FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC [BEN] Filings

10-K 1 ben-20240930.htm 10-K ben-20240930

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(MARK ONE)


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

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024


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

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-09318

FRANKLIN RESOURCES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


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

One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

(650) 312-2000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Large Accelerated Filer

☒

Accelerated Filer

☐

Non-accelerated Filer

☐

Smaller Reporting Company

☐

Emerging Growth Company

☐

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

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

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b) ☒

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

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity (“common stock”) held by non-affiliates of the registrant, as of March 31, 2024 (the last business day of registrant’s second quarter of fiscal year 2024), was $8.7 billion based upon the last sale price reported for such date on the New York Stock Exchange.

Number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding at October 31, 2024: 523,667,677.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

Certain portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its annual meeting of stockholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after September 30, 2024, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

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INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K


FORM 10-K ITEM			PAGE NUMBER
PART I
	ITEM 1.	BUSINESS	3
	ITEM 1A.	RISK FACTORS	16
	ITEM 1B.	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	26
	ITEM 1C.	C YBERSECURITY	27
	ITEM 2.	PROPERTIES	28
	ITEM 3.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS	28
	ITEM 4.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES	28
	INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS		29
PART II
	ITEM 5.	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES	31
	ITEM 6.	[RESERVED]	31
	ITEM 7.	MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS	31
	ITEM 7A.	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	54
	ITEM 8.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA	56
	ITEM 9.	CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE	99
	ITEM 9A.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	99
	ITEM 9B.	OTHER INFORMATION	99
	ITEM 9C.	DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS	99
PART III
	ITEM 10.	DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	100
	ITEM 11.	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	100
	ITEM 12.	SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS	100
	ITEM 13.	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE	101
	ITEM 14.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES	101
PART IV
	ITEM 15.	EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES	102
	ITEM 16.	FORM 10-K SUMMARY	102
EXHIBIT INDEX			102
SIGNATURES			105

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PART I

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

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

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

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

The initiation or unfavorable resolution of legal proceedings or other claims and regulatory and other governmental investigations or inquiries, including the Western Asset Management investigations described under the heading “Risk Factors” and in “Note 16 - Commitments and Contingencies” to our audited financial statements contained herein, may result in monetary judgments or settlements or other remedies, including fines, penalties, restitution and/or alterations in our business practices or those of our specialist investment managers. In addition, these matters may cause reputational harm to us or our specialist investment managers and could result in additional expenses and collateral costs, outflows or other financial impacts that could materially affect our results of operations and the price of our common stock.

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

Item 1. Business.

GENERAL

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

We offer our services and products under our various distinct brand names, including, but not limited to, Alcentra®, Benefit Street Partners®, Brandywine Global Investment Management®, Canvas®, Clarion Partners®, ClearBridge Investments®, Fiduciary Trust International™, Franklin®, Franklin Mutual Series®, K2®, Legg Mason®, Lexington Partners®, Martin Currie®, O’Shaughnessy®, Putnam®, Royce®, Templeton® and Western Asset Management Company®. Unless otherwise indicated, our “funds” means the funds offered under our various brand names.

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We are a global investment management organization with over $1.6 trillion in assets under management (“AUM”) as of September 30, 2024. Our mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through our specialist investment managers, we offer specialization on a global scale bringing extensive capabilities in equity, fixed income, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. For over 75 years, we have been committed to providing clients with exceptional investment management services and have developed a globally diversified business, including through strategic acquisitions.

We provide our investment management and related services to retail, institutional and high-net-worth investors in jurisdictions worldwide. We deliver our investment capabilities through a variety of products and vehicles and multiple points of access, including directly to investors and through financial intermediaries. Our investment products include our sponsored funds, as well as institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts, retail separately managed account programs, sub-advised products, and other investment vehicles. Our funds include registered funds (including exchange-traded funds, or “ETFs”) and unregistered funds. Related services include fund administration, sales and distribution, and shareholder servicing. We may perform services directly or through third parties. We also provide sub-advisory services to certain investment products sponsored by other companies that may be sold to investors under the brand names of those other companies or on a co-branded basis.

We offer our clients the combined experience of our investment professionals with expertise across asset classes and a sharp focus on managing risk. We are committed to delivering strong investment performance for our clients, and to offering a broad range of strategies and drawing on our diverse experiences and perspectives gained through our long history in the investment management business. We know that success demands smart and effective business innovation, solutions and technologies, and we remain focused on investment excellence, innovating to meet evolving client goals, and building strong partnerships by delivering superior client service. We continue to focus on the long-term investment performance of our investment products and on providing high quality service to our clients.

The global business and regulatory environments in which we operate remain complex, uncertain and subject to change. We are subject to various laws, rules and regulations globally that impose restrictions, limitations, registration, reporting and disclosure requirements on our business, and add complexity to our global compliance operations. Incorporated herein by reference is certain financial information about our segment and geographic areas contained in Note 19 – Segment and Geographic Information in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report.

Company History

Since 1947, the Company and its predecessors have been engaged in the investment management and related services business. Franklin was incorporated in the State of Delaware in November 1969, and originated our mutual fund business with the initial Franklin family of funds, known for its fixed income funds and growth and value-oriented equity funds. Over the years, we have expanded and developed our business to meet evolving investor needs, in part, by acquiring companies engaged in investment management and related services. We have added, among others: (i) the Templeton global investment firm in 1992, (ii) the Franklin Mutual Series investment firm in 1996, (iii) the Franklin Bissett Canadian investment firm in 2000, (iv) the Fiduciary Trust International investment and trust services firm in 2001, (v) the Benefit Street Partners alternative credit management firm in 2019, (vi) the Athena Capital Advisors investment and wealth management firm in March 2020, (vii) The Pennsylvania Trust Company investment and trust services firm in May 2020, (viii) the Legg Mason global investment firm in July 2020, (ix) the O’Shaughnessy Asset Management quantitative asset management firm in December 2021, (x) the Lexington Partners global alternatives investment firm in April 2022, (xi) the Alcentra alternative credit investment firm in November 2022, and (xii) the Putnam global investment firm in January 2024.

OUR BUSINESS STRUCTURE

Through our subsidiaries, we are committed to helping investors navigate global markets, as well as continuing to evolve and build on our strengths to meet the needs of our clients. We generally derive our revenues and income from providing investment management and related services to our products and the products we sub-advise. Our investment management fees, which represent a majority of our revenues, depend to a large extent on the level and relative mix of our AUM and the types of services provided, which are subject to change.

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

Our AUM by Asset Class and Product Type

We offer a broad product mix under our equity, fixed income, alternative, multi-asset and cash management asset classes. Our equity capabilities include value, deep value, core value, blend, growth and growth at a reasonable price, convertibles, sector, Shariah, smart beta and thematic investments. Our fixed income capabilities include government, municipals, corporate credit, bank loans, securitized, multi-sector, and other investments. Our alternative capabilities include private debt, hedge funds, private equity, real estate and infrastructure investments. Our multi-asset capabilities include income, real return, balanced/hybrid, total return, target date/risk, absolute return, tactical asset allocation and managed volatility investments.

We believe, despite market risks, that we have a competitive advantage as a result of the economic and geographic diversity of our products available to our clients. Our U.S. funds include U.S. mutual funds, closed-end funds, ETFs, private funds, sub-advised funds and other products. Our non-U.S. funds include a variety of cross-border funds principally domiciled in Luxembourg or Ireland, registered for sale to non-U.S. investors in certain other countries, and international locally domiciled funds and products for the particular local market. Our institutional separate account services are provided to various institutions globally for which we serve as an investment adviser. Our retail separately managed accounts, commonly known as managed accounts or wrap programs, are sponsored by various financial institutions. We also offer and serve as investment adviser to various other products.

Our fees for providing investment management services are generally based on a percentage of AUM in the accounts that we advise, and vary based on the asset classes of the accounts, the types of services that we provide, and the market for those services.

AUM by asset class and product type was as follows:


(in billions) as of September 30, 2024	U.S. Funds		Non-U.S. Funds		Institutional Separate Accounts		Retail Separately Managed Accounts		Other		Total		Percentage of Total AUM
Equity	$	359.1	$	101.9	$	60.7	$	94.4	$	16.0	$	632.1	38	%
Fixed Income	179.1		63.9		251.3		34.1		28.0		556.4		33	%
Alternative	145.9		79.8		23.9		0.2		0.1		249.9		15	%
Multi-Asset	99.9		10.9		4.6		16.6		44.2		176.2		10	%
Cash Management	33.0		30.0		1.0		—		—		64.0		4	%
Total	$	817.0	$	286.5	$	341.5	$	145.3	$	88.3	$	1,678.6	100	%

See “Assets under Management” under Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of Part II of this Annual Report for additional information about our AUM. Broadly speaking, other than AUM changes due to acquisitions, changes in our AUM depend primarily upon two factors: (i) the increase or decrease in the market value of the securities and instruments held in the portfolio of investments, and (ii) the level and direction of net flows. Changing market conditions, reputational harm and the evolving needs of our clients may cause asset volatility and a shift in our asset mix, which may result in an increase or decrease in our revenues and income.

Our Investment Management Related Services and Products

Our specialist investment managers offer diverse perspectives and specialized expertise across asset classes and strategies. Across our business, our specialist investment managers generally focus on a portion of the asset management industry in terms of the types of assets managed and each may differ in the types of products and services offered, the investment styles utilized, and the types and geographic locations of its clients. Each typically markets its products and services under its own brand name, with certain distribution functions provided by our corporate distribution subsidiaries where applicable. We have in place revenue sharing arrangements with certain of our specialist investment managers.

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Our specialist investment managers include: Benefit Street Partners, Brandywine Global, Clarion Partners, ClearBridge Investments, Fiduciary Trust International, Franklin Equity Group, Franklin Income Investors, Franklin Mutual Series, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income, Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, Lexington Partners, Martin Currie, O’Shaughnessy Asset Management, Putnam Investments, Royce Investment Partners, Templeton Global Investments, Templeton Global Macro and Western Asset Management.

Through our specialist investment managers, our investment products are offered globally to retail, institutional and high-net-worth clients, which may include, among others, individual investors, institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, defined benefit and contribution plans, endowments and charitable foundations, healthcare systems and insurance companies. Our investment products include mutual funds, closed-end funds, collective investment trusts, interval funds, private funds, institutional separate accounts, retail separately managed accounts, and other products. Our products and capabilities are designed to accommodate a variety of investment goals and preferences, from capital appreciation to capital preservation, as well as other investor preferences, which may include sustainable investing and other environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) preferences.

