Franklin Templeton Investments and MD Financial Management Expand Relationship to Include Fixed Income Assets

TORONTO, Dec. 9, 2015 /CNW/ - Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. today announced an expanded relationship with long-time client MD Financial Management Inc. (MD), to now include fixed income assets. This expansion will leverage multi-sector approaches from Franklin Templeton's integrated global fixed income platform, along with Canadian fixed income, to provide broad exposure to domestic and international markets. Franklin Templeton has managed assets for MD, a Canadian Medical Association-owned wealth management organization, since 1969.

"As a leader among fixed income asset managers, Franklin Templeton's proven global and local capabilities in identifying diversified sources of potential alpha can help MD reach their risk-adjusted return targets," said Duane Green, managing director – Canada, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. "Our actively-managed Canadian and global fixed income strategies have a long-term track record of offering high caliber investment management expertise. We are pleased to be selected by MD to manage additional asset classes on behalf of their clients."

Tom O'Gorman, senior vice president and director of Fixed Income for Franklin Bissett Investment Management, and Eric Takaha of Franklin Advisers Inc.* and senior vice president and director of Corporate & High Yield for Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group, will manage the Canadian and global fixed income assets, respectively, for MD. 

"Following MD's application of MD Precision™—MD's patent-pending fund management process, our firm will now manage a significant portion of the organization's fