Summary Prospectus | June 1, 2024 |
Share class (Symbol): A (SBBAX), C (SCBCX), R (LLARX), I (LMEIX), IS (LCGSX)
FRANKLIN
MULTI-ASSET
CONSERVATIVE GROWTH FUND
Before you invest, you may want to review the funds Prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the funds Prospectus and other information about the fund, including the funds statement of additional information and shareholder reports, online at www.franklintempleton.com/mutualfundsliterature. You can also get this information at no cost by calling the fund at 877-6LM-FUND/656-3863 or by sending an e-mail request to prospectus@franklintempleton.com, or from your financial intermediary. The funds Prospectus and statement of additional information, each dated June 1, 2024 (as may be amended or supplemented from time to time), and the independent registered public accounting firms report and financial statements in the funds annual report to shareholders, dated January 31, 2024, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED NO BANK GUARANTEE MAY LOSE VALUE |
Investment objective
The fund seeks balance of growth of capital and income.
Fees and expenses of the fund
The accompanying table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in funds distributed through Franklin Distributors, LLC (Franklin Distributors or the Distributor), the funds distributor. More information about these and other discounts is available from your Service Agent, in the funds Prospectus on page 67 under the heading Additional information about each share class, in the appendix titled Appendix: Waivers and Discounts Available from Certain Service Agents on page A-1 of the funds Prospectus and in the funds Statement of Additional Information (SAI) on page 87 under the heading Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions for Class A Shares. Service Agents include banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies, investment advisers, financial consultants or advisers, mutual fund supermarkets and other financial intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to sell shares of the fund.
If you purchase Class I shares or Class IS shares through a Service Agent acting solely as an agent on behalf of its customers, that Service Agent may charge you a commission. Such commissions, if any, are not charged by the fund and are not reflected in the fee table or expense example below.
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Shareholder fees | ||||||||||
(fees paid directly from your investment) | ||||||||||
Class A | Class C | Class R | Class I | Class IS | ||||||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a % of offering price) | 5.501,2 | None | None | None | None | |||||
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a % of the lower of net asset value at purchase or redemption)3 | None4 | 1.00 | None | None | None | |||||
Small account fee5 | $15 | $15 | None | None | None | |||||
Annual fund operating expenses (%) | ||||||||||
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||||||||
Class A | Class C | Class R | Class I | Class IS | ||||||
Management fees | None | None | None | None | None | |||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | 0.25 | 1.00 | 0.50 | None | None | |||||
Other expenses | 0.19 | 0.18 | 0.30 | 0.14 | 0.086 | |||||
Acquired fund fees and expenses | 0.68 | 0.68 | 0.68 | 0.68 | 0.68 | |||||
Total annual fund operating expenses7 | 1.12 | 1.86 | 1.48 | 0.82 | 0.76 |
1 | The sales charge is waived for shareholders purchasing Class A shares through accounts where Franklin Distributors is the broker-dealer of record (Distributor Accounts). |
2 | Shareholders purchasing Class A shares through certain Service Agents or in certain types of accounts may be eligible for a waiver of the sales charge. For additional information, see Additional information about each share class Sales charges in the Prospectus. |
3 | Maximum deferred sales charge (load) may be reduced over time. |
4 | You may buy Class A shares in amounts of $1,000,000 or more at net asset value (without an initial sales charge), but if you redeem those shares within 18 months of their purchase, you will pay a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00%. |
5 | If the value of your account is below $1,000 ($250 for retirement plans that are not employer-sponsored), the fund may charge you a fee of $3.75 per account that is determined and assessed quarterly by the fund or your Service Agent (with an annual maximum of $15.00 per account). Please contact your Service Agent or the fund for more information. |
6 | Other expenses for Class IS shares are estimated for the current fiscal year. Actual expenses may differ from estimates. |
7 | Total annual fund operating expenses do not correlate with the ratios of expenses to average net assets reported in the financial highlights tables in the funds Prospectus and in the funds shareholder reports, which reflect the funds operating expenses and do not include acquired fund fees and expenses. |
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes:
● | You invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated |
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● | Your investment has a 5% return each year and the funds operating expenses remain the same (except that any applicable fee waiver or expense reimbursement is reflected only through its expiration date) |
● | You reinvest all distributions and dividends without a sales charge |