We are committed to partnering closely with our clients to understand their challenges and aspirations, and drawing on our investment capabilities and resources to offer and/or design the right investment solutions for them. We distribute and market globally our different capabilities under our brand names through various subsidiaries and multiple points of access, including directly to investors and through financial intermediaries. We primarily engage new institutional business through our relationships with pension, defined contribution and management consultants, direct sales efforts and additional mandates from our existing client relationships, as well as from our responses to requests for proposals. We also market and distribute our products through various subsidiaries to institutional investors with separate accounts. Our services also include management of our ETF platforms.

Our specialist investment managers provide investment management services pursuant to agreements with each of our investment products and/or clients, including products for which we provide sub-advisory services. Our investment management services include fundamental investment research and valuation analyses, including original economic, political, industry and company research, and analyses of suppliers, customers and competitors. Our management fees vary with the types of services that we provide, and fees may at times be waived or voluntarily reduced by the parties, among other things.

Our Funds

Our specialist investment managers manage a fund’s portfolio of securities in accordance with the fund’s stated objectives. To support the funds’ operations, our subsidiaries either provide or arrange for the investment and other management, shareholder servicing and administrative services required by the funds. We outsource various administration, technology, transfer agency and other services for our funds to third-party providers. An investor may purchase shares of a mutual fund directly from us or through a broker-dealer, financial adviser, bank or other similar financial intermediary that provides investment advice to the investor, or an investor may purchase shares of a closed-end fund or ETF on the stock exchange where the fund is traded. Financial intermediaries may earn fees and commissions and receive other compensation with respect to fund shares sold to investors.

The applicable board of directors or trustees of our funds and our management personnel periodically review the investment management fee structures for the funds in light of fund performance, the level and range of services provided, industry conditions and other relevant factors. For our U.S. mutual funds, most of our investment management agreements between our subsidiaries and funds must be renewed each year, and must be approved annually by a vote of each fund’s board of directors or trustees as a whole and separately by a majority of the independent fund directors or trustees under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”), or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the fund’s outstanding voting securities, and such agreements generally may be terminated by either party without penalty after prior written notice. Our non-U.S. mutual funds, private funds, institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts, and the products for which we provide sub-advisory services, are typically subject to various termination rights and/or renewal provisions, which often provide for termination upon relatively short notice with little or no penalty.

Retail Separately Managed Account Programs

Certain of our specialist investment managers provide investment management services to retail separately managed account programs sponsored by various financial institutions. These programs typically allow securities brokers or other financial intermediaries to offer their clients the opportunity to choose from a number of investment management services

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pursuing different investment strategies provided by one or more investment managers, and generally charge an all-inclusive fee that can cover asset management, asset allocation and custodial and administrative services.

Alternative Products and Strategies

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

High-Net-Worth Investment Management, Trust and Custody Services

Through our Fiduciary Trust International related subsidiaries, we provide investment management and related services to, among others, high-net-worth individuals and families, family offices, foundations and institutional clients. Fiduciary Trust International offers investment management and advisory services across different investment styles and asset classes. The majority of these client assets are actively managed by individual portfolio managers, while a significant number of clients also seek multi-manager, multi-asset class solutions. We also may provide separately managed accounts, private funds, and trust, custody and related services, including administration, performance measurement, estate planning and tax planning.

Sales and Distribution

Our global distribution group is responsible for sales, marketing and business development and maintains a regional distribution model, with regional teams responsible for driving initiatives in collaboration with global teams. Our groups collaborate to meet the needs of our advisors, clients and investors. There are many sales channels across each region, which may include retail, institutional, private wealth, retirement, insurance, and other specialty sales. Our global footprint and breadth of investment capabilities provide the opportunity for us to work with global financial institutions to add value through and beyond investing, including by providing thought leadership and building business relationships and global economic partnerships.

In addition, certain of our specialist investment managers have their own sales and marketing teams that distribute their products and services, primarily to institutional investors, both directly and through consultants. Consultants play a large role in institutional investment management by helping clients select and retain investment managers. Institutional investment management clients and their consultants tend to be highly sophisticated and investment performance driven.

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

We earn sales and distribution fees primarily by distributing our mutual funds pursuant to distribution agreements with the funds. Under our distribution agreements with our U.S. mutual funds, we offer and sell the fund shares on a continuous basis and pay certain costs associated with selling, marketing and distributing the fund shares, including the costs of developing and producing sales literature, shareholder reports and prospectuses. Our sales and distribution fees primarily consist of upfront sales commissions and ongoing distribution fees, which generally will change with the overall level of gross sales, the size of individual transactions, and the relative mix of sales between different asset classes and types of investors.

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The majority of our U.S. mutual funds, with the exception of certain money market funds and certain other funds specifically designed for purchase through separately managed account programs, have adopted distribution plans under Rule 12b-1 (the “Rule 12b-1 Plans”) promulgated under the Investment Company Act. The Rule 12b-1 Plans permit the funds to pay us for marketing, marketing support, advertising, printing and sales promotion services relating to the distribution of their shares, subject to the Rule 12b-1 Plans’ limitations on amounts based on daily average AUM. Similar arrangements exist for the distribution of non-U.S. mutual funds. The Rule 12b-1 Plans are established for one-year terms and must be approved annually by a vote of each fund’s board of directors or trustees as a whole and separately by a majority of the independent fund directors or trustees under the Investment Company Act, and such plans are subject to termination at any time by a majority vote of the independent fund directors or trustees or by the fund’s shareholders.

We pay the sales and distribution fees earned as revenues to the financial advisers and other intermediaries that sell our funds on our behalf. The distribution agreements with our U.S. mutual funds generally provide for us to pay commission expenses for sales of fund shares to qualifying broker-dealers and other independent financial intermediaries. These financial intermediaries receive various sales commissions and other fees for services in matching investors with funds whose asset classes match such investors’ goals and risk profiles. The intermediaries also may receive fees for their assistance in explaining the operations of the funds, and for reporting and various other distribution services. Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by federal or state laws or any self-regulatory agency, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), applicable to our business. We are heavily dependent upon these third-party distribution and sales channels and business relationships. There is increasing competition for access to these channels, which has caused our distribution costs to rise and could cause further increases in the future as competition continues and service expectations increase.

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

Shareholder Servicing

We perform our shareholder servicing services directly or through third parties. Substantially all shareholder servicing fees are earned from our funds for providing transfer agency services, which include providing shareholder statements, transaction processing, client service and tax reporting. Shareholder servicing fees are primarily determined based on a contractual margin, or a percentage of AUM and either the number of transactions in shareholder accounts or the number of shareholder accounts. We outsource various transfer agency and other services for our funds to third-party providers who serve as a sub-agent or delegate, depending on the jurisdiction. Our fees and expenses are routinely benchmarked against applicable industry standards.

COMPETITION

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

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

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

REGULATION

General

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

With our global operations, certain of our subsidiaries are registered with or licensed by various U.S. and/or non-U.S. regulators, and our funds are subject to various U.S. and/or non-U.S. laws. In particular, we are subject to various securities, compliance, corporate governance, disclosure, privacy, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, anti-terrorist financing, and economic, trade and sanctions laws and regulations, both domestically and internationally, as well as to various cross-border rules and regulations, such as the anti-bribery and anti-corruption rules under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (“FCPA”) and the data protection rules under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) of the European Union (“EU”). We are subject to sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury (“USDT”), as well as sanctions programs adopted and administered by non-U.S. jurisdictions where our services and products are offered. Our subsidiaries with custody of client assets or accounts are also subject to the applicable laws and regulations of U.S. states and non-U.S. jurisdictions regarding the reporting and escheatment of unclaimed or abandoned property, and applicable banking, trust company and/or fiduciary related regulations. We also must comply with complex and changing tax regimes in the jurisdictions where we operate our business.

Failure to comply with applicable U.S. and non-U.S. laws, regulations, rules, codes, notices, directives, guidelines, orders, circulars and/or conditions in the various jurisdictions where we operate could result in a wide range of disciplinary actions against us, our subsidiaries and/or our business. Breaches of applicable laws and rules could result in regulatory enforcement, civil liability, criminal liability and/or the imposition of a range of sanctions or orders against us, including, as applicable, monetary damages, injunctions, disgorgements, fines, penalties, cease and desist orders, censures, reprimands, and the revocation, cancellation, suspension or restriction of licenses, registration status or approvals held by us or our business in a jurisdiction or market. In addition, a public regulatory issue can have a negative impact on our reputation, and as a result have indirect impacts on our business or growth.

See Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of Part II of this Annual Report, for financial information about our business.

U.S. Regulation

U.S. Regulatory Framework. As a U.S. reporting company, we are subject to U.S. federal securities laws, state securities and corporate laws, state escheatment laws and regulations, and the rules and regulations of certain U.S. regulatory and self-regulatory organizations, such as the SEC and the NYSE. In particular, we are subject to various securities, compliance, corporate governance and disclosure rules adopted by the SEC. We are also subject to various other U.S. federal and state laws, including those affecting corporate governance and disclosure, such as the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001. As a NYSE-listed company, we are also subject to NYSE listing and disclosure requirements.

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

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

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

Antitrust Rules and Disclosure. In October 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) approved various rule changes under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (“HSR Act”) that amend certain premerger reporting and notification rules. The HSR Act and its implementing rules require parties to certain mergers and acquisitions to submit premerger notifications to the FTC and DOJ and observe a waiting period before consummating such transactions. The new rule changes, scheduled to take effect in January 2025, significantly expand the premerger information and documentation required to be submitted in connection with an HSR filing, which could substantially increase our required disclosure and notification expenses and delay transactions.

Cybersecurity Disclosure. The SEC’s amended rules requiring disclosure regarding cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance and incident reporting by public companies became effective in December 2023. The amendments require public companies to (i) disclose, on a current basis, any cybersecurity incident it deems to be material within four business days on a Form 8-K; (ii) describe, on an annual basis, the company’s processes, if any, for the assessment, identification and management of material risks from cybersecurity threats, as well as whether any risks from cybersecurity threats have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect their business strategy, results of operations or financial condition; and (iii) describe, on an annual basis, the board’s oversight of risks from cybersecurity threats and management’s role in assessing and managing those risks. The amendments require ongoing evaluation and analysis of our applicable processes and procedures, including regarding cyber incident response plans and procedures, disclosure analysis framework, risk management processes, and board oversight structure.

Sustainable Investing and ESG, and Climate-Related Disclosure. Sustainable investing and ESG continue to be the focus of increased regulatory and legal scrutiny across jurisdictions. In the U.S., the SEC adopted, but subsequently stayed implementation of, climate disclosure rules to require public issuers to include enhanced disclosure and financial metrics regarding corporate climate-related information in their periodic reports and registration statements, and these rules remain subject to applicable legal challenges. In addition, state laws and regulations regarding these topics continue to evolve and impose further requirements. For example, in October 2023, California enacted a new climate accountability package pursuant to its Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act that requires annual disclosure of certain greenhouse gas emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk Act that requires biennial disclosure of certain climate-related financial risks and mitigation measures, each beginning in 2026, subject to applicable implementing regulations and rulemaking that may impact final scope and compliance timing. Also, the SEC has increased its focus on disclosure and compliance related to ESG strategies of investment advisers and funds. Globally, the International Sustainability Standards Board and applicable sustainability disclosure standards impact how national regulators and governance bodies approach these and related topics.

