Franklin Templeton Investments Review
Instead of buying Franklin Templeton funds through a third-party broker, you can open an account directly with the company. Here’s what you need to know about their direct-fund service:
Account Types
You can open a direct account with Franklin Templeton online, by mail, or through an independent financial advisor. It's important to note that Franklin Templeton does not have in-house investment advisors.
A self-directed fund account with Franklin Templeton can be paired with a financial advisor. However, it’s up to the account owner to find their own advisor. Franklin Templeton can recommend a few local investment firms if needed.
The online application is the easiest method to open an account. If you prefer, you can also use a paper application and submit it by mail.
Franklin Templeton offers various account types, such as estate accounts, 529 college savings plans, IRAs, trusts, custodial accounts, 403(b) plans, and joint accounts.
For IRAs, you can choose from Roth, Traditional, Beneficiary, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs. Franklin Templeton also provides a Roth conversion service and a rollover service for moving an old employer’s retirement plan into an IRA.
Investment Choices
A brokerage account with Franklin Templeton can only invest in a small range of funds from Franklin Templeton and a few related companies. Unfortunately, you won’t have access to funds from major providers like iShares or Vanguard. This is one of the main downsides of opening an account directly with Franklin Templeton. Individual stocks or options are not available.
After research, we found over a thousand securities available:
- 815 mutual funds
- 59 ETFs
- 31 closed-end funds
- 129 separately managed accounts
- 147 portfolios for 529 accounts
- 26 money market mutual funds
You can browse these products on Franklin Templeton’s website without needing login credentials. The list can be sorted by criteria such as expense ratio, Morningstar rating, and share class. Each fund includes information about its front-end and back-end loads, along with downloadable fact sheets.
Clicking on a product’s name will bring up more detailed information, including the annual report and tax-adjusted returns.
Fund Examples
During our research, we found the ClearBridge Dividend Strategy Fund, ticker symbol SOPAX. It holds 4 out of 5 stars from Morningstar. This blend fund invests in both value and growth stocks, with up to half of its portfolio in foreign stocks.
The fund has an expense ratio of 1.02% and a front-end load (as it is a Class A fund).
We also found FLAU, the Franklin FTSE Australia ETF. This fund invests in Australian securities, tracking the FTSE Australia Capped Index. It holds both large-cap and mid-cap stocks.
For investors interested in small-cap stocks, the Franklin Small Cap Growth SMA might be of interest. This separately managed account invests in stocks with market caps under $10 billion (with an average of $3.4 billion). Its benchmark is the Russell 2000 Growth Index. In 2022, this SMA returned -30.90%, which was worse than the S&P 500 Index.
Digital Tools
Once you’ve opened an account, you can manage it on the Franklin Templeton website. You can track investments, view multiple accounts, transfer funds, and place trades.
Franklin Templeton also offers a mobile app for Apple and Android phones, which provides many of the same tools and resources. A recent update shows that they are keeping the app up-to-date.
Education
Franklin Templeton provides a wealth of educational resources, including basic articles on investing topics such as:
- What is a Mutual Fund?
- Creating a Financial Plan
- Budgeting 101: It's Easier Than You Think
There are also more in-depth commentaries on market news, available through podcasts and webinars. Some resources require you to log in to participate or listen on-demand.
The Franklin Templeton Institute covers a wide range of economic topics. Articles and podcasts are available without logging in.
More advanced topics include retirement planning, charitable giving, and other financial issues. Tools for required minimum distributions (RMDs), Social Security, marriage, and entering the workforce are also available on the website.
Franklin Templeton Fees
While Franklin Templeton offers great educational content, it doesn’t publish a fee schedule for its accounts, which is another downside.
We do know that IRAs have a $10 annual fee, which increases to $15 for accounts with less than $50,000 in assets. The annual fee for a 403(b) account is $30, or $35 for lower balances.
Each fund has its own fee schedule, which may include a management fee and potentially a load. It’s always a good idea to review a fund's prospectus to understand its fees before investing.
Franklin Templeton Minimums
The minimum investment for most mutual funds is $1,000. However, some Institutional Class funds (which have no loads) require a $1 million minimum. Separately managed accounts usually require $100,000 or more.
These minimums are typically listed in the prospectus or other fund documents, which are available for download on the Franklin Templeton website.
Find a Financial Advisor
If you are looking for a professional money management service in your area, you can
find a Financial Advisor on the Wiser Advisor
(or read
Wiser Advisor review).
Find a Financial Advisor
Customer Service
Franklin Templeton’s customer service is available from 5:30 am to 5:00 pm, Pacific Time, on weekdays (they are closed on weekends).
Although Franklin Templeton has offices in some U.S. cities, these offices do not provide customer support services.
Franklin Templeton Alternatives
Several online discount brokerages offer mutual funds and ETFs from Franklin Templeton. These brokers often provide upfront pricing and no-fee IRAs.
Charles Schwab, for example, offers 302 Franklin Templeton mutual funds and 58 exchange-traded funds. All of these are commission-free, and only one mutual fund has a load.
In total, Charles Schwab offers 6,552 mutual funds and 2,819 ETFs, offering a much larger selection than Franklin Templeton.
In addition to this larger selection, Schwab customers have access to a broader range of financial services, such as stock and option trading, in-house investment advice, and banking products, which Franklin Templeton does not offer.
Franklin Templeton Review Judgment
Franklin Templeton offers a solid selection of investment products, but its offerings may not be enough for some investors. Many of these products are available through other brokerage accounts that provide a much wider range of options and services.
Updated on 12/22/2025.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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