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Number of years you own your shares ($) | ||||||||
1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years | |||||
Class A (with or without redemption at end of period) | 658 | 886 | 1,133 | 1,839 | ||||
Class C (with redemption at end of period) | 289 | 585 | 1,006 | 1,987 | ||||
Class C (without redemption at end of period) | 189 | 585 | 1,006 | 1,987 | ||||
Class R (with or without redemption at end of period) | 151 | 468 | 808 | 1,769 | ||||
Class I (with or without redemption at end of period) | 84 | 262 | 456 | 1,015 | ||||
Class IS (with or without redemption at end of period) | 78 | 243 | 423 | 944 |
Portfolio turnover. The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the funds performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the funds portfolio turnover rate was 26% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal investment strategies
The fund is a fund of fundsit invests in other mutual funds and may also invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) (such mutual funds and ETFs collectively referred to as underlying funds). The fund is managed as an asset allocation program and allocates its assets among mutual funds managed by the manager and its affiliates, including other Franklin Templeton investment managers. The fund may also invest in ETFs managed by the manager and its affiliates or unaffiliated investment advisers. When selecting underlying funds to fulfill a desired asset class exposure, the portfolio managers expect to allocate to Franklin Templeton affiliated underlying funds, provided that appropriate products are available.
The fund organizes its investments in underlying funds into two main asset classes: the equity class (equity securities of all types) and the fixed income class (fixed income securities of all types). The portfolio managers may invest across all asset classes and strategies. Under normal market conditions, the portfolio managers will allocate between 35% to 65% of the funds assets to underlying funds that invest in equity and equity-like strategies and between 35% to 65% of the funds assets to underlying funds that invest in fixed income and fixed income-like strategies. The portfolio managers may, however, allocate fund assets to any underlying funds in varying amounts in a manner consistent with the funds investment objective. For underlying funds that invest in both equity and fixed income securities, and/or invest in alternative
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investments, the funds portfolio managers will make a reasonable determination to assign such underlying fund, or a percentage of such underlying fund, to the equity or fixed income asset class depending upon the underlying funds overall asset class exposures and/or volatility profile. The underlying funds allocation to each class will be measured at the time of purchase and may vary thereafter as a result of market movements.
The portfolio managers will seek to maintain a level of risk in the fund similar to that of the funds composite benchmark as defined under Performance below.
The underlying funds have a range of investment styles and focuses. The underlying funds may invest in U.S., foreign and/or emerging markets, may engage in derivative transactions, and may take both long and short positions in securities. The underlying equity funds may include exposure to any market capitalization or investment style, including growth or value strategies. The underlying equity funds may employ strategies similar to those used by hedge funds, which may have a low correlation to broad stock market movements. The underlying fixed income funds include funds investing in any sector, region or style, including foreign fixed income strategies, currency strategies, inflation-indexed securities, structured credit and distressed debt. Such funds may also seek to profit from changes in global financial markets and take positions to take advantage of changes in interest rates, exchange rates, liquidity and other macroeconomic factors. The underlying fixed income funds may also invest in securities having maturities of any length and any credit quality, including securities rated below investment grade (commonly known as junk bonds). The underlying funds may have exposure to non-traditional, alternative investments, including commodities, real estate assets and infrastructure assets, among other types of alternative asset classes. The portfolio managers may invest the funds assets in underlying funds that have a limited performance history.
Principal risks
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly. You may lose part or all of your investment in the fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any bank or government agency. The following is a list of the principal risks of investing in the fund. The relative significance of the risks of investing in the fund may change over time. The descriptions appear in alphabetical order, not order of importance.
The fund invests in underlying funds and is exposed to the risks to which the underlying funds are exposed, as well as the risk that the underlying funds will not perform as expected. Unless otherwise noted, the principal risks summarized below include both direct and indirect risks, and references in this section to the fund include the risks of investing in the underlying funds.
