due.
The insurance premium the Fund pays for a portfolio insurance policy is a Fund expense. The premium is payable monthly and is adjusted for purchases and sales of covered securities during the month. If the Fund fails to pay its premium, the insurer may take action against the Fund to recover any premium payments that are due. The insurer may not change premium rates for securities covered by a portfolio insurance policy, regardless of the issuer's ability or willingness to meet its obligations.
Qualified municipal bond insurers. Insurance policies may be issued by a qualified municipal bond insurer. The bond insurance industry is a regulated industry. Any bond insurer must be licensed in each state in order to write financial guarantees in that jurisdiction. Regulations vary from state to state. Most regulators, however, require minimum standards of solvency and limitations on leverage and investment of assets. Regulators also place restrictions on the amount an insurer can guarantee in relation to the insurer's capital base. Neither the Fund nor the investment manager makes any representations as to the ability of any insurance company to meet its obligation to the Fund if called upon to do so.
If an insurer is called upon to pay the principal or interest on an insured security that is due for payment but that has not been paid by the issuer, the terms of payment would be governed by the provisions of the insurance policy. After payment, the insurer becomes the owner of the security, appurtenant coupon, or right to payment of principal or interest on the security and is fully subrogated to all of the Fund's rights with respect to the security, including the right to payment. The insurer's rights to the security or to payment of principal or interest are limited, however, to the amount the insurer has paid.
State regulators have from time to time required municipal bond insurers to suspend claims payments on outstanding insurance in force. Certain municipal bond insurers have withdrawn from the market. These circumstances have led to a decrease in the supply of insured municipal securities and a consolidation among municipal bond insurers concentrating the insurance company credit risk on securities in the Fund's portfolio amongst fewer municipal bond insurers. Due to this consolidation, events involving one or more municipal bond insurers could have a significant adverse effect on the value of the securities insured by the insurer and on the municipal markets as a whole.
Interfund lending program Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the SEC (Lending Order), the Fund has the ability to lend money to, and borrow money from, other Franklin Templeton funds for temporary purposes (Interfund Lending Program) pursuant to a master interfund lending agreement (Interfund Loan). Lending and borrowing through the Interfund Lending Program provides the borrowing fund with a lower interest rate than it would have paid if it borrowed money from a bank, and provides the lending fund with an alternative short-term investment with a higher rate of return than other available short-term investments. All Interfund Loans would consist only of uninvested cash reserves that the lending fund otherwise would invest in short-term repurchase agreements or other short-term instruments. The Fund may only participate in the Interfund Lending Program to the extent permitted by its investment goal(s), policies and restrictions and only subject to meeting the conditions of the Lending Order.
The limitations of the Interfund Lending Program are described below and these and the other conditions of the Lending Order permitting interfund lending are designed to minimize the risks associated with interfund lending for both the lending and borrowing fund. However, no borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When a fund borrows money from another fund under the Interfund Lending Program, there is a risk that the Interfund Loan could be called on one business day’s notice, in which case the borrowing fund may have to utilize a line of credit, which would likely involve higher rates, seek an Interfund Loan from another fund, or liquidate portfolio securities if no lending sources are available to meet its liquidity needs. Interfund Loans are subject to the risk that the borrowing fund could be unable to repay the loan when due, and a delay in repayment could result in a lost opportunity by the lending fund or force the lending fund to borrow or liquidate securities to meet its liquidity needs.
Under the Interfund Lending Program, the Fund may borrow on an unsecured basis through the Interfund Lending Program if its outstanding borrowings from all sources immediately after the borrowing total 10% or less of its total assets, provided that if the Fund has a secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another fund, the Fund’s Interfund Loan will be secured on at
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least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding loan that requires collateral. If the Fund’s total outstanding borrowings immediately after an Interfund Loan exceed 10% of its total assets, the Fund may borrow through the Interfund Lending Program on a secured basis only. The Fund may not borrow under the Interfund Lending Program or from any other source if its total outstanding borrowings immediately after such borrowing would be more than 33 1/3% of its total assets or any lower threshold provided for by the Fund’s investment restrictions.
If the Fund has outstanding bank borrowings, any Interfund Loans to the Fund would: (a) be at an interest rate equal to or lower than that of any outstanding bank loan, (b) be secured at least on an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding bank loan that requires collateral, (c) have a maturity no longer than any outstanding bank loan (and in any event not over seven days), and (d) provide that, if an event of default by the Fund occurs under any agreement evidencing an outstanding bank loan to the Fund, that event of default will automatically (without need for action or notice by the lending Fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the interfund lending agreement, entitling the lending fund to call the Interfund Loan (and exercise all rights with respect to any collateral), and that such call would be made if the lending bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement with the borrowing fund.
In addition, no fund may lend to another fund through the Interfund Lending Program if the loan would cause the lending fund’s aggregate outstanding loans through the Interfund Lending Program to exceed 15% of its current net assets at the time of the loan. A fund’s Interfund Loans to any one fund shall not exceed 5% of the lending fund’s net assets. The duration of Interfund Loans will be limited to the time required to obtain cash sufficient to repay such Interfund Loan, either through the sale of portfolio securities or the net sales of the fund’s shares, but in no event more than seven days, and for purposes of this condition, loans effected within seven days of each other will be treated as separate loan transactions. Each Interfund Loan may be called on one business day’s notice by a lending fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing fund.
Investment company securities The Fund may invest in other investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, SEC rules thereunder and exemptions thereto. With respect to funds in which the Fund may invest, Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act requires that, as determined immediately after a purchase is made, (i) not more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company, (ii) not more than 10% of the value of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in securities of investment companies as a group, and (iii) not more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company will be owned by the Fund. The Fund will limit its investments in funds in accordance with the Section 12(d)(1)(A) limitations set forth above, except to the extent that any rules, regulations or no-action or exemptive relief under the 1940 Act permits the Fund’s investments to exceed such limits in funds. For example, Rule 12d1-4, which became effective on January 19, 2021, permits the Fund to invest in other investment companies beyond the statutory limits, subject to certain conditions. Among other conditions, the Rule prohibits a fund from acquiring control of another investment company (other than an investment company in the same group of investment companies), including by acquiring more than 25% of its voting securities. In addition, the Rule imposes certain voting requirements when a fund's ownership of another investment company exceeds particular thresholds. If shares of a fund are acquired by another investment company, the “acquired” fund may not purchase or otherwise acquire the securities of an investment company or private fund if immediately after such purchase or acquisition, the securities of investment companies and private funds owned by that acquired fund have an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the fund, subject to certain exceptions. These restrictions may limit the Fund's ability to invest in other investment companies to the extent desired. In addition, other unaffiliated investment companies may impose other investment limitations or redemption restrictions which may also limit the Fund's flexibility with respect to making investments in those unaffiliated investment companies. To the extent that the Fund invests in another investment company, because other investment companies pay advisory, administrative and service fees that are borne indirectly by investors, such as the Fund, there may be duplication of investment management and other fees. The Fund may also invest its cash balances in affiliated money market funds to the extent permitted by its investment policies and rules and exemptions granted under the 1940 Act.
Exchange-traded funds. The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Most ETFs are regulated as registered investment companies under the 1940 Act. Many ETFs acquire and hold securities of all of the companies or other issuers, or a representative sampling of companies or other issuers that are components of a particular index. Such ETFs are intended to provide investment results that, before expenses, generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the corresponding market index, and the value of their shares should, under normal circumstances, closely track the value of the index’s underlying component securities. Because an ETF has operating expenses and transaction costs, while a market index does not, ETFs that track particular indices typically will be unable to match the performance of the index exactly. There are also actively managed ETFs that are managed similarly to other investment companies.
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ETF shares may be purchased and sold in the secondary trading market on a securities exchange, in lots of any size, at any time during the trading day. The shares of an ETF may also be assembled in a block (typically 50,000 shares) known as a creation unit and redeemed in kind for a portfolio of the underlying securities (based on the ETF’s net asset value) together with a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends as of the date of redemption. Conversely, a creation unit may be purchased from the ETF by depositing a specified portfolio of the ETF’s underlying securities, as well as a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends of the securities (net of expenses) up to the time of deposit.
ETF shares, as opposed to creation units, are generally purchased and sold in a secondary market on a securities exchange. ETF shares can be traded in lots of any size, at any time during the trading day. Although the Fund, like most other investors in ETFs, intends to purchase and sell ETF shares primarily in the secondary trading market, the Fund may redeem creation units for the underlying securities (and any applicable cash), and may assemble a portfolio of the underlying securities and use it (and any required cash) to purchase creation units, if the investment manager believes it is in the Fund’s best interest to do so.
An investment in an ETF is subject to all of the risks of investing in the securities held by the ETF and has similar risks as investing in a closed-end fund. In addition, because of the ability of large market participants to arbitrage price differences by purchasing or redeeming creation units, the difference between the market value and the net asset value of ETF shares should in most cases be small. An ETF may be terminated and need to liquidate its portfolio securities at a time when the prices for those securities are falling.
Investment grade debt securities Investment grade debt securities are securities that are rated at the time of purchase in the top four ratings categories by one or more independent rating organizations such as S&P (rated BBB- or better) or Moody’s (rated Baa3 or higher) or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s investment manager. Generally, a higher rating indicates the rating agency’s opinion that there is less risk of default of obligations thereunder including timely repayment of principal and payment of interest. Debt securities in the lowest investment grade category may have speculative characteristics and more closely resemble high-yield debt securities than investment-grade debt securities. Lower-rated securities may be subject to all the risks applicable to high-yield debt securities and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than is the case with higher grade debt securities.
A number of risks associated with rating agencies apply to the purchase or sale of investment grade debt securities.
Mandatory tender (mandatory put) municipal securities Mandatory tender (mandatory put) municipal securities may be sold with a requirement that a holder of a security surrender the security to the issuer or its agent for cash at a date prior to the stated maturity. On the predetermined tender date, the holder receives principal and accrued interest.
Maturity Municipal securities are issued with a specific maturity date--the date when the issuer must repay the amount borrowed. Maturities typically range from less than one year (short term) to 30 years (long term). In general, securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to interest rate changes, although they may provide higher yields.
Municipal lease obligations Municipal lease obligations generally are issued to support a government's infrastructure by financing or refinancing equipment or property acquisitions or the construction, expansion or rehabilitation of public facilities. In such transactions, equipment or property is leased to a state or local government, which, in turn, pays lease payments to the lessor consisting of interest and principal payments on the obligations. Municipal lease obligations differ from other municipal securities because each year the lessee's governing body must appropriate (set aside) the money to make the lease payments. If the money is not appropriated, the issuer or the lessee typically can end the lease without penalty. If the lease is cancelled, investors who own the municipal lease obligations may not be paid.
The Fund may also gain exposure to municipal lease obligations through certificates of participation, which represent a proportionate interest in the payments under a specified lease or leases.
Because annual appropriations are required to make lease payments, municipal lease obligations generally are not subject to constitutional limitations on the issuance of debt, and may allow an issuer to increase government liabilities beyond constitutional debt limits. When faced with increasingly tight budgets, local governments have more discretion to curtail lease payments under a municipal lease obligation than they do to curtail payments on other municipal securities. If not enough money is appropriated to make the lease payments, the leased property may be repossessed as security for holders of the municipal lease obligations. If this happens, there is no assurance that the property's private sector or re-leasing value will be enough to make all outstanding payments on the municipal lease obligations or that the payments will continue to be tax-free.
While cancellation risk is inherent to municipal lease obligations, the Fund believes that this risk may be reduced, although not eliminated, by its policies on the credit quality of municipal securities in which it may invest.
Refunded bonds The issuer of a refunded bond (also known as pre-refunded or escrow-secured bonds) “pre-refunds” the bond by setting aside in advance all or a portion of the
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amount to be paid to the bondholders when the bond is called. Generally, an issuer uses the proceeds from a new bond issue to buy high-grade, interest-bearing debt securities, including direct obligations of the U.S. government, which are then deposited in an irrevocable escrow account held by a trustee bank to secure all future payments of principal and interest on the refunded bonds. Because refunded bonds still bear the same interest rate as when they were originally issued and are of very high credit quality, their market value may increase. However, as the refunded bond approaches its call or ultimate maturity date, the bond’s market value will tend to fall to its call or par price. Under 2017 legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), interest paid on a bond issued after December 31, 2017 to advance refund another bond is subject to federal income tax.
Stripped securities Stripped securities are debt securities that have been transformed from a principal amount with periodic interest coupons into a series of zero coupon bonds, each with a different maturity date corresponding to one of the payment dates for interest coupon payments or the redemption date for the principal amount. Stripped securities are subject to all the risks applicable to zero coupon bonds as well as certain additional risks.
Like zero coupon bonds, stripped securities do not provide for periodic payments of interest prior to maturity. Rather they are offered at a discount from their face amount that will be paid at maturity. This results in the security being subject to greater fluctuations in response to changing interest rates than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.
Tax-exempt commercial paper Tax-exempt commercial paper typically represents an unsecured short-term obligation (270 days or less) issued by a municipality.
Tax-exempt or qualified private activity and industrial development revenue bonds Tax-exempt industrial development revenue and other similar bonds are part of a category of securities sometimes known as tax-exempt or qualified private activity bonds. These bonds are typically issued by or on behalf of public authorities to finance various privately operated facilities which are expected to benefit the municipality and its residents, such as business, manufacturing, housing, sports and pollution control, as well as public facilities such as airports, mass transit systems, ports and parking. The payment of principal and interest is solely dependent on the ability of the facility's user to meet its financial obligations and the pledge, if any, of the facility or other property as security for payment. As a result, these bonds may involve a greater degree of corporate credit risk than other municipal securities.
Temporary investments When the investment manager believes market or economic conditions are unfavorable for investors, the investment manager may invest up to 100% of the Fund's assets in temporary defensive investments, including cash, cash equivalents or other high quality short-term investments, such as short-term debt instruments, including U.S. government securities, high grade commercial paper, repurchase agreements, negotiable certificates of deposit, non-negotiable fixed time deposits, bankers acceptances, variable rate demand notes, and other money market equivalents. To the extent allowed by exemptions from and rules under the 1940 Act and the Fund's other investment policies and restrictions, the investment manager also may invest the Fund's assets in shares of one or more money market funds managed by the investment manager or its affiliates. Unfavorable market or economic conditions may include excessive volatility or a prolonged general decline in the securities markets, the securities in which the Fund normally invests, or the economies of the states and territories where the Fund invests. Temporary defensive investments can and do experience defaults. The likelihood of default on a temporary defensive investment may increase in the market or economic conditions which are likely to trigger the Fund's investment therein.
Temporary defensive investments generally may include securities that pay taxable interest, including (i) for the state Funds, municipal securities issued by a state or local government other than the Fund's state; (ii) high quality commercial paper; or (iii) securities issued by or guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The Fund also may invest all of its assets in municipal securities issued by a U.S. territory such as Guam, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands. The investment manager also may invest in these types of securities or hold cash when securities meeting the Fund's investment criteria are unavailable or to maintain liquidity. When the Fund's assets are invested in temporary investments, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment goal.
Unrated debt securities Not all debt securities or their issuers are rated by rating agencies, sometimes due to the size of or manner of the securities offering, the decision by one or more rating agencies not to rate certain securities or issuers as a matter of policy, or the unwillingness or inability of the issuer to provide the prerequisite information and fees to the rating agencies. Some debt securities markets may have a disproportionately large number of unrated issuers.
In evaluating unrated securities, the investment manager may consider, among other things, the issuer's financial resources, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, its operating history, the quality of the issuer's management and regulatory matters. Although unrated debt securities may be considered to be of investment grade quality, issuers typically pay a higher interest rate on unrated than on investment grade rated debt securities. Less information is typically available to the market on unrated securities and obligors, which may increase the potential for credit and valuation risk.
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U.S. government securities U.S. government securities include obligations of, or securities guaranteed by, the U.S. federal government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Some U.S. government securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. These include U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). A second category of U.S. government securities are those supported by the right of the agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise to borrow from the U.S. government to meet its obligations. These include securities issued by Federal Home Loan Banks.
A third category of U.S. government securities are those supported by only the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise. These include securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). In the event of a default, an investor like the Fund would only have legal recourse to the issuer, not the U.S. government. Although the U.S. government has provided support for these securities in the past, there can be no assurance that it will do so in the future. The U.S. government has also made available additional guarantees for limited periods to stabilize or restore a market in the wake of an economic, political or natural crisis. Such guarantees, and the economic opportunities they present, are likely to be temporary and cannot be relied upon by the Fund. Any downgrade of the credit rating of the securities issued by the U.S. government may result in a downgrade of securities issued by its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-sponsored entities.
Variable or floating rate securities The Fund may invest in variable or floating rate securities, including variable rate demand notes, municipal inflation protected securities, index-based floating rate securities, and auction rate securities, which have interest rates that change either at specific intervals from daily up to semiannually, or whenever a benchmark rate changes. The interest rate adjustments are designed to help stabilize the security's price or maintain a fixed spread to a predetermined benchmark. While this feature may protect against a decline in the security's market price when interest rates or benchmark rates rise, it lowers the Fund's income when interest rates or benchmark rates fall. Of course, the Fund's income from its variable and floating rate investments also may increase if interest rates rise.
Variable or floating rate securities may include a demand feature, which may be unconditional. The demand feature allows the holder to demand prepayment of the principal amount before maturity, generally on one to 30 days' notice. The holder receives the principal amount plus any accrued interest either from the issuer or by drawing on a bank letter of credit, a guarantee or insurance issued with respect to the security. The Fund generally uses variable or floating rate securities as short-term investments while waiting for long-term investment opportunities.
Movements in the relevant index or benchmark on which adjustments are based will affect the interest paid on these securities and, therefore, the current income earned by the Fund and the securities' market value. The degree of volatility in the market value of the variable rate securities held by the Fund will generally increase along with the length of time between adjustments, the degree of volatility in the applicable index, benchmark or base lending rate and whether the index, benchmark or base lending rate to which it resets or floats approximates short-term or other prevailing interest rates. It will also be a function of the maximum increase or decrease of the interest rate adjustment on any one adjustment date, in any one year, and over the life of the security.
The income earned by the Fund and distributed to shareholders will generally increase or decrease along with movements in the relevant index, benchmark or base lending rate. Thus the Fund's income will be more unpredictable than the income earned on similar investments with a fixed rate of interest.
When-issued transactions Municipal securities may be offered on a “when-issued” basis. When so offered, the price, which is generally expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment to buy is made, but delivery and payment take place at a later date. During the time between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the Fund to the issuer and no interest accrues to the Fund. If the other party to the transaction fails to deliver or pay for the security, the Fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity, or could experience a loss.
When the Fund makes the commitment to buy a municipal security on a when-issued basis, it records the transaction and includes the value of the security in the calculation of its net asset value. The Fund does not believe that its net asset value or income will be negatively affected by its purchase of municipal securities on a when-issued basis. The Fund will not engage in when-issued transactions for investment leverage purposes.
Although the Fund generally will buy municipal securities on a when-issued basis with the intention of acquiring the securities, it may sell the securities before the settlement date if it is considered advisable. If assets of the Fund are held in cash pending the settlement of a purchase of securities, the Fund will not earn income on those assets. When-issued transactions also are subject to the risk that a counterparty may become bankrupt or otherwise fail to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, including making payments to the Fund. The Fund may obtain no or only limited recovery in a bankruptcy or other organizational proceedings, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.
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Zero coupon and deferred interest securities Zero coupon or deferred interest bonds are debt securities that make no periodic interest payments until maturity or a specified date when the securities begin paying current interest (cash payment date). Zero coupon and deferred interest bonds generally are issued and traded at a discount from their face amount or par value.
The original discount on zero coupon or deferred interest bonds approximates the total amount of interest the bonds will accumulate over the period until maturity or the first cash payment date and compounds at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of issuance. The discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity or the cash payment date, as well as prevailing interest rates, liquidity of the market for the security, and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. The discount, in the absence of financial difficulties of the issuer, typically decreases as the final maturity or cash payment date approaches. The discount typically increases as interest rates rise, the market becomes less liquid or the creditworthiness of the issuer deteriorates.
For accounting and federal tax purposes, holders of bonds issued at a discount, such as the Fund, are deemed to receive interest income over the life of the bonds even though the bonds do not pay out cash to their holders before maturity or the cash payment date. That income is distributable to Fund shareholders even though no cash is received by the Fund at the time of accrual, which may require the liquidation of other portfolio securities to satisfy the Fund's distribution obligations.
Because investors receive no cash prior to the maturity or cash payment date, an investment in debt securities issued at a discount generally has a greater potential for complete loss of principal and/or return than an investment in debt securities that make periodic interest payments. Such investments are more vulnerable to the creditworthiness of the issuer and any other parties upon which performance relies.
The following is a description of the general risks associated with the Fund's investments in municipal securities.
Credit quality All things being equal, the lower a security's credit quality, the higher the risk and the higher the yield the security generally must pay as compensation to investors for the higher risk.
A security's credit quality depends on the issuer's ability to pay interest on the security and, ultimately, to repay the principal. Independent rating agencies, such as Moody's and S&P, often rate municipal securities based on their analysis of the issuer's credit quality. Most rating agencies use a descending alphabet scale to rate long-term securities, and a descending numerical scale to rate short-term securities. Securities in the top four long term ratings categories (or comparable short-term rated or unrated securities) are “investment grade,” although securities in the fourth highest rating category may have some speculative features. These ratings are described at the end of this SAI under “Description of Ratings.” Lower-rated securities may be subject to all the risks applicable to high-yield debt securities and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than is the case with higher grade debt securities.
A number of risks associated with rating agencies apply to the purchase or sale of investment grade debt securities.
An insurance company, bank or other foreign or domestic entity may provide credit support for a municipal security and enhance its credit quality. For example, some municipal securities are insured, which means they are covered by an insurance policy that guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest. Other municipal securities may be backed by letters of credit, guarantees, or escrow or trust accounts that contain high quality securities, including securities backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government to secure the payment of principal and interest.
Any limitations on the credit quality of the securities the Fund may buy generally are applied when the Fund makes an investment so that the Fund is not required to sell a security because of a later change in circumstances.
In addition to considering ratings in its selection of the Fund's portfolio securities, the investment manager may consider, among other things, information about the financial history and condition of the issuer, revenue and expense prospects and, in the case of revenue bonds, the financial history and condition of the source of revenue to service the bonds. Securities that depend on the credit of the U.S. government are regarded as having the same or equivalent rating as U.S. government securities.
Credit Debt securities are subject to the risk of an issuer's (or other party's) failure or inability to meet its obligations under the security. Multiple parties may have obligations under a debt security. An issuer or borrower may fail to pay principal and interest when due. A guarantor, insurer or credit support provider may fail to provide the agreed upon protection. A counterparty to a transaction may fail to perform its side of the bargain. An intermediary or agent interposed between the investor and other parties may fail to perform the terms of its service. Also, performance under a debt security may be linked to the obligations of other persons who may fail to meet their obligations. The credit risk associated with a debt security could increase to the extent that the Fund's ability to benefit fully from its investment in the security depends on the performance by multiple parties of their respective contractual or other obligations. The market value of a debt security is also affected by the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer.
The Fund may incur substantial losses on debt securities that are inaccurately perceived to present a different amount of
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credit risk than they actually do by the market, the investment manager or the rating agencies. Credit risk is generally greater where less information is publicly available, where fewer covenants safeguard the investors' interests, where collateral may be impaired or inadequate, where little legal redress or regulatory protection is available, or where a party's ability to meet obligations is speculative. Additionally, any inaccuracy in the information used by the Fund to evaluate credit risk may affect the value of securities held by the Fund.