Privacy and Data Protection. There continues to be an increased regulatory and enforcement focus with respect to the protection of individuals’ privacy and personal data around the world, and the ongoing need to secure and ensure only appropriate collection and use of sensitive customer, personnel, and others’ personal data. A majority of the jurisdictions where we operate are covered, or we expect will be covered, by stringent privacy and data protection laws and regulations.

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As the regulatory focus on privacy continues to intensify and laws and regulations concerning the management of personal data continue to expand, risks related to the handling of privacy obligations and personal data collection across our business will increase. For example, in addition to international data protection and privacy laws and regulations like the EU’s GDPR, we are, and expect to continue to be, subject to and affected by existing, new and evolving country, federal and state laws, regulations and guidance around the world impacting consumer and personnel privacy, including the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, and various other U.S. state consumer privacy laws that provide for enhanced consumer protections for their residents and impose requirements for the handling, disclosure and deletion of personal information of their residents.

Systemically Important Financial Institutions. The mandate of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (“FSOC”) is to identify and respond to threats to U.S. financial stability. Similarly, the U.S. and other members of the G-20 group of nations have empowered the Financial Stability Board (“FSB”) to identify and respond, in a coordinated manner, to threats to global financial stability. The FSOC may designate certain non-bank financial companies as systemically important financial institutions (“SIFIs”), which are subject to supervision and regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The FSB may designate certain non-bank financial companies as global systemically important financial institutions (“G-SIFIs”). To the extent that we or any of our funds are designated as a SIFI or G-SIFI, such designations would add additional supervision, review, monitoring and/or regulation resulting in increased scrutiny and oversight that could impact our business.

Derivatives and Other Financial Products. Regulators continue to review practices and regulations relating to the use of futures, swaps and other derivatives, which could result in further restrictions and limitations on the use of such products. In October 2020, the SEC adopted new rules governing the use of derivatives by certain registered investment companies, including certain mutual funds, designed to address investor protection concerns, which became effective in August 2022. Key aspects of the new framework include, among other things, value at risk limits on a fund entering into derivatives transactions, required risk management program, and further fund board oversight, reporting and compliance requirements. The EU and other countries have adopted and implemented, or are in the process of adopting or implementing, similar and additional requirements. There is the risk that full mutual recognition may not be achieved between the various regulators, which may cause us to incur duplicate regulation and transaction costs.

U.S. DOL Reforms. The DOL’s 2024 amended fiduciary rule broadening the definition of who is considered an “investment advice fiduciary” to a retirement investor, and adding significant restrictions and requirements for the use of prohibited transaction exemptions typically relied upon by investment firms such as ours, remains subject to applicable legal challenges. Under the new rule, a financial services provider that provides one-time advice to a retirement investor may become subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) fiduciary standard. In addition to the 2024 fiduciary rule, the DOL amended the Qualified Professional Asset Manager (QPAM) exemption as of June 2024, which many investment firms have relied upon when providing services to and engaging in transactions on behalf of applicable retirement plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and/or certain commingled investment vehicles that have retirement plan investors. The QPAM amendment makes material changes and imposes additional conditions and affirmative requirements for the ongoing use of such exemption.

Private Fund Adviser Reforms. In May 2023, the SEC adopted amendments to Form PF, which is the confidential reporting form that investment advisers to private funds file to provide confidential information to the SEC and the FSOC. The amendments require (i) current and quarterly reporting by large hedge fund advisers regarding certain events that may indicate stress at a fund or signal broader systemic risk; and (ii) enhanced reporting by large private equity advisers to allow the FSOC to monitor systemic risk. The amendments also require large private equity fund advisers to report information on general partner and limited partner clawbacks on an annual basis as well as additional information on their strategies and borrowings as a part of their annual filing. The current and quarterly event reporting requirements became effective in November 2023 and the remaining amendments became effective in May 2024.

Money Market Fund Reforms. The regulatory structure governing U.S. money market funds was previously reformed to address perceived systemic risks of money market funds relating to fund stability and investor risks, including allowing certain funds to impose liquidity fees and redemption gates under certain circumstances. In July 2023, the SEC adopted additional rule and form amendments concerning money market funds registered under the Investment Company Act, intended to address problems experienced by certain money market funds in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. The new and amended rules were phased in through October 2024 and, among other changes, impose increased minimum liquidity requirements, impose mandatory liquidity fees on institutional prime and institutional tax-exempt funds under certain circumstances, eliminate redemption gates, and permit share cancellation measures during periods of negative

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interest rates. In addition, the Form PF was further amended to require additional information regarding the private liquidity funds that an investment manager advises.

Fund Names Rule Reforms. In September 2023, the SEC adopted amendments to the fund “Names Rule” impacting regulated investment funds. The Names Rule generally requires a fund to invest at least 80% of the value of its assets in the particular type of investments or industry suggested by the fund's name. The amendments expand the applicability of the Names Rule and impacted funds may need to modify their names or alter their investment strategies to comply with the amendments, potentially impacting their portfolios. Funds with names that suggest a focus on investments that have particular characteristics, such as “growth,” “value” or thematic terms such as “ESG,” would be required to adopt a policy to invest at least 80% of the fund’s assets in those investments and would be subject to enhanced disclosure and reporting requirements. The SEC did not clearly define these terms and instead is allowing fund managers the flexibility to create their own reasonable definitions. Compliance with the rules is required effective in December 2025.

U.S. and Global Tax Compliance. Our business may be directly or indirectly affected by tax legislation and regulation, or the modification of existing tax laws, by applicable tax and other governmental authorities. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental organization, has focused on addressing the tax challenges of the digitalization of the economy, which may further impact multinational businesses by allocating a greater share of taxing rights to countries where consumers are located regardless of the current physical presence of a business, and by implementing a global minimum tax. We will continue to monitor developments regarding such matters and any significant impacts on our effective tax rate.

Non-U.S. Regulation

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

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

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

In the U.K., the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) regulates certain of our subsidiaries. Authorization by the FCA is required to conduct any financial services-related business in the U.K. pursuant to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The FCA’s rules under that act govern a firm’s capital resources requirements, senior management arrangements, business conduct, interaction with clients, and systems and controls. The FCA recently established Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and we are reviewing the applicable product, marketing and other disclosure requirements for compliance with the December 2024 deadline. We offer a significant number of EU UCITS to U.K. retail investors which will need to apply for registration under the U.K.’s new Offshore Funds Regime by mid-2025 in order to continue such offerings. We await a further consultation from the U.K. Treasury as to how such funds may in the future also be covered by the Sustainability Disclosure Requirements.

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In addition, the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, as revised and expanded in 2018 (“MiFID II”), regulates the provision of investment services and conduct of investment activities throughout the European Economic Area (“EEA”). As revised, MiFID II sets out detailed requirements, governing the organization and business conduct of investment firms and regulated markets, and includes pre- and post-trade transparency requirements for equity markets and extensive transaction reporting requirements. It also includes an expansion of the types of instruments subject to these requirements, such as bonds, structured products and derivatives, and changes to business conduct requirements, including selling practices, intermediary inducements and client categorization. MiFID II also includes a ban on commission and other payments (“inducements”) to independent advisers and discretionary managers, which has changed the commercial relationships between fund providers and distributors. Arrangements with non-independent advisers have also been affected, as narrower rules around the requirement that any commission reflect an enhancement of the service to customers come into effect, along with a prescriptive list of permissible non-monetary benefits. The interpretation of the inducements rules has also resulted in major changes to how fund managers finance investment research with many firms, including ours.

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

The EU’s Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”) regulates managers of, and service providers to, AIFs that are domiciled and offered in the EU and that are not authorized as retail funds under UCITS. The AIFMD also regulates the marketing within the EU of all AIFs, including those domiciled outside the EU. Compliance with the AIFMD’s requirements may restrict AIF marketing and imposes compliance obligations in the form of remuneration policies, capital requirements, reporting requirements, leverage oversight, valuation, stakes in EU companies, the domicile, duties and liability of custodians and liquidity management.

The EU regulation on packaged retail investment and insurance products (“PRIIPs”) imposed new pre-contractual disclosure requirements under the form of a Key Information Document (“KID”) for the benefit of retail investors when they are considering the purchase of packaged retail investment products or insurance-based products.

The EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (“SFDR”) imposes mandatory ESG disclosure obligations on asset managers and other financial markets participants. SFDR requires all covered firms to disclose how financial products integrate sustainability risks in the investment process, including whether they consider adverse sustainability impacts, and, for those products promoting sustainable objectives, the provision of sustainability-related information. Related amendments to applicable legislation require that all covered investment managers must consider in their investment process any ESG risks which are likely to have a material impact on the value of the investment and require investment advisers to inquire as to the investor’s desire for ESG-focused products in their portfolio when assessing suitability. The availability of such sustainability disclosures may impact the investment decisions of European investors.

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (“CSDD”) will impose due diligence obligations requiring companies to identify, and to prevent or at least mitigate, adverse impacts on human rights and the environment across their value chain, including by their subsidiaries, supply chain partners and clients. Obligations would be enforced through administrative sanctions and civil liability, with a defense of having exercised reasonable due diligence. The CSDD remains subject to further secondary rulemaking and guidance around implementation. While CSDD does not currently apply to investment funds, the European Commission is required to consider the merits of potentially extending the requirements to funds within the next two years. As investors in the public markets do not have the contractual relationship with issuers to compel them to provide the information required by CSDD, the imposition of CSDD to funds could prove problematic for the industry.

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

Canada. In Canada, our subsidiaries are subject to provincial and territorial laws and are registered with and regulated by provincial and territorial securities regulatory authorities. The mandate of Canadian securities regulatory authorities is generally to protect investors; to foster fair, efficient and competitive capital markets; to foster capital

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formation; and to contribute to the stability of the financial system and the reduction of systemic risk. Securities regulatory authorities impose certain requirements on registrants, including a standard of conduct, capital and insurance, record keeping, regulatory financial reporting, conflict of interest management, compliance systems and security holder reporting. In addition, one of our Canadian subsidiaries is a federally licensed trust company subject to regulation and supervision by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and another subsidiary is a member of and regulated by the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. These regulatory bodies have similar requirements to those of the securities regulatory authorities with a view to ensuring the capital adequacy and sound business practices of the subsidiaries and the appropriate treatment of their clients.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

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

HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES

As of September 30, 2024, we employed approximately 10,200 employees and operated offices in over 30 countries. We consider our relations with our employees to be satisfactory. We depend upon our key personnel to manage our business, including our portfolio managers, investment analysts, sales and management personnel and other professionals as well as our executive officers and business unit heads. Competition for experienced personnel is significant and from time to time we may experience a loss of valuable personnel. The retention of our key investment personnel is material to the management of our business.