Affiliated funds risk. The funds manager, subadviser or an affiliate serves as manager or subadviser of certain Franklin Templeton affiliated underlying funds (Affiliated Funds). As a result, the manager and the subadviser have financial incentives to allocate the funds assets to Affiliated Funds that pay fees to the manager, the subadviser or an affiliate. For example, the manager and the subadviser have an incentive to select Affiliated Funds that will result in the
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greatest revenue to the manager and its affiliates, even if that results in increased expenses for the fund. Similarly, the manager and the subadviser have an incentive to delay or decide against the sale of interests held by a fund in Affiliated Funds. This gives rise to a conflict of interest.
Allocation risk. The funds ability to achieve its investment goal depends upon the portfolio managers skill in determining the funds strategic asset class allocation and in selecting the mix of underlying funds. The value of your investment may decrease if the portfolio managers judgment about the attractiveness, value or market trends affecting a particular asset class, investment style, underlying fund or other issuer is incorrect.
Asset class variation risk. An underlying fund that invests principally in securities constituting one or more asset classes (i.e., equity or fixed income) may vary the percentage of its assets in these asset classes (subject to any applicable regulatory requirements).
Credit risk. If an issuer or guarantor of a security held by the fund or a counterparty to a financial contract with the fund defaults or its credit is downgraded, or is perceived to be less creditworthy, or if the value of the assets underlying a security declines, the value of your investment will typically decline. Changes in actual or perceived creditworthiness may occur quickly. The fund could be delayed or hindered in its enforcement of rights against an issuer, guarantor or counterparty. Subordinated securities (meaning securities that rank below other securities with respect to claims on the issuers assets) are more likely to suffer a credit loss than non-subordinated securities of the same issuer and will be disproportionately affected by a default, downgrade or perceived decline in creditworthiness.
Cybersecurity risk. Like other funds and business enterprises, the fund, the manager, the subadvisers and their service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time. Cybersecurity incidents, whether intentionally caused by third parties or otherwise, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, fund or customer data (including private shareholder information) or proprietary information, cause the fund, the manager, the subadvisers and/or their service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality, or prevent fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares, receiving distributions or receiving timely information regarding the fund or their investment in the fund. The fund, the manager, and the subadvisers have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third party service providers, and such third party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the fund, the manager, and/or the subadvisers. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent or mitigate any future cybersecurity incidents. Issuers of securities in which the fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of these securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.
New ways to carry out cyber attacks continue to develop. There is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the funds ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack.
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Derivatives risk. Using derivatives can increase fund losses and reduce opportunities for gains, such as when market prices, interest rates, currencies, or the derivatives themselves behave in a way not anticipated by the fund. Using derivatives also can have a leveraging effect and increase fund volatility. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Derivatives may not be available at the time or price desired, may be difficult to sell, unwind or value, and the counterparty may default on its obligations to the fund. Derivatives are generally subject to the risks applicable to the assets, rates, indices or other indicators underlying the derivative. The value of a derivative may fluctuate more than the underlying assets, rates, indices or other indicators to which it relates. Use of derivatives may have different tax consequences for the fund than an investment in the underlying asset, and those differences may affect the amount, timing and character of income distributed to shareholders. The U.S. government and foreign governments have adopted and implemented regulations governing derivatives markets, including mandatory clearing of certain derivatives, margin and reporting requirements. The ultimate impact of the regulations remains unclear. Additional regulation of derivatives may make derivatives more costly, limit their availability or utility, otherwise adversely affect their performance or disrupt markets.
Credit default swap contracts involve heightened risks and may result in losses to the fund. Credit default swaps may be illiquid and difficult to value. When the fund sells credit protection via a credit default swap, credit risk increases since the fund has exposure to both the issuer whose credit is the subject of the swap and the counterparty to the swap.
Extension risk. When interest rates rise, repayments of fixed income securities may occur more slowly than anticipated, extending the effective duration of these fixed income securities at below market interest rates and causing their market prices to decline more than they would have declined due to the rise in interest rates alone. This may cause the funds share price to be more volatile.