Obligations under debt securities held by the Fund may never be satisfied or, if satisfied, only satisfied in part.
A change in the credit rating of any one or more of the municipal bond insurers that insure securities in the Fund's portfolio may affect the value of the securities they insure, the Fund's share price and Fund performance. The Fund might also be adversely impacted by the inability of an insurer to meet its insurance obligations.
Debt securities ratings The investment manager performs its own independent investment analysis of securities being considered for the Fund's portfolio, which includes consideration of, among other things, the issuer's financial resources, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, its operating history, the quality of the issuer's management and regulatory matters. The investment manager also considers the ratings assigned by various investment services and independent rating agencies, such as Moody's and S&P, that publish ratings based upon their assessment of the relative creditworthiness of the rated debt securities. Generally, a lower rating indicates higher credit risk. Higher yields are ordinarily available from debt securities in the lower rating categories. These ratings are described at the end of this SAI under “Description of Ratings.”
Using credit ratings to evaluate debt securities can involve certain risks. For example, ratings assigned by the rating agencies are based upon an analysis completed at the time of the rating of the obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal. Rating agencies typically rely to a large extent on historical data which may not accurately represent present or future circumstances. Ratings do not purport to reflect the risk of fluctuations in market value of the debt security and are not absolute standards of quality and only express the rating agency's current opinion of an obligor's overall financial capacity to pay its financial obligations. A credit rating is not a statement of fact or a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a debt obligation. Also, credit quality can change suddenly and unexpectedly, and credit ratings may not reflect the issuer's current financial condition or events since the security was last rated. Rating agencies may have a financial interest in generating business, including from the arranger or issuer of the security that normally pays for that rating, and providing a low rating might affect the rating agency's prospects for future business. While rating agencies have policies and procedures to address this potential conflict of interest, there is a risk that these policies will fail to prevent a conflict of interest from impacting the rating.
Extension The market value of some debt securities may be adversely affected when bond calls or prepayments on underlying assets are less or slower than anticipated. This risk is extension risk. Extension risk may result from, for example, rising interest rates or unexpected developments in the markets for the underlying assets. As a consequence, the security's effective maturity will be extended, resulting in an increase in interest rate sensitivity to that of a longer-term instrument. Extension risk generally increases as interest rates rise. This is because, in a rising interest rate environment, the rate of prepayment and exercise of call or buy-back rights generally falls and the rate of default and delayed payment generally rises. When the maturity of an investment is extended in a rising interest rate environment, a below-market interest rate is usually locked-in and the value of the security reduced. This risk is greater for fixed-rate than variable-rate debt securities.
Focus Because each state Fund predominantly invests in the municipal securities of its state, its performance is closely tied to the performance of issuers of municipal securities in its state. See “State and U.S. Territory Risks” below.
The greater the Fund’s exposure to any single type of investment – including investment in a given sector, region, issuer, or type of security – the greater the losses the Fund may experience upon any single economic, business, political, regulatory, or other occurrence.
The Fund may invest more than 25% of its assets in municipal securities that finance similar types of projects, such as utilities, hospitals, higher education and transportation. A change that affects one project, such as proposed legislation on the financing of the project, a shortage of the materials needed for the project, or a declining need for the project, would likely affect all similar projects, thereby increasing market risk.
Income Income risk is the risk that the Fund's income will decline during periods of falling interest rates, when the Fund experiences defaults on debt securities it holds or when the Fund realizes a loss upon a sale of a debt security. The Fund's income declines when interest rates fall because, as the Fund's higher-yielding debt securities mature, are prepaid or are sold, the Fund may have to re-invest the proceeds in debt securities that have lower interest rates. The amount and rate of distributions that the Fund's shareholders receive are affected by the income that the Fund receives from its portfolio holdings. If the income is reduced, distributions by the Fund to shareholders may be less.
Fluctuations in income paid to the Fund are generally greater for variable rate debt securities. The Fund may be deemed to receive taxable income on certain securities which pay no
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cash payments until maturity, such as zero-coupon securities. The Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities that it would otherwise continue to hold in order to obtain sufficient cash to make the distribution to shareholders required for U.S. tax purposes.
Inflation The market price of debt securities generally falls as inflation increases because the purchasing power of the future income and repaid principal is expected to be worth less when received by the Fund. Debt securities that pay a fixed rather than variable interest rate are especially vulnerable to inflation risk because variable-rate debt securities may be able to participate, over the long term, in rising interest rates which have historically corresponded with long-term inflationary trends.
Inside information The investment manager (through its representatives or otherwise) may receive information that restricts the investment manager's ability to cause the Fund to buy or sell securities of an issuer for substantial periods of time when the Fund otherwise could realize profit or avoid loss. This may adversely affect the Fund's flexibility with respect to buying or selling securities and may impair the Fund's liquidity.
Interest rate The market value of debt securities generally varies in response to changes in prevailing interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable. In addition, short-term and long-term rates are not necessarily correlated to each other as short-term rates tend to be influenced by government monetary policy while long-term rates are market driven and may be influenced by macroeconomic events (such as economic expansion or contraction), inflation expectations, as well as supply and demand. During periods of declining interest rates, the market value of debt securities generally increases. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of debt securities generally declines. This occurs because new debt securities are likely to be issued with higher interest rates as interest rates increase, making the old or outstanding debt securities less attractive. In general, the market prices of long-term debt securities or securities that make little (or no) interest payments are more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations than shorter-term debt securities. The longer the Fund's average weighted portfolio duration, the greater the potential impact a change in interest rates will have on its share price. Also, certain segments of the fixed income markets, such as high quality bonds, tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than other segments, such as lower-quality bonds.
Liquidity Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell at the price at which the Fund has valued the security, whether because of current market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, or the specific type of investment. If the market for a particular security becomes illiquid (for example, due to changes in the issuer's financial condition), the Fund may be unable to sell such security at an advantageous time or price due to the difficulty in selling such securities. To the extent that the Fund and its affiliates hold a significant portion of an issuer's outstanding securities, the Fund may also be subject to greater liquidity risk than if the issuer's securities were more widely held. The Fund may also need to sell some of the Fund's more liquid securities when it otherwise would not do so in order to meet redemption requests, even if such sale of the liquid holdings would be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint. Reduced liquidity may also have an adverse impact on a security's market value and the sale of such securities often results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market for certain securities will also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund's portfolio and thus pricing may be prone to error when market quotations are volatile, infrequent and/or subject to large spreads between bid and ask prices. In addition, prices received by the Fund for securities may be based on institutional “round lot” sizes, but the Fund may purchase, hold or sell smaller, “odd lot” sizes, which may be harder to sell. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than round lots, which may affect the Fund’s ability to accurately value its investments.
The market for certain equity or debt securities may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Liquidity risk generally increases (meaning that securities become more illiquid) as the number, or relative need, of investors seeking to liquidate in a given market increases; for example, when an asset class or classes fall out of favor and investors sell their holdings in such classes, either directly or indirectly through investment funds, such as mutual funds.
Management The investment manager's judgments about markets, interest rates or the attractiveness, relative values or potential appreciation of particular investment strategies or sectors or securities purchased for the Fund's portfolio may prove to be incorrect, all of which could cause the Fund to perform less favorably and may result in a decline in the Fund's share price.
The investment manager selects investments for the Fund based on its own analysis and information as well as on external sources of information, such as information that the investment manager obtains from other sources including through conferences and discussions with third parties, and data that issuers of securities provide to the investment manager or file with government agencies. The investment manager may also use information concerning institutional positions and buying activity in a security.
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The investment manager is not in a position to confirm the completeness, genuineness or accuracy of any of such information that is provided or filed by an issuer, and in some cases, complete and accurate information is not readily available. It is also possible that information on which the investment manager relies could be wrong or misleading. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the investment manager in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goal. Management risk is greater when less qualitative information is available to the investment manager about an investment.
Market The market value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a single corporate borrower or security issuer. These general market conditions include real or perceived adverse economic or regulatory conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency exchange rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. Market values may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or sector, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry, or a particular segment, such as mortgage or government securities. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that the Fund's securities will participate in or otherwise benefit from the advance.
Portfolio turnover Portfolio turnover is a measure of how frequently the Fund's portfolio securities are bought and sold. High portfolio turnover rates generally increase transaction costs, which are Fund expenses. Such portfolio transactions may also result in the realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at ordinary income tax rates for federal income tax purposes for shareholders subject to income tax and who hold their shares in a taxable account. Higher transaction costs reduce the Fund's returns.
The SEC requires annual portfolio turnover to be calculated generally as the lesser of the Fund's purchases or sales of portfolio securities during a given fiscal year, divided by the monthly average value of the Fund's portfolio securities owned during that year (excluding securities with a maturity or expiration date that, at the time of acquisition, was less than one year). For example, a fund reporting a 100% portfolio turnover rate would have purchased and sold securities worth as much as the monthly average value of its portfolio securities during the year. The portfolio turnover rates for the Fund are disclosed in the sections entitled “Portfolio Turnover” and “Financial Highlights” of the Fund's prospectus.
Portfolio turnover is affected by factors within and outside the control of the Fund and its investment manager. The investment manager's investment outlook for the type of securities in which the Fund invests may change as a result of unexpected developments in domestic or international securities markets, or in economic, monetary or political relationships. High market volatility may result in the investment manager using a more active trading strategy than it might have otherwise pursued. The Fund's investment manager will consider the economic effects of portfolio turnover but generally will not treat portfolio turnover as a limiting factor in making investment decisions. Investment decisions affecting turnover may include changes in investment policies or management personnel, as well as individual portfolio transactions.
Prepayment Debt securities, especially bonds that are subject to “calls” are subject to prepayment risk if their terms allow the payment of principal and other amounts due before their stated maturity. Amounts invested in a debt security that has been “called” or “prepaid” will be returned to an investor holding that security before expected by the investor. In such circumstances, the investor, such as a fund, may be required to re-invest the proceeds it receives from the called or prepaid security in a new security which, in periods of declining interest rates, will typically have a lower interest rate. Prepayment risk is especially prevalent in periods of declining interest rates and will result for other reasons, including unexpected developments in the markets for the underlying assets or mortgages. For example, a decline in mortgage interest rates typically initiates a period of mortgage refinancings. When homeowners refinance their mortgages, the investor in the underlying pool of mortgage-backed securities (such as a fund) receives its principal back sooner than expected, and must reinvest at lower, prevailing rates.
Securities subject to prepayment risk are often called during a declining interest rate environment and generally offer less potential for gains and greater price volatility than other income-bearing securities of comparable maturity.
Call risk is similar to prepayment risk and results from the ability of an issuer to call, or prepay, a debt security early. If interest rates decline enough, the debt security's issuer can save money by repaying its callable debt securities and issuing new debt securities at lower interest rates.
State Because each state Fund predominantly invests in the municipal securities of its state, its performance is closely tied to the ability of issuers of municipal securities in its state to continue to make principal and interest payments on their securities. The issuers' ability to do this is in turn primarily dependent on economic, political and other conditions within the state. To the extent the Federal Intermediate-Term,
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Federal Limited-Term or High Yield Funds are invested significantly in a state, events in that state may affect their investments and their performance.
Below is a discussion of certain conditions that may affect municipal issuers in various states. It is not a complete analysis of every material fact that may affect the ability of issuers of municipal securities to meet their debt obligations or the economic or political conditions within any state and is subject to change. The information below is based on data available to the Fund from historically reliable sources, but the Fund has not independently verified it. In addition, the disclosure below reflects only the information available to the Fund as of May 1, 2023. The information and risks set forth below could change quickly and without notice due to new or different information becoming available, market or economic changes or other unforeseen events, among other things. The Fund generally only updates the information below before June of each year and therefore the disclosure may not reflect any new or different information that becomes available.
The ability of issuers of municipal securities to continue to make principal and interest payments is dependent in large part on their ability to raise revenues, primarily through taxes, and to control spending. Many factors can affect a state's revenues including changes in state tax laws through legislation or referendum, the rate of population growth, man-made or natural disasters, unemployment rates, personal income growth, federal aid, and the ability to attract and keep successful businesses. A number of factors can also affect a state's spending including the need for infrastructure improvements, increased costs for education and other services, current debt levels, and the existence of accumulated budget deficits.
The COVID-19 global pandemic began to impact the United States in early 2020. As a result of the pandemic, numerous measures were put in place to protect the public and as a result have had large impacts on municipal market issuers, the market itself and most levels of the economy. At the same time that COVID-19 began impacting the US, there was a drop in oil prices which put additional pressure on economies and governments with higher exposure to this industry. Many governments ordered the closure of non-essential businesses and recommended or required social-distancing, instituted “shelter-in-place” policies and limited the size of gatherings.
As a result of these policies, economies across the country contracted. There was a spike in unemployment filings, tourism largely came to a halt and consumer spending was dramatically reduced as many people were sheltering-in-place, as examples. As a result, many of the revenues received by municipal bond issuers were negatively impacted. Most state and local governments receive their revenues from taxes including income taxes and sales taxes. Revenue impacts were also felt across other municipal sectors including transportation, health care, education and others. Municipal issuers across the industry were also seeing some spending pressure from the costs of cleaning, providing personal protective equipment (PPE), and costs of moving employees home and instituting distance and online learning, as examples.
In 2020 and 2021, the federal government announced several programs available to many issuers in the municipal market which helped finance additional costs and replace certain lost revenues due to the pandemic. In 2021, as state and local governments began reopening, local and state economies have re-opened, and financial positions have improved. This improvement is evident in the fact rating agency upgrades are outpacing downgrades by more than 3:1. There are still certain sectors where recovery has been slower.
The following gives more information about the risks of investing in the Fund. Please read this information together with the section “Principal Risks” in the prospectus.
Massachusetts. Massachusetts’ economy has kept pace with the U.S. the past few years. The economy is anchored by the Boston MSA which includes many higher education institutions and associated technology companies. As a result of this concentration, the per capita income has grown slightly faster than national averages. Based on the 2022 Census data, the commonwealth of Massachusetts is the 15th largest state by population with roughly 7 million residents, albeit a 0.5% decline from 2020. Its GDP reached $637 billion in 2022 placing it 12th among the states. Meanwhile, per capita income has outpaced national averages at $83,653 reflecting 130% of the national average in 2021.
The average annual unemployment rate in 2022 was 3.8%, slightly higher than the U.S. which was 3.6%. The March 2023 unemployment rate was 3.5%, the same as the national rate, and down 0.2% from February 2023. The economy is a little more concentrated in education and health services which accounted for 22% of total state nonfarm employment in 2022 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to 16% nationally. Professional and business services accounted for 17% for the commonwealth compared to 15% nationally. The age dependency ratio of non-working age population to working age population was 58.5% in 2021 which was better than that of the nation at 63.9%.
Massachusetts' financial position has benefitted from conservative budgeting practices, strong financial management, and a willingness to make spending cuts when necessary to balance the budget. The commonwealth is statutorily obligated to submit a balanced budget each year, and in the event that revenues fall short of the budget, the Governor is required to either reduce appropriations or transfer funds in an amount sufficient to offset the revenue shortfall. Federal aid, fiscally responsible budgetary management and strong revenue growth helped the commonwealth rebound strongly from the 2020 pandemic and
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end its last two fiscal years in an extremely strong financial position achieving a historically high level of reserves. Massachusetts has statutorily established a budget stabilization fund (BSF) that directs excess capital gains taxes over a specific threshold, namely an annually adjusted rate that reflects the average rate of growth in the U.S. over the preceding 5 years, to the BSF. Of the amount transferred to the BSF, 5% is then transferred to the State Retiree Benefits Trust Fund (OPEBs) and an additional 5% is transferred to its pension fund. At fiscal year end June 30, 2021, the BSF balance was $4.6 billion or 9.4% of operating expenditures and other uses on a budgetary basis of accounting, much higher than the 5.3% originally budgeted. Strong revenue growth in 2022 led to an additional deposit to the BSF bringing it to $6.9 billion or 12.4% of budgeted expenditures, the highest level ever in dollar terms. State tax revenues exceeded revenue limits pursuant to the commonwealth’s general laws in fiscal year 2022 leading to roughly $2.9 billion in tax rebates refunded to taxpayers by the Department of Revenue in fiscal year 2023. Sufficient funds were appropriated by the legislature at fiscal year end 2022. Revenue sources are diverse with income tax generating 59% of budgeted operating funds and sales taxes generating 21% in fiscal year 2022. The commonwealth liquidity is considered strong with a cash balance of $16.9 billion at fiscal year end 2022.
The 2023 budget was enacted in July 2022, a month late, and includes a decline of 1.5% in operating funds tax revenue, based on actual collections in fiscal year 2022, and is structurally balanced with a budgeted deposit to the BSF of $1.5 billion. Should budget numbers be met, that would result in a total BSF balance of nearly $8.5 billion or 14% of operating expenditures. Baked into the budget was a 3.9% decline in tax revenues and an 8% increase in operating expenditures. The budget is balanced after adjusting for non-recurring appropriations. Budgetary flexibility going forward is impaired by a heavier service outlay. Further, large recent increases in Medicaid enrollment could pressure future budgets when the higher Medicaid reimbursements from the federal government abate.
Massachusetts has one of the highest debt burdens in the nation. At fiscal year end 2021 (date of the most recent audit), net tax supported debt was estimated at $40.6 billion, of which $24.8 billion was general obligation debt. Debt-per-capita of $5,825 while net tax supported debt as a percentage of personal income is 7.1%. A statutory limitation on annual debt service has been established, which caps annual debt service payments at 8% of the current year’s budgeted revenues. Total 2021 tax-backed debt service was 7.6% of spending on a GAAP basis. A debt affordability committee was established in 2012, and such committee is charged with formally reviewing the capital investment plan and providing an estimate of debt authorization annually.
Massachusetts has been underfunding its pension obligations for over a decade. As of June 30, 2020, Massachusetts' combined net pension liability was $34.9 billion, and the funded ratio is a low 61%. The commonwealth has contributed less to its pension funds than the actuarial annual required contribution in every fiscal year since 2011.The state’s lower funded ratio is partly driven by the reduction in the assumed actuarial rate of return from 8.25% in 2013 down to 7.25% in 2019. In 2020, to address the increasing size of the unfunded pension liability, the governor and the legislature agreed to shorten the commonwealth’s pension amortization schedule and to increase the pension contribution by 9.63% annually until the final amortization payment in fiscal 2036. The commonwealth has been increasing the percentage amount of actuarial annual required contribution (ARC) and expects to reach full ARC funding by 2026. That said, in fiscal year 2022, it funded 86% of its annual actuarial recommendation.
As of April 27, 2023, Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch maintained long-term credit ratings on the state of Aa1, AA+ and AA+, respectively.
New Jersey. New Jersey has a large and diverse economy that benefits from its proximity and access to the New York metropolitan area. New Jersey also has some of the highest resident wealth levels in the nation with per capita personal income at 120% of the national average in 2022. The state’s 2022 personal income growth was 2.1%, one of the best in the northeast, exceeding New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The state's economy had weakened significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s initial recovery during the pandemic trailed the nation’s but the state gained jobs at a faster pace than the nation during year two of the pandemic. The state’s economy is also characterized by a high cost of living and doing business, and slow population growth hindered by out-migration. Unemployment was negatively impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19, with a high of 15.8% in May 2020 compared to 3.6% in 2019. As of February 2023, the preliminary unemployment rate was 3.5%, ranked 26 in the nation. This compares slightly favorably to the nation’s rate of 3.6%.
During fiscal year 2022, the unassigned general fund balance increased for the fifth consecutive year. The unassigned fund balance increased $1.0 billion to $5.3 billion from $4.3 billion in fiscal year 2021. General fund revenues increased 19% to $55.6 billion, following a 24% increase the prior year. The growth was driven by a 20% increase in taxes and a 20% increase in federal and other grants. General fund expenditures increased by 16.4% to $53.3 billion, following an increase of 18% the prior year. The state incurred a $7.2 billion operating surplus during fiscal year 2022, however, after transfers and other income, the net change in fund balance was lower at $4.1 billion. Ending fund balance was $18.5 billion, or 36.6% of expenditures, of which $5.3 billion represents unassigned fund balance.
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The pension liability in fiscal year 2022 amounted to $75.1 billion, down from $95.2 billion in the previous year. S&P stated combined GASB pension funded ratio has increased to 45% in fiscal year 2022. The state’s pension funds are some of the lowest funded pensions in the nation. Beginning in fiscal year 2022, it is contributing full pension actuarially determined contribution (ADC). That continued in fiscal year 2023 and is being proposed in fiscal year 2024. Therefore, New Jersey’s pension metrics should improve, but remain weak.
The OPEB liability in fiscal year 2022 amounted to $88.9 billion, down from $101.6 billion in the previous year. New Jersey finances its OPEBs on a pay-as-you-go basis, which amounted to $1.9 billion in fiscal year 2022. In addition to the large pension and OPEB liabilities, New Jersey also has one of the highest debt burdens nationwide even though net-tax supported debt declined from $37.0 billion at fiscal year-end 2021 to $32.8 billion in fiscal year-end 2022. According to the latest Moody's state debt median report which publishes 2021 data, New Jersey’s net tax-supported debt per capita was approximately $5,410, compared to a national median of $1,179 ranking the commonwealth fourth highest.
As of April 27, 2023, New Jersey’s long-term general obligation ratings were as follows: A1, A and A+ from Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, respectively, all with stable outlooks.
U.S. Territories Since the Fund may invest in municipal securities issued by U.S. territories, the ability of municipal issuers in U.S. territories to continue to make principal and interest payments may affect the Fund's performance. As with state municipal issuers, the ability to make these payments is dependent on economic, political and other conditions.
Below is a discussion of certain conditions that may affect municipal issuers in various U.S. territories. It is not a complete analysis of every material fact that may affect the ability of issuers of municipal securities to meet their debt obligations or the economic or political conditions within any U.S. territory and is subject to change. The information below is based on data available to the Fund from historically reliable sources, but the Fund has not independently verified it. In addition, the disclosure below reflects only the information available to the Fund as of May 1, 2023. The information and risks set forth below could change quickly and without notice due to new or different information becoming available, market or economic changes or other unforeseen events, among other things. The Fund generally only updates the information below before June of each year. Therefore, the disclosure may not reflect any new or different information that becomes available.
The ability of issuers of municipal securities to continue to make principal and interest payments is dependent in large part on their ability to raise revenues, primarily through taxes, and to control spending. Many factors can affect a territory's revenues, including the rate of population growth, man-made or natural disasters, unemployment rates, personal income growth, federal aid, and the ability to attract and keep successful businesses. A number of factors can also affect a territory's spending, including the need for infrastructure improvements, increased costs for education and other services, current debt levels, and the existence of accumulated budget deficits.
Guam. Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States, located approximately 3,800 miles west-southwest of Hawaii, 1,500 miles south-southeast of Japan and 1,600 miles east of the Philippines. The island is approximately 212 square miles, stretching 30 miles long and varying in width between four and nine miles. Guam had an estimated population of 153,836 as of 2020, according to the most recently available information from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The U.S. military and tourism industry are significant drivers in Guam’s economy. Additionally, the government of Guam also receives significant support from the U.S. Treasury. In terms of tourism, visitor arrivals reached an all-time peak in 2019 of 1.67 million and averaged 1.54 million visitors between 2015 and 2019. However, visitor arrivals plummeted to 0.32 million visitors in calendar year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For 2022, visitor arrivals were about 55,540, which is very low compared to highs but an improvement from 2021. Guam depends highly on Asian travelers (Japan and Korea) and these travelers have not returned post-COVID-19. In 2021, visitor arrivals were still far below historic levels, but they have been increasing throughout 2021. Japanese tourists had traditionally been the largest visitor base, but recently Japanese visits have seen a decline while South Korean visits have seen strong growth. In 2020, South Korean visitors represented 42.9% of total visitors, while Japanese tourists amounted to 42.9%. Of note, the significant negative impacts to the tourism industry have resulted in material declines in hotel occupancy and room rates since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The hotel occupancy rate declined to 66% in calendar year 2022 from 89.5% in 2019 while the average room rate decreased to $192 from $211 in the prior year. As of March 2023, the preliminary hotel occupancy rate was 59% versus 45% a year earlier and the weighted hotel room rate was $180.