At an enterprise level, we use employee surveys to understand sentiment and engagement in the organization. At a team level, our performance management system supports ongoing, active discussion about goals and objectives. We also host live forums for leaders to engage directly with employees to help reinforce our culture of open feedback. Our employees have access to a valuable set of equitable and competitive total rewards, which consists of a mix of monetary and non-monetary rewards designed to recognize their time, talents and results.

Recognizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) is a priority in our organization. We believe that our ability to attract, develop and retain a diverse and highly-skilled workforce is important to our long-term success. We have developed DEI strategies and initiatives anchored in our core values. To support our DEI efforts, we have allocated dedicated resources for DEI, established a global governance structure, and have established research-based DEI policies and procedures.

We believe that our commitment to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce, including backgrounds and perspectives, makes us a better place to work and a more resilient business. We value an inclusive culture that leverages the expertise and perspectives of our diverse workforce as an important factor in our ability to deliver innovative and relevant client solutions in a dynamic marketplace.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

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

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

MARKET AND VOLATILITY RISKS

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

We derive substantially all of our operating revenues and income from providing investment management and related services to investors in jurisdictions worldwide through our investment products, which include our funds, as well as institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts, retail separately managed account programs, sub-advised products, and other investment vehicles. Related services include fund administration, sales and distribution, and shareholder servicing. We may perform services directly or through third parties. The asset management industry continues to experience disruption and challenges, including continued fee pressure, regulatory changes, an increasing and changing role of technology in asset management services, the continuous introduction of new products and services, and the consolidation of financial services firms through mergers and acquisitions. Further, financial markets have currently and in the past experienced and may continue, from time to time, to experience volatility and disruption worldwide. Declines in global economic markets have periodically resulted, and may continue to result, in significant decreases in our AUM, revenues and income, and future declines may further negatively impact our financial results. Such declines have had, and may in the future have, a material adverse impact on our business. We may need to modify our business, strategies or operations and we may be subject to additional constraints or costs in order to compete in a changing global economy and business environment.

Individual financial, equity, debt and commodity markets may be adversely affected by financial, economic, operational, political, electoral, diplomatic or other changes and/or instabilities that are particular to the country or region in which a market is located, including without limitation local acts of terrorism, economic crises, political protests, war, insurrection or other business, social or political crises. For example, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia and Middle East wars and conflicts may continue to expand globally and significantly impact the global economy and financial markets, which may have an adverse effect on our investment performance and flows in certain products. Global economic conditions, exacerbated by war, terrorism, social, civil or political unrest, natural disasters, public health crises, such as epidemics or pandemics, or financial crises, changes in the equity, debt or commodity marketplaces or market operations, changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates, inflation rates, the yield curve, defaults by trading counterparties, bond defaults, revaluation and bond market liquidity risks, geopolitical risks, the imposition of economic sanctions and other factors that are difficult to predict, affect the mix, market values and levels of our AUM. Changing market conditions could also cause an impairment to the value of our goodwill and other intangible assets.

The amount and mix of our AUM are subject to significant fluctuations, and a shift in our asset mix toward lower-fee products may negatively impact our revenues and income.

Fluctuations in the amount and mix of our AUM may be attributable in part to market conditions outside of our control that have had, and in the future could have, a negative impact on our revenues and income. The level of our revenues depends largely on the level and relative mix of AUM. Our investment management fee revenues are based primarily on a percentage of AUM and vary with the types and strategies of our products. Any decrease in the value or amount of our AUM because of market volatility or other factors, such as asset outflows or a decline in the price of securities, in particular market segments or in the securities market generally, negatively impacts our revenues and income. Changing market conditions and investor preferences may cause a shift in our asset mix toward certain lower fee products, such as fixed income products and ETFs, and away from higher fee equity and alternative products, which may cause a related decline in our revenues and income. In addition, increases in interest rates, particularly if rapid, as well as uncertainty in the future direction of interest rates, may have a negative impact on our fixed income products and decrease the total return on bond investments due to lower market valuations of existing bonds. Moreover, we generally derive higher investment management and distribution fees from our international products than from our U.S. products, and higher sales fees from our U.S. products than from our international products. Changing market conditions may cause a shift in our asset mix between international and U.S. products, which may result in a decline in our revenues and income.

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

Due to market volatility, reputational harm or other events or conditions described above, our funds may need to sell securities or instruments that they hold, possibly at a loss, or draw on any available lines of credit, to obtain cash to maintain sufficient liquidity or settle redemptions, or settle in-kind with securities held in the applicable fund. While we

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have no legal or contractual obligation to do so, we have in the past provided, and may in the future at our discretion provide, financial support to our funds to enable them to maintain sufficient liquidity in any such event. Changes in investor preferences regarding our more popular products have in the past caused, and could in the future cause, sizable redemptions and lower the value of our AUM, which would result in lower revenue and operating results. Increased market volatility and changes in investor preferences also increase the risk of fund closures. Any decrease in the level of our AUM resulting from market declines, credit or interest rate volatility or uncertainty, increased redemptions or other factors could negatively impact our revenues and income.

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE AND REPUTATIONAL RISKS

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

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

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

Our reputation is critical to the success of our business. We believe that our brand names have been, and continue to be, well received both in our industry and with our clients, reflecting the fact that our brands, like our business, are based in part on trust and confidence. If our brands or reputation are harmed, existing clients may reduce amounts held in, or withdraw entirely from, our products and services, and/or our clients and products may terminate their management agreements with us, which could reduce the amount of our AUM and cause us to suffer a corresponding loss in our revenues and income. Such impacts could materially and adversely affect our profitability, lead to further business and operational disruptions, and expose us to additional costs and increased reputational damage and risk. In addition, reputational harm may prevent us from attracting new clients or developing new business. Moreover, ESG topics and activities have been the subject of increased focus by certain investors and regulators in the asset management industry, and any inability to meet applicable requirements may adversely impact our reputation and business.

GLOBAL OPERATIONAL RISKS

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

The outbreak and spread of contagious diseases such as COVID-19 have had, and may in the future have, adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a widespread global public health crisis. Such infectious illness outbreaks or other adverse public health developments in countries where we operate, as well as local, state and/or national government restrictive measures implemented to control such outbreaks, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, the financial condition of individual issuers or companies and capital markets, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen, and such impacts could be significant and long term. Such extraordinary events and their aftermaths can cause investor fear and panic, which can further adversely affect the operations and performance of companies, sectors, nations, regions and financial markets in general and in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. It is not possible to predict the full extent to which a pandemic may evolve and/or adversely impact our business, liquidity, capital resources, financial results and operations.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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attempts to circumvent our policies and controls or repeated incidents involving violation of controls and policies, fraud or conflicts of interests could negatively impact our business and reputation and result in adverse publicity, regulatory investigations and actions, legal proceedings and losses and adversely affect our operations, reputation, AUM and financial results.

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

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

Moreover, regulators in non-U.S. jurisdictions could also change their policies or laws in a manner that might restrict or otherwise impede our ability to distribute or authorize products or maintain their authorizations in their respective markets. Any of these local requirements, activities or needs could increase the costs and expenses we incur in a specific jurisdiction without any corresponding increase in revenues and income from operating in the jurisdiction. Certain laws and regulations both inside and outside the U.S. have extraterritorial application. This may lead to duplicative or conflicting legal or regulatory burdens and additional costs and risks.

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

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

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

The replacement of benchmark indices may impose a number of risks on our business, our clients and the financial services industry more widely. These include financial risks arising from changes in the valuation of financial instruments linked to benchmark indices, pricing and operational risks, and legal implementation and revised documentation. We may from time to time face operational challenges implementing successor benchmarks.

COMPETITION AND DISTRIBUTION RISKS

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

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

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

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

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

We primarily derive our fund sales through third-party broker-dealers, banks, investment advisers and other financial intermediaries. Because we rely on third-party distribution and sales channels to sell our products, we do not control the ultimate investment recommendations given by them to clients. Such financial intermediaries may recommend competing products. Increasing competition for these distribution and sales channels, and regulatory changes and initiatives, have caused our distribution costs to rise and could cause further cost increases in the future, or could otherwise negatively impact the distribution of our products. Consolidations in the broker-dealer or banking industries also could adversely impact our revenues and income. A failure to maintain our third-party distribution and sales channels, or a failure to

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maintain strong business relationships with our distributors and other intermediaries, may impair our distribution and sales operations. Any inability to access and successfully sell our products to clients through such third-party channels could have a negative effect on our level of AUM and adversely impact our business.

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

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

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

THIRD-PARTY RISKS

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

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

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

Due to our interconnectivity with and dependency upon third-party providers, including advisors, central agents, exchanges, clearing organizations and other financial institutions, we may be adversely affected if any of them is subject to a successful cyber attack or other privacy or information security event or disruption. Cybersecurity issues affecting third-party providers are a growing concern in the asset management industry. Many services that we use in our business are delivered from and supported, upgraded and maintained by, third-party providers. A breach, suspension or termination of these services or related support, upgrades and maintenance could cause temporary system delays or interruption that could adversely impact our business.

TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY RISKS

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

Our continued success in effectively managing and growing our business depends on our ability to integrate our varied accounting, financial, information, and operational systems on a global basis. Moreover, adapting or developing the existing technology systems we use to meet our internal needs, as well as client needs, industry demands and new

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regulatory requirements, is also critical for our business. The introduction of new technologies presents new challenges to us. On an ongoing basis, we need to upgrade and improve our technology, including our technology platform, data processing, financial, accounting, shareholder servicing and trading systems. For example, in July 2024, we selected a third-party technology solution to further support our investment management process and unify our investment management technology platform across asset classes to reduce complexity and support business growth, subject to a multi-year transition and implementation period. Further, we also must be proactive and prepared to implement new technology when growth opportunities present themselves, whether as a result of a business acquisition or rapidly increasing business activities in particular markets or regions. These needs could continue to present operational issues or require significant capital spending, and may require us to reevaluate the current value and/or expected useful lives of the technology we use or intend to use, which could negatively impact our results of operations. In addition, technology is subject to rapid advancements and changes and our competitors may, from time to time, implement newer technologies or more advanced platforms for their services and products, including investment management platforms, digital advisers, digital wealth and distribution tools, digital asset tools and other advanced electronic systems, which could adversely affect our business if we are unable to remain competitive.