Fixed income securities risk. Fixed income securities are subject to a number of risks, including credit, market and interest rate risks. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or obligor will not make timely payments of principal and interest. Changes in an issuers or obligors credit rating or the markets perception of an issuers or obligors creditworthiness may also affect the value of the funds investment in that issuer. The fund is subject to greater levels of credit risk to the extent it holds below investment grade debt securities, or junk bonds. Market risk is the risk that the fixed income markets may become volatile and have lower liquidity or behave in unexpected ways, and the market value of an investment may decrease, sometimes quickly or unpredictably. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a fixed income security will fall when interest rates rise. A rise in interest rates tends to have a greater impact on the prices of longer term or duration securities. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities.
Foreign investments and emerging markets risk. The funds investments in securities of foreign issuers or issuers with significant exposure to foreign markets involve additional risk as compared to investments in U.S. securities or issuers with predominantly U.S. exposure, such as less liquid, less transparent, less regulated and more volatile markets. The value of the funds
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investments may decline because of factors affecting the particular issuer as well as foreign markets and issuers generally, such as unfavorable or unsuccessful government actions, reduction of government or central bank support, inadequate accounting standards and auditing and financial recordkeeping requirements, lack of information, political, economic, financial or social instability, terrorism, armed conflicts and other geopolitical events, and the impact of tariffs and other restrictions on trade or economic sanctions. Geopolitical or other events such as nationalization or expropriation could even cause the loss of the funds entire investment in one or more countries.
In addition, there may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against issuers located in or operating in certain foreign markets, particularly emerging market countries, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. To the extent the fund focuses its investments in a single country or only a few countries in a particular geographic region, economic, political, regulatory or other conditions affecting such country or region may have a greater impact on fund performance relative to a more geographically diversified fund.
The value of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increases or decreases as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could erase investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile, and are affected by factors such as general economic and political conditions, the actions of the U.S. and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls and speculation. The fund may be unable or may choose not to hedge its foreign currency exposure.
Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Settlement of trades in these markets can take longer than in other markets and the fund may not receive its proceeds from the sale of certain securities for an extended period (possibly several weeks or even longer).
The risks of foreign investments are heightened when investing in issuers in emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have economic, political and legal systems that are less developed and are less stable than those of more developed countries. Their economies tend to be less diversified than those of more developed countries. They typically have fewer medical and economic resources than more developed countries, and thus they may be less able to control or mitigate the effects of a pandemic or a natural disaster. They are often particularly sensitive to market movements because their market prices tend to reflect speculative expectations. Low trading volumes may result in a lack of liquidity and in extreme price volatility.
Growth and value investing risk. Growth or value securities as a group may be out of favor and underperform the overall equity market while the market favors other types of securities. Growth securities typically are very sensitive to market movements because their market prices tend to reflect future expectations. When it appears those expectations will not be met, the prices of growth securities typically fall. Growth securities may also be more volatile than other investments because they often do not pay dividends. The values of growth securities tend to go down when interest rates rise because the rise in interest rates reduces the current value of
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future cash flows. The value approach to investing involves the risk that stocks may remain undervalued, undervaluation may become more severe, or perceived undervaluation may actually represent intrinsic value. A value stock may not increase in price as anticipated by the subadviser if other investors fail to recognize the companys value and bid up the price or the factors that the subadviser believes will increase the price of the security do not occur or do not have the anticipated effect.
Hedge fund strategies risk. The fund, through the underlying funds, may employ investment strategies that involve greater risks than the strategies used by typical mutual funds, including increased use of short sales, leverage and derivative transactions and hedging strategies. The fund may invest in underlying funds employing proprietary investment strategies that are not fully disclosed, which may involve risks that are not anticipated. Hedge fund strategies may be narrowly focused on a particular market, security type or activity, and thus are exposed to greater risk of loss if the investment thesis underlying the strategy does not occur as anticipated. Hedge fund strategies that are intended to reduce the funds volatility may fail to do so effectively. The use of leverage by a hedge fund strategy (e.g., through options) will magnify any losses incurred by the strategy.
High yield (junk) bonds risk. High yield bonds are generally subject to greater credit risks than higher-grade bonds, including the risk of default on the payment of interest or principal. High yield bonds are considered speculative, typically have lower liquidity and are more difficult to value than higher grade bonds. High yield bonds tend to be volatile and more susceptible to adverse events, credit downgrades and negative sentiments and may be difficult to sell at a desired price, or at all, during periods of uncertainty or market turmoil.
Illiquidity risk. Some assets held by the fund may be or become impossible or difficult to sell and some assets that the fund wants to invest in may be impossible or difficult to purchase, particularly during times of market turmoil or due to adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. These illiquid assets may also be volatile and difficult to value. Markets may become illiquid quickly. Markets may become illiquid when, for instance, there are few, if any, interested buyers or sellers or when dealers are unwilling or unable to make a market for certain securities. As a general matter, dealers have been less willing to make markets in recent years. Federal banking regulations may also cause certain dealers to reduce their inventories of certain securities, which may further decrease the funds ability to buy or sell such securities. During times of market turmoil, there have been, and may be, no buyers or sellers for securities in entire asset classes. If the fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, or to try to limit losses, the fund may be forced to sell at a substantial loss or may not be able to sell at all. The fund may not receive its proceeds from the sale of certain securities for an extended period (for example, several weeks or even longer). The liquidity of certain assets, particularly of privately-issued and non-investment grade mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and collateralized debt securities, may be difficult to ascertain and may change over time.
Investing in a fund of funds risk. Your cost of investing in the fund, as a fund of funds, may be higher than the cost of investing in a mutual fund that only invests directly in individual equity and fixed income securities. Because the fund will indirectly bear its pro rata share of the fees
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and expenses incurred by an underlying fund in which it invests, including advisory fees, an increase in fees and expenses of an underlying fund or a reallocation of the funds investments to underlying funds with higher fees or expenses will increase the funds total expenses. These expenses are in addition to other expenses that the fund bears directly in connection with its own operations. An underlying fund may change its investment objective or policies or may be reorganized or liquidated without the funds approval, which could cause the fund to withdraw its investment from such underlying fund at a time that is unfavorable to the fund. In addition, one underlying fund may buy the same securities that another underlying fund sells. Therefore, the fund would indirectly bear the costs of these trades without accomplishing any investment purpose. If underlying funds invest in the same or similar securities, the fund may indirectly bear concentration risk with respect to those investments. If the fund invests in an underlying fund that has recently commenced operations, there can be no assurance that such underlying fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the underlying funds board or adviser may determine to liquidate the underlying fund or the fund may indirectly bear higher expenses.
Investing in ETFs risk. Unlike shares of typical mutual funds or unit investment trusts, shares of ETFs are traded on an exchange and may trade throughout a trading day. ETFs are bought and sold based on market values and not at net asset value, and therefore may trade at either a premium or discount to net asset value and may experience volatility in certain market conditions. The fund will pay brokerage commissions in connection with the purchase and sales of shares of ETFs. In addition, the fund will indirectly bear its pro rata share of fees and expenses incurred by an ETF in which it invests, including advisory fees. These expenses are in addition to expenses that the fund bears directly in connection with its own operations. Certain ETFs are also subject to portfolio management risk. Investments in ETFs are subject to the risk that the listing exchange may halt trading of an ETFs shares, in which case the fund would be unable to sell its ETF shares unless and until trading is resumed.
Issuer risk. The market price of a security held by the fund can go up or down more than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole due to factors specifically relating to the securitys issuer, such as disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services, loss of major customers, changes in management, corporate actions, negative perception in the marketplace, or major litigation or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive environment. An individual security may also be affected by factors relating to the industry or sector of the issuer or the securities markets as a whole, and conversely an industry or sector or the securities markets may be affected by a change in financial condition or other event affecting a single issuer. The fund may experience a substantial or complete loss on an individual security.
Large capitalization company risk. Large capitalization companies may fall out of favor with investors based on market and economic conditions. In addition, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies and may be less capable of responding quickly to competitive challenges and industry changes. As a result, the funds value may not rise as much as, or may fall more than, the value of funds that focus on companies with smaller market capitalizations.
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Long/short strategy risk. While the fund may invest in long positions and short positions, there is the risk that the investments will not perform as expected. The funds long/short strategy may result in greater losses than if the fund held only long positions, as losses on one type of position could more than offset gains on the other or a fund could lose money on both positions. The funds short positions could result in unlimited losses if the fund does not own the asset sold short and it is unable to close out of the short sale or short position.
Market events risk. The market values of securities or other assets will fluctuate, sometimes sharply and unpredictably, due to factors such as economic events, governmental actions or intervention, actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks, market disruptions caused by trade disputes, labor strikes or other factors, political developments, armed conflicts, economic sanctions and countermeasures in response to sanctions, major cybersecurity events, the global and domestic effects of widespread or local health, weather or climate events, and other factors that may or may not be related to the issuer of the security or other asset. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are increasingly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, public health events, terrorism, wars, natural disasters and other circumstances in one country or region could have profound impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not the fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries or markets directly affected, the value and liquidity of the funds investments may be negatively affected. Following Russias invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian stocks lost all, or nearly all, of their market value. Other securities or markets could be similarly affected by past or future geopolitical or other events or conditions. Furthermore, events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect one industry, such as the financial services industry, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems, may spread to other industries, and could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the funds investments.
Raising the ceiling on U.S. government debt has become increasingly politicized. Any failure to increase the total amount that the U.S. government is authorized to borrow could lead to a default on U.S. government obligations, with unpredictable consequences for economies and markets in the U.S. and elsewhere. Recently, inflation and interest rates have increased and may rise further. These circumstances could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the funds investments, impair the funds ability to satisfy redemption requests, and negatively impact the funds performance.
The United States and other countries are periodically involved in disputes over trade and other matters, which may result in tariffs, investment restrictions and adverse impacts on affected companies and securities. For example, the United States has imposed tariffs and other trade barriers on Chinese exports, has restricted sales of certain categories of goods to China, and has established barriers to investments in China. Trade disputes may adversely affect the economies of the United States and its trading partners, as well as companies directly or indirectly affected and financial markets generally. The United States government has prohibited U.S. persons from investing in Chinese companies designated as related to the Chinese military. These and possible future restrictions could limit the funds opportunities for investment and require the sale of securities at a loss or make them illiquid. Moreover, the Chinese government is involved
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in a longstanding dispute with Taiwan that has included threats of invasion. If the political climate between the United States and China does not improve or continues to deteriorate, if China were to attempt unification of Taiwan by force, or if other geopolitical conflicts develop or get worse, economies, markets and individual securities may be severely affected both regionally and globally, and the value of the funds assets may go down.
Portfolio management risk. The value of your investment may decrease if the judgment of the funds adviser about the attractiveness, value of, or market trends affecting, a particular security, industry, sector or region, or about market movements, is incorrect or does not produce the desired results, or if there are imperfections, errors or limitations in the models, tools and data used by the portfolio managers. In addition, the funds investment strategies or policies may change from time to time. Those changes may not lead to the results intended by the portfolio managers and could have an adverse effect on the value or performance of the fund.
Prepayment or call risk. Many issuers have a right to prepay their fixed income securities. Issuers may be more likely to prepay their securities if interest rates fall. If this happens, the fund may not benefit from the rise in the market price of the securities that normally accompanies a decline in interest rates, and will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds at a time when yields on securities available in the market are lower than the yield on prepaid securities. The fund may also lose any premium it paid to purchase the securities.
Real assets risk. Investments in the real estate, natural resources and commodities sectors involve a high degree of risk, including significant financial, operating, and competitive risks. Investments in royalty trusts, real estate investment trusts and master limited partnerships expose the fund to adverse macroeconomic conditions, such as changes and volatility in commodity prices, a rise in interest rates or a downturn in the economy in which the asset is located, elevating the risk of loss.
Small and mid-capitalization company risk. The fund will be exposed to additional risks as a result of its investments in the securities of small and mid-capitalization companies. Small and mid-capitalization companies may fall out of favor with investors; may have limited product lines, operating histories, markets or financial resources; or may be dependent upon a limited management group. The prices of securities of small and mid-capitalization companies generally are more volatile than those of large capitalization companies and are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by changes in earnings results and investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions, including those experienced during a recession. Securities of small and mid-capitalization companies may underperform large capitalization companies, may be harder to sell at times and at prices the portfolio managers believe appropriate and may have greater potential for losses.
Stock market and equity securities risk. The stock markets are volatile and the market prices of equity securities held by the fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may include exchange-traded and over-the-counter common stocks, preferred stock, depositary receipts, trust certificates, limited partnership interests, warrants, rights, securities convertible into equity securities, and shares of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, and of real estate investment trusts. Equity securities may have greater price volatility than other asset classes, such as fixed income securities. The market price of a
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security may fluctuate based on overall market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions or trends, tariffs and trade disruptions, inflation, substantial economic downturn or recession, changes in interest rates, or adverse investor sentiment. Changes in market conditions will not typically have the same impact on all types of securities. If the market prices of the equity securities owned by the fund fall, the value of your investment in the fund will decline. If the fund holds equity securities in a company that becomes insolvent, the funds interests in the company will be subordinated to the interests of debtholders and general creditors of the company, and the fund may lose its entire investment.
Valuation risk. The sales price the fund could receive for any particular portfolio investment may differ from the funds valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. These differences may increase significantly and affect fund investments more broadly during periods of market volatility. Investors who purchase or redeem fund shares on days when the fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher redemption proceeds than they would have received if the fund had not fair-valued securities or had used a different valuation methodology. The funds ability to value its investments may be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third party service providers. The valuation of the funds investments involves subjective judgment, which may prove to be incorrect.
These and other risks are discussed in more detail in the Prospectus or in the Statement of Additional Information.
Performance
The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the funds performance from year to year for Class A shares. The table shows the average annual total returns of each class of the fund that has been in operation for at least one full calendar year and also compares the funds performance with the average annual total returns of an index or other benchmark. The fund also compares its performance to the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index (an index of fixed income securities) and a composite benchmark, which is a hypothetical representation of the performance of the funds major asset classes, consisting of 28% Russell 1000 Index, 12% Russell 2000 Index, 10% MSCI EAFE Index, 43% Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index and 7% Bloomberg U.S. High Yield2% Issuer Cap Index (an index where issuer exposure is limited to 2% of the market value of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index). Performance for classes other than those shown may vary from the performance shown to the extent the expenses for those classes differ. The fund makes updated performance information, including its current net asset value, available at www.franklintempleton.com/mutualfunds (select fund and share class), or by calling the fund at 877-6LM-FUND/656-3863.
The funds past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.
Sales charges are not reflected in the accompanying bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.
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Best Quarter (06/30/2020): 12.04 Worst Quarter (03/31/2020): (14.20)
The year-to-date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended March 31, 2024, was 5.66
Average annual total returns (%) | ||||||||||
(for periods ended December 31, 2023) | ||||||||||
Class A | 1 year | 5 years | 10 years | Since inception | Inception date | |||||
Return before taxes | 6.78 | 5.27 | 4.33 | |||||||
Return after taxes on distributions | 5.59 | 3.67 | 2.76 | |||||||
Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares | 4.42 | 3.76 | 2.99 | |||||||
Other Classes (Return before taxes only) | ||||||||||
Class C | 11.30 | 5.75 | 4.19 | |||||||
Class R | 12.65 | 6.16 | N/A | 4.44 | 06/02/2014 | |||||
Class I | 13.40 | 6.84 | N/A | 4.98 | 07/25/2014 | |||||
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)1 | 5.53 | 1.10 | 1.81 | |||||||
Russell 1000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)2 | 26.53 | 15.52 | 11.80 | |||||||
Composite Benchmark (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)3 | 14.55 | 7.51 | 5.97 |
1 | For Class R and Class I shares, for the period from the class inception date to December 31, 2023, the average annual total return of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index was 1.52% and 1.49%, respectively. |
2 | For Class R and Class I shares, for the period from the class inception date to December 31, 2023, the average annual total return of the Russell 1000 Index was 11.77% and 11.62%, respectively. |
3 | For Class R and Class I shares, for the period from the class inception date to December 31, 2023, the average annual total return of the Composite Benchmark was 5.86% and 5.81%, respectively. |
Prior to June 1, 2015, the fund followed different investment policies and strategies.
The after-tax returns are shown only for Class A shares, are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investors tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement
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accounts. After-tax returns for classes other than Class A will vary from returns shown for Class A.