The unemployment rate was most recently reported at 8.1% as of September 2021. While this is significantly improved from the 17.9% rate a year earlier, it is still above historic levels.
The U.S. military presence in Guam remains somewhat of a stabilizing contributor to the economy. As of December 31, 2019, the most recent available information, the island was home to 6,140 active military members. The Department of Defense plans to relocate additional military members from Okinawa, Japan to Guam in the future. The current plan
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contemplates the relocation of approximately 6,300 military personnel and 320 dependents by fiscal year 2028.
Heading into the pandemic, Guam’s overall financial condition had shown signs of improvement but continues to remain stressed. The general fund has a lengthy history of producing recurring annual operating deficits. Though, in four of the past six years, the general fund has produced a surplus after net transfers, including a surplus of $46.3 million in fiscal year 2020 and $30.4 million in 2021. Even still, while the accumulated general fund deficit improved from $47.8 million in fiscal year 2018 to an accumulated deficit of $1.5 million, the unassigned general fund deficit remains significant at $108.1 million (-15.4% of expenditures) in fiscal year 2020. Of note, Guam has received various rounds of stimulus from the federal government since the start of the pandemic and has received an estimated $556 million in direct aid as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021 according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Just as important, as part of the ARPA, Guam will now be reimbursed by the Federal Government for the earned income tax credit, which has historically been an unfunded federal mandate for the Government of Guam and is expected to provide approximately $55 million to the general fund. Throughout the pandemic, the government was focused on balancing its budget, and for fiscal year 2023, it expects to generate another surplus and deposit 2% into its rainy day fund.
Guam maintains a relatively leveraged balance sheet, completing fiscal year 2021 with roughly $989 million of net tax-supported debt. While understanding that Guam as a territory is not a direct comparison to states, Guam’s debt levels on a per capita basis of approximately $6,200 significantly exceeds Moody’s 2021 50-state median of $1,179. Higher debt levels are partially attributable to the territory’s responsibility for government services generally provided by both state and local governments.
The government closed its defined benefit plan to new members in 1995 and replaced it with a defined contribution plan, resulting in a more favorable pension funding situation. Of note, pursuant to legislation passed in 2016, eligible employees in the defined contribution plan had the option to transfer into a new hybrid defined benefit-contribution plan, DB 1.75, during 2017. Guam reported that approximately 3,379 of 8,947 defined contribution plan members elected to transfer to the new plan during the eligibility window. As reported in the fiscal year 2021 audit (with a measurement date in 2020), the reported aggregate net pension liability of $1.1 billion across their defined benefit plan with a funded ratio of 54%. Guam also has an aggregate $1.7 billion unfunded actuarial accrued OPEB liability, as of September 30, 2021.
As of May 1, 2023, Guam’s general obligation debt was rated by Moody’s at Ba1, with a positive outlook. S&P rated Guam’s general obligation debt BB-, with a stable outlook.
Mariana Islands. The Mariana Islands became a U.S. territory in 1975. At that time, the U.S. government agreed to exempt the islands from federal minimum wage and immigration laws in an effort to help stimulate the economy. As a result, the islands were able to build a large garment industry, which at one time encompassed 40% of the economy, and its rapid growth from 1980-1995 helped put the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) at the top of the list of economic growth worldwide. Critical to this growth was duty-free access to U.S. markets and local authority over immigration and the minimum wage. However, in 2005 when the World Trade Organization (WTO) eliminated quotas on apparel imports from other textile producing countries, CNMI lost its main competitive advantage. In 2007, CNMI's immigration and minimum wage laws were federalized. CNMI must now follow all U.S. immigration and minimum wage laws. The minimum wage increased by $0.50 each year (except in 2011, 2013, and 2015, when no increase occurred) until it reached the current U.S. minimum wage of $7.25. Under current immigration laws, all non-U.S. born residents were required to leave CNMI by 2012 unless they qualified for a working visa. The increasing minimum wage of the CNMI, combined with current immigration laws, has caused the territory’s garment industry to rapidly decline, hindering the economic and financial stability of the commonwealth. According to the 2020 Census, the population of the CNMI was 49,796, representing a 7.9% decrease from the 2010 Census.
Estimates show that real GDP for the CNMI decreased 29.7% in 2020, after decreasing 11.3% in 2019. The decline in GDP was primarily a result of decreases in exports of goods and services, private fixed investment, and government spending. Exports of services declined by 31.1 in 2020, driven by a decrease in visitor spending, including a decline in casino gambling. The number of visitors to the CNMI declined 81.7% year over year in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, and revenues from casino gambling were down over 95%. Private fixed investment was down 42.7% year-over-year due to a decline in spending on structures and equipment and private sector construction activity. Government spending declined 6 percent year over year in 2020; federal government spending decreased 43% year over year after being elevated in 2019 due primarily to recovery activities following Typhoon Yutu.
The CNMI’s net deficit position decreased 4.89% from $504.7 million (with no prior period adjustments) in fiscal year 2019 to $480 million in fiscal year 2020. The improvement was partially driven by a decrease in net pension liabilities and a reduction in the unrestricted net deficit position. The adoption of Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) accounting regulations required the inclusion of net pension liability for fiscal year 2019, whereas it was not included in previous fiscal years.
The Commonwealth’s general fund had an unassigned fund deficit of $134.9 million at the end of fiscal year 2020, which
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was a slight increase of 0.489% over the prior year. The CNMI has operated at a deficit since 1984 as the territory historically spent more than it collected in revenue. Since the territory has had little cash to spare due to the operating deficit, the commonwealth has historically foregone funding its retirement requirements; as a result, CNMI's pension fund remains heavily underfunded. The commonwealth had a net pension liability of $470.4 million and a funded status of 19.85% at the end of fiscal 2012.
Moody’s last rated the commonwealth general obligation bonds at B2; however, the rating agency withdrew the credit from review in September 2013 due to lack of disclosure. Standard & Poor’s does not rate the commonwealth.
Puerto Rico. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, along with its related issuers, are among the largest and most widely held issuers of municipal bonds, due in part to such bonds’ exemption from federal, local and state taxes in all U.S. states. However, certain municipal issuers in Puerto Rico have continued to experience significant financial difficulties. Credit rating firms, Standard & Poor’s, Fitch Ratings, and Moody’s Investors Service, have downgraded their respective ratings of Puerto Rico’s general obligation debt further below investment grade, along with the ratings of certain related Puerto Rico issuers. On July 7, 2016, Standard & Poor’s downgraded Puerto Rico’s general obligation rating to D. On July 1, 2016, Moody’s revised the outlook on Puerto Rico’s Caa3 general obligation rating to developing from negative. On July 5, 2016, Fitch Ratings downgraded Puerto Rico to D. Additionally, several of the other credit agencies have maintained a negative outlook on certain Puerto Rico issuers. More recently, Moody’s withdrew its ratings on Puerto Rico in July 2021. Although the Fund has not been required to sell securities that have been downgraded to below investment grade, it is prohibited from making further purchases of any securities not rated investment grade by at least one U.S. nationally recognized rating service.
In June 2014, Governor Padilla signed into law the Puerto Rico Public Corporation Debt Enforcement and Recovery Act (Act), citing a "fiscal emergency" relating to certain of its public corporations. According to the governor, the Act was meant to provide a legal framework that can be used by certain Puerto Rico public corporations, including Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), to seek protection from creditors and to reorganize and restructure their debt should they become insolvent. Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, neither Puerto Rico nor its subdivisions or agencies are currently eligible to file under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in order to seek protection from creditors or restructure their debt.
In June 2014, certain Franklin Templeton mutual funds, along with other unaffiliated funds, filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico seeking a declaratory judgment that the Act is unconstitutional and not enforceable. Multiple courts ruled in favor of Franklin Templeton, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Beginning in August 2014, PREPA, Puerto Rico’s main supplier of electricity, has participated in ongoing discussions with its creditors, including certain Franklin Templeton mutual funds, about a framework to address PREPA’s financial and operational challenges. As part of these discussions, bondholders constituting approximately 60% of PREPA's bondholders agreed not to commence legal proceedings or exercise certain rights relating to claims of default in order to permit the negotiation of a possible financial restructuring. In December 2015, certain Franklin Templeton mutual funds, along with other holders totaling approximately 60% of outstanding debt, signed a Restructuring Support Agreement (the “RSA”) that would provide for, among other things, a restructuring of PREPA debt. Implementation of this agreement was subject to various conditions and approvals, including the need of the Puerto Rico legislature to approve legislation to establish a securitization framework for new PREPA debt. After the legislature was unable to pass PREPA securitization legislation by the initial January 22, 2016, deadline set forth in one of the conditions, the RSA was terminated. PREPA and the creditors entered into a new RSA on January 27, 2016, which incorporated most of the terms of the prior RSA with certain amendments, including the extension of the deadline to pass the securitization legislation to February 16, 2016. The securitization legislation received all required approvals when the Puerto Rico Senate approved it on February 10, 2016, the Puerto Rico House approved it on February 15, 2016, and the legislation was signed by the governor of Puerto Rico on February 16, 2016. The RSA terminated on June 30, 2017, after the Oversight Board rejected the agreement and no extension was agreed upon. The Oversight Board then authorized a Title III bankruptcy filing and PREPA defaulted on July 3, 2017. On July 20, 2018, the Oversight Board, PREPA, the Ad Hoc Bondholder Group and Autoridad de Asesoría Financiera y Agencia Fiscal (AAFAF) agreed on a preliminary Restructuring Support Agreement and parties agreed to a definitive Restructuring Support Agreement on May 3, 2019. The RSA was terminated in March 2022 and parties are participating in court ordered mediation to find a new solution. The results of legislation and this restructuring could impact the value of debt issued by PREPA, which could affect the Fund's liquidity and performance.
On June 30, 2016, President Obama signed the “Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act" (PROMESA) that provides for an oversight board as well as a restructuring process under the Territory Clause. The President appointed board members on August 31, 2016 and the Board held its first public meeting in September 2016. PROMESA allows the Oversight Board to file for bankruptcy on behalf of Puerto Rico and certain agencies (Title III under PROMESA) when certain conditions are met. As of this writing, all governmental entities that have taken advantage of
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PROMESA have been restructured and are no longer in default, with the exception of PREPA, as mentioned above.
Puerto Rico's economy has traditionally tracked that of the U.S. mainland. However, as an island it is more exposed to environmental risks and demographic risks. Puerto Rico entered its own recession in 2006 ahead of the mainland, and as a result of population flight to the mainland, Puerto Rico struggled to recover. After beginning the restructuring process, it was hit by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which caused extensive damage. This was followed by earthquakes in 2019 and COVID-19 in 2020. As a result of significant federal aid to rebuild after the natural disasters, COVID-19 relief and savings by not paying debt service during the restructuring, the government is better situated from a financial standpoint. As outlined below, most demographic and economic metrics still have not rebounded.
Puerto Rico’s unemployment rate remains high compared to mainland metrics, but has improved from highs over the past decade, despite volatility after Hurricane Maria. For fiscal year 2022, it was 6.9%, which has improved through March 2023 to 5.8%. Total non-farm payroll employment (seasonally adjusted) has declined on a year-over-year basis for since 2013. The impact of Hurricane Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic have continued to impact these numbers. However, Puerto Rico is seeing growth over the last few months as it did after Hurricane Maria. Payroll employment, which 920,800 for 2022 has improved to 946,100 in March 2023 and 2.6% increase on a year-over-year basis. Tourism is an important part of the economy and visitors to the island was significantly impacted by Hurricane Maria, the earthquakes and COVID-19. The largest employment sectors include services (40%), government (21%), trade (17%) and manufacturing (9%) as of March 2023. While the manufacturing sector only makes up 9% of employment, it is the largest sector in terms of gross domestic product. According to preliminary 2017 data, the most current available, the manufacturing sector contributed 48.2% of total GDP. The manufacturing sector has undergone some major changes. Pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and technology became growth areas in the 1990s, but this trend has reversed since then, with manufacturing employment declining 38% from fiscal years 2007 to 2015 (most recent data available).
Tourism is an important part of the economy and tax revenues for the island. The island saw total hotel registrations of 2.4 million for 2022, which was a 5.2% increase year-over-year. For 2022, the total number of visitors to the island increased nearly 250%, which reflects the reopening of travel post-COVID-19. Occupancy rates hover around 67.2%, down from historical highs, but improved post COVID-19.
The island’s population has stabilized over the past several years, which is improvement from out-migration experienced for the last decade or more.
The commonwealth has had deficit financial results for well over a decade. The deficit operations resulted from incorrect revenue assumptions, underestimated spending levels, lack of financial management, poor collection rates and a weak economy, among other things. The Fortuño and Padilla Administrations each tried to implement economic and fiscal revitalization plans but neither was able to turn around its deficit operations. The commonwealth has not produced audited financial statements since June 30, 2020. On a cash basis, the government is producing better than budgeted results. This is in part due to federal aid, conservative budgeting and the re-opening of the economy after COVID-19 related closures. Cash has also been bolstered by the fact the government has not been paying debt service. When the bankruptcy is complete and the Federal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) ends, it will be important to see how the government manages its budget and incorporates restarting debt service payments on restructured debt.
Puerto Rico’s debt levels have always been above per capita metrics for the nation as a whole given Puerto Rico centralizes the majority of its debt issuance at the territory level. These debt levels also increased as Puerto Rico financed significant capital and infrastructure improvements and historically the commonwealth has relied on the capital markets for funding of current year expenses. As a result of the bankruptcy, Puerto Rico has restructured nearly all of its governmental debt (excluding PREPA), which has not only brought down overall debt levels, but lowered annual debt service requirements.
According to the June 30, 2020, actuarial report, Puerto Rico continues to maintain a very large unfunded pension liability of $42 billion and its primary pension fund had an estimated funded ratio of below 1%. It also had an estimated unfunded other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liability of $1.3 billion as of June 30, 2020. The commonwealth issued pension obligation bonds in early 2008, secured by future employer contributions. In March 2013, the governor and legislature approved sweeping pension reforms to Puerto Rico's general retirement system, which should help mitigate the huge increases in annual funding required of the government when assets are depleted. This reform should reduce potential additional annual funding requirements from as high as $700-900 million a year to closer to $200 million. The pension reforms were challenged, but the Puerto Rico Supreme Court upheld their constitutionality in June 2013. In late 2013, the governor and legislature approved reforms to the Teachers Retirement System, which were quickly challenged. In April 2014, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court ruled the reforms were unconstitutional and the governor has yet to comment on any alternative plans. Despite this pension reform, the commonwealth still faces large pension requirements and a pension fund with an extremely large unfunded liability.
Outstanding issues relating to the potential for a transition to statehood may also have broad implications for Puerto Rico and its financial and credit position. The political party in power currently supports statehood. The U.S. House of
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Representatives has considered legislation that would allow the residents of Puerto Rico to vote on its political status. If approved by Congress, Puerto Rico would first hold a referendum asking residents if they prefer Puerto Rico to be a self-governing commonwealth or to change the island's status. If a majority were to vote for a different status, the island would then hold a second election to decide what status is desired. One of these options would be statehood. The president has recommended Congress appropriate money for Puerto Rico to hold a non-partisan election on the question of political status. It is not clear what the timeline, outcome or repercussions could be of such a vote. A plebiscite was held on June 8, 2017, and although 97% of voters chose statehood, only 23% of voters turned out to vote. The current governor supports statehood; as a result, the topic is more prominent than when a non-statehood governor is in office.
U.S. Virgin Islands. The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States, located approximately 40 miles east of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Virgin Islands is composed of the main islands of Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas, along with a series of smaller islands. The total land area of the territory is 133.73 square miles.
The U.S. Virgin Islands continues to experience negative net migration, completing 2020 with an estimated population of 106,290. Total residents have declined by approximately 1.9% over the last decade. Total nonfarm employment was 35,234 as of February 2023, essentially flat to a year earlier and still below highs in 2014. The unemployment rate was 4.2% as of December 2022, the lowest in two decades. The local economy remains narrow, with tourism and related industries accounting for roughly 80% of annual economic activity. Total visitors to the island declined by 58.7% in 2020 to 856,147 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of visitors to the USVI improved in 2021 but is still far below pre-COVID-19 levels. Average hotel occupancy approximated 56.6% as of February 2022.
Weaker tourism trends have negatively impacted economic activity, as nominal GDP has contracted by an aggregate 13.2% over the last five years. Per capita personal income approximated $25,497 in 2019, representing just 45.4% of the national average. The economy has been additionally impacted by the closure of the Hovensa petroleum refinery in 2012. The refinery was previously the largest employer and taxpayer on the islands; the closure resulted in the loss of roughly 2,000 jobs. The USVI labor force totaled 39,709 as of January 31, 2022, which is up 2.9% from the same period in 2021. The USVI unemployment rate stood at approximately 8.2% as of January 31, 2022.
The USVI maintains elevated fixed costs, with net tax supported debt of $2.006 billion. Debt-per-capita approximates $18,752, which is well above the 50-state median of $1,068. Net tax-supported debt additionally represents 52.8% of GDP, which is also well above the 50-state median and second highest among the territories after Puerto Rico. The government employees’ retirement system also has a very large unfunded liability, which has been exacerbated by the government’s deferral of its statutorily-required contributions. As of September 30, 2019, the pension system had a funded ratio of 16%; the system’s actuaries project the system will exhaust its assets in fiscal year 2024. In 2022, the USVI refinanced part of its outstanding debt in an effort to not just take advantage of lower rates, but provide a new waterfall of revenues that can be dedicated to its pension system. This additional revenue source should help stabilize the pension fund, however it remains to be seen how materially pension metrics will improve.
The USVI has struggled to provide audited financial statements in a timely manner. The territory has still not disclosed audited financials since fiscal year 2019.
Policies and Procedures Regarding the Release of Portfolio Holdings
The Fund's overall policy with respect to the release of portfolio holdings is to release such information consistent with applicable legal requirements and the fiduciary duties owed to shareholders. Subject to the limited exceptions described below, the Fund will not make available to anyone non-public information with respect to its portfolio holdings, until such time as the information is made available to all shareholders or the general public.
For purposes of this policy, portfolio holdings information does not include aggregate, composite or descriptive information that, in the reasonable judgement of the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer, does not present risks of dilution, arbitrage, market timing, insider trading or other inappropriate trading to the detriment of the Fund. Information excluded from the definition of portfolio holdings information generally includes, without limitation: (1) descriptions of allocations among asset classes, regions, countries or industries/sectors; (2) aggregated data such as average or median ratios, market capitalization, credit quality or duration; (3) performance attributions by industry, sector or country; or (4) aggregated risk statistics. Such information, if made available to anyone, will be made available to any person upon request, but, because such information is generally not material to investors, it may or may not be posted on the Fund's website. In addition, other information may also be deemed to not be portfolio holdings information if, in the reasonable belief of the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer (or his/her designee), the release of such information would not present risks of dilution, arbitrage, market timing, insider trading or other inappropriate trading for the Fund.
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Consistent with current law, the Fund releases complete portfolio holdings information each fiscal quarter through regulatory filings with no more than a 60-day lag.
In addition, subject to the limited exceptions noted below, a complete list of the Fund's portfolio holdings is generally released no sooner than 15 calendar days after the end of each calendar month but may be released earlier provided the release is made available to the general public. Other portfolio holdings information, such as top 10 holdings, commentaries and other materials that may reference specific holdings information of the Fund as of the most recent month end are generally released five days after the end of each month but may be released earlier or later as deemed appropriate by the portfolio manager of the applicable Fund. Released portfolio holdings information can be viewed at franklintempleton.com.
To the extent that this policy would permit the release of portfolio holdings information regarding a particular portfolio holding for the Fund that is the subject of ongoing purchase or sale orders/programs, or if the release of such portfolio holdings information would otherwise be sensitive or inappropriate due to liquidity or other market considerations, the portfolio manager for the Fund may request that the release of such information be withheld.
Exceptions to the portfolio holdings release policy (to the extent not otherwise permitted pursuant to an exclusion) will be made only when: (1) the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for releasing portfolio holdings information in advance of release to all shareholders or the general public; (2) the recipient is subject to a duty of confidentiality pursuant to a signed non-disclosure agreement; and (3) the release of such information would not otherwise violate the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws or fiduciary duties owed to Fund shareholders. The determination of whether to grant an exception, which includes the determination of whether the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for releasing portfolio holdings information in advance of release to all shareholders shall be made by the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee, following a request submitted in writing.
The eligible third parties to whom portfolio holdings information may be released in advance of general release fall into the following categories: data consolidators (including rating agencies), fund rating/ranking services and other data providers; service providers to the Fund, investment manager; municipal securities brokers using the Investor Tools product which brings together buyers and sellers of municipal securities in the normal operation of the municipal securities markets; certain entities, in response to any regulatory requirements, approved by the investment manager’s Chief Compliance Officer in limited circumstances; and transition managers hired by Fund shareholders. In addition, should the Fund process a shareholder’s redemption request in-kind, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, provide portfolio holdings information to such shareholder to the extent necessary to allow the shareholder to prepare for receipt of such portfolio securities.
The specific entities to whom the Fund may provide portfolio holdings in advance of their release to the general public are:
• Bloomberg, Capital Access, CDA (Thomson Reuters), FactSet, Fidelity Advisors, S&P Global Ratings, Vestek, and Fidelity Trust Company, all of whom may receive portfolio holdings information 15 days after the quarter end.
• Service providers to the Fund that receive portfolio holdings information from time to time in advance of general release in the course of performing, or to enable them to perform, services for the Fund, including: Custodian Bank: JPMorgan Chase Bank; Sub-Administrator: JPMorgan Chase Bank; Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; Outside Fund Legal Counsel: Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP; Independent Directors'/Trustees' Counsel: Vedder Price P.C.; Proxy Voting Services: Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC and Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc.; Brokerage Analytical Services: Sanford Bernstein, Brown Brothers Harriman, Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets, JP Morgan Securities Inc.; Financial Printers: Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. or GCOM Solutions, Inc.
Eligible third parties that do not otherwise have a duty of confidentiality or have not acknowledged such a duty are required to (a) execute a non-disclosure agreement that includes the following provisions or (b) otherwise acknowledge and represent adherence to substantially similar provisions. Non-disclosure agreements include the following provisions:
• The recipient agrees to keep confidential until such information either is released to the public or the release is otherwise approved by the Chief Compliance Officer.
• The recipient agrees not to trade on the non-public information received.
• The recipient agrees to refresh its representation as to confidentiality and abstention from trading upon request from Franklin Templeton.
In no case does the Fund receive any compensation in connection with the arrangements to release portfolio holdings information to any of the above-described recipients of the information.
A fund other than a U.S. registered Franklin Templeton fund, such as an offshore fund or an unregistered private fund, with holdings that are not substantially similar to the holdings of a
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U.S. registered Franklin Templeton fund, is not subject to the restrictions imposed by the policy.