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

We are highly dependent upon the use of various proprietary and third-party information and security technology, software applications, external third-party services and other technology systems, and remote equipment and connectivity infrastructure, to access critical business systems necessary to operate our business. We are also dependent on the continuity and effectiveness of our information and cybersecurity infrastructure, management oversight and reporting framework, policies, procedures and capabilities to protect our computer and telecommunications systems and the data that reside on or are transmitted through them and contracted third-party systems. We use technology and third-party providers on a daily basis in our business to, among other things, support our business continuity and operations, process and transmit confidential communications, store and maintain confidential and proprietary data including personal employee and/or client data, obtain securities pricing information, process client transactions, and provide reports and other services to our clients. In addition, developments in our use of process automation and artificial intelligence further heighten our dependency on technology. Any disruptions, inaccuracies, mismanagement, delays, theft, systems failures, data security or privacy breaches, cybersecurity threats, incidents, attacks or other cyber-related fraud, or other security breaches in these and other processes, could subject us to significant client dissatisfaction and losses and damage our reputation. We and our third-party providers have been, and we expect to continue to be, the subject of these types of risks, breaches and/or attacks, as well as attempts to co-opt our brand. Ongoing advances in technology, including generative artificial intelligence, as well as the malicious use of such technology, could further heighten the risks to our business. Although we take protective measures, including measures to secure and protect information through system security technology and our internal security procedures, as well as measures to assess third-party provider security posture and controls, we can provide no assurance that any of these measures will prove effective or comply with evolving information security standards, particularly given the evolving nature and sophistication of cyber and technology threats and attacks. The technology systems we use or rely on, including those provided and/or leveraged by third-party providers, remain vulnerable to denial of service attacks, unauthorized access, computer viruses, human error and other events and circumstances that may have a security impact, such as an external or internal hacker attack by one or more cyber criminals (including through the use of social engineering, phishing attacks, malware, ransomware and other methods and activities maliciously designed to obtain and exploit confidential information and to cause system and service disruption and other damage) and to our personnel or vendors inadvertently or recklessly causing release of confidential information, which could materially harm our operations and reputation.

System disruptions, failures or breaches of the technology we use or the security infrastructure we rely upon, including third-party applications and services, or our failure to properly manage, mitigate, disclose or communicate a cybersecurity incident, could result in: (i) material financial loss or costs, (ii) delays in clients’ ability to access account information or in our ability to process transactions, (iii) the unauthorized disclosure or modification of sensitive or confidential client and business information, (iv) loss of valuable information, (v) breach of client and vendor contracts, (vi) liability for stolen assets, information or identity, (vii) remediation costs to repair damage caused by the failure or breach, (viii) additional security and organizational costs to mitigate against future incidents, (ix) reputational harm, (x) loss of confidence in our business and products, (xi) liability for failure to review and disclose applicable incidents or provide relevant updated disclosure properly and timely, (xii) regulatory investigations or actions, and/or (xiii) legal claims, litigation, and liability costs, any one or more of which may be material. Moreover, loss or unauthorized disclosure or transfer of confidential and proprietary data or confidential customer identification information could further harm our

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reputation and subject us to liability under laws that protect confidential data and personal information, resulting in increased costs or a decline in our revenues or common stock price. Further, although we take precautions to password protect and encrypt our laptops and sensitive information on our mobile electronic devices, if such devices are stolen, misplaced or left unattended, they may become vulnerable to hacking or other unauthorized use, creating a possible security risk, which may require us to incur additional administrative costs and/or take remedial actions. In addition, failure to manage and operate properly the data centers and third-party cloud storage and computing application services we use could have an adverse impact on our business. Although we have in place certain disaster recovery plans, we may experience system delays and interruptions as a result of natural disasters, power failures, acts of war, and third-party failures.

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

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

HUMAN CAPITAL RISKS

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

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

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CASH MANAGEMENT RISKS

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

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

We are dependent on the earnings of our subsidiaries.

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

LEGAL AND REGULATORY RISKS

For a more extensive discussion of certain laws, regulations (including certain pending regulatory reforms) and regulators to which we are subject, as well as certain defined terms referenced below, see “Regulation” under Item 1, Business, in Part I of this Annual Report.

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

There is uncertainty associated with the regulatory and compliance environments in which we operate. Our business is subject to extensive and complex, overlapping and/or conflicting, and frequently changing and increasing rules, regulations, policies and legal interpretations, around the world. Political and electoral changes, developments and conflicts have in the past introduced, and may in the future introduce, additional uncertainty. Our regulatory and compliance obligations impose significant operational and cost burdens on us and cover a broad range of requirements related to financial reporting and other disclosure matters, securities and other financial instruments, investment and advisory matters, accounting, tax, compensation, ethics, intellectual property, privacy and data protection, sanctions programs, and escheatment requirements. We may be adversely affected by a failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and changes in the countries in which we operate.

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

The laws and regulations applicable to our business generally involve restrictions and requirements in connection with a variety of technical, specialized, and expanding matters and concerns. Over the years, the U.S. federal corporate governance and securities laws, and laws in other jurisdictions, have been augmented substantially and made significantly more complex by various legislation. As we continue to address our legal and regulatory requirements or focus on meeting new or expanded requirements, we may need to continue to expend a substantial amount of additional time, costs and resources. Regulatory reforms may add further complexity to our business and operations and could require us to alter our investment management services and related activities, which could be costly, impede our growth and adversely impact our AUM, revenues and income. Regulatory reforms also may impact our clients, which could cause them to change their investment strategies or allocations in a manner adverse to our business. Certain key regulatory reforms and proposals in the U.S. and other jurisdictions that may impact or relate to our business, and may cause us to incur additional obligations, include regulatory matters related to antitrust rules and disclosure, cybersecurity disclosure, sustainable investing and ESG, climate-related disclosure, privacy and data protection, SIFIs, derivatives and other financial products, fiduciary and fund-related reforms, tax compliance, and other asset management disclosure and compliance requirements. The impacts of these and other regulatory reforms on us, now and in the future, could be significant. We expect that the regulatory

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requirements and developments applicable to us will cause us to continue to incur additional compliance and administrative burdens and costs. Any inability to meet applicable requirements within the required timeframes may subject us to sanctions or other restrictions by governments and/or regulators that could adversely impact our broader business objectives.

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

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

The EU’s GDPR strengthened and unified data protection rules for individuals within the EU and addresses export of personal data outside the EU. The failure to comply properly with GDPR rules on a timely basis and to maintain ongoing compliance with such rules may subject us to enforcement proceedings and significant fines and costs. For example, a failure to comply with GDPR could result in fines up to 4% of our annual global revenues.

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

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

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

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

We are subject to complex tax regimes, changing tax laws, income taxes, non-income-based taxes, and ongoing tax audits, in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Tax authorities may disagree with certain positions we have taken and assess additional taxes. We regularly assess the likely outcomes of these audits in order to determine the

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appropriateness of our tax provision. However, there can be no assurance that we will accurately predict the outcomes of these audits and the actual outcomes could have a material impact on our financial condition. Changes in tax laws or rulings, including corporate tax rate increases, capital gains rate increases for fund investors and other tax rate increases impacting our clients and their willingness to invest in our products, may at times materially impact our revenues and income.

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

We operate in a highly regulated industry and have received and routinely receive and respond to regulatory and governmental requests for documents or other information, subpoenas, examinations and, in some instances, investigations in connection with our business activities. For example, as noted in the “Legal Proceedings” section in Note 16 - Commitments and Contingencies, our subsidiary, Western Asset Management Company (“WAM”) is the subject of parallel investigations by the SEC, the CFTC and the DOJ. Further, regulatory or governmental examinations or investigations that have been inactive could become active. In addition, we are named as a party in litigation in the ordinary course of business. Claims made against us, including those without merit, have resulted and may continue to result in reputational harm and responding to such matters is an expensive process. Risks associated with legal liability often are difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude can remain unknown for significant periods of time. Regulatory enforcement and civil litigation matters can result in the imposition of a range of sanctions or orders against us, including, as applicable, monetary damages, injunctions, disgorgements, fines, penalties, cease and desist orders, censures, reprimands, and the revocation, cancellations, suspension or restriction of licenses, registration status or approvals held by us or our business. In addition, we may be obligated, and under our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and form of director indemnification agreement are obligated under certain conditions, or may choose, to indemnify directors, officers or personnel against liabilities and expenses they may incur in connection with such matters to the extent permitted under applicable law. Financial exposures, including AUM outflows, from and expenses incurred relating to any examinations, investigations, enforcement actions, litigation, and/or settlements have and may continue to adversely impact our AUM, increase costs, and negatively impact our reputation, profitability, and revenue any of which could have a material negative impact on our financial results. For a discussion of certain legal proceedings and regulatory matters in which we are involved, see “Legal Proceedings” in Note 16 - Commitments and Contingencies in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report.

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

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

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

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

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

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Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

Risk Management and Strategy

We recognize the importance of assessing, identifying and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. Our cybersecurity program focuses on (i) identification of and protection from cybersecurity risks, (ii) detection and analysis of cybersecurity events, (iii) response to and recovery from cybersecurity incidents, and (iv) education and awareness. Under our program, designated personnel are responsible for:

•assessing the severity of a cybersecurity incident and associated threat;

•containing the threat;

•remediating the threat, including recovery of data and access to systems;

•analyzing the reporting obligations associated with the incident; and

•performing post-incident analysis and program improvements.

Our cybersecurity team is led by our Chief Security Officer (“CSO”) or the CSO’s delegee partnering with our risk, technology, legal, compliance, privacy, human resources, and other applicable business teams.

Identification and Protection. Our cybersecurity program has established processes to identify and categorize cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities as part of our risk identification process, pursuant to which we regularly seek to obtain, monitor, assess and respond to evolving threat and vulnerability information. Information about threats and vulnerabilities generally originates from multiple sources, including, but not limited to, government, information-sharing organizations, industry threat intelligence sources, and third parties. The identification of risks is supported through various security controls and testing to help minimize exposure to reported cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. These security controls include, but are not limited to, penetration testing, compromise assessments, vulnerability scanning, and various additional internal and external security audits and assessments. In addition, we maintain a third-party risk management program that includes an initial and periodic cybersecurity assessment on critical vendors’ security posture and controls.

Detection and Analysis. Cybersecurity incidents may be detected through a variety of means, which include, but are not limited to, automated event-detection notifications or similar technologies which are monitored by our security operations team, as well as notifications from employees or third-party providers. Once a cybersecurity incident is identified, including third-party cybersecurity events, our incident response team investigates the incident, determines the nature of the event and assesses the severity of the event and sensitivity of any compromised data.

Response and Recovery. In the event of a cybersecurity incident, our initial focus is to contain the cybersecurity incident as quickly as possible consistent with our incident response plan. Once a cybersecurity incident is contained, we focus on remediation and recovery activities which depend on the nature of the cybersecurity incident. We have relationships with third-party providers to assist with cybersecurity containment and remediation efforts, including for example forensic investigations, and incident response management. If a cybersecurity incident materially impacts us, or is expected to materially impact us, we promptly notify senior management, the Franklin Board of Directors (“Board”) and/or Franklin Audit Committee, as appropriate based on the severity of the incident. Our response plan also addresses engagement with appropriate individuals and committees with respect to disclosure determinations related to cybersecurity incidents. We review and, if necessary, update our cyber security incident response plan at least annually.

Education and Awareness. Our cybersecurity education and awareness program for employees and contractors covers a wide range of cyber topics including, but not limited to, policies and procedures, business/technology roles and responsibilities, threats and vulnerabilities, data privacy, confidentiality and asset protection. Our employees and contractors are required to complete mandatory initial onboarding and annual cybersecurity trainings, supplemented by other periodic cyber-related testing and training.

Governance

Our Board is responsible for the oversight of our cybersecurity risk management program. The Board has delegated to the Franklin Audit Committee oversight responsibility regarding cybersecurity risks. Our CSO reports directly to our Chief Risk and Transformation Officer, each of whom has extensive experience in information security and risk

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management. The Board and/or Audit Committee receive(s) a report on cybersecurity matters, including threats, events and program enhancements, at least annually. We update our cybersecurity policies at a minimum annually and benchmark our program to applicable cybersecurity standards and frameworks.

We are not aware of any cybersecurity threats or incidents that have materially impacted us during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, or that are reasonably likely to materially affect our business, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. We routinely face risks of cybersecurity incidents, whether through attempted or actual: cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions, ransomware and other forms of malware, computer viruses, attachments to emails, phishing, extortion or other scams. Although we make efforts to maintain the security and integrity of our systems, these systems and the proprietary, confidential and personal information that resides on or is transmitted through them are subject to the risk of a cybersecurity incident or disruption, and there can be no assurances regarding the effectiveness of our security efforts and measures or those of our third-party providers who have access to, transmit, or store such data. For additional information regarding our cybersecurity risks, see our risk factors under Item 1A in Part I of this Annual Report.

Item 2. Properties.

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

We own our San Mateo, California corporate headquarters and various other office buildings in the U.S. and internationally. We lease excess owned space to third parties under leases with terms through 2035. Our owned properties consist of the following:


Location	Owned Square Footage	Owned Square Footage Leased to Third Parties
San Mateo, California	743,793	475,183
St. Petersburg, Florida	560,948	379,762
Rancho Cordova, California	445,023	55,770
Hyderabad, India	379,052	23,088
Poznan, Poland	284,436	87,557
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida	102,246	31,705
Edinburgh, Scotland	87,016	24,879
Other	95,883	11,306
Total	2,698,397	1,089,250

We lease office space in 17 states in the U.S. and Washington, D.C., and internationally, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong), Germany, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and the U.K. As of September 30, 2024, we leased and occupied approximately 2,514,000 square feet of office space worldwide, and subleased to third parties approximately 177,000 square feet of excess leased space.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

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

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

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INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

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

Jennifer M. Johnson

Age 60

President of Franklin since December 2016, and Chief Executive Officer and director of Franklin since February 2020; formerly, Chief Operating Officer of Franklin from February 2017 to February 2020, Co-President of Franklin from October 2015 to December 2016, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Franklin from March 2010 to September 2015, Executive Vice President – Operations and Technology of Franklin from December 2005 to March 2010, and Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Franklin from May 2003 to December 2005; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin; officer, director and/or trustee of certain funds registered as investment companies managed or advised by subsidiaries of Franklin. Director of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. since July 2023.

Gregory E. Johnson

Age 63

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

Rupert H. Johnson, Jr.

Age 84

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

Thomas C. Merchant

Age 56

Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Franklin since May 2022 and Corporate Secretary since July 2021, and oversaw global regulatory compliance of Franklin as Deputy General Counsel from August 2020 to May 2022; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin. Formerly, General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Legg Mason, Inc. from 2013 and Secretary from 2008, until its acquisition by Franklin Templeton in July 2020; joined Legg Mason as Associate General Counsel in 1998, serving as Corporate General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel. Formerly, served as a Corporate Associate at Shearman & Sterling, a law firm, in New York from 1993 to 1998.

Terrence J. Murphy

Age 57

Executive Vice President and Head of Public Markets of Franklin since February 2023 and executive officer of Franklin since October 2022; Chairman since 2014 and Chief Executive Officer and President since 2012 of ClearBridge Investments, LLC, a subsidiary of Franklin; officer and/or director of certain other subsidiaries of Franklin. Formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of ClearBridge from 2006 to 2011, Chief Financial Officer of Citigroup Asset Management (a financial services firm) from 2005 to 2006 and Director of Planning from 2000 to 2005; and business Controller for various product lines at Citigroup’s Corporate and Investment Bank from 1997 to 2000.

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Matthew Nicholls

Age 52

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Franklin since May 2019 and Chief Operating Officer since April 2022; officer and/or director of certain subsidiaries of Franklin. Formerly, with Citigroup, Inc. (a financial services firm) from 1995 to May 2019, as Managing Director, Global Head of Financial Institutions, Corporate Banking, and Global Head of Asset Management, Corporate and Investment Banking, from 2017 to May 2019, as Managing Director, Co-Head, Financial Institutions Corporate and Investment Banking, North America, and Global Head of Asset Management, Corporate and Investment Banking, from 2014 to 2017, as Managing Director, Co-Head, North America, Financial Institutions Corporate and Investment Banking from 2011 to 2014, as Managing Director and Co-Head, North America, Financial Institutions Corporate Banking from 2007 to 2011, and as Managing Director and Co-Head of Asset Management Banking from 2006 to 2007.

Alok Sethi

Age 63

Executive Vice President and Head of Global Operations of Franklin since February 2023; formerly, Executive Vice President, Technology and Operations, of Franklin from October 2021 to February 2023; officer and/or director of various investment adviser, operations, and technology related subsidiaries of Franklin for more than the past five years, including as Senior Vice President of Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC and Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC since July 2014, and Vice President of Franklin Templeton Companies, LLC since June 2010.

Adam B. Spector

Age 56

Executive Vice President and Head of Global Distribution of Franklin since February 2023, responsible for global retail and institutional distribution, including marketing and product strategy; formerly, Managing Partner of Brandywine Global Investment Management, LLC from November 2014 to January 2024, responsible for the overall management of Brandywine including infrastructure, legal and compliance, business strategy, and sales and client service; Executive Vice President of Global Advisory Services of Franklin from October 2020 to February 2023; Managing Director of Brandywine from 2012 to 2014, Head of Marketing, Sales and Client Service of Brandywine from 2003 to 2014, and Senior Vice President of Client Service of Brandywine from 1997 to 2003; officer and/or director of certain other subsidiaries of Franklin.

Family Relationships

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

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PART II

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

Our common stock is traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “BEN.” At October 31, 2024, there were 2,353 stockholders of record of our common stock.

The following table provides information with respect to the shares of our common stock that we repurchased during the three months ended September 30, 2024.


Month	Total Number of Shares Purchased	Average Price Paid per Share		Total Number of Shares Purchased As Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs	Maximum Number of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
July 2024	766,410	$	22.88	766,410	34,066,486
August 2024	2,740,416	20.63		2,740,416	31,326,070
September 2024	1,388,446	20.39		1,388,446	29,937,624
Total	4,895,272			4,895,272

Under our stock repurchase program, which is not subject to an expiration date, we can repurchase shares of our common stock from time to time in the open market and in private transactions in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, including without limitation applicable federal securities laws. In order to pay taxes due in connection with the vesting of employee and executive officer stock and stock unit awards, we may repurchase shares under our program using a net stock issuance method. In December 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to an additional 27.2 million shares of our common stock in either open market or private transactions, for a total of up to 40.0 million shares available for repurchase under the stock repurchase program.

Item 6. [Reserved]

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

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

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

OVERVIEW

Franklin is a holding company with subsidiaries operating under our Franklin Templeton® and/or subsidiary brand names. We are a global investment management organization that derives operating revenues and net income from providing investment management and related services to investors in jurisdictions worldwide. We deliver our investment capabilities through a variety of investment products, which include our sponsored funds, as well as institutional and high-net-worth separate accounts, retail separately managed account programs, sub-advised products and other investment vehicles. Related services include fund administration, sales and distribution, and shareholder servicing. We may perform services directly or through third parties. We offer our services and products under our various distinct brand names, including, but not limited to, Franklin®, Templeton®, Legg Mason®, Alcentra®, Benefit Street Partners®, Brandywine Global Investment Management®, Canvas®, Clarion Partners®, ClearBridge Investments®, Fiduciary Trust International™, Franklin Mutual Series®, K2®, Lexington Partners®, Martin Currie®, O’Shaughnessy®, Putnam®, Royce® and Western Asset Management Company®. We offer a broad product mix of equity, fixed income, alternative, multi-asset and cash management asset classes and solutions that meet a wide variety of specific investment goals and needs for individual and institutional investors. We also provide sub-advisory services to certain investment products sponsored by other companies

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which may be sold to investors under the brand names of those other companies or on a co-branded basis.

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

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 (“fiscal year 2024”), global equity markets provided positive returns reflecting, among other things, easing of monetary policy and resilient economic activity. The S&P 500 Index and MSCI World Index increased 36.4% and 33.0% for the fiscal year. The global bond markets were also positive as the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index increased 12.0% for the fiscal year.

Our total AUM was $1,678.6 billion at September 30, 2024, which was 22% higher than at September 30, 2023 driven by the positive impact of $186.0 billion of net market change, distributions and other, $148.3 billion from the acquisition of Putnam Investments (“Putnam”), and $2.7 billion of cash management net inflows, partially offset by $32.6 billion of long-term net outflows. Simple monthly average AUM (“average AUM”) increased 12% during fiscal year 2024.

On January 1, 2024, we acquired Putnam, a global asset management firm, from Great-West Lifeco Inc. (“Great-West”).

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

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

The following discussion and analysis includes a comparison of our financial results for fiscal year 2024 to fiscal year 2023. For discussion and analysis of the financial results for fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022, see Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on November 14, 2023.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS


(in millions, except per share data)										2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	2024			2023			2022
Operating revenues	$	8,478.0		$	7,849.4		$	8,275.3		8	%	(5	%)
Operating income	407.6			1,102.3			1,773.9			(63	%)	(38	%)
Operating margin1	4.8		%	14.0		%	21.4		%

Net income attributable to Franklin Resources, Inc.	$	464.8		$	882.8		$	1,291.9		(47	%)	(32	%)
Diluted earnings per share	$	0.85		$	1.72		$	2.53		(51	%)	(32	%)

As adjusted (non-GAAP):2
Adjusted operating income	$	1,713.1		$	1,823.8		$	2,323.5		(6	%)	(22	%)
Adjusted operating margin	26.1		%	29.9		%	35.9		%

Adjusted net income	$	1,276.7		$	1,332.2		$	1,855.6		(4	%)	(28	%)
Adjusted diluted earnings per share	$	2.39		$	2.60		$	3.63		(8	%)	(28	%)

__________________

1Defined as operating income divided by total operating revenues.