Management
Investment manager: Franklin Templeton Fund Adviser, LLC (FTFA) (formerly known as Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC)
Subadviser: Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Franklin Advisers)
Portfolio managers: Primary responsibility for the day-to-day management of the fund lies with the following portfolio managers. At Franklin Advisers, all portfolios are managed on a collaborative basis using a systematic, rules based approach.
Portfolio manager | Title | Portfolio manager of the fund since | ||
Laura Green, CFA | Portfolio Manager | 2021 | ||
Jacqueline Kenney, CFA | Portfolio Manager | 2021 |
Purchase and sale of fund shares
You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the fund each day the New York Stock Exchange is open, at the funds net asset value determined after receipt of your request in good order, subject to any applicable sales charge.
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The funds initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are set forth in the accompanying table:
Investment minimum initial/additional investment ($) | ||||||||||
Class A | Class C1 | Class R | Class I | Class IS | ||||||
General | 1,000/50 | 1,000/50 | N/A | 1 million/None2 | N/A | |||||
Uniform Gifts or Transfers to Minor Accounts | 1,000/50 | 1,000/50 | N/A | 1 million/None2 | N/A | |||||
IRAs | 250/50 | 250/50 | N/A | 1 million/None2,3 | N/A3 | |||||
SIMPLE IRAs | None/None | None/None | N/A | 1 million/None2 | N/A | |||||
Systematic Investment Plans | 25/25 | 25/25 | N/A | 1 million/None2,4 | N/A4 | |||||
Clients of Eligible Financial Intermediaries | None/None | N/A | None/None | None/None5 | None/None5 | |||||
Eligible Investment Programs | None/None | N/A | None/None | None/None | None/None | |||||
Omnibus Retirement Plans | None/None | None/None | None/None | None/None | None/None | |||||
Individual Retirement Plans except as noted | None/None | None/None | N/A | 1 million/None2 | N/A | |||||
Institutional Investors | 1,000/50 | 1,000/50 | N/A | 1 million/None | 1 million/None |
1 | Class C shares are not available for purchase through Distributor Accounts. |
2 | Available to investors investing directly with the fund. |
3 | IRA accountholders who purchase Class I or Class IS shares through a Service Agent acting as agent on behalf of its customers are subject to the initial and subsequent minimums of $250/$50. If a Service Agent does not have this arrangement in place with the Distributor, the initial and subsequent minimums listed in the table apply. Please contact your Service Agent for more information. |
4 | Investors investing through a Systematic Investment Plan who purchase Class I or Class IS shares through a Service Agent acting as agent on behalf of its customers are subject to the initial and subsequent minimums of $25/$25. If a Service Agent does not have this arrangement in place with the Distributor, the initial and subsequent minimums listed in the table apply. Please contact your Service Agent for more information. |
5 | Individual investors who purchase Class I shares or Class IS shares through a Service Agent acting as agent on behalf of its customers are subject to the initial and subsequent minimums of $1,000/$50. If a Service Agent does not have this arrangement in place with the Distributor, the initial and subsequent minimums listed in the table apply. Please contact your Service Agent for more information. |
Your Service Agent may impose higher or lower investment minimums, or may impose no minimum investment requirement.
For more information about how to purchase, redeem or exchange shares, and to learn which classes of shares are available to you, you should contact your Service Agent, or, if you hold your shares or plan to purchase shares through the fund, you should contact the fund by phone at 877-6LM-FUND/656-3863, by regular mail at Legg Mason Funds, P.O. Box 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733-8030 or by express, certified or registered mail at Legg Mason Funds, 100 Fountain Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1205.
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Tax information
The funds distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income or capital gains.
Payments to broker/dealers and other financial intermediaries
The funds related companies pay Service Agents for the sale of fund shares, shareholder services and other purposes. These payments create a conflict of interest by influencing your Service Agent or its employees or associated persons to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or salesperson or visit your Service Agents or salespersons website for more information.
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Franklin Distributors, LLC One Franklin Parkway San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 franklintempleton.com
Franklin Multi-Asset Conservative Growth Fund |
Investment Company Act file #811-06444 © 2024 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.
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QSIN165666SP 06/24 |