Several investment managers within Franklin Templeton (F-T Managers) serve as investment managers to offshore funds that are registered or otherwise authorized for sale with foreign regulatory authorities. Certain of these offshore funds may from time to time invest in securities substantially similar to those of the Fund. The release of portfolio holdings information for such offshore funds is excluded from the Fund's portfolio holdings release policy if such information is given to banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies, registered investment managers and other financial institutions (offshore investment managers) with discretionary authority to select offshore funds on behalf of their clients. Such information may only be disclosed for portfolio analytics, such as risk analysis/asset allocation, and the offshore investment manager will be required to execute a non-disclosure agreement, whereby such offshore investment manager: (1) agrees that it is subject to a duty of confidentiality; (2) agrees that it will not (a) purchase or sell any portfolio securities based on any information received; (b) trade against any U.S. registered Franklin Templeton fund, including the Fund; (c) knowingly engage in any trading practices that are adverse to any such fund or its shareholders; and (d) trade in shares of any such fund; and (3) agrees to limit the dissemination of such information so received within its organization other than to the extent necessary to fulfill its obligations with respect to portfolio analytics for its discretionary clients.
Certain F-T Managers serve as investment advisers to privately placed funds that are exempt from registration, including Canadian institutional pooled funds (“Canadian funds”). In certain circumstances, such unregistered private funds and Canadian funds may have portfolio holdings that are not, in the aggregate, substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered fund, as determined by the Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee. Under such circumstances the release of portfolio holdings information to a client or potential client or unitholder of the unregistered private fund or Canadian fund may be permissible. In circumstances where an unregistered private fund or Canadian fund invests in portfolio securities that, in the aggregate, are substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered fund, such private funds and Canadian funds are subject to the restrictions imposed by the policy, except that the release of holdings information to a current investor therein is permissible conditioned upon such investor’s execution of a non-disclosure agreement to mitigate the risk that portfolio holdings information may be used to trade inappropriately against a fund. Such non-disclosure agreement must provide that the investor: (1) agrees that it is subject to a duty of confidentiality; (2) agrees to not disseminate such information (except that the investor may be permitted to disseminate such information to an agent as necessary to allow the performance of portfolio analytics with respect to the investor’s investment in such fund), and (3) agrees not to trade on the non-public information received or trade in shares of any U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund that is managed in a style substantially similar to that of such fund, in the case of a Canadian fund.
U.S. registered open-end funds and offshore registered funds that invest substantially all of their assets in registered open-end funds and/or Exchange Traded Funds are excepted from the policy’s restrictions.
Certain F-T Managers provide model portfolios composed of portfolio holdings information to the sponsors of programs offering separately managed accounts, unified model accounts or similar accounts (“Program Sponsors”). If such model portfolios are substantially similar to those of a U.S. registered fund, such model portfolios may be provided to Program Sponsors so long as: (1) the recipient Program Sponsors has executed a non-disclosure agreement or other agreement containing or incorporating confidentiality provisions that restrict the use and dissemination of confidential portfolio holdings information received by the Program Sponsor as described in the following sentence, or other provisions that impose similar restrictions on such use and dissemination and, (2) the model portfolio has been deemed sufficiently liquid by the F-T Manager's liquidity committee or the applicable F-T Managers for the strategies of the applicable model portfolios, as determined in their reasonable judgment. Such agreement must provide that the Program Sponsor agrees that: (1) it is subject to a duty of confidentiality; (2) it will use confidential model portfolio information only to the extent necessary to perform its obligations under the agreement; and (3) it will not disclose confidential model portfolio information except to personnel or parties who have a need to know such confidential information in connection with, or in order to fulfill the purposes contemplated by, the agreement.
Some F-T Managers serve as sub-advisers to other mutual funds not within the Franklin Templeton fund complex ("other funds"), which may be managed in a style substantially similar to that of a U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund. Such other funds are not subject to the Fund's portfolio holdings release policy. The sponsors of such funds may disclose the portfolio holdings of such funds at different times than the Fund discloses its portfolio holdings.
The Fund's portfolio holdings release policy and all subsequent amendments have been reviewed and approved by the Fund's board, and any other material amendments shall also be reviewed and approved by the board. The investment manager's compliance staff conducts periodic reviews of compliance with the policy and provides at least annually a report to the board regarding the operation of the policy and any material changes recommended as a result of such review. The investment manager's compliance staff also
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will supply the board yearly with a list of exceptions granted to the policy, along with an explanation of the legitimate business purpose of the Fund that is served as a result of the exception.
The Trust has a board of trustees. Each trustee will serve until that person resigns or retires and/or a successor is elected and qualified. The board is responsible for the overall management of the Trust, including general supervision and review of each Fund's investment activities. The board, in turn, appoints the officers of the Trust who are responsible for administering the Fund's day-to-day operations. The board also monitors the Fund to help ensure that no material conflicts exist among share classes. While none are expected, the board will act appropriately to resolve any material conflict that may arise.
The name, year of birth and address of the officers and board members, as well as their affiliations, positions held with the Trust, principal occupations during at least the past five years, number of portfolios overseen in the Franklin Templeton fund complex and other directorships held during at least the past five years are shown below.
Independent Board Members
Name,
Year of Birth |
Position |
Length
of Time |
Number
of Portfolios Overseen
by |
Other Directorships Held During at Least the Past 5 Years |
Harris J. Ashton (1932) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Trustee |
Since 1984 |
118 |
Bar-S Foods (meat packing company) (1981-2010). |
Director
of various companies; and formerly,
Director, RBC Holdings, Inc. (bank holding company) (until 2002); and
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, General Host
Corporation (nursery and craft centers) (until 1998). | ||||
Terrence
J. Checki (1945) |
Trustee |
Since 2017 |
118 |
Hess Corporation (exploration of oil and gas) (2014-present). |
Member
of the Council on Foreign Relations (1996-present); Member of the National
Committee on U.S.-China Relations (1999-present); member of the board of
trustees of the Economic Club of New York (2013-present); member of the
board of trustees of the Foreign Policy Association (2005-present); member
of the board of directors of Council of the Americas (2007-present) and
the Tallberg Foundation (2018-present); and formerly,
Executive Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Head
of its Emerging Markets and Internal Affairs Group and Member of
Management Committee (1995-2014); and Visiting Fellow at the Council on
Foreign Relations (2014). | ||||
Mary C. Choksi (1950) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Trustee |
Since 2014 |
118 |
Omnicom Group Inc. (advertising and marketing communications services) (2011-present) and White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (holding company) (2017-present); and formerly, Avis Budget Group Inc. (car rental) (2007-2020). |
Director
of various companies; and formerly,
Founder and Senior Advisor, Strategic Investment Group (investment
management group) (2015-2017); Founding Partner and Senior Managing
Director, Strategic Investment Group (1987-2015); Founding Partner and
Managing Director, Emerging Markets Management LLC (investment management
firm) (1987-2011); and Loan Officer/Senior Loan Officer/Senior Pension
Investment Officer, World Bank Group (international financial institution)
(1977-1987). |
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Name,
Year of Birth |
Position |
Length
of Time |
Number
of Portfolios Overseen
by |
Other Directorships Held During at Least the Past 5 Years |
Edith E. Holiday (1952) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Lead Independent Trustee |
Trustee since 1998 and Lead Independent Trustee since 2019 |
118 |
Hess Corporation (exploration of oil and gas) (1993-present), Santander Consumer USA Holdings, Inc. (consumer finance) (2016-present); Santander Holdings USA (holding company) (2019-present); and formerly, Canadian National Railway (railroad) (2001-2021), White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (holding company) (2004-2021), RTI International Metals, Inc. (manufacture and distribution of titanium) (1999-2015) and H.J. Heinz Company (processed foods and allied products) (1994-2013). |
Director
or Trustee of various companies and trusts; and formerly,
Assistant to the President of the United States and Secretary of the
Cabinet (1990-1993); General Counsel to the United States Treasury
Department (1989-1990); and Counselor to the Secretary and Assistant
Secretary for Public Affairs and Public Liaison-United States Treasury
Department (1988-1989). | ||||
J. Michael Luttig (1954) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Trustee |
Since 2009 |
118 |
Boeing Capital Corporation (aircraft financing) (2006-2010). |
Counselor
and Special Advisor to the CEO and Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola
Company (beverage company) (2021-present); and formerly,
Counselor and Senior Advisor to the Chairman, CEO, and Board of Directors,
of The Boeing Company (aerospace company), and member of the Executive
Council (2019-2020); Executive Vice President, General Counsel and member
of the Executive Council, The Boeing Company (2006-2019); and Federal
Appeals Court Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
(1991-2006). | ||||
Larry D. Thompson (1945) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Trustee |
Since 2007 |
118 |
Graham Holdings Company (education and media organization) (2011-2021); The Southern Company (energy company) (2014-2020; previously 2010-2012) and Cbeyond, Inc. (business communications provider) (2010-2012). |
Director
of various companies; Counsel, Finch McCranie, LLP (law firm)
(2015-present); John A. Sibley Professor of Corporate and Business Law,
University of Georgia School of Law (2015-present; previously 2011-2012);
and formerly,
Independent Compliance Monitor and Auditor, Volkswagen AG (manufacturer of
automobiles and commercial vehicles) (2017-2020); Executive Vice President
- Government Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, PepsiCo,
Inc. (consumer products) (2012-2014); Senior Vice President - Government
Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary, PepsiCo, Inc. (2004-2011); Senior
Fellow of The Brookings Institution (2003-2004); Visiting Professor,
University of Georgia School of Law (2004); and Deputy Attorney General,
U.S. Department of Justice (2001-2003). | ||||
Valerie M. Williams (1956) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Trustee |
Since 2021 |
110 |
Omnicom Group, Inc. (advertising and marketing communications services) (2016-present), DTE Energy Co. (gas and electric utility) (2018-present), Devon Energy Corporation (exploration and production of oil and gas) (2021-present); and formerly, WPX Energy, Inc. (exploration and production of oil and gas) (2018-2021). |
Director
of various companies; and formerly,
Regional Assurance Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (public
accounting) (2005-2016) and various roles of increasing responsibility at
Ernst & Young (1981-2005). |
28
Interested Board Members and Officers
Name, Year of Birth and Address |
Position |
Length of Time Served |
Number
of Portfolios |
Other
Directorships Held |
|||||
Gregory E. Johnson2 (1961) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Chairman of the Board and Trustee |
Chairman of the Board since January 2023 and Trustee since 2007 |
129 |
None |
|||||
Executive
Chairman, Chairman of the Board and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.;
officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the
other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the
Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund complex; Vice Chairman, Investment
Company Institute; and formerly,
Chief Executive Officer (2013-2020) and President (1994-2015) Franklin
Resources, Inc. |
|||||||||
Rupert H. Johnson, Jr.3 (1940) One Franklin Parkway San
Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Trustee |
Since 2013 |
118 |
None |
|||||
Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years: Director
(Vice Chairman), Franklin Resources, Inc.; Director, Franklin Advisers,
Inc.; and officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some
of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds
in the Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund complex. |
|||||||||
Ben
Barber (1969) |
Vice President |
Since 2020 |
Not Applicable |
Not Applicable | |||||
Senior
Vice President, Franklin Advisers, Inc.; Director, Municipal Bonds;
officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund
complex; and formerly, Co-Head
of Municipal Bonds, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
(1999-2020). | |||||||||
Ted P. Becker (1951) 280 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017 |
Chief Compliance Officer |
Since June 2023 |
Not Applicable |
Not Applicable |
|||||
Vice President, Global Compliance of Franklin Templeton (since 2020); Chief Compliance Officer of Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (since 2006); Chief Compliance Officer of certain funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2006); formerly, Director of Global Compliance at Legg Mason (2006 to 2020); Managing Director of Compliance of Legg Mason & Co. (2005 to 2020). |
|||||||||
Sonal Desai, Ph.D. (1963) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
President and Chief Executive Officer – Investment Management |
Since 2018 |
Not Applicable |
Not Applicable |
|||||
Director
and Executive Vice President, Franklin Advisers, Inc.; Executive Vice
President, Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC; and officer of certain
funds in the Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund complex. |
|||||||||
Matthew T. Hinkle (1971) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Chief Executive Officer - Finance and Administration |
Since 2017 |
Not Applicable |
Not Applicable |
|||||
Senior
Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; officer of certain funds
in the Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund complex; and formerly,
Vice President, Global Tax (2012-April 2017) and Treasurer/Assistant
Treasurer, Franklin Templeton (2009-2017). |
|||||||||
Susan Kerr (1949) 280 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017 |
Vice President - AML Compliance |
Since 2021 |
Not Applicable |
Not Applicable |
|||||
Senior
Compliance Analyst, Franklin Templeton; Chief Anti-Money Laundering
Compliance Officer, Legg Mason & Co., or its affiliates; Anti Money
Laundering Compliance Officer; Senior Compliance Officer, LMIS; and
officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund
complex. |
Christopher Kings (1974) One
Franklin Parkway |
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer |
Since 2022 |
Not Applicable |
Not Applicable |
Treasurer,
U.S. Fund Administration & Reporting; and officer of certain funds in
the Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund
complex. |
29
Navid J. Tofigh (1972) One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 |
Vice President and Secretary |
Vice President since 2015 and Secretary since June 2023 |
Not Applicable |
Not Applicable |
Senior
Associate General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; and officer of certain
funds in the Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund
complex. | ||||
Note 1: Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. is the uncle of Gregory E. Johnson.
Note 2: Officer information is current as of the date of this SAI. It is possible that after this date, information about officers may change.
1. We base the number of portfolios on each separate series of the U.S. registered investment companies within the Franklin Templeton/Legg Mason fund complex. These portfolios have a common investment manager or affiliated investment managers.
2. Gregory E. Johnson is considered to be an interested person of the Fund under the federal securities laws due to his position as an officer and director of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Resources), which is the parent company of the Fund's investment manager and distributor.
3. Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. is considered to be an interested person of the Fund under the federal securities laws due to his position as an officer and director and a major shareholder of Resources, which is the parent company of the Fund's investment manager and distributor.
The Trust's independent board members constitute the sole independent board members of 24 investment companies in the Franklin Templeton complex for which each independent board member currently is paid a $304,000 annual retainer fee, together with a $7,000 per meeting fee for attendance at each regularly scheduled board meeting, a portion of which fees are allocated to the Trust. To the extent held, compensation may also be paid for attendance at specially held board meetings. The Trust's lead independent board member is paid an annual supplemental retainer of $40,000 for services to such investment companies, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. Board members who serve on the Audit Committee of the Trust and such other funds are paid a $10,000 annual retainer fee, together with a $3,000 fee per Committee meeting in which they participate, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. Terrence J. Checki, who serves as chairman of the Audit Committee of the Trust and such other funds receives a fee of $50,000 per year in lieu of the Audit Committee member retainer fee, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. The following table provides the total fees paid to independent board members by the Trust and by other funds in Franklin Templeton.
Name |
|
Total Fees Received from the Trust ($)1 |
|
|
Total Fees Received from Franklin Templeton ($)2 |
|
|
Number of Boards in Franklin Templeton on which Each Serves3 |
| |
Harris J. Ashton |
|
26,460 |
|
|
639,202 |
|
|
35 |
| |
Terrence J. Checki |
|
32,440 |
|
|
441,000 |
|
|
35 |
| |
Mary C. Choksi |
|
29,517 |
|
|
683,756 |
|
|
35 |
| |
Edith E. Holiday |
|
32,440 |
|
|
773,126 |
|
|
35 |
| |
J. Michael Luttig |
|
29,076 |
|
|
702,126 |
|
|
35 |
| |
Larry D. Thompson |
|
29,517 |
|
|
683,126 |
|
|
35 |
| |
Valerie M. Williams |
|
30,222 |
|
|
407,466 |
|
|
27 |
| |
1. |
For the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023. |
| ||||||||
2. |
For the calendar year ended December 31, 2022. |
| ||||||||
3. |
We base the number of boards on the number of U.S. registered investment companies in Franklin Templeton. This number does not include the total number of series or portfolios within each investment company for which the board members are responsible. |
|
Independent board members are reimbursed for expenses incurred in connection with attending board meetings and such expenses are paid pro rata by each fund in Franklin Templeton for which they serve as director or trustee. No officer or board member received any other compensation, including pension or retirement benefits, directly or indirectly from the Trust or other funds in Franklin Templeton. Certain officers or board members who are shareholders of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Resources) may be deemed to receive indirect remuneration by virtue of their participation, if any, in the fees paid to its subsidiaries.
Board members historically have followed a policy of having substantial investments in one or more of the Franklin Templeton funds, as is consistent with their individual financial goals. In February 1998, this policy was formalized through the adoption of a requirement that each board member invest one-third of fees received for serving as a director or trustee of a Templeton fund (excluding committee fees) in shares of one or more Templeton funds and one-third of fees received for serving as a director or trustee of a Franklin fund (excluding committee fees) in shares of one or more Franklin funds until the value of such investments equals or exceeds five times the annual retainer and regular board meeting fees paid to such board member. Investments in the name of family members or entities controlled by a board member constitute fund holdings of such board member for purposes of this policy, and a three-year phase-in period applies to such investment requirements for newly elected board members. In implementing such policy, a board member's fund holdings existing on February 27, 1998, are valued as of such date with subsequent investments valued at cost.
30
The following tables provide the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the board members of the Fund on December 31, 2022.
Independent Board Members
Name
of |
Dollar
Range of |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in |
Harris J. Ashton |
None |
Over $100,000 |
Terrence J. Checki |
None |
Over $100,000 |
Mary C. Choksi |
None |
Over $100,000 |
Edith E. Holiday |
Federal Intermediate -Term Fund over $100,000 |
Over $100,000 |
J. Michael Luttig |
None |
Over $100,000 |
Larry D. Thompson |
None |
Over $100,000 |
Valerie M. Williams |
None |
$50,001 - $100,000 |
Interested Board Members
Name
of |
Dollar
Range of |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in |
Gregory E. Johnson |
None |
Over $100,000 |
Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. |
None |
Over $100,000 |
Board committees The board maintains two standing committees: the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee. The Audit Committee is generally responsible for recommending the selection of the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm (auditors), including evaluating their independence and meeting with such auditors to consider and review matters relating to the Trust's financial reports and internal controls. The Audit Committee is comprised of the following independent trustees of the Trust: Terrence J. Checki, Mary C. Choksi, Edith E. Holiday, J. Michael Luttig, Larry D. Thompson and Valerie M. Williams. The Nominating Committee is comprised of the following independent trustees of the Trust: Harris J. Ashton, Terrence J. Checki, Mary C. Choksi, Edith E. Holiday, J. Michael Luttig, Larry D. Thompson and Valerie M. Williams.
The Nominating Committee is responsible for selecting candidates to serve as board members and recommending such candidates (a) for selection and nomination as independent board members by the incumbent independent board members and the full board; and (b) for selection and nomination as interested board members by the full board.
When the board has or expects to have a vacancy, the Nominating Committee receives and reviews information on individuals qualified to be recommended to the full board as nominees for election as board members, including any recommendations by “Qualifying Fund Shareholders” (as defined below). To date, the Nominating Committee has been able to identify, and expects to continue to be able to identify, from its own resources an ample number of qualified candidates. The Nominating Committee, however, will review recommendations from Qualifying Fund Shareholders to fill vacancies on the board if these recommendations are submitted in writing and addressed to the Nominating Committee at the Trust's offices at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 and are presented with appropriate background material concerning the candidate that demonstrates his or her ability to serve as a board member, including as an independent board member, of the Trust. A Qualifying Fund Shareholder is a shareholder who (i) has continuously owned of record, or beneficially through a financial intermediary, shares of the Fund having a net asset value of not less than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) during the 24-month period prior to submitting the recommendation; and (ii) provides a written notice to the Nominating Committee containing the following information: (a) the name and address of the Qualifying Fund Shareholder making the recommendation; (b) the number of shares of the Fund which are owned of record and beneficially by such Qualifying Fund Shareholder and the length of time that such shares have been so owned by the Qualifying Fund Shareholder; (c) a description of all arrangements and understandings between such Qualifying Fund Shareholder and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the recommendation is being made; (d) the name, age, date of birth, business address and residence address of the person or persons being recommended; (e) such other information regarding each person recommended by such Qualifying Fund Shareholder as would be required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the SEC had the nominee been nominated by the board; (f) whether the shareholder making the recommendation believes the person recommended would or would not be an “interested person” of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act; and (g) the written consent of each person recommended to serve as a board member of the Trust if so nominated and elected/appointed.
The Nominating Committee may amend these procedures from time to time, including the procedures relating to the evaluation of nominees and the process for submitting recommendations to the Nominating Committee.
During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, the Audit Committee met three times; the Nominating Committee did not meet.
Board role in risk oversight The board, as a whole, considers risk management issues as part of its general oversight responsibilities throughout the year at regular board meetings, through regular reports that have been developed by management, in consultation with the board and its counsel. These reports address certain investment, valuation, liquidity and compliance matters. The board also may receive special written reports or presentations on a variety of risk issues (e.g., COVID-19 related issues), either upon the
31
board’s request or upon the investment manager’s initiative. In addition, the Audit Committee of the board meets regularly with the investment manager's internal audit group to review reports on their examinations of functions and processes within Franklin Templeton that affect the Fund.
With respect to investment risk, the board receives regular written reports describing and analyzing the investment performance of the Fund. In addition, the portfolio managers of the Fund meet regularly with the board to discuss portfolio performance, including investment risk. To the extent that the Fund changes a particular investment strategy that could have a material impact on the Fund’s risk profile, the board generally is consulted with respect to such change. To the extent that the Fund invests in certain complex securities, including derivatives, the board receives periodic reports containing information about exposure of the Fund to such instruments. In addition, the investment manager's investment risk personnel meet regularly with the board to discuss a variety of issues, including the impact on the Fund of the investment in particular securities or instruments, such as derivatives and commodities.
With respect to valuation, the Fund’s investment manager provides periodic reports to the board that enable the board to oversee the Fund's investment manager, as the board's Valuation Designee, in monitoring and assessing material risks associated with fair valuation determinations, including material conflicts of interest. In addition, the board reviews the investment manager's performance of an annual valuation risk assessment under which the investment manager seeks to identify and enumerate material valuation risks which are or may be impactful to the Fund including, but not limited to (1) the types of investments held (or intended to be held) by the Fund, giving consideration to those investments’ characteristics; (2) potential market or sector shocks or dislocations which may affect the ongoing valuation operations; and (3) the extent to which each fair value methodology uses unobservable inputs. The investment manager reports any material changes to the risk assessment, along with appropriate actions designed to manage such risks, to the Board.
With respect to liquidity risk, the board receives liquidity risk management reports under the Fund’s Liquidity Risk Management (LRM) Program and reviews, no less frequently than annually, a written report prepared by the LRM Program Administrator that addresses, among other items, the operation of the LRM Program and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation as well as any material changes to the LRM Program.
With respect to compliance risks, the board receives regular compliance reports prepared by the investment manager’s compliance group and meets regularly with the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) to discuss compliance issues, including compliance risks. In accordance with SEC rules, the independent board members meet regularly in executive session with the CCO, and the Fund’s CCO prepares and presents an annual written compliance report to the board. The Fund’s board adopts compliance policies and procedures for the Fund and approves such procedures for the Fund’s service providers. The compliance policies and procedures are specifically designed to detect and prevent violations of the federal securities laws.
The investment manager periodically provides an enterprise risk management presentation to the board to describe the way in which risk is managed on a complex-wide level. Such presentation covers such areas as investment risk, reputational risk, personnel risk, and business continuity risk.
Board structure Seventy-five percent of board members consist of independent board members who are not deemed to be “interested persons” by reason of their relationship with the Fund’s management or otherwise as provided under the 1940 Act. While the Chairperson of the Board is an interested person, the board is also served by a lead independent board member. The lead independent board member, together with independent counsel, reviews proposed agendas for board meetings and generally acts as a liaison with management with respect to questions and issues raised by the independent board members. The lead independent board member also presides at separate meetings of independent board members held in advance of each scheduled board meeting where various matters, including those being considered at such board meeting are discussed. It is believed such structure and activities assure that proper consideration is given at board meetings to matters deemed important to the Fund and its shareholders.
Trustee qualifications Information on the Fund’s officers and board members appears above including information on the business activities of board members during the past five years and beyond. In addition to personal qualities, such as integrity, the role of an effective Fund board member inherently requires the ability to comprehend, discuss and critically analyze materials and issues presented in exercising judgments and reaching informed conclusions relevant to his or her duties and fiduciary obligations. The board believes that the specific background of each board member evidences such ability and is appropriate to his or her serving on the Fund’s board. As indicated, Harris J. Ashton has served as a chief executive officer of a NYSE-listed public corporation; Terrence J. Checki has served as a senior executive of a Federal Reserve Bank and has vast experience evaluating economic forces and their impact on markets, including emerging markets; Mary C. Choksi has an extensive background in asset management, including founding an investment management firm; Larry D. Thompson and Edith E. Holiday each have legal backgrounds, including high level legal positions with departments of the U.S. government; J. Michael Luttig has fifteen years of judicial experience as a Federal Appeals
32
Court Judge and eleven years of experience as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of a major public company; Valerie M. Williams has over 35 years of audit and public accounting experience serving numerous global and multi-location companies in various industries; and Gregory E. Johnson and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. are both high ranking executive officers of Franklin Templeton.
The Fund’s board of trustees has designated the investment manager as the board’s Valuation Designee to perform fair value determinations for the Fund and to assess any material risks associated with such determinations, including material conflicts of interest, if any. The Valuation Designee also performs an annual valuation risk assessment to identify and enumerate material valuation risks which are or may be impactful to the Fund. The Fund’s investment manager and its affiliates have formed a Valuation Committee (VC) to assist these obligations. The VC oversees and administers the policies and procedures governing fair valuation determination of securities. The VC meets monthly to review and approve fair value reports and conduct other business, and meets whenever necessary to review potential significant market events and take appropriate steps to adjust valuations in accordance with established policies. The VC also reviews the investment manager’s annual valuation risk assessment and provides periodic reports to the board of trustees regarding pricing determinations.
The Fund's policies and procedures governing fair valuation determination of securities have been initially reviewed and approved by the board of trustees and any material amendments will also be reviewed and approved by the board. The investment manager's compliance staff, or another group within Franklin Templeton, conducts periodic reviews of compliance with the policies and provides at least annually a report to the board of trustees regarding the operation of the policies and any material changes recommended as a result of such review.
Investment manager and services provided The Fund's investment manager is Franklin Advisers, Inc., One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906. The investment manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of Resources, a publicly owned company engaged in the financial services industry through its subsidiaries. Charles B. Johnson (former Chairman and Director of Resources) and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. are the principal shareholders of Resources.
The investment manager provides investment research and portfolio management services, and selects the securities for the Fund to buy, hold or sell. The investment manager's extensive research activities include, as appropriate, traveling to meet with issuers and to review project sites. The investment manager also selects the brokers who execute the Fund's portfolio transactions. The investment manager provides periodic reports to the board, which reviews and supervises the investment manager's investment activities. To protect the Fund, the investment manager and its officers, directors and employees are covered by fidelity insurance.
The investment manager makes decisions for the Fund in accordance with its obligations as investment adviser to the Fund. From time to time, certain affiliates may request that the investment manager focus the Fund’s investments on certain securities, strategies or markets or shift the Fund’s strategy slightly to enhance its attractiveness to specific investors, which may create a conflict of interest. The investment manager may, but is not required to, focus or shift the Fund’s investments in the manner requested provided that the investment manager believes that such investments are consistent with the Fund’s stated investment goals and strategies and are in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the investment manager and its affiliates manage numerous other investment companies and accounts. The investment manager may give advice and take action with respect to any of the other funds it manages, or for its own account, that may differ from action taken by the investment manager on behalf of the Fund. Similarly, with respect to the Fund, the investment manager is not obligated to recommend, buy or sell, or to refrain from recommending, buying or selling any security that the investment manager and access persons, as defined by applicable federal securities laws, may buy or sell for its or their own account or for the accounts of any other fund. The investment manager is not obligated to refrain from investing in securities held by the Fund or other funds it manages.
The Fund, its investment manager and principal underwriter have each adopted a code of ethics, as required by federal securities laws. Under the code of ethics, employees who are designated as access persons may engage in personal securities transactions, including transactions involving securities that are being considered for the Fund or that are currently held by the Fund, subject to certain general restrictions and procedures. The personal securities transactions of access persons of the Fund, its investment manager and principal underwriter will be governed by the code of ethics. The code of ethics is on file with, and available from, the SEC.
Management fees Each Fund, except the Federal Limited-Term Fund, pays the investment manager a fee equal to an annual rate of:
• 0.625% of the value of month-end net assets up to and including $100 million;
• 0.500% of the value of month-end net assets over $100 million up to and including $250 million;
33
• 0.450% of the value of month-end net assets over $250 million up to and including $7.5 billion;
• 0.440% of the value of month-end net assets over $7.5 billion up to and including $10 billion;
• 0.430% of the value of month-end net assets over $10 billion up to and including $12.5 billion;
• 0.420% of the value of month-end net assets over $12.5 billion up to and including $15 billion;
• 0.400% of the value of month-end net assets over $15 billion up to and including $17.5 billion;
• 0.380% of the value of month-end net assets over $17.5 billion up to and including $20 billion; and
• 0.360% of the value of month-end net assets in excess of $20 billion.
The Federal Limited-Term Fund pays the investment manager a fee equal to an annual rate of:
• 0.625% of the value of average daily net assets up to and including $100 million;
• 0.500% of the value of average daily net assets over $100 million and not over $250 million;
• 0.450% of the value of average daily net assets over $250 million and not over $7.5 billion;
• 0.440% of the value of average daily net assets over $7.5 billion and not over $10 billion;
• 0.430% of the value of average daily net assets over $10 billion and not over $12.5 billion;
• 0.420% of the value of average daily net assets over $12.5 billion and not over $15 billion;
• 0.400% of the value of average daily net assets over $15 billion and not over $17.5 billion;
• 0.380% of the value of average daily net assets over $17.5 billion and not over $20 billion; and
• 0.360% of the value of average daily net assets in excess of $20 billion.
The fee is calculated daily and paid monthly according to the terms of the management agreement. Each class of the Fund's shares pays its proportionate share of the fee.
For the last three fiscal years ended February 28, 2023, February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021, the Fund paid the following management fees:
Management Fees Earned ($) |
Management Fees Waived / Expenses Reimbursed ($) |
Management Fee Paid (After Waivers / Expenses Reimbursed) ($) | |||||
2023 | |||||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
12,522,654 |
3,425,581 |
9,097,073 |
||||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
5,638,833 |
2,400,859 |
3,237,974 |
||||
High Yield Fund |
25,513,077 |
140,453 |
25,372,624 |
||||
Massachusetts Fund |
1,940,585 |
– |
1,940,585 |
||||
New Jersey Fund |
3,562,502 |
– |
3,562,502 |
||||
2022 | |||||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
17,312,736 |
3,830,380 |
13,482,356 |
||||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
6,588,898 |
2,195,263 |
4,393,635 |
||||
High Yield Fund |
31,723,754 |
60,957 |
31,662,797 |
||||
Massachusetts Fund |
2,255,620 |
– |
2,255,620 |
||||
New Jersey Fund |
4,018,325 |
– |
4,018,325 |
||||
2021 | |||||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
16,821,598 |
3,552,268 |
13,269,330 |
||||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
5,595,758 |
1,925,188 |
3,670,570 |
||||
High Yield Fund |
29,027,618 |
3,749 |
29,023,869 |
||||
Massachusetts Fund |
2,274,895 |
– |
2,274,895 |
||||
New Jersey Fund |
4,107,958 |
– |
4,107,958 |
Portfolio managers This section reflects information about the portfolio managers as of February 28, 2023.
The following table shows the number of other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and the total assets in the accounts managed within each category:
Name |
Number of Other Registered Investment Companies Managed1 |
Assets of Other Registered Investment Companies Managed (x $1 million) 1 |
Number of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed2,3 |
Assets
of Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed |
Number of Other Accounts Managed2,3 |
Assets
of Other Accounts Managed |
Ben Barber |
4 |
9477.5 |
1 |
22.3 |
4 |
314.9 |
John Bonelli |
21 |
29847.2 |
0 |
N/A |
0 |
N/A |
James Conn |
4 |
9477.5 |
2 |
62.5 |
5 |
714.1 |
Michael Conn |
21 |
29487.2 |
0 |
N/A |
0 |
N/A |
Francisco Rivera |
4 |
9477.5 |
141 |
5854,7 |
2 |
976.1 |
Christopher Sperry |
21 |
29847.1 |
141 |
5854.7 |
0 |
N/A |
John Wiley |
21 |
29847.1 |
0 |
N/A |
1 |
603.6 |
Daniel Workman |
4 |
9477.5 |
4 |
15.3 |
1 |
372.5 |
1. These figures represent registered investment companies other than the Funds that are included in this SAI.
2. The various pooled investment vehicles and accounts listed are managed by a team of investment professionals. Accordingly, the portfolio managers listed would not be solely responsible for managing such listed amounts.
3. None of the portfolio managers manage other accounts that are subject to a performance fee.
34
Portfolio managers that provide investment services to the Fund may also provide services to a variety of other investment products, including other funds, institutional accounts and private accounts. The advisory fees for some of such other products and accounts may be different than that charged to the Fund but does not include performance based compensation. This may result in fees that are higher (or lower) than the advisory fees paid by the Fund. As a matter of policy, each fund or account is managed solely for the benefit of the beneficial owners thereof. As discussed below, the separation of the trading execution function from the portfolio management function and the application of objectively based trade allocation procedures help to mitigate potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of the portfolio managers managing accounts with different advisory fees.
Conflicts. The management of multiple funds, including the Fund, and accounts may also give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and other accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as the portfolio manager must allocate his or her time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts. The investment manager seeks to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of portfolio managers by having portfolio managers focus on a particular investment discipline. Most other accounts managed by a portfolio manager are managed using the same investment strategies that are used in connection with the management of the Fund. Accordingly, portfolio holdings, position sizes, and industry and sector exposures tend to be similar across similar portfolios, which may minimize the potential for conflicts of interest. As noted above, the separate management of the trade execution and valuation functions from the portfolio management process also helps to reduce potential conflicts of interest. However, securities selected for funds or accounts other than the Fund may outperform the securities selected for the Fund. Moreover, if a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity that may be suitable for more than one fund or other account, the Fund may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of that opportunity across all eligible funds and other accounts. The investment manager seeks to manage such potential conflicts by using procedures intended to provide a fair allocation of buy and sell opportunities among funds and other accounts.
The structure of a portfolio manager’s compensation may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. A portfolio manager’s base pay and bonus tend to increase with additional and more complex responsibilities that include increased assets under management. As such, there may be an indirect relationship between a portfolio manager’s marketing or sales efforts and his or her bonus.
Finally, the management of personal accounts by a portfolio manager may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. While the funds and the investment manager have adopted a code of ethics which they believe contains provisions designed to prevent a wide range of prohibited activities by portfolio managers and others with respect to their personal trading activities, there can be no assurance that the code of ethics addresses all individual conduct that could result in conflicts of interest.
The investment manager and the Fund have adopted certain compliance procedures that are designed to address these, and other, types of conflicts. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation where a conflict arises.
Compensation. The investment manager seeks to maintain a compensation program that is competitively positioned to attract, retain and motivate top-quality investment professionals. Portfolio managers receive a base salary, a cash incentive bonus opportunity, an equity compensation opportunity, and a benefits package. Portfolio manager compensation is reviewed annually, and the level of compensation is based on individual performance, the salary range for a portfolio manager’s level of responsibility and Franklin Templeton guidelines. Portfolio managers are provided no financial incentive to favor one fund or account over another. Each portfolio manager’s compensation consists of the following three elements:
Base salary Each portfolio manager is paid a base salary.
Annual bonus Annual bonuses are structured to align the interests of the portfolio manager with those of the Fund’s shareholders. Each portfolio manager is eligible to receive an annual bonus. Bonuses generally are split between cash (50% to 65%) and restricted shares of Resources stock (17.5% to 25%) and mutual fund shares (17.5% to 25%). The deferred equity-based compensation is intended to build a vested interest of the portfolio manager in the financial performance of both Resources and mutual funds advised by the investment manager. The bonus plan is intended to provide a competitive level of annual bonus compensation that is tied to the portfolio manager achieving consistently strong investment performance, which aligns the financial incentives of the portfolio manager and Fund shareholders. The Chief Investment Officer of the investment manager and/or other officers of the investment manager, with responsibility for the Fund, have discretion in the granting of annual bonuses to portfolio managers in accordance with Franklin Templeton guidelines. The following factors are generally used in determining bonuses under the plan:
• Investment performance. Primary consideration is given to the historic investment performance over the 1, 3 and 5 preceding years of all accounts managed by the portfolio manager. The pre-tax performance of each fund managed is measured relative to a relevant peer group and/or applicable benchmark as appropriate.
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• Non-investment performance. The more qualitative contributions of the portfolio manager to the investment manager’s business and the investment management team, including professional knowledge, productivity, responsiveness to client needs and communication, are evaluated in determining the amount of any bonus award.
• Responsibilities. The characteristics and complexity of funds managed by the portfolio manager are factored in the investment manager’s appraisal.
Additional long-term equity-based compensation Portfolio managers may also be awarded restricted shares or units of Resources stock or restricted shares or units of one or more mutual funds. Awards of such deferred equity-based compensation typically vest over time, so as to create incentives to retain key talent.
Benefits Portfolio managers also participate in benefit plans and programs available generally to all employees of the investment manager.
Ownership of Fund shares. The investment manager has a policy of encouraging portfolio managers to invest in the funds they manage. Exceptions arise when, for example, a fund is closed to new investors or when tax considerations or jurisdictional constraints cause such an investment to be inappropriate for the portfolio manager. The following is the dollar range of Fund shares beneficially owned by the portfolio managers (such amounts may change from time to time):
Portfolio Manager |
Dollar
Range of |
Ben Barber |
None |
John Bonelli |
None |
James Conn |
None |
Michael Conn |
None |
Francisco Rivera |
None |
Christopher Sperry |
None |
John Wiley |
None |
Daniel Workman |
$100,001–$500,000 |
Administrator and services provided Franklin Templeton Services, LLC (FT Services) has an agreement with the investment manager to provide certain administrative services and facilities for the Fund. FT Services is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Resources and is an affiliate of the Fund's investment manager and principal underwriter.
The administrative services FT Services provides include preparing and maintaining books, records, and tax and financial reports, and monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements.
Administration fees The investment manager pays FT Services a monthly fee equal to an annual rate of:
• 0.150% of the Fund’s average daily net assets up to and including $200 million;
• 0.135% of the Fund’s average daily net assets over $200 million, up to and including $700 million;
• 0.100% of the Fund’s average daily net assets over $700 million, up to and including $1.2 billion; and
• 0.075% of the Fund’s average daily net assets in excess of $1.2 billion.
For the last three fiscal years ended February 28, 2023, February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021, the investment manager paid FT Services the following administration fees:
Administration Fees Paid (After Waivers / Expenses Reimbursed) ($) | ||||
2023 | ||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
2,614,415 |
|||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
1,458,147 |
|||
High Yield Fund |
4,770,831 |
|||
Massachusetts Fund |
536,275 |
|||
New Jersey Fund |
1,009,266 |
|||
2022 | ||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
3,422,539 |
|||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
1,631,367 |
|||
High Yield Fund |
5,819,774 |
|||
Massachusetts Fund |
631,907 |
|||
New Jersey Fund |
1,112,737 |
|||
2021 | ||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
3,337,052 |
|||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
1,454,177 |
|||
High Yield Fund |
5,368,581 |
|||
Massachusetts Fund |
637,183 |
|||
New Jersey Fund |
1,132,865 |
Shareholder servicing and transfer agent Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC (Investor Services) is the Fund's shareholder servicing agent and acts as the Fund's transfer agent and dividend-paying agent. Investor Services is located at 3344 Quality Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-7313. Please send all correspondence to Investor Services at P.O. Box 997151, Sacramento, CA 95899-7151.
Investor Services receives a fee for servicing Fund shareholder accounts. The Fund also will reimburse Investor Services for certain out-of-pocket expenses necessarily incurred in servicing the shareholder accounts in accordance with the terms of its servicing contract with the Fund.
In addition, Investor Services may make payments to financial intermediaries that provide administrative services to defined benefit plans. Investor Services does not seek reimbursement by the Fund for such payments.
For all classes of shares of the Fund, except for Class R6 shares, Investor Services may also pay servicing fees, that will be reimbursed by the Fund, in varying amounts to certain financial institutions (to help offset their costs associated with
36
client account maintenance support, statement preparation and transaction processing) that (i) maintain omnibus accounts with the Fund in the institution's name on behalf of numerous beneficial owners of Fund shares who are either direct clients of the institution or are participants in an IRS-recognized tax-deferred savings plan (including Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans and Section 529 Plans) for which the institution, or its affiliate, provides participant level recordkeeping services (called "Beneficial Owners"); or (ii) provide support for Fund shareholder accounts by sharing account data with Investor Services through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) networking system. In addition to servicing fees received from the Fund, these financial institutions also may charge a fee for their services directly to their clients. Investor Services will also receive a fee from the Fund (other than for Class R6 shares) for services provided in support of Beneficial Owners and NSCC networking system accounts.
Sub-administrator JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JPMorgan) has an agreement with FT Services to provide certain sub-administrative services for the Fund. The administrative services provided by JPMorgan include, but are not limited to, certain fund accounting, financial reporting, tax, corporate governance and compliance and legal administration services.
Custodian JPMorgan Chase Bank, at its principal office at 270 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-2070, and at the offices of its branches and agencies throughout the world, acts as custodian of the Fund's securities and other assets.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 405 Howard Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94105, is the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm audits the financial statements included in the Trust's Annual Report to shareholders.
Since most purchases by the Fund are principal transactions at net prices, the Fund incurs little or no brokerage costs. The Fund deals directly with the selling or buying principal or market maker without incurring charges for the services of a broker on its behalf, unless it is determined that a better price or execution may be obtained by using the services of a broker. Purchases of portfolio securities from underwriters will include a commission or concession paid to the underwriter, and purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid and ask price. The Fund seeks to obtain prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price. Transactions may be directed to dealers in return for research and statistical information, as well as for special services provided by the dealers in the execution of orders.
It is not possible to place an accurate dollar value on the special execution or on the research services the investment manager receives from dealers effecting transactions in portfolio securities. The allocation of transactions to obtain additional research services allows the investment manager to supplement its own research and analysis activities and to receive the views and information of individuals and research staffs from many securities firms. The receipt of these products and services does not reduce the investment manager's research activities in providing investment advice to the Fund.
As long as it is lawful and appropriate to do so, the investment manager and its affiliates may use this research and data in their investment advisory capacities with other clients.
If purchases or sales of securities of the Fund and one or more other investment companies or clients supervised by the investment manager are considered at or about the same time, transactions in these securities will be allocated among the several investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all by the investment manager, taking into account the respective sizes of the accounts and the amount of securities to be purchased or sold. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as the Fund is concerned. In other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions may improve execution and reduce transaction costs to the Fund.
For the last three fiscal years ended February 28, 2023, February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021, the Fund paid the following brokerage commissions:
Brokerage Commissions ($) | |||||||
2023 |
2022 |
2021 | |||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
7,000 |
– |
44,013 |
||||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
7,375 |
1,750 |
11,988 |
||||
High Yield Fund |
14,000 |
32,813 |
78,819 |
||||
Massachusetts Fund |
– |
– |
– |
||||
New Jersey Fund |
– |
– |
– |
As of February 28, 2023, the Fund did not own securities of their regular broker-dealers.
The discussion below pertains to all Funds, unless otherwise noted.
The following discussion is a summary of certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders, some of which may not be described in the Fund’s prospectus. No attempt is made to present a complete detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders. The discussions here and in the prospectus are not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.
37
The following discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and applicable regulations in effect on the date of this SAI, including any amendments to the Code resulting from the TCJA. Future legislative, regulatory or administrative changes, including any provisions of law that sunset and thereafter no longer apply, or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect. Where indicated below, IRS refers to the United States Internal Revenue Service.
This is for general information only and not tax advice. All investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the federal, state, local and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.
Multi-class distributions The Fund calculates income dividends and capital gain distributions the same way for each class. The amount of any income dividends per share will differ, however, generally due to any differences in the distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees applicable to the classes and Class R6 transfer agency fees.
Distributions The Fund intends to declare income dividends from its net investment income each day that its net asset value is calculated and pay them monthly. Capital gains, if any, may be paid at least annually. The Fund may distribute income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary or appropriate in the board’s discretion. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either income dividends or capital gain distributions. Your income dividends and capital gain distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares at net asset value unless you elect to receive them in cash. Distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record in such month and paid in January are treated as if they were paid in December.
Distributions of net investment income. The Fund receives income generally in the form of interest on its investments. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund's net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. This net investment income may either be tax-exempt or taxable when distributed to you.
Exempt-interest dividends. By meeting certain requirements of the Code, the Fund qualifies to pay exempt-interest dividends to you. These dividends are derived from interest income exempt from regular federal income tax, and are not subject to regular federal income tax when they are paid to you.
In addition, to the extent that exempt-interest dividends are derived from interest on obligations of any state or its political subdivisions, or from interest on qualifying U.S. territorial obligations (including qualifying obligations of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Guam), they also may be exempt from that state's personal income tax. Income from municipal securities of other states generally does not qualify as tax-free. Because of these tax exemptions, the Fund may not be a suitable investment for retirement plans and other tax-exempt investors, or for residents of states other than the state in which a state-specific Fund primarily invests.
Corporate shareholders should be advised that these personal income tax rules may not apply to them and that exempt-interest dividends may be taxable for state income and franchise tax purposes.
Taxable income dividends. The Fund may earn taxable income from many sources, including temporary investments, the discount on stripped obligations or their coupons, income from securities loans or other taxable transactions, and ordinary income on the sale of market discount bonds. If you are a taxable investor, any income dividends the Fund pays from this income are taxable to you as ordinary income. Because the Fund invests primarily in tax-exempt debt securities, it does not anticipate that any of its dividends will be treated as qualified dividends subject to reduced rates of federal taxation for individuals.
Distributions of capital gains. The Fund may realize capital gains and losses on the sale of its portfolio securities.
Distributions of short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have owned your shares in the Fund. Any net capital gains realized by the Fund (in excess of any available capital loss carryovers) generally are distributed once each year, and may be distributed more frequently, if necessary, to reduce or eliminate excise or income taxes on the Fund.
Capital gain dividends and any net long-term capital gains you realize from the sale of Fund shares are generally taxable at the reduced long-term capital gains tax rates. For single individuals with taxable income not in excess of $44,625 in 2023 ($89,250 for married individuals filing jointly), the long-term capital gains tax rate is 0%. For single individuals and joint filers with taxable income in excess of these amounts but not more than $492,300 or $553,850, respectively, the long-term capital gains tax rate is 15%. The rate is 20% for single individuals with taxable income in excess of $492,300 and married individuals filing jointly with taxable income in excess of $553,850. The taxable income thresholds are adjusted annually for inflation. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax may also be imposed as discussed below.
Returns of capital. If the Fund's distributions exceed its earnings and profits (i.e., generally, its taxable income and realized capital gains) for a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in that taxable year may be characterized as a return of capital to you. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce the cost basis in your
38
Fund shares and will result in a higher capital gain or in a lower capital loss when you sell your shares. Any return of capital in excess of the basis in your Fund shares, however, will be taxable as a capital gain. In the case of a non-calendar year fund, earnings and profits are first allocated to distributions made on or before December 31 of its taxable year and then to distributions made thereafter. The effect of this provision is to “push” returns of capital into the next calendar year.
Undistributed capital gains. The Fund may retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain for each taxable year. The Fund currently intends to distribute net capital gains. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the applicable corporate tax rate. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders treated as if each received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain, and will increase the tax basis for its shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.
Information on the amount and tax character of distributions The Fund will inform you of the amount of your income dividends and capital gain distributions at the time they are paid, and will advise you of their tax status for federal income tax purposes shortly after the close of each calendar year. This information will include the portion of the distributions that on average are comprised of taxable or tax-exempt income, or interest income that is a tax preference item when determining your federal alternative minimum tax. If you have not owned your Fund shares for a full year, the Fund may report to shareholders and distribute to you, as taxable, tax-exempt or tax preference income, a percentage of income that may not be equal to the actual amount of each type of income earned during the period of your investment in the Fund.
The Fund makes every effort to identify reclassifications of income to reduce the number of corrected forms mailed to shareholders. However, when necessary, the Fund will send you a corrected tax reporting statement to reflect reclassified information. This can result from rules in the Code that effectively prevent regulated investment companies such as the Fund from ascertaining with certainty until after the calendar year end the final amount and character of distributions the Fund has received on its investments during the prior calendar year. If you receive a corrected tax reporting statement, use the information on this statement, and not the information on your original statement, in completing your tax returns.
Avoid "buying a dividend." At the time you purchase your Fund shares, the price of the shares may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation in the value of the portfolio securities held by the Fund. For taxable investors, a subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. Buying shares in the Fund just before it declares an income dividend or capital gain distribution is sometimes known as “buying a dividend.”
Election to be taxed as a regulated investment company The Fund has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. It has qualified as a regulated investment company for its most recent fiscal year, and intends to continue to qualify during the current fiscal year. As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you. In order to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company, the Fund must satisfy the requirements described below.
Distribution requirement. The Fund must distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its net tax-exempt income and 90% of its investment company taxable income, if any, for the tax year (including, for purposes of satisfying this distribution requirement, certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year that are treated as made during such taxable year).
Income requirement. The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities, or other income derived from its business of investing in such securities.
Asset diversification test. The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the Fund’s tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets must consist of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which the Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets in securities of an issuer and as to which the Fund does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies) or of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses.
In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by the Fund for purposes of the income requirement or the identification of the issuer for purposes of the asset diversification test is uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or
39
future guidance by the IRS with respect to such type of investment may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to satisfy these requirements. In other circumstances, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the income requirement, distribution requirement, or asset diversification test, which may have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the asset diversification test or income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.
If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the applicable corporate tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company, subject to savings provisions for certain qualification failures, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, would thus have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In that case, the Fund would be liable for federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable income and gains, and distributions to you would be taxed as dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. Even if such savings provisions apply, the Fund may be subject to a monetary sanction of $50,000 or more. Moreover, the board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.
Capital loss carryovers The capital losses of the Fund, if any, do not flow through to shareholders. Rather, the Fund may use its capital losses, subject to applicable limitations, to offset its capital gains without being required to pay taxes on or distribute to shareholders such gains that are offset by the losses. If the Fund has a "net capital loss" (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess (if any) of the Fund's net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund's net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year. Any such net capital losses of the Fund that are not used to offset capital gains may be carried forward indefinitely, subject to certain limitations, to reduce any future capital gains realized by the Fund in succeeding taxable years.
Excise tax distribution requirements
Required distributions. To avoid federal excise taxes, the Code requires the Fund to distribute to you by December 31 of each year, at a minimum, the following amounts:
• 98% of its taxable ordinary income earned during the calendar year;
• 98.2% of its capital gain net income earned during the 12-month period ending October 31; and
• 100% of any undistributed amounts of these categories of income or gain from the prior year.
The Fund intends to declare and pay these distributions in December (or to pay them in January, in which case you must treat them as received in December), but can give no assurances that its distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all taxes.
Tax reporting for income and excise tax years. Because the periods for measuring a regulated investment company’s income are different for income (determined on a fiscal year basis) and excise tax years (determined as noted above), special rules are required to calculate the amount of income earned in each period, and the amount of earnings and profits needed to support that income. For example, if the Fund uses the excise tax period ending on October 31 as the measuring period for calculating and paying out capital gain net income and realizes a net capital loss between November 1 and the end of the Fund’s fiscal year, the Fund may calculate its earnings and profits without regard to such net capital loss in order to make its required distribution of capital gain net income for excise tax purposes. The Fund also may elect to treat part or all of any "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year, which may change the timing, amount, or characterization of Fund distributions.
A "qualified late year loss” includes (i) any net capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, or, if there is no such loss, any net long-term capital loss or any net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (“post-October capital losses”), and (ii) the sum of (1) the excess, if any, of (a) specified losses incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) specified gains incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) ordinary losses incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) the ordinary income incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year. The terms “specified losses” and “specified gains” mean ordinary losses and gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property (including the termination of a position with respect to such property). The terms “ordinary losses” and “ordinary income” mean other ordinary losses and
40
income that are not described in the preceding sentence. Special rules apply to a fund with a fiscal year ending in November or December that elects to use its taxable year for determining its capital gain net income for excise tax purposes. The Fund may only elect to treat any post-October capital loss, specified gains and specified losses incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year in determining its taxable income for the current year.
Because these rules are not entirely clear, the Fund may be required to interpret the "qualified late-year loss" and other rules relating to these different year-ends to determine its taxable income and capital gains. The Fund’s reporting of income and its allocation between different taxable and excise tax years may be challenged by the IRS, possibly resulting in adjustments in the income reported by the Fund on its tax returns and/or by the Fund on your year-end tax statements.
Medicare tax An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on net investment income earned by certain individuals, estates and trusts. “Net investment income,” for these purposes, means investment income, including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares, reduced by the deductions properly allocable to such income. Investment income does not include exempt-interest dividends. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (1) the shareholder’s net investment income or (2) the amount by which the shareholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000 (in any other case). Any liability for this additional Medicare tax is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.
Sales of Fund shares Sales and exchanges of Fund shares are generally taxable transactions for federal and state income tax purposes. If you sell your Fund shares, or exchange them for shares of a different Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason fund, you are required to report any gain or loss on your sale or exchange. If you owned your shares as a capital asset, any gain or loss that you realize is a capital gain or loss, and is long-term or short-term, depending on how long you owned your shares. Under current law, shares held one year or less are short-term and shares held more than one year are long-term. The conversion of shares of one class into another class of the same fund is not a taxable exchange for federal income tax purposes. Capital losses in any year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a noncorporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.
Sales at a loss within six months of purchase. If you sell or exchange Fund shares that you owned for six months or less:
· any loss incurred is disallowed to the extent of any exempt-interest dividends paid to you on your shares, and
· any remaining loss is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gains distributed to you by the Fund.
However, the loss disallowance rule for exempt-interest dividends will not apply to any loss incurred on a redemption or exchange of shares of a fund that declares dividends daily and distributes them at least monthly.
Wash sales. All or a portion of any loss that you realize on the sale or exchange of your Fund shares will be disallowed to the extent that you buy other shares in the Fund (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after your sale or exchange. Any loss disallowed under these rules will be added to your tax basis in the new shares.
Deferral of basis. In reporting gain or loss on the sale of your Fund shares, you may be required to adjust your basis in the shares you sell under the following circumstances:
IF:
• In your original purchase of Fund shares, you paid a sales charge and received a reinvestment right (the right to reinvest your sales proceeds at a reduced or with no sales charge), and
• You sell some or all of your original shares within 90 days of their purchase, and
• You reinvest the sales proceeds in the Fund or in another Franklin Templeton fund by January 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the disposition of the original shares occurred, and the sales charge that would otherwise apply is reduced or eliminated;
THEN: In reporting any gain or loss on your sale, all or a portion of the sales charge that you paid for your original shares is excluded from your tax basis in the shares sold and added to your tax basis in the new shares.
Reportable transactions. Under Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper.
Cost basis reporting Beginning in calendar year 2012, the Fund is required to report the cost basis of Fund shares sold or exchanged to you and the IRS annually. The cost basis of Fund shares acquired by purchase will generally be
41
based on the amount paid for the shares, including any front-end sales charges, and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of Fund shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of Fund shares. Capital gains and losses on the sale or exchange of Fund shares are generally taxable transactions for federal and state income tax purposes.
Shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012. Cost basis reporting is generally required for Fund shares that are acquired by purchase, gift, inheritance or other transfer on or after January 1, 2012 (referred to as “covered shares”), and subsequently sold or exchanged on or after that date. Cost basis reporting does not apply to sales or exchanges of shares acquired before January 1, 2012, or to shares held in money market funds that maintain a stable $1 net asset value and tax-deferred accounts, such as individual retirement accounts and qualified retirement plans.
Cost basis methods. Treasury regulations permit the use of several methods to determine the cost basis of mutual fund shares. The method used will determine which specific shares are treated as sold or exchanged when there are multiple purchases at different prices and the entire position is not sold at one time.
The Fund’s default method is the average cost method. Under the average cost method, the cost basis of your Fund shares will be determined by averaging the cost basis of all outstanding shares. The holding period for determining whether gains and losses are short-term or long-term is based on the first-in-first-out method (FIFO) which treats the earliest shares acquired as those first sold or exchanged.
If you wish to select a different cost basis method, or choose to specifically identify your shares at the time of each sale or exchange, you must contact the Fund. However, once a shareholder has sold or exchanged covered shares from the shareholder’s account, a change by the shareholder from the average cost method to another permitted method will only apply prospectively to shares acquired after the date of the method change.
Under the specific identification method, Treasury regulations require that you adequately identify the tax lots of Fund shares to be sold, exchanged or transferred at the time of each transaction. An adequate identification is made by providing the dates that the shares were originally acquired and the number of shares to be sold, exchanged or transferred from each applicable tax lot. Alternatively, an adequate identification of shares may be made with a standing order of instruction on your account. If you do not provide an adequate identification the Fund is required to use the FIFO method with any shares with an unknown acquisition date treated as sold or exchanged first.
The Fund does not recommend any particular cost basis method and the use of other methods may result in more favorable tax consequences for some shareholders. It is important that you consult with your tax or financial advisor to determine which method is best for you and then notify the Fund if you intend to use a method other than average cost.
If your account is held by your financial advisor or other broker-dealer, that firm may select a different cost basis default method. In these cases, please contact the firm to obtain information with respect to the available methods and elections for your account.
Shares acquired before January 1, 2012. Cost basis reporting is not generally required for Fund shares that were acquired by purchase, gift, inheritance or other transfer prior to January 1, 2012 (referred to as “noncovered shares”), regardless of when they are sold or exchanged. As a service to shareholders, the Fund presently intends to continue to provide shareholders cost basis information for eligible accounts for shares acquired prior to January 1, 2012. Consistent with prior years, this information will not be reported to the IRS or any state taxing authority.
Shareholders that use the average cost method for shares acquired before January 1, 2012 must make the election to use the average cost method for these shares on their federal income tax returns in accordance with Treasury regulations. This election cannot be made by notifying the Fund.
Important limitations regarding cost basis information. The Fund will report the cost basis of your Fund shares by taking into account all of the applicable adjustments required by the Code for purposes of reporting cost basis information to shareholders and the IRS annually. However the Fund is not required, and in many cases the Fund does not possess the information, to take all possible basis, holding period or other adjustments into account in reporting cost basis information to you. Therefore, shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund, whether this information is provided with respect to covered or noncovered shares, and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required by the Code when reporting these amounts on their federal and state income tax returns. Shareholders remain solely responsible for complying with all federal and state income tax laws when filing their income tax returns.
Additional information about cost basis reporting. For additional information about cost basis reporting, including the methods and elections available to you, please contact Franklin Templeton at (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236. Additional information is also available on franklintempleton.com/costbasis.
Tax certification and backup withholding Tax laws require that you certify your tax information when you become an investor in the Fund. For U.S. citizens and resident aliens, this
42
certification is made on IRS Form W-9. Under these laws, the Fund must withhold a portion of your distributions and sales proceeds unless you:
• provide your correct Social Security or taxpayer identification number,
• certify that this number is correct,
• certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, and
• certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).
If you fail to meet any of these certification requirements, you will be subject to federal backup withholding at a rate of 24% on any reportable payments that you receive from the Fund, including any exempt-interest dividends (even though this income is not subject to regular federal income tax), taxable ordinary and capital gain dividends, and any redemption proceeds on the sale of your Fund shares. State backup withholding may also apply.
The Fund must also withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding and information reporting.
Failure of a tax-exempt security to qualify to pay exempt-interest. Failure of the issuer of a tax-exempt security to comply with certain legal or contractual requirements relating to the tax-exempt security could cause interest on the security, as well as Fund distributions derived from this interest, to become taxable, perhaps retroactively to the date the tax-exempt security was issued. In such a case, you, the IRS and the appropriate state tax authorities may receive amended information returns for a prior taxable year in order to report additional taxable income. This, in turn, could require shareholders to file amended federal and state income tax returns for such prior year to report and pay tax and interest on their pro rata share of the additional amount of taxable income.
Qualified dividends and the corporate dividends-received deduction Because the income of the Fund is primarily derived from investments earning interest rather than dividend income, generally none of its income dividends will be qualifying dividend income or dividends eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction.
Investment in complex securities The Fund’s investment in certain complex securities could subject it to one or more special tax rules (including, but not limited to, the wash sale rules), which may affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary or capital or as short-term or long-term, accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, and cause adjustments to the holding periods of the Fund’s securities. These rules, therefore, could affect the amount, timing and/or tax character of the Fund’s distributions to shareholders. Moreover, because the tax rules applicable to complex securities, including derivative financial instruments, are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid a fund-level tax.
In general. Gain or loss recognized by the Fund on the sale or other disposition of municipal bonds and other portfolio investments will generally be capital gain or loss. Such capital gain and loss may be long-term or short-term depending, in general, upon the length of time a particular investment position is maintained and, in some cases, upon the nature of the transaction. Portfolio investments held for more than one year generally will be eligible for long-term capital gain or loss treatment.
Debt obligations purchased at a discount. Gain recognized on the disposition of a debt obligation purchased by the Fund with market discount (generally, at a price less than its principal amount) will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of the market discount that accrued during the period of time the Fund held the debt obligation, unless the Fund made an election to accrue market discount into income currently. Fund distributions of accrued market discount on municipal bonds, including any current inclusions, are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits.
Debt obligations issued at a discount. If the Fund purchases a debt obligation (such as a zero coupon security or pay-in-kind security) that was originally issued at a discount, the Fund generally is required to include in gross income each year the portion of the original issue discount that accrues during such year. Fund distributions from accruals of original issue discount on municipal bonds are generally taxable to shareholders as exempt-interest dividends to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. The Fund’s investment in such securities issued at a discount may cause the Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on the securities. To generate cash to satisfy those distribution requirements, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise might have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Fund shares.
Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default. The Fund may also hold obligations that are at risk of or in default. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as
43
whether and to what extent the Fund should recognize market discount on such a debt obligation, when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent the Fund may take deductions for bad debts or worthless securities and how the Fund should allocate payments received on obligations in default between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund in order to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company.
Treatment of private activity bond interest Interest on certain private activity bonds, while exempt from regular federal income tax, is a tax preference item for individual taxpayers when determining their alternative minimum tax under the Code. Private activity bond interest could subject you to or increase your liability under the federal alternative minimum tax, depending on your personal tax position. Persons defined in the Code as substantial users (or persons related to such users) of facilities financed by private activity bonds should consult their tax advisors before buying Fund shares.
Generally, exempt-interest dividends derived from interest on certain tax-exempt private activity bonds is considered an item of tax preference includable in the alternative minimum taxable income of individual taxpayers. However, tax-exempt interest on private activity bonds issued in 2009 and 2010 is not an item of tax preference for purposes of the alternative minimum tax.
Effect on taxation of social security benefits; denial of interest deduction. Exempt-interest dividends must be taken into account in computing the portion, if any, of social security or railroad retirement benefits that must be included in an individual shareholder's gross income subject to federal income tax. Further, a shareholder of the Fund is denied a deduction for interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry shares of the Fund.
Treatment of pre-refunded bonds Under the TCJA, interest paid on a bond issued after December 31, 2017, to advance refund another bond is subject to federal income tax.
State income taxes Some state tax codes adopt the Code through a certain date. As a result, such conforming states may not have adopted the version of the Code as amended by the TCJA, the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, or other federal tax laws enacted after the applicable conformity date. Other states may have adopted an income or other basis of tax that differs from the Code.
The tax information furnished by the Fund to shareholders and the IRS annually with respect to the amount and character of dividends paid, cost basis information with respect to shares redeemed or exchanged, and records maintained by the Fund with respect to the cost basis of Fund shares, will be prepared on the basis of current federal income tax law to comply with the information reporting requirements of the Code, and not necessarily on the basis of the law of any state in which a shareholder is resident or otherwise subject to tax. If your account is held by your financial advisor or other broker, contact that firm with respect to any state information reporting requirements applicable to your investment in the Fund. Certain funds are required to report tax information, including tax-exempt interest dividends subject to state income tax, to the California Franchise Tax Board, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services and the Minnesota Department of Revenue annually.
Accordingly, the amount and character of income, gain or loss realized by a shareholder with respect to an investment in Fund shares for state income tax purposes may differ from that for federal income tax purposes. Franklin Templeton provides additional tax information, including tax-exempt income by jurisdiction and U.S. government interest, on franklintempleton.com (under the Tax Center) to assist shareholders with the preparation of their federal and state income tax returns. Shareholders are solely responsible for determining the amount and character of income, gain or loss to report on their federal, state and local income tax returns each year as a result of their purchase, holding and sale of Fund shares.
Non-U.S. investors Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax, and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements.
In general. The United States imposes a flat 30% withholding tax (or a tax at a lower treaty rate) on U.S. source dividends. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax are provided for capital gains realized on the sales of Fund shares, exempt-interest dividends, capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net long-term capital gains, short-term capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net short-term capital gains and interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources, unless you are a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the calendar year. “Qualified interest income” includes, in general, the sum of the Fund’s U.S. source: i) bank deposit interest, ii) short-term original issue discount, iii) portfolio interest, and iv) any interest-related dividend passed through from another regulated investment company.
However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding tax at source, any taxable distributions and proceeds from the sale of your Fund shares will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.
It may not be practical in every case for the Fund to report to shareholders, and the Fund reserves the right in these cases to not report, interest-related or short-term capital gain
44
dividends. Additionally, the Fund’s reporting of interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends may not, in turn, be passed through to shareholders by intermediaries who have assumed tax reporting responsibilities for this income in managed or omnibus accounts due to systems limitations or operational constraints.
Effectively connected income. Taxable ordinary income dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. investors on portfolio investments are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax at 30% or a lower treaty rate. However, if you hold your Fund shares in connection with a U.S. trade or business, your income and gains may be considered effectively connected income and taxed in the U.S. on a net basis at graduated income tax rates in which case you may be required to file a nonresident U.S. income tax return.
U.S. estate tax. An individual who is a non-U.S. investor will be subject to U.S. federal estate tax on the value of the Fund shares owned at the time of death, unless a treaty exemption applies between the country of residence of the non-U.S. investor and the U.S. Even if a treaty exemption is available, a decedent’s estate may nevertheless be required to file a U.S. estate tax return to claim the exemption, as well as to obtain a U.S. federal transfer certificate. The transfer certificate will identify the property (i.e., Fund shares) on which a U.S. federal tax lien has been released and is required before the Fund can release a nonresident alien decedent's investment in the Fund to his or her estate. A transfer certificate is not required for property administered by an executor or administrator appointed, qualified and acting within the United States. For estates with U.S. situs assets of not more than $60,000 (there is a statutory estate tax credit for this amount of property), an affidavit from the executor of the estate or other authorized individual along with additional evidence requested by the IRS relating to the decedent’s estate evidencing the U.S. situs assets may be provided in lieu of a federal transfer certificate. Transfers by gift of shares of the Fund by a non-U.S. investor who is a nonresident alien individual will not be subject to U.S. federal gift tax. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. investor entitled to claim the benefits of a treaty between the country of residence of the non-U.S. investor and the U.S. may be different from the consequences described above.
Tax certification and backup withholding as applied to non-U.S. investors. Non-U.S. investors have special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding at a rate of 24% and, if applicable, to obtain the benefit of any income tax treaty between the non-U.S. investor’s country of residence and the United States. To claim these tax benefits, the non-U.S. investor must provide a properly completed Form W-8BEN (or other Form W-8, where applicable) to establish his or her status as a non-U.S. investor, to claim beneficial ownership over the assets in the account, and to claim, if applicable, a reduced rate of or exemption from withholding tax under the applicable treaty. A Form W-8BEN generally remains in effect for a period of three years beginning on the date that it is signed and ending on the last day of the third succeeding calendar year. In certain instances, Form W-8BEN may remain valid indefinitely unless the investor has a change of circumstances that renders the form incorrect and necessitates a new form and tax certification. Non-U.S. investors must advise the Fund of any change of circumstances that would render the information given on the form incorrect and must then provide a new W-8BEN to avoid the prospective application of backup withholding.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions (FFI) or non-financial foreign entities (NFFE) that are shareholders in the Fund may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on income dividends (other than exempt-interest dividends) paid by the Fund. The FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI, and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners, or (ii) if it does have such owners, reports information relating to them to the withholding agent, which will, in turn, report that information to the IRS. The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (IGA) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with a number of other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA. An entity in one of those countries may be required to comply with the terms of an IGA and applicable local law instead of U.S. Treasury regulations.
An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding if it is deemed compliant or by becoming a “participating FFI,” which requires the FFI to enter into a U.S. tax compliance agreement with the IRS under section 1471(b) of the Code (FFI agreement) under which it agrees to verify, report and disclose certain of its U.S. accountholders and provided that such entity meets certain other specified requirements. The FFI will report to the IRS, or, depending on the FFI’s country of residence, to the government of that country (pursuant to the terms and conditions of an applicable IGA and applicable law), which will, in turn, report to the IRS. An FFI that is resident in a country that has entered into an IGA with the U.S. to implement FATCA will be exempt from FATCA withholding provided that the FFI shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.
An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from the Fund can avoid the FATCA withholding tax generally by certifying that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner. The NFFE will report information either (i) to the Fund, or other applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn, report information to the IRS, or (ii) directly to the IRS.
45
Such foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by U.S. Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in the Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA in order to avoid FATCA withholding. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the U.S. tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above.
The Fund is a diversified series of Franklin Tax-Free Trust, an open-end management investment company, commonly called a mutual fund. The Trust was initially organized as a Massachusetts business trust in September 1984, was converted to a Delaware statutory trust effective July 1, 2007 and is registered with the SEC.
Each Fund, except the Federal Limited-Term Tax-Free Income Fund, currently offers five classes of shares, Class A, Class A1, Class C, Class R6 and Advisor Class. The Federal Limited-Term Fund currently offers four classes of shares, Class A, Class A1, Class R6 and Advisor Class. On September 10, 2018, all outstanding Class A shares were renamed Class A1 shares and for High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund, all outstanding Class M shares were renamed Class A shares. The Fund may offer additional classes of shares in the future. The full title of each class is:
• Franklin Federal Intermediate-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A
• Franklin Federal Intermediate-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A1
• Franklin Federal Intermediate-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Class C
• Franklin Federal Intermediate-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Class R6
• Franklin Federal Intermediate-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Advisor Class
• Franklin Federal Limited-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A
• Franklin Federal Limited-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A1
• Franklin Federal Limited-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Class R6
• Franklin Federal Limited-Term Tax-Free Income Fund - Advisor Class
• Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A
• Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A1
• Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund - Class C
• Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund - Class R6
• Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund - Advisor Class
• Franklin Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A
• Franklin Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A1
• Franklin Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund - Class C
• Franklin Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund - Class R6
• Franklin Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund - Advisor Class
• Franklin New Jersey Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A
• Franklin New Jersey Tax-Free Income Fund - Class A1
• Franklin New Jersey Tax-Free Income Fund - Class C
• Franklin New Jersey Tax-Free Income Fund - Class R6
• Franklin New Jersey Tax-Free Income Fund - Advisor Class
Shares of each class represent proportionate interests in the Fund's assets. On matters that affect the Fund as a whole, each class has the same voting and other rights and preferences as any other class. On matters that affect only one class, only shareholders of that class may vote. Each class votes separately on matters affecting only that class, or matters expressly required to be voted on separately by state or federal law. Shares of each class of a series have the same voting and other rights and preferences as the other classes and series of the Trust for matters that affect the Trust as a whole. Additional series may be offered in the future.
The Trust has noncumulative voting rights. For board member elections, this gives holders of more than 50% of the shares voting the ability to elect all of the members of the board. If this happens, holders of the remaining shares voting will not be able to elect anyone to the board.
The Trust does not intend to hold annual shareholder meetings. The Trust or a series of the Trust may hold special meetings, however, for matters requiring shareholder approval.
As of June 1, 2023, the principal shareholders of the Fund, beneficial or of record, were:
Name and Address |
Share Class |
Percentage (%) | |
Franklin Federal Intermediate-Term Tax-Free Income Fund |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A |
54.90 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
A |
6.51 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A1 |
46.09 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
46
Name and Address |
Share Class |
Percentage (%) | |
WFCS LLC |
A1 |
7.89 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
DENGEL CO |
Advisor |
19.70 |
|
C O FIDUCIARY TRUST COMPANY INTL |
|||
PO BOX 3199 |
|||
NY NY 10008 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
Advisor |
17.14 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
Advisor |
14.47 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
Advisor |
11.14 |
|
A C 1000-0005 |
|||
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
Advisor |
10.30 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
Advisor |
8.99 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
C |
20.83 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
C |
15.38 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
C |
6.97 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
RAYMOND JAMES |
C |
6.73 |
|
OMNIBUS FOR MUTUAL FUNDS |
|||
HOUSE ACCT FIRM 92500015 |
|||
ATTN COURTNEY WALLER |
|||
880 CARILLON PKWY |
|||
ST PETERSBURG FL 337161102 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
C |
6.64 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
C |
6.28 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
C |
5.33 |
|
FBO CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS |
|||
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
R6 |
76.62 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER RD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIRECE FENNER & SMITH |
R6 |
15.09 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 32246 |
|||
Franklin Federal Limited-Term Tax-Free Income Fund |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A |
67.77 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
A |
5.29 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A1 |
49.47 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
A1 |
5.74 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
A1 |
5.56 |
|
FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF IT'S CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION 97XA9 |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466486 |
|||
DENGEL CO |
Advisor |
60.16 |
|
C O FIDUCIARY TRUST CO INT L |
|||
PO BOX 3199 |
|||
CHURCH STREET STATION |
|||
NY NY 10008 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
Advisor |
6.61 |
|
A C 1000-0005 |
|||
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
47
Name and Address |
Share Class |
Percentage (%) | |
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
Advisor |
5.74 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS DEPARTMENT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
Advisor |
5.55 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
R6 |
92.53 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER RD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
Franklin High Yield Tax-Free Income Fund |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A |
25.04 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
A |
8.51 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
A |
7.56 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
RAYMOND JAMES |
A |
7.35 |
|
OMNIBUS FOR MUTUAL FUNDS |
|||
HOUSE ACCT FIRM 92500015 |
|||
ATTN COURTNEY WALLER |
|||
880 CARILLON PKWY |
|||
ST PETERSBURG FL 337161102 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
A |
7.20 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
A |
7.05 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
A |
6.71 |
|
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DR |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A1 |
21.56 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
A1 |
9.73 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
A1 |
6.69 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
A1 |
6.68 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
A1 |
6.34 |
|
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
Advisor |
11.32 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
Advisor |
11.26 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
Advisor |
10.95 |
|
OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466486 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
Advisor |
10.45 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
Advisor |
8.83 |
|
A C 1000-0005 |
|||
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
RAYMOND JAMES |
Advisor |
7.93 |
|
OMNIBUS FOR MUTUAL FUNDS |
|||
HOUSE ACCT FIRM 92500015 |
|||
ATTN COURTNEY WALLER |
|||
880 CARILLON PKWY |
|||
ST PETERSBURG FL 337161102 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
Advisor |
7.89 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
UBS WM USA |
Advisor |
7.58 |
|
0O0 11011 6100 |
|||
OMNI ACCOUNT M/F |
|||
SPEC CDY A/C EXCL BEN CUSTOMERS UBSFSI |
|||
1000 HARBOR BLVD |
|||
WEEHAWKEN NJ 070866761 |
|||
48
Name and Address |
Share Class |
Percentage (%) | |
CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC |
Advisor |
5.80 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY A/C FBO CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS |
|||
211 MAIN ST |
|||
SAN FRANCISCO CA 941051905 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
C |
12.60 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
C |
10.15 |
|
FBO CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS |
|||
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
C |
9.82 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
C |
9.77 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
C |
8.88 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC |
C |
5.57 |
|
FOR THE EXCL BENE OF OUR CUST |
|||
OMNIBUS ACCOUNT |
|||
MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT |
|||
575 WASHINGTON BLVD FL 6 |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101616 |
|||
RAYMOND JAMES |
C |
5.52 |
|
OMNIBUS FOR MUTUAL FUNDS |
|||
HOUSE ACCT FIRM 92500015 |
|||
ATTN COURTNEY WALLER |
|||
880 CARILLON PKWY |
|||
ST PETERSBURG FL 337161102 |
|||
STIFEL NICOLAUS & CO INC |
C |
5.07 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
501 N BROADWAY |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631022131 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
R6 |
34.95 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER RD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC |
R6 |
26.40 |
|
FOR THE EXCL BENE OF OUR CUST |
|||
OMNIBUS ACCOUNT |
|||
MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT |
|||
575 WASHINGTON BLVD FL 6 |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101616 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
R6 |
19.75 |
|
FBO OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466486 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
R6 |
8.16 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
Franklin Massachusetts Tax-Free Income Fund |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
A |
18.74 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
A |
13.71 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A |
10.10 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
A |
7.08 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
A |
6.91 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMER |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
A |
6.75 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
A |
6.23 |
|
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DR |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
A1 |
15.38 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
A1 |
10.34 |
|
FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION/97342 |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466486 |
|||
49
Name and Address |
Share Class |
Percentage (%) | |
WFCS LLC |
A1 |
6.90 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A1 |
6.73 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
Advisor |
75.54 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
C |
18.16 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
C |
12.39 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
C |
11.34 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
C |
9.30 |
|
OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION 97GK5 |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466486 |
|||
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INVESTMENT SVC |
C |
8.67 |
|
FBO 41999970 |
|||
707 2ND AVE S |
|||
MINNEAPOLIS MN 554022405 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
C |
7.45 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
R6 |
84.63 |
|
FOR SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
R6 |
7.98 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER RD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
Franklin New Jersey Tax-Free Income Fund |
|||
WFCS LLC |
A |
12.19 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC |
A |
12.08 |
|
FOR THE EXCL BENE OF OUR CUST |
|||
OMNIBUS ACCOUNT |
|||
MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT |
|||
575 WASHINGTON BLVD FL 6 |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101616 |
|||
UBS WM USA |
A |
10.00 |
|
0O0 11011 6100 |
|||
OMNI ACCOUNT M/F |
|||
SPEC CDY A/C EXCL BEN CUSTOMERS UBSFSI |
|||
1000 HARBOR BLVD |
|||
WEEHAWKEN NJ 070866761 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
A |
9.85 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
A |
8.61 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMER |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 |
|||
EDWARD JONES & CO |
A |
6.57 |
|
FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS |
|||
12555 MANCHESTER ROAD |
|||
SAINT LOUIS MO 631313710 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
A |
6.18 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
A |
5.60 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
A |
5.39 |
|
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DR |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
A1 |
7.41 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
A1 |
6.87 |
|
FOR THE SOLE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION/974R3 |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466486 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
A1 |
6.87 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC |
A1 |
6.09 |
|
FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
|||
NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
|||
50
Name and Address |
Share Class |
Percentage (%) | |
PERSHING LLC |
A1 |
5.99 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
LPL FINANCIAL |
A1 |
5.18 |
|
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
|||
4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
|||
SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
|||
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC |
Advisor |
71.87 |
|
FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
|||
499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
Advisor |
5.19 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC |
C |
20.13 |
|
FOR THE EXCL BENE OF OUR CUST |
|||
OMNIBUS ACCOUNT |
|||
MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT |
|||
575 WASHINGTON BLVD FL 6 |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101616 |
|||
WFCS LLC |
C |
19.08 |
|
SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
|||
EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
|||
2801 MARKET STREET |
|||
ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
|||
PERSHING LLC |
C |
17.57 |
|
1 PERSHING PLAZA |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073990001 |
|||
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH |
C |
7.21 |
|
OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
|||
ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION 97GK9 |
|||
4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
|||
JACKSONVILLE FL 322466486 |
|||
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC |
R6 |
89.01 |
|
FOR THE EXCL BENE OF OUR CUST |
|||
OMNIBUS ACCOUNT |
|||
MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT |
|||
575 WASHINGTON BLVD FL 6 |
|||
JERSEY CITY NJ 073101616 |
|||
LINCOLN INVESTMENT PLANNING LLC |
R6 |
6.16 |
|
FBO LINCOLN CUSTOMERS |
|||
601 OFFICE CENTER DR STE 300 |
|||
FORT WASHINGTON PA 190343275 |
|||
* For the benefit of its customer(s).
To the best knowledge of the Fund, no other person holds beneficially or of record more than 5% of the outstanding shares of any class.
As of June 1, 2023, the officers and board members, as a group, owned of record and beneficially less than 1% of the outstanding shares of each Fund and class. The board members may own shares in other funds in Franklin Templeton.
The Fund continuously offers its shares through securities dealers who have an agreement with Franklin Distributors, LLC (Distributors). A securities dealer includes any financial institution that, either directly or through affiliates, has an agreement with Distributors to handle customer orders and accounts with the Fund. This reference is for convenience only and does not indicate a legal conclusion of capacity. Banks and financial institutions that sell shares of the Fund may be required by state law to register as securities dealers. If you buy or sell shares through your securities dealer, you may be charged a transaction processing fee by your securities dealer. Your securities dealer will provide you with specific information about any transaction processing fees you will be charged.
The Fund and other U.S. registered investment companies within the Franklin Templeton fund complex are intended for sale to residents of the U.S., and, with very limited exceptions, are not registered or otherwise offered for sale in other jurisdictions. The above restrictions are generally not applicable to sales in U.S. territories or to diplomatic staff members or members of the U.S. military with an APO or FPO address outside of the U.S. Investors are responsible for compliance with tax, securities, currency exchange or other regulations applicable to redemption and purchase transactions in any state or jurisdiction to which they may be subject. Investors should consult with their financial intermediary and appropriate tax and legal advisors to obtain information on the rules applicable to these transactions.
In particular, the Fund is not registered in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for sale in any Canadian jurisdiction. Shares of the Fund may not be directly or indirectly offered or sold in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada or to or for the benefit of residents thereof. Prospective investors may be required to declare that they are not Canadian residents and are not acquiring shares on behalf of any Canadian residents. If an investor becomes a Canadian resident after purchasing shares of the Fund, the investor will not be able to purchase any additional shares of the Fund (other than reinvestment of dividends and capital gains) or exchange shares of the Fund for other U.S. registered Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason funds.
Similarly, the Fund is not registered, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for distribution, in any member country of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA). The shares offered by this prospectus may not be directly or indirectly offered or distributed in any such country. If an investor becomes an EU or EEA resident after purchasing shares of the Fund, the investor will not be able to purchase any additional shares of the Fund (other than reinvestment of dividends and capital gains) or exchange
51
shares of the Fund for other U.S. registered Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason funds.
All purchases of Fund shares will be credited to you, in full and fractional Fund shares (rounded to the nearest 1/100 of a share). All checks, drafts, wires and other payment mediums used to buy or sell shares of the Fund must be denominated in U.S. dollars. We may, in our sole discretion, either (a) reject any order to buy or sell shares denominated in any other currency or (b) honor the transaction or make adjustments to your account for the transaction as of a date and with a foreign currency exchange factor determined by the drawee bank. We may deduct any applicable banking charges imposed by the bank from your account.
When you buy shares, if you submit a check or a draft that is returned unpaid to the Fund, we may impose a $10 charge against your account for each returned item.
Investment by asset allocators and large shareholders Particularly during times of overall market turmoil or price volatility, the Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders such as other funds, institutional investors (including those trading by use of non-discretionary mathematical formulas) and asset allocators (who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients), purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.
These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund's expense ratio.
When experiencing such purchases and redemptions by large shareholders, the Fund may restrict or reject purchases, in accordance with the Frequent Trading Policy of the Fund as set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus. The Fund also may delay payment of redemptions up to seven days to provide the investment manager with time to determine if the Fund can redeem the request in-kind or to consider other alternatives to lessen the harm to remaining shareholders. Under certain circumstances, however, the Fund may be unable to delay a purchase or redemption request, which could result in the automatic processing of a large transaction that is detrimental to the Fund and its shareholders.
Initial sales charges The maximum initial sales charge is 2.25% for Class A and Class A1 of the Federal Limited-Term and Federal Intermediate-Term Funds. For each of the other Funds, the maximum initial sales charge is 3.75% for Class A and Class A1. There is no initial sales charge for Class C, Class R6 and Advisor Class.
The initial sales charge for Class A and Class A1 shares may be reduced for certain large purchases, as described in the prospectus. We offer several ways for you to combine your purchases in Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds to take advantage of the lower sales charges for large purchases.
Letter of intent (LOI). You may buy Class A or Class A1 shares at a reduced sales charge by completing the LOI section of your account application. An LOI is a commitment by you to invest a specified dollar amount during a 13-month period. The amount you agree to invest determines the sales charge you pay. By completing the LOI section of the application, you acknowledge and agree to the following:
• You authorize Distributors to reserve approximately 5% of your total intended purchase in Class A or Class A1 shares registered in your name until you fulfill your LOI. Your periodic statements will include the reserved shares in the total shares you own, and we will pay or reinvest dividend and capital gain distributions on the reserved shares according to the distribution option you have chosen.
• You give Distributors a security interest in the reserved shares and appoint Distributors as attorney-in-fact.
• Distributors may sell any or all of the reserved shares to cover any additional sales charge if you do not fulfill the terms of the LOI.
• Although you may exchange your shares, you may not sell reserved shares until you complete the LOI or pay the higher sales charge.
After you file your LOI with the Fund, you may buy Class A or Class A1 shares at the sales charge applicable to the amount specified in your LOI. Sales charge reductions based on purchases in more than one Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund will be effective only after notification to Distributors that the investment qualifies for a discount. If you file your LOI with the Fund before a change in the Fund's sales charge, you may complete the LOI at the lower of the new sales charge or the sales charge in effect when the LOI was filed.
Your holdings in Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds acquired before you filed your LOI will be counted towards the completion of the LOI.
If the terms of your LOI are met, the reserved shares will be deposited to an account in your name or delivered to you or as you direct.
If the amount of your total purchases is less than the amount specified in your LOI, the sales charge will be adjusted upward, depending on the actual amount purchased during
52
the period. You will need to send Distributors an amount equal to the difference in the actual dollar amount of sales charge paid and the amount of sales charge that would have applied to the total purchases if the total of the purchases had been made at one time. Upon payment of this amount, the reserved shares held for your account will be deposited to an account in your name or delivered to you or as you direct. If within 20 days after written request the difference in sales charge is not paid, we will redeem an appropriate number of reserved shares to realize the difference. If you redeem the total amount in your account before you fulfill your LOI, we will deduct the additional sales charge due from the sale proceeds and forward the balance to you.
Purchases of certain share classes through financial intermediaries (Class R6 and Advisor Class). There are no associated sales charges or Rule 12b-1 distribution and service fees for the purchase of Class R6 and Advisor Class shares. However, pursuant to SEC guidance, certain financial intermediaries acting as agents on behalf of their customers may directly impose on shareholders sales charges or transaction fees determined by the financial intermediary related to the purchase of these shares. These charges and fees are not disclosed in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
The Fund’s service providers also may pay financial intermediaries for marketing support and other related services as disclosed below for Advisor Class shares, but not for Class R6 shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend one share class over another. There is some uncertainty concerning whether marketing support or other similar payments may be made or received in connection with Advisor Class shares where a financial intermediary has imposed its own sales charges or transaction fees. Based on future regulatory developments, such payments may be terminated.
Financial intermediary compensation. Financial intermediaries may at times receive the entire sales charge. A financial intermediary who receives 90% or more of the sales charge may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Financial institutions or their affiliated brokers may receive an agency transaction fee in the percentages indicated in the financial intermediary compensation table in the Fund’s prospectus.
Distributors may pay the following commissions to financial intermediaries who initiate and are responsible for purchases of Class A and A1 shares in the following amounts:
Amount of Investment |
For Funds with an initial sales charge of 3.75% (%) |
For Funds with an initial sales charge of 2.25% (%) |
Under $100,000 |
3.50 |
2.00 |
$100,000 but under $250,000 |
3.00 |
1.25 |
$250,000 or more |
up to 1.00 |
up to 1.00 |
Consistent with the provisions and limitations set forth in its Class A or A1 Rule 12b-1 distribution plans, the Fund may reimburse Distributors for a portion of these commission payments.
These payments may be made in the form of contingent advance payments, which may be recovered from the financial intermediary or set off against other payments due to the financial intermediary if shares are sold within 18 months of the calendar month of purchase. Other conditions may apply. Other terms and conditions may be imposed by an agreement between Distributors, or one of its affiliates, and the financial intermediary.
In addition to the sales charge payments described above and the distribution and service (12b-1) fees described below under “The Underwriter - Distribution and service (12b-1) fees,” Distributors and/or its non-fund affiliates may make the following additional payments to financial intermediaries that sell shares of Franklin Templeton mutual funds:
Marketing support payments (applicable to all classes of shares except Class R6). Distributors may make payments to certain financial intermediaries in connection with their efforts to educate financial advisors and provide services which may facilitate, directly or indirectly, investment in Franklin Templeton mutual funds. A financial intermediary’s marketing support services may include business planning assistance, advertising, educating financial intermediary personnel about Franklin Templeton mutual funds and shareholder financial planning needs, placement on the financial intermediary’s list of offered funds, and access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the financial intermediary. Distributors compensates financial intermediaries differently depending upon, among other factors, sales and assets levels, redemption rates and the level and/or type of marketing and educational activities provided by the financial intermediary. Such compensation may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable Distributors to participate in and/or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client and investor events and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event. Distributors will, on an annual basis, determine whether to continue such payments. In the
53
case of any one financial intermediary, marketing support payments generally will not exceed 0.05% of the total assets of Franklin Templeton mutual funds attributable to that financial intermediary, on an annual basis. For a financial intermediary exceeding $50 billion in total assets of Franklin Templeton mutual funds, Distributors may agree to make annual marketing support payments up to a limit of 0.06% of such assets. In other limited circumstances, Distributors or an affiliate will have alternative arrangements with an intermediary that provides for payments in excess of the 0.05% limitation, which may include arrangements based on assets or sales of the funds, combined assets or sales of related funds, or other criteria. Any assets held on behalf of Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans for which payment is made to a financial intermediary pursuant to the following paragraph will be excluded from the calculation of marketing support payments pursuant to this paragraph.
Distributors may also make marketing support payments to financial intermediaries in connection with their activities that are intended to assist in the sale of shares of Franklin Templeton mutual funds, directly or indirectly, to certain Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans that have retained such financial intermediaries as plan service providers. Payments may be made on account of activities that may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: business planning assistance for financial intermediary personnel, educating financial intermediary personnel about Franklin Templeton mutual funds, access to sales meetings, sales representatives, wholesalers, and management representatives of the financial intermediary, and detailed sales reporting. A financial intermediary may perform the services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform the services. In the case of any one financial intermediary, such payments will not exceed 0.10% of the total assets of Franklin Templeton mutual funds held, directly or indirectly, by such Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans, on an annual basis. Distributors will, on an annual basis, determine whether to continue such payments.
Consistent with the provisions and limitations set forth in its Rule 12b-1 distribution plans, the Fund may reimburse Distributors for a portion of these marketing support payments.
Marketing support payments may be in addition to any servicing and other fees paid by Investor Services, as described further below and under “Management and Other Services - Shareholder servicing and transfer agent” above.
The following list includes FINRA member firms (or, in some instances, their respective affiliates) that, as of March 31, 2023, Distributors anticipates will receive marketing support payments. In addition to member firms of FINRA, Distributors also makes marketing support payments, and Distributors’ non-fund affiliates may make administrative services payments, to certain other financial intermediaries, such as banks, insurance companies, and plan administrators, that sell mutual fund shares or provide services to Franklin Templeton mutual funds and shareholders. These firms may not be included in this list. You should ask your financial intermediary if it receives such payments.
ADP Retirement Services, American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., American Enterprise Investment Services, Inc., American United Life Insurance Company, Ascensus, Inc., Aspire Financial Services, LLC, Avantax Wealth Management, AXA Advisors, LLC, BBVA Securities, Inc., Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc., Cadaret Grant & Co., Inc., Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., Cetera Advisors LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, Cetera Investment Services LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Citizens Securities, Inc., Commonwealth Financial Network, CUSO Financial Services, L.P., Digital Retirement Solutions, DWC-The 401(k) Experts, E*TRADE Securities LLC, Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. (dba Edward Jones), Empower Retirement, ePlan Services, Inc., Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc., First Allied Securities, Inc., First Command Financial Planning, Inc., FPS Services LLC, FSC Securities Corporation, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Group 3 Financial LLC, Hantz Financial Services, Inc., Investacorp, Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, John Hancock Distributors LLC, KMS Financial Services, Inc., LaSalle St. Securities, LLC, Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation, Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation, Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc., Lincoln Retirement Services Company LLC, LPL Financial LLC, M&T Securities, Inc., Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., Minnesota Life Insurance Company, MML Investors Services, LLC, Morgan Stanley, MSCS Financial Services LLC, Nationwide Financial Services, Inc., Newport Retirement Services, Inc., NEXT Financial Group, Inc., Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, Paychex Securities Corporation, PFS Investments Inc., PNC Investments LLC, Principal Financial Group, Prudential Insurance Company of America, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., RBC Capital Markets LLC, Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Sanctuary Wealth Group, LLC, Securities America, Inc., Securities Service Network, Inc., Sorrento Pacific Financial, LLC, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, TD Ameritrade Trust Company, TFS Securities, Inc., The Investment Center, Inc., TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, TIFIN Wealth Tech LLC, Transamerica Advisors Life Insurance Company, Transamerica Retirement Solutions Corporation, Triad Advisors, Inc., Trucendent LLC, UBS Financial Services Inc., U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., USI Advisors, Inc., Valor Financial Securities, LLC, Vestwell Holdings Inc., Voya Financial Advisors, Inc., Voya Institutional Plan Services LLP,
54
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Western International Securities, Inc., and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc.
