Knowledge hub

A curated assortment of our experts’ latest thinking to offer fresh perspectives, unique solutions, and an advanced understanding of the alternatives markets

Building portfolios with alternatives

Insight

Building better portfolios with alternative investments: Regime-based analysis

Insight

Building better portfolios with private markets: Rethinking retirement

Insight

Building better portfolios with private markets: A goals-based framework

Insight

Alternative Allocations: Private equity—opportunities in growth equity, Bobby Stevenson

Insight

Alternative Allocations: Revisiting investment goals—the role of private markets in year-end planning

Insight

Alternative Allocations: Expanding DC plans—the role of private markets with guest Patrick Arey, Empower

Featured Videos

CE Credits

You can choose whether to do an accredited course as an eLearning module or join a live webinar at a time that suits you. Courses and webinars are around 50 minutes in length and are free but you will need to sign in or register to access the content.

Course

Why Alternatives?

This module will explore the value and versatility of alternative investments and examine how they can help in achieving client goals and objectives, including enhanced returns, increased income, diversification and inflation hedging.

Course

Private Credit

Examine the merits of private credit and how they compare to public market equivalents. Distinguish between the different types of private credit options (direct lending, mezzanine, and distressed), and the related return, risk, and income characteristics.

Course

Real Estate

Explore the merits of allocating to both public and private real estate, and the role they can play in a client portfolio, including generating returns, increased income, diversification, and inflation hedging.

Course

Private Equity

Explore the opportunities with private equity, evaluate its stages (venture capital, growth equity and buyout) and examine why the current market environment requires a different playbook.

Course

Infrastructure

Explore the unique characteristics of infrastructure and examine how they can be used in a portfolio, including enhancing returns, diversification, and hedging the impact of inflation. We will examine the differences between listed and private infrastructure opportunities.

Myth Busters

1 - Alternative Investments are only for Institutions and Family Offices.

This used to be the case - but with product innovation, and a willingness of institutional-caliber managers to bring accredited investor products to the market - these once elusive investments are now available to a broader group of investors at lower minimums and more flexible features.

2 - It is cumbersome to open and fund an alternative investment account.

While it is still more complex than dropping a ticket, the process for opening and funding an alternative investment account has been streamlined and automated, by firms like iCapital and CAIS. These FinTech firms have seized the opportunity to improve the client experience.

3 - I can use public market equivalents to achieve the same results as private markets.

While public market equivalents (PMEs), may have certain common traits as private markets, they generally exhibit dramatically different results than the PME. Private equity and private credit have historically delivered an illiquidity premium relative to their traditional counterparts2; private real estate represents a diverse set of opportunities, and has historically delivered differentiated returns, risk, and income characteristics relative to public REITs3; private and listed infrastructure represent different opportunity sets; and natural resources are different than commodities and equity-oriented surrogates (gold miners, manufacturers, food processing companies, etc.).

4 - All hedge funds are created equally and are absolute return strategies.

Hedge funds represent a diverse set of strategies from equity-hedged, event-driven, relative value, macro, and multi-strategy. Equity-hedged is designed to provide hedged exposure to the markets, and is a growth surrogate; event-driven seeks to take advantage of changes in the capital structure (M&A, Convertible Arb., etc.); relative value is designed to take advantage of mispriced securities; macro is a defensive / non-correlating strategy; and multi-strategy allocates across the first four in an opportunistic fashion.

5 - Investors need access to liquid investments.

While investors typically need some liquidity, they don’t always need their entire portfolio liquid. In fact, research has shown that there can often be an illiquidity premium4 – the excess return for locking up illiquid assets (private equity and private credit) for an extended period of time. This allows a PE manager ample time to execute their strategy and harvest potential returns. It may also instill a level of discipline in holding onto investments during volatile periods.

Important Information

1. CE credit is only available for participants attending the live webinar for a minimum of 50 minutes or completing the eLearning course. Franklin Templeton will email eligible participants a certificate of completion and will submit CFP attendance directly to the CFP Board. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP certification mark in the US, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. CIMA, CPWA and RMA are registered certification marks of the Investments & Wealth Institute. For more information about the Institute and the certifications, please visit investmentsandwealth.org

2. Source: The Illiquidity Premium and the Market for Private Assets | Portfolio for the Future | CAIA.

3. Source: Clarion Partners Investment Research, NCREIF, REIT.com, S&P, Bloomberg, 2022Q2 Note: Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please see the important disclosures at the end of the presentation. Valuations and incomes may change more rapidly and significantly than under standard market conditions.

4. Source: The Illiquidity Premium and the Market for Private Assets | Portfolio for the Future | CAIA.

This material is intended to be of general interest only and should not be construed as individual investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell or hold any security or to adopt any investment strategy. It does not constitute legal or tax advice. The views expressed are those of the investment manager and the comments, opinions and analyses may change without notice. The information provided in this material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region or market.

Data from third party sources may have been used in the preparation of this material and Franklin Templeton (“FT”) has not independently verified, validated or audited such data. FT accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss arising from use of this information and reliance upon the comments, opinions and analyses in the material is at the sole discretion of the user.

All investments involve risks, including the possible loss of principal.

Investments in alternative investment strategies are complex and speculative investments, entail significant risk and should not be considered a complete investment program.

Depending on the product invested in, an investment in alternative investments may provide for only limited liquidity and is suitable only for persons who can afford to lose the entire amount of their investment. An investment strategy focused primarily on privately held companies presents certain challenges and involves incremental risks as opposed to investments in public companies, such as dealing with the lack of available information about these companies as well as their general lack of liquidity.

Any research and analysis contained in this material has been procured by Franklin Templeton for its own purposes and may be acted upon in that connection and, as such, is provided to you incidentally. Data from third party sources may have been used in the preparation of this material and Franklin Templeton ("FT") has not independently verified, validated or audited such data. Although information has been obtained from sources that Franklin Templeton believes to be reliable, no guarantee can be given as to its accuracy and such information may be incomplete or condensed and may be subject to change at any time without notice. The mention of any individual securities should neither constitute nor be construed as a recommendation to purchase, hold or sell any securities, and the information provided regarding such individual securities (if any) is not a sufficient basis upon which to make an investment decision. FT accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss arising from use of this information and reliance upon the comments, opinions and analyses in the material is at the sole discretion of the user.

Franklin Distributors, LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC.Prior to July 7, 2021, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc., and Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC served as mutual fund distributors for Franklin Templeton.