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

ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT

AUM by asset class was as follows:


(in billions)							2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
as of September 30,	2024		2023		2022
Equity	$	632.1	$	430.4	$	392.3	47	%	10	%
Fixed Income	556.4		483.1		490.9		15	%	(2	%)
Alternative	249.9		254.9		225.1		(2	%)	13	%
Multi-Asset	176.2		145.0		131.5		22	%	10	%
Cash Management	64.0		60.8		57.6		5	%	6	%
Total	$	1,678.6	$	1,374.2	$	1,297.4	22	%	6	%

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Changes in average AUM are generally more indicative of trends in revenue for providing investment management services than the year-over-year change in ending AUM. Average AUM and the mix of average AUM by asset class are shown below.


(in billions)	Average AUM						2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	2024		2023		2022
Equity	$	544.0	$	436.1	$	491.3	25	%	(11	%)
Fixed Income	542.3		499.7		586.5		9	%	(15	%)
Alternative	254.9		251.9		185.1		1	%	36	%
Multi-Asset	161.1		144.4		146.1		12	%	(1	%)
Cash Management	63.5		68.3		60.2		(7	%)	13	%
Total	$	1,565.8	$	1,400.4	$	1,469.2	12	%	(5	%)


	Mix of Average AUM
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	2024		2023		2022
Equity	35	%	31	%	33	%
Fixed Income	35	%	36	%	40	%
Alternative	16	%	18	%	13	%
Multi-Asset	10	%	10	%	10	%
Cash Management	4	%	5	%	4	%
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%

Components of the change in AUM are shown below. Net market change, distributions and other includes appreciation (depreciation), distributions to investors that represent return on investments and return of capital, and foreign exchange revaluation.


(in billions)							2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	2024		2023		2022
Beginning AUM	$	1,374.2	$	1,297.4	$	1,530.1	6	%	(15	%)
Long-term inflows	319.0		254.9		320.4		25	%	(20	%)
Long-term outflows	(351.6)		(276.2)		(348.2)		27	%	(21	%)
Long-term net flows	(32.6)		(21.3)		(27.8)		53	%	(23	%)
Cash management net flows	2.7		4.3		(0.8)		(37	%)	NM
Total net flows	(29.9)		(17.0)		(28.6)		76	%	(41	%)
Acquisitions	148.3		34.9		64.9		325	%	(46	%)
Net market change, distributions and other	186.0		58.9		(269.0)		216	%	NM
Ending AUM	$	1,678.6	$	1,374.2	$	1,297.4	22	%	6	%

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Components of the change in AUM by asset class were as follows:


(in billions)
for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024	Equity		Fixed Income		Alternative		Multi-Asset		Cash Management		Total
AUM at October 1, 2023	$	430.4	$	483.1	$	254.9	$	145.0	$	60.8	$	1,374.2
Long-term inflows	123.3		142.5		16.7		36.5		—		319.0
Long-term outflows	(129.3)		(181.3)		(12.5)		(28.5)		—		(351.6)
Long-term net flows	(6.0)		(38.8)		4.2		8.0		—		(32.6)
Cash management net flows	—		—		—		—		2.7		2.7
Total net flows	(6.0)		(38.8)		4.2		8.0		2.7		(29.9)
Acquisition	81.3		59.3		0.7		5.8		1.2		148.3
Net market change, distributions and other	126.4		52.8		(9.9)		17.4		(0.7)		186.0
AUM at September 30, 2024	$	632.1	$	556.4	$	249.9	$	176.2	$	64.0	$	1,678.6

AUM increased $304.4 billion or 22% during fiscal year 2024 due to the positive impact of $186.0 billion of net market change, distributions and other, $148.3 billion from the acquisition of Putnam, and $2.7 billion of cash management net inflows, partially offset by $32.6 billion of long-term net outflows, inclusive of $48.6 billion of long-term net outflows at Western Asset Management (“WAM”), and $20.7 billion of long-term reinvested distributions. Net market change, distributions and other primarily consists of $224.2 billion of market appreciation, and a $7.2 billion increase from foreign exchange revaluation, partially offset by $45.4 billion of long-term distributions. The market appreciation occurred in all asset classes with the exception of the alternative asset class, most significantly in the equity asset class and reflected positive returns in the global equity markets. Foreign exchange revaluation from AUM in products that are not U.S. dollar denominated was primarily due to a weaker U.S. dollar compared to the Euro, Australian dollar and British Pound.

Long-term inflows increased 25% to $319.0 billion, as compared to the prior year, driven by higher inflows across multiple equity and fixed income vehicles, most significantly in open-end and sub-advised mutual funds. Long-term outflows increased 27% to $351.6 billion, driven by higher outflows across multiple fixed income vehicles, primarily at WAM, and from equity open-end and sub-advised mutual funds.


(in billions)
for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023	Equity		Fixed Income		Alternative		Multi-Asset		Cash Management		Total
AUM at October 1, 2022	$	392.3	$	490.9	$	225.1	$	131.5	$	57.6	$	1,297.4
Long-term inflows	84.4		112.7		22.6		35.2		—		254.9
Long-term outflows	(103.1)		(128.9)		(16.8)		(27.4)		—		(276.2)
Long-term net flows	(18.7)		(16.2)		5.8		7.8		—		(21.3)
Cash management net flows	—		—		—		—		4.3		4.3
Total net flows	(18.7)		(16.2)		5.8		7.8		4.3		(17.0)
Acquisitions	—		—		34.9		—		—		34.9
Net market change, distributions and other	56.8		8.4		(10.9)		5.7		(1.1)		58.9
AUM at September 30, 2023	$	430.4	$	483.1	$	254.9	$	145.0	$	60.8	$	1,374.2

AUM increased $76.8 billion or 6% during fiscal year 2023 due to the positive impact of $58.9 billion of net market change, distributions and other, $34.9 billion from an acquisition, and $4.3 billion of cash management net inflows, partially offset by $21.3 billion of long-term net outflows, which include $20.6 billion of long-term reinvested distributions. Net market change, distributions and other primarily consists of $94.4 billion of market appreciation, and a $4.6 billion increase from foreign exchange revaluation, partially offset by $40.1 billion of long-term distributions. The market appreciation occurred in all asset classes with the exception of the alternative asset class, most significantly in the equity asset class and reflected positive returns in the global equity markets. Foreign exchange revaluation from AUM in products that are not U.S. dollar denominated was primarily due to a weaker U.S. dollar compared to the Euro, British Pound and Brazilian Real.

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AUM by sales region was as follows:


(in billions)							2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
as of September 30,	2024		2023		2022
United States	$	1,177.1	$	979.9	$	971.3	20	%	1	%
International
Europe, Middle East and Africa1	209.1		165.1		134.4		27	%	23	%
Asia-Pacific	178.0		117.6		110.6		51	%	6	%
Americas, excl. U.S.	114.4		111.6		81.1		3	%	38	%
Total international	$	501.5	$	394.3	$	326.1	27	%	21	%
Total	$	1,678.6	$	1,374.2	$	1,297.4	22	%	6	%

__________________

1Effective October 1, 2023, India region is included in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The region in which investment products are sold may differ from the geographic area in which we provide investment management and related services to the products.

Investment Performance Overview

A key driver of our overall success is the long-term investment performance of our investment products. A measure of the performance of these products is the percentage of AUM exceeding peer group medians and benchmarks. We compare the relative performance of our mutual funds against peers, and of our strategy composites against benchmarks.

The performance of our mutual fund products against peer group medians and of our strategy composites against benchmarks is presented in the table below.


	Peer Group Comparison1								Benchmark Comparison2
	% of Mutual Fund AUM in Top Two Peer Group Quartiles								% of Strategy Composite AUM Exceeding Benchmark
as of September 30, 2024	1-Year		3-Year		5-Year		10-Year		1-Year		3-Year		5-Year		10-Year
Equity	57	%	56	%	43	%	59	%	51	%	40	%	41	%	45	%
Fixed Income	77	%	61	%	58	%	64	%	80	%	48	%	72	%	90	%
Total AUM3	55	%	64	%	43	%	53	%	56	%	47	%	55	%	64	%

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1Mutual fund performance is sourced from Morningstar and measures the percent of ranked AUM in the top two quartiles versus peers. Total mutual fund AUM measured for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods represents 38%, 38%, 37% and 35% of our total AUM as of September 30, 2024. Excludes funds scheduled to be closed.

2Strategy composite performance measures the percent of composite AUM beating its benchmark. The benchmark comparisons are based on each account’s/composite’s (strategy composites may include retail separately managed accounts and mutual fund assets managed as part of the same strategy) return as compared to a market index that has been selected to be generally consistent with the asset class of the account/composite. Total strategy composite AUM measured for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods represents 54%, 54%, 53% and 48% of our total AUM as of September 30, 2024.

3Total mutual fund AUM includes performance of our alternative and multi-asset funds, and total strategy composite AUM includes performance of our alternative composites. Alternative and multi-asset AUM represent 15% and 10% of our total AUM at September 30, 2024.

Mutual fund performance data includes U.S. and cross-border domiciled mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, excludes cash management and fund of funds, and assumes the reinvestment of dividends.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. For strategy composite AUM included in institutional and retail separately managed accounts and investment funds managed in the same strategy as separate accounts, performance comparisons are based on gross-of-fee performance. For investment funds which are not managed in a separate account format, performance comparisons are based on net-of-fee performance. These performance comparisons do not reflect the actual performance of any specific separate account or investment fund; individual separate account and investment fund performance may differ. The information in this presentation is provided solely for use in connection with this document, and is not directed toward existing or potential clients of Franklin.

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OPERATING REVENUES

The table below presents the percentage change in each operating revenue category.


(in millions)							2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	2024		2023		2022
Investment management fees	$	6,822.2	$	6,452.9	$	6,616.8	6	%	(2	%)
Sales and distribution fees	1,381.0		1,203.7		1,415.0		15	%	(15	%)
Shareholder servicing fees	229.3		152.7		193.0		50	%	(21	%)
Other	45.5		40.1		50.5		13	%	(21	%)
Total Operating Revenues	$	8,478.0	$	7,849.4	$	8,275.3	8	%	(5	%)

Investment Management Fees

Investment management fees are generally calculated under contractual arrangements with our investment products and the products for which we provide sub-advisory services as a percentage of AUM. Annual fee rates vary by asset class and type of services provided. Fee rates for products sold outside of the U.S. are generally higher than for U.S. products.

Investment management fees increased $369.3 million in fiscal year 2024 primarily due to a 12% increase in average AUM, partially offset by a decrease in performance fees, certain transaction-related fees received in the prior year, and lower catch-up fees recognized at the closing of fundraising rounds in a secondary private equity fund, which ended in January 2024. The increases in average AUM primarily occurred in the equity, fixed income and multi-asset asset classes, driven by net market appreciation and the acquisition of Putnam.

Our effective investment management fee rate excluding performance fees (investment management fees excluding performance fees divided by average AUM) was 41.1 and 42.1 basis points for fiscal years 2024 and 2023. The rate decrease was primarily due to increased AUM in lower fee products, including those from the acquisition of Putnam, certain transaction-related fees received in the prior year, and lower catch-up fees recognized at the closing of fundraising rounds in a secondary private equity fund, which ended in January 2024.

Performance fees were $390.7 million and $550.1 million for fiscal years 2024 and 2023. The decrease was primarily due to lower performance fees earned by certain of our alternative specialist investment managers, and a decrease of $72.2 million in performance fees earned by Lexington Partners L.P. (“Lexington”), which were passed through as compensation expense per the terms of the acquisition agreement.

Our product offerings and global operations are diverse. As such, the impact of future changes in AUM on investment management fees will be affected by the relative mix of asset class, geographic region, distribution channel and investment vehicle of the assets.

Sales and Distribution Fees

Sales and distribution fees primarily consist of upfront sales commissions and ongoing distribution fees. Sales commissions are earned from the sale of certain classes of sponsored funds at the time of purchase (“commissionable sales”) and may be reduced or eliminated depending on the amount invested and the type of investor. Therefore, sales fees generally will change with the overall level of gross sales, the size of individual transactions, and the relative mix of sales between different share classes and types of investors.

Our sponsored mutual funds generally pay us distribution fees in return for sales, marketing and distribution efforts on their behalf. The majority of our U.S. mutual funds, with the exception of certain money market funds and certain other funds specifically designed for purchase through separately managed account programs, have adopted distribution plans under Rule 12b-1 (the “Rule 12b-1 Plans”) promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Rule 12b-1 Plans permit the funds to pay us for marketing, marketing support, advertising, printing and sales promotion services relating to the distribution of their shares, subject to the Rule 12b-1 Plans’ limitations on amounts based on daily average AUM. We earn distribution fees from our non-U.S. funds based on daily average AUM.

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Contingent sales charges are earned from investor redemptions within a contracted period of time. Substantially all of these charges are levied on certain shares sold without a front-end sales charge, and vary with the mix of redemptions of these shares.

We pay substantially all of our sales and distribution fees to the financial advisers, broker-dealers and other intermediaries that sell our funds on our behalf. See the description of sales, distribution and marketing expenses below.

Sales and distribution fees by revenue driver are presented below.


(in millions)							2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	2024		2023		2022
Asset-based fees	$	1,135.1	$	998.0	$	1,150.2	14	%	(13	%)
Sales-based fees	245.9		205.7		264.8		20	%	(22	%)
Sales and Distribution Fees	$	1,381.0	$	1,203.7	$	1,415.0	15	%	(15	%)

Asset-based distribution fees increased $137.1 million in fiscal year 2024 primarily due to revenue earned from Putnam products subsequent to the acquisition and an increase of 4% in the related average AUM, excluding the impact of Putnam.

Sales-based fees increased $40.2 million in fiscal year 2024 primarily due to an increase of 12% in commissionable sales and sales-based revenue earned from Putnam products subsequent to the acquisition.

Shareholder Servicing Fees

Shareholder servicing fees are earned from our sponsored funds for providing transfer agency services, which include providing shareholder statements, transaction processing, client service and tax reporting. Shareholder servicing fees are primarily determined based on a contractual margin, or a percentage of AUM and either the number of transactions in shareholder accounts or the number of shareholder accounts. Shareholder servicing fees also include fund reimbursements of expenses incurred while providing transfer agency services.

Shareholder servicing fees increased $76.6 million in fiscal year 2024, primarily due to fees earned by Putnam subsequent to the acquisition, partially offset by the impact of a change in fee structure for certain U.S. sponsored funds.

OPERATING EXPENSES

The table below presents the percentage change in each operating expense category.


(in millions)	2024		2023		2022		2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,
Compensation and benefits	$	3,831.1	$	3,494.0	$	3,089.8	10	%	13	%
Sales, distribution and marketing	1,863.1		1,613.1		1,845.6		15	%	(13	%)
Information systems and technology	620.1		505.0		500.2		23	%	1	%
Occupancy	325.4		228.9		218.9		42	%	5	%
Amortization of intangible assets	338.2		341.1		282.0		(1	%)	21	%
Impairment of intangible assets	389.2		—		—		100	%	0	%
General, administrative and other	703.3		565.0		564.9		24	%	0	%
Total Operating Expenses	$	8,070.4	$	6,747.1	$	6,501.4	20	%	4	%

The Putnam acquisition had a significant impact on operating expenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024; however, due to the ongoing integration of the combined businesses, it is not practicable to separately quantify the impact of the legacy Putnam business.

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Compensation and Benefits

The components of compensation and benefits expenses are presented below.


(in millions)							2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	2024		2023		2022
Salaries, wages and benefits	$	1,686.6	$	1,499.5	$	1,426.4	12	%	5	%
Incentive compensation	1,613.7		1,532.1		1,500.5		5	%	2	%
Acquisition-related retention1	263.6		164.9		167.2		60	%	(1	%)
Acquisition-related performance fee pass through1	97.5		169.7		4.2		(43	%)	NM
Other1, 2	169.7		127.8		(8.5)		33	%	NM
Compensation and Benefits Expenses	$	3,831.1	$	3,494.0	$	3,089.8	10	%	13	%

_______________

1 See “Supplemental Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for additional information.

2 Includes impact of gains and losses on investments related to deferred compensation plans, which is offset in investment and other income (losses), net; minority interests in certain subsidiaries, which is offset in net income (loss) attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests; and special termination benefits.

Salaries, wages and benefits increased $187.1 million in fiscal year 2024 primarily due to higher headcount as a result of the acquisition of Putnam and annual salary increases, partially offset by the impact of other headcount reductions.

Incentive compensation increased $81.6 million in fiscal year 2024, primarily due to the acquisition of Putnam and an increase in expense for deferred compensation awards, partially offset by lower incentive compensation at certain specialist investment managers.

Acquisition-related retention expenses increased $98.7 million in fiscal year 2024, primarily due to higher costs associated with recent acquisitions.

Acquisition-related performance fee pass through expenses decreased $72.2 million in fiscal year 2024, due to lower pass through performance fees earned by Lexington.

Other compensation and benefits increased $41.9 million in fiscal year 2024, primarily due to higher net market gains on investments related to our deferred compensation plans and an increase in special termination benefits. Special termination benefits increased $12.6 million primarily due to the acquisition of Putnam, partially offset by costs associated with workforce optimization initiatives in the prior year.

We expect to incur acquisition-related retention expenses of approximately $190 million during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 (“fiscal year 2025”), and decreasing over the following two fiscal years by approximately $20 million and $80 million.

At September 30, 2024, our global workforce had increased to approximately 10,200 employees from approximately 9,200 at September 30, 2023, primarily due to the acquisition of Putnam.

We continue to place a high emphasis on our pay for performance philosophy. As such, any changes in the underlying performance of our investment products or changes in the composition of our incentive compensation offerings could have an impact on compensation and benefits expenses going forward. However, in order to attract and retain talented individuals, our level of compensation and benefit expenses may increase more quickly or decrease more slowly than our revenue.

Sales, Distribution and Marketing

Sales, distribution and marketing expenses primarily relate to services provided by financial advisers, broker-dealers and other intermediaries to our sponsored funds, including marketing support services. Substantially all distribution expenses are incurred from assets that generate distribution fees and are determined as a percentage of AUM. Substantially all sales expenses are incurred from the same commissionable sales transactions that generate sales fee revenues and are determined as a percentage of sales. Marketing support expenses are based on AUM, sales or a combination thereof. Also included is the amortization of deferred sales commissions related to upfront commissions on shares sold without a front-

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end sales charge. The deferred sales commissions are amortized over the periods in which commissions are generally recovered from related revenues.

Sales, distribution and marketing expenses by cost driver are presented below.


(in millions)	2024		2023		2022		2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,
Asset-based expenses	$	1,569.6	$	1,368.1	$	1,532.6	15	%	(11	%)
Sales-based expenses	231.5		195.0		248.2		19	%	(21	%)
Amortization of deferred sales commissions	62.0		50.0		64.8		24	%	(23	%)
Sales, Distribution and Marketing	$	1,863.1	$	1,613.1	$	1,845.6	15	%	(13	%)

Asset-based expenses increased $201.5 million in fiscal year 2024 primarily due to expenses related to Putnam products subsequent to the acquisition, an increase of 4% in the related average AUM, excluding the impact of Putnam, and higher marketing support fees. Distribution expenses are generally not directly correlated with distribution fee revenues due to certain fee structures that do not provide full recovery of distribution costs.

Sales-based expenses increased $36.5 million in fiscal year 2024 primarily due to an increase of 12% in commissionable sales and sales-based expenses related to Putnam products subsequent to the acquisition.

Information Systems and Technology

Information systems and technology expenses increased $115.1 million in fiscal year 2024, primarily due to expenses incurred by Putnam subsequent to the acquisition, and higher costs for software and market data services.

Occupancy

Occupancy expenses increased $96.5 million in fiscal year 2024, driven by new leased office space located at One Madison Avenue and impairment of the right-of-use asset related to vacated office space, primarily associated with an initiative to consolidate our office space in New York City, and expenses incurred by Putnam subsequent to the acquisition.

Amortization of intangible assets

Amortization of intangible assets decreased $2.9 million in fiscal year 2024, primarily due to the net effect of intangible assets which became fully amortized during the fiscal year, partially offset by the amortization of intangible assets recognized as part of the acquisitions of Putnam and Alcentra.

Impairment of intangible assets

In fiscal year 2024, we impaired our indefinite-lived intangible asset related to certain mutual fund contracts managed by WAM by $389.2 million. See Critical Accounting Policies and Note 9 - Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets in the notes to consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report for additional information.

General, Administrative and Other

General, administrative and other expenses primarily consist of professional fees, fund-related service fees, advertising and promotion, travel and entertainment, and other miscellaneous expenses.

General, administrative and other operating expenses increased $138.3 million in fiscal year 2024, primarily due to the acquisition of Putnam, an increase of $45.9 million in legal and other professional fees, and an increase of $14.0 million in travel and entertainment expenses due to higher activity levels. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $14.4 million in fund-related expenses.

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OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES)

Other income (expenses) consisted of the following:


(in millions)							2024 vs. 2023		2023 vs. 2022
for the fiscal years ended September 30,	2024		2023		2022
Investment and other income, net:
Dividend and interest income	$	176.9	$	159.9	$	37.9	11	%	322	%
Gains (losses) on investments, net	57.6		39.5		(75.4)		46	%	NM
Income from investments in equity method investees	137.5		45.4

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