Marketing support payments made to organizations located outside the U.S., with respect to investments in the Fund by non-U.S. persons, may exceed the above-stated limitation.
In addition to marketing support payments, to the extent permitted by SEC and FINRA rules and other applicable laws and regulations, Distributors may from time to time at its expense make or allow other promotional incentives or additional payments to financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of shares of the Fund. These payments may include additional compensation to financial intermediaries, including financial intermediaries not listed above, related to transaction support, various financial intermediary-sponsored events intended to educate financial advisers and their clients about the Franklin Templeton mutual funds, and data analytics and support.
Transaction support payments. The types of payments that Distributors may make under this category include, among others, payment of ticket charges of up to $20 per purchase or exchange order placed by a financial intermediary. Other payments may include ancillary services such as set-up, ongoing support, and assistance with a financial intermediary’s mutual fund trading system.
Conference support payments. Compensation may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable Distributors to participate in and/or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client and investor events, co-operative advertising, newsletters, and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event, and can include travel expenses, such as lodging incurred by registered representatives and other employees in connection with training and educational meetings, client prospecting and due diligence trips.
Distributors routinely sponsors due diligence meetings for registered representatives during which they receive updates on various Franklin Templeton mutual funds and are afforded the opportunity to speak with portfolio managers. Invitation to these meetings is not conditioned on selling a specific number of shares. Those who have shown an interest in Franklin Templeton mutual funds, however, are more likely to be considered. To the extent permitted by their firm’s policies and procedures, registered representatives’ expenses in attending these meetings may be covered by Distributors.
Data support payments. Compensation may include data support payments to certain holders or financial intermediaries of record for accounts in one or more of the Franklin Templeton mutual funds. A financial intermediary’s data support services may include the provision of analytical data on such accounts.
Other payments. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by federal or state laws or any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. Distributors makes payments for events it deems appropriate, subject to Distributors’ guidelines and applicable law.
You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any payments it receives from Distributors and any services provided.
In addition, Investor Services may make payments to financial intermediaries that provide administrative services to defined benefit plans. Investor Services does not seek reimbursement by the Fund for such payments.
Contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) – Class A, A1 and C If you invest any amount in Class C shares or $250,000 or more in Class A or A1 shares either as a lump sum or through our cumulative quantity discount or letter of intent programs, a CDSC may apply on any Class A or A1 shares you sell within 18 months and any Class C shares you sell within 12 months of purchase. The CDSC is 1% of the value of the shares sold or the net asset value at the time of purchase, whichever is less, for Class A, A1 and Class C shares.
CDSC waivers. The CDSC for any share class will be waived for:
• Account fees
• Redemptions by the Fund when an account falls below the minimum required account size
• Redemptions following the death of the shareholder or beneficial owner
• Redemptions through a systematic withdrawal plan, up to 1% monthly, 3% quarterly, 6% semiannually or 12% annually of your account's net asset value depending on the frequency of your plan
Exchange privilege If you request the exchange of the total value of your account, accrued but unpaid income dividends and capital gain distributions will be reinvested in the Fund at net asset value on the date of the exchange, and then the entire share balance will be exchanged into the new fund. Backup withholding and information reporting may apply.
If a substantial number of shareholders should, within a short period, sell their Fund shares under the exchange privilege, the Fund might have to sell portfolio securities it might otherwise hold and incur the additional costs related to such transactions. On the other hand, increased use of the exchange privilege may result in periodic large inflows of money. If this occurs, it is the Fund's general policy to initially invest this money in short-term, tax-exempt municipal securities, unless it is believed that attractive investment opportunities consistent with the Fund's investment goals
55
exist immediately. This money will then be withdrawn from the short-term, tax-exempt municipal securities, and invested in portfolio securities in as orderly a manner as is possible when attractive investment opportunities arise.
The proceeds from the sale of shares of an investment company may not be available until the seventh day following the sale. The funds you are seeking to exchange into may delay issuing shares pursuant to an exchange until that seventh day. The sale of Fund shares to complete an exchange will be effected at net asset value at the close of business on the day the request for exchange is received in proper form.
In certain comprehensive fee or advisory programs that hold Class A or Class A1 shares, at the discretion of the financial intermediary, you may exchange to Advisor Class shares or Class Z shares (if offered by the fund).
Class C shares of a Franklin Templeton fund may be exchanged for Advisor Class or Class Z shares of the same fund, if offered by the fund, provided you meet the fund’s eligibility requirements for purchasing Advisor Class or Class Z shares. Unless otherwise permitted, the Class C shares that you wish to exchange must not currently be subject to any CDSC.
Systematic withdrawal plan Our systematic withdrawal plan allows you to sell your shares and receive regular payments from your account on a monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual basis. The value of your account must be at least $5,000 and the minimum payment amount for each withdrawal must be at least $50. There are no service charges for establishing or maintaining a systematic withdrawal plan.
Each month in which a payment is scheduled, we will redeem an equivalent amount of shares in your account on the day of the month you have indicated on your account application or, if no day is indicated, on the 20th day of the month. If that day falls on a weekend or holiday, we will process the redemption on the next business day. When you sell your shares under a systematic withdrawal plan, it is a taxable transaction.
To avoid paying sales charges on money you plan to withdraw within a short period of time, you may not want to set up a systematic withdrawal plan if you plan to buy shares on a regular basis. Shares sold under the plan also may be subject to a CDSC.
For plans set up before June 1, 2000, we will continue to process redemptions on the 25th day of the month (or the next business day) unless you instruct us to change the processing date. Available processing dates currently are the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th days of the month.
Redeeming shares through a systematic withdrawal plan may reduce or exhaust the shares in your account if payments exceed distributions received from the Fund. This is especially likely to occur if there is a market decline. If a withdrawal amount exceeds the value of your account, your account will be closed and the remaining balance in your account will be sent to you. Because the amount withdrawn under the plan may be more than your actual yield or income, part of the payment may be a return of your investment.
To discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan, change the amount and schedule of withdrawal payments, or suspend one payment, we must receive instructions from you at least three business days before a scheduled payment. The Fund may discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan by notifying you in writing and will discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan automatically if all shares in your account are withdrawn, if the Fund receives notification of the shareholder's death or incapacity, or if mail is returned to the Fund marked “unable to forward” by the postal service.
Redemptions in kind The Fund has committed itself to pay in cash (by check) all requests for redemption by any shareholder of record, limited in amount, however, during any 90-day period to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the value of the Fund's net assets at the beginning of the 90-day period. This commitment is irrevocable without the prior approval of the SEC. In the case of redemption requests in excess of these amounts, the Fund reserves the right to make payments in whole or in part in securities or other assets of the Fund, in case of an emergency, or if the payment of such a redemption in cash would be detrimental to the existing shareholders of the Fund. In these circumstances, the securities distributed would be valued at the price used to compute the Fund's net assets and you may incur brokerage fees in converting the securities to cash. The Fund does not intend to redeem illiquid securities in kind. If this happens, however, you may not be able to recover your investment in a timely manner. In addition, in certain circumstances, the Fund may not be able to redeem securities in-kind or the investment manager may not have the ability to determine whether a particular redemption can be paid in-kind before the redemption request is paid.
Share certificates We will credit your shares to your Fund account, and we do not issue share certificates. This eliminates the costly problem of replacing lost, stolen or destroyed certificates.
Any outstanding share certificates must be returned to the Fund if you want to sell, exchange or reregister those shares or if you would like to start a systematic withdrawal plan. The certificates should be properly endorsed. You can do this either by signing the back of the certificate or by completing a share assignment form. For your protection, you may prefer to complete a share assignment form and to send the certificate and assignment form in separate envelopes. We do not issue new share certificates if any outstanding share certificates are returned to the Fund. If a certificate is lost, stolen or
56
destroyed, you may have to pay an insurance premium of up to 2% of the value of the certificate to cancel it.
General information If the Fund receives notification of the shareholder’s death or if mail is returned to the Fund by the postal service, we will consider this a request by you to change your dividend option to reinvest all future distributions until we receive new instructions. If the item of mail returned is a check, the proceeds may be reinvested in additional shares at the current day’s net asset value.
Distribution or redemption checks sent to you do not earn interest or any other income during the time the checks remain uncashed. Neither the Fund nor its affiliates will be liable for any loss caused by your failure to cash such checks. The Fund is not responsible for tracking down uncashed checks, unless a check is returned as undeliverable.
In most cases, if mail is returned as undeliverable, we are required to take certain steps to try to find you free of charge. If these attempts are unsuccessful, however, we may deduct the costs of any additional efforts to find you from your account. These costs may include a percentage of the account when a search company charges a percentage fee in exchange for its location services.
Sending redemption proceeds by wire or electronic funds transfer (ACH) is a special service that we make available whenever possible. By offering this service to you, the Fund is not bound to meet any redemption request in less than the seven-day period prescribed by law. Neither the Fund nor its agents shall be liable to you or any other person if, for any reason, a redemption request by wire or ACH is not processed as described in the prospectus.
The Fund’s transfer agent, acting on behalf of the Fund, may place a temporary hold for up to 25 business days on the disbursement of redemption proceeds from an account held directly with the Fund if the transfer agent, in consultation with the Fund, reasonably believes that financial exploitation of a Specified Adult (as defined below) has occurred, is occurring, has been attempted, or will be attempted. In order to delay payment of redemption proceeds under these circumstances, the Fund and the transfer agent must adopt certain policies and procedures and otherwise comply with the terms and conditions of no-action relief provided by the SEC staff. Financial exploitation means: (i) the wrongful or unauthorized taking, withholding, appropriation, or use of a Specified Adult’s funds or securities; or (ii) any act or omission by a person, including through the use of a power of attorney, guardianship, or any other authority regarding a Specified Adult, to (a) obtain control, through deception, intimidation or undue influence, over the Specified Adult’s money, assets or property, or (b) convert the Specified Adult’s money, assets or property. The transfer agent and/or the Fund may not be aware of factors suggesting financial exploitation of a Specified Adult and may not be able to identify Specified Adults in all circumstances. Furthermore, the transfer agent is not required to delay the disbursement of redemption proceeds and does not assume any obligation to do so. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “Specified Adult” refers to an individual who is a natural person (i) age 65 and older, or (ii) age 18 and older and whom the Fund’s transfer agent reasonably believes has a mental or physical impairment that renders the individual unable to protect his or her own interests.
There are special procedures for banks and other institutions that wish to open multiple accounts. An institution may open a single master account by filing one application form with the Fund, signed by personnel authorized to act for the institution. Individual sub-accounts may be opened when the master account is opened by listing them on the application, or by providing instructions to the Fund at a later date. These sub-accounts may be registered either by name or number. The Fund's investment minimums apply to each sub-account. The Fund will send confirmation and account statements for the sub-accounts to the institution.
If you buy or sell shares through your securities dealer, we use the net asset value next calculated after your securities dealer receives your request, which is promptly transmitted to the Fund. If you sell shares through your securities dealer, it is your dealer's responsibility to transmit the order to the Fund in a timely fashion. Your redemption proceeds will not earn interest between the time we receive the order from your dealer and the time we receive any required documents. Any loss to you resulting from your dealer's failure to transmit your redemption order to the Fund in a timely fashion must be settled between you and your securities dealer. Certain shareholder servicing agents may be authorized to accept your transaction request. For institutional and bank trust accounts, there may be additional methods of buying or selling Fund shares than those described in this SAI or in the prospectus. Institutional and bank trust accounts include accounts opened by or in the name of a person (includes a legal entity or an individual) that has signed an Institutional Account Application or Bank Trust Account Application accepted by Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC or entered into a selling agreement and/or servicing agreement with Distributors or Investor Services. For example, the Fund permits the owner of an institutional account to make a same day wire purchase if a good order purchase request is received (a) before 1 p.m. Pacific time or (b) through the National Securities Clearing Corporation’s automated system for processing purchase orders (Fund/SERV), even though funds are delivered by wire after 1 p.m. Pacific time. If funds to be wired are not received as scheduled, the purchase order may be cancelled or reversed and the institutional account owner could be liable for any losses or fees the Fund, Distributors and/or Investor Services may incur. “Good order” refers to a transaction request where the investor or financial intermediary (or other person authorized to make such requests) has provided complete information (e.g., fund and
57
account information and the dollar amount of the transaction) to enable the processing of such request.
In the event of disputes involving conflicting claims of ownership or authority to control your shares, the Fund has the right (but has no obligation) to: (i) restrict the shares and require the written agreement of all persons deemed by the Fund to have a potential interest in the shares before executing instructions regarding the shares; or (ii) interplead disputed shares or the proceeds from the court-ordered sale thereof with a court of competent jurisdiction.
Should the Fund be required to defend against joint or multiple shareholders in any action relating to an ownership dispute, you expressly grant the Fund the right to obtain reimbursement for costs and expenses including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees and court costs, by unilaterally redeeming shares from your account.
The Fund or its transfer agent may be required (i) pursuant to a validly issued levy, garnishment or other form of legal process, to sell your shares and remit the proceeds to a levying officer or other recipient; or (ii) pursuant to a final order of forfeiture or other form of legal process, to sell your shares and remit the proceeds to the U.S. or state government as directed.
As long as we follow reasonable security procedures and act on instructions that we reasonably believe are genuine, we will not be responsible for any losses that may occur from unauthorized requests in any form (written, telephone, or online). We will investigate any unauthorized request that you report to us and we will ask you to cooperate with us in the investigation, which may require you to file a police report and complete a notarized affidavit regarding the unauthorized request. We will assist in the claims process, on your behalf, with other financial institutions regarding the unauthorized request.
Using good faith efforts, the investment manager attempts to identify class action litigation settlements and regulatory or governmental recovery funds involving securities presently or formerly held by the Fund or issuers of such securities or related parties (Claims) in which the Fund may be eligible to participate. When such Claims are identified, the investment manager will cause the Fund to file proofs of claim. Currently, such Claim opportunities predominate in the U.S. and in Canada; the investment manager’s efforts are therefore focused on Claim opportunities in those jurisdictions. The investment manager may learn of such class action lawsuit or victim fund recovery opportunities in jurisdictions outside of North America (Foreign Actions), in which case the investment manager has complete discretion to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether to cause the Fund to file proofs of claim in such Foreign Actions. In addition, the investment manager may participate in bankruptcy proceedings relating to securities held by the Fund and join creditors’ committees on behalf of the Fund.
Further, the investment manager may on occasion initiate and/or recommend, and the board of trustees of the Fund may approve, pursuit of separate litigation against an issuer or related parties in connection with securities presently or formerly held by the Fund (whether by opting out of an existing class action lawsuit or otherwise).
Franklin Distributors, LLC (Distributors) acts as the principal underwriter in the continuous public offering of the Fund's shares. Distributors is located at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906.
Distributors does not receive compensation from the Fund for acting as underwriter of the Fund's Class R6 and Advisor Class shares.
The table below shows the aggregate underwriting commissions Distributors received in connection with the offering of the Fund's Class A, Class A1 and Class C shares, the net underwriting discounts and commissions Distributors retained after allowances to dealers, and the amounts Distributors received in connection with redemptions or repurchases of shares for the last three fiscal years ended February 28, 2023, February 28, 2022 and February 28, 2021:
Total Commissions Received ($) |
Amount Retained by Distributors ($) |
Amount Received in Connection with Redemptions and Repurchases ($) | ||||
2023 |
||||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
312,964 |
15,459 |
140,884 |
|||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
173,323 |
7,507 |
69,682 |
|||
High Yield Fund |
1,081,336 |
50,715 |
389,689 |
|||
Massachusetts Fund |
36,351 |
2,208 |
6,263 |
|||
New Jersey Fund |
83,860 |
4,798 |
16,442 |
|||
2022 |
||||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
811,264 |
23,620 |
120,664 |
|||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
487,050 |
12,226 |
159,459 |
|||
High Yield Fund |
2,240,588 |
148,304 |
208,668 |
|||
Massachusetts Fund |
91,831 |
4,922 |
24,453 |
|||
New Jersey Fund |
191,254 |
12,467 |
17,908 |
|||
2021 |
||||||
Federal Intermediate-Term Fund |
1,301,455 |
34,441 |
74,009 |
|||
Federal Limited-Term Fund |
512,770 |
7,555 |
22,210 |
|||
High Yield Fund |
2,649,960 |
121,616 |
180,118 |
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Massachusetts Fund |
128,447 |
5,899 |
7,800 |
|||
New Jersey Fund |
317,776 |
14,212 |
72,617 |
Distributors may be entitled to payments from the Fund under the Rule 12b-1 plans, as discussed below. Except as noted, Distributors received no other compensation from the Fund for acting as underwriter.
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees Class A, A1 and C The board has adopted a separate plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for each class. Although the plans differ in some ways for each class, each plan is designed to benefit the Fund and its shareholders. The plans are expected to, among other things, increase advertising of the Fund, encourage purchases of Fund shares and service to its shareholders, and increase or maintain assets of the Fund so that certain fixed expenses may be spread over a broader asset base, with a positive impact on per share expense ratios. In addition, a positive cash flow into the Fund is useful in managing the Fund because the investment manager has more flexibility in taking advantage of new investment opportunities and handling shareholder redemptions.
Under each plan, the Fund pays Distributors or others for the expenses of activities that are primarily intended to sell shares of the class. These expenses also may include service fees paid to securities dealers or others who have executed a servicing agreement with the Fund, Distributors or its affiliates and who provide service or account maintenance to shareholders (service fees); and the expenses of printing prospectuses and reports used for sales purposes, of marketing support and of preparing and distributing sales literature and advertisements. Together, these expenses, including the service fees, are "eligible expenses." The 12b-1 fees charged to each class are based only on the fees attributable to that particular class and are calculated, as a percentage of such class’ net assets, over the 12-month period of February 1 through January 31. Because this 12-month period may not match the Fund’s fiscal year, the amount, as a percentage of a class’ net assets, for the Fund’s fiscal year may vary from the amount stated under the applicable plan, but will never exceed that amount during the 12-month period of February 1 through January 31.
The Class A, A1 and C plans. The Fund may pay up to 0.25% per year of Class A’s average daily net assets and up to 0.10% (0.15% for Federal Limited-Term Fund) per year of Class A1’s average daily net assets. The Fund pays Distributors up to 0.65% per year of Class C's average daily net assets, out of which 0.15% may be paid for services to the shareholders (service fees). The Class C plan also may be used to pay Distributors for advancing commissions to securities dealers with respect to the initial sale of Class C shares.
In implementing the Class A1 plan, the board has determined that the annual fees payable under the plan for each Fund, except the Federal Intermediate-Term and Federal Limited-Term Funds, will be equal to the sum of: (i) the amount obtained by multiplying 0.10% by the average daily net assets represented by the Fund's Class A1 shares that were acquired by investors on or after May 1, 1994, the effective date of the plan (new assets), and (ii) the amount obtained by multiplying 0.05% by the average daily net assets represented by the Fund's Class A1 shares that were acquired before May 1, 1994 (old assets). These fees will be paid to the current securities dealer of record on the account. In addition, until such time as the maximum payment of 0.10% is reached on a yearly basis, up to an additional 0.02% will be paid to Distributors under the plan. When the Fund reaches $4 billion in assets, the amount to be paid to Distributors will be reduced from 0.02% to 0.01%. The payments made to Distributors will be used by Distributors to defray other marketing expenses that have been incurred in accordance with the plan, such as advertising.
The fee is a Class A1 expense. This means that all Class A1 shareholders, regardless of when they purchased their shares, will bear Rule 12b-1 expenses at the same rate. The initial rate for each fund, except the Federal Intermediate-Term and Federal Limited-Term Funds, will be at least 0.07% (0.05% plus 0.02%) of the average daily net assets of Class A1 and, as Class A1 shares are sold on or after May 1, 1994, will increase over time. Thus, as the proportion of Class A1 shares purchased on or after May 1, 1994, increases in relation to outstanding Class A1 shares, the expenses attributable to payments under the plan also will increase (but will not exceed 0.10% of average daily net assets). While this is the currently anticipated calculation for fees payable under the Class A1 plan for each Fund, except the Federal Intermediate-Term and Federal Limited-Term Funds, the plan permits the board to allow the Fund to pay a full 0.10% on all assets at any time. The approval of the board would be required to change the calculation of the payments to be made under the Class A1 plan.
The Class A and Class A1 plans are reimbursement plans. They allow the Fund to reimburse Distributors for eligible expenses that Distributors has shown it has incurred. The Fund will not reimburse more than the maximum amount allowed under the plan.
The Class C plan is a compensation plan. It allows the Fund to pay a fee to Distributors that may be more than the eligible expenses Distributors has incurred at the time of the payment. Distributors must, however, demonstrate to the board that it has spent or has near-term plans to spend the amount received on eligible expenses. The Fund will not pay more than the maximum amount allowed under the plan.
Under the Class A plan, the amounts paid or accrued to be paid by the Fund pursuant to the plan for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, were:
59
|
|
Federal
Intermediate-Term Fund |
Federal
Limited-Term Fund |
High
Yield Fund |
| |||
Advertising |
|
69,937 |
|
23,217 |
|
161,383 |
|
|
Printing and mailing |
|
211 |
|
72 |
|
482 |
|
|
prospectuses other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
than to current |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
shareholders |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments to |
|
4,337 |
|
2,864 |
|
15,266 |
|
|
underwriters |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments to broker- |
|
1,691,795 |
|
922,797 |
|
3,284,725 |
|
|
dealers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other |
|
– |
|
– |
|
– |
|
|
Total |
|
1,766,280 |
|
948,950 |
|
3,461,856 |
|
|
|
|
Massachusetts
Fund |
New
Jersey Fund |
| ||
Advertising |
|
8,008 |
|
12,651 |
|
|
Printing and mailing |
|
28 |
|
40 |
|
|
prospectuses other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
than to current |
|
|
|
|
|
|
shareholders |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments to |
|
315 |
|
568 |
|
|
underwriters |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments to broker- |
|
132,245 |
|
300,502 |
|
|
dealers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other |
|
– |
|
– |
|
|
Total |
|
140,596 |
|
313,761 |
|
|
Under the Class A1 plan, the amounts paid or accrued to be paid by the Fund pursuant to the plan for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, were:
|
|
Federal
Intermediate-Term Fund |
Federal
Limited-Term Fund |
High
Yield Fund |
| |||
Advertising |
|
21,899 |
|
4,660 |
|
181,580 |
|
|
Printing and mailing |
|
72 |
|
16 |
|
672 |
|
|
prospectuses other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
than to current |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
shareholders |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments to |
|
212 |
|
37 |
|
2,981 |
|
|
underwriters |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments to broker- |
|
1,005,409 |
|
530,067 |
|
2,737,717 |
|
|
dealers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other |
|
– |
|
– |
|
– |
|
|
Total |
|
1,027,592 |
|
534,780 |
|
2,922,950 |
|
|
|
|
Massachusetts
Fund |
New
Jersey Fund |
| ||
Advertising |
|
18,444 |
|
43,594 |
|
|
Printing and mailing |
|
100 |
|
209 |
|
|
prospectuses other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
than to current |
|
|
|
|
|
|
shareholders |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments to |
|
131 |
|
346 |
|
|
underwriters |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments to broker- |
|
168,835 |
|
359,757 |
|
|
dealers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other |
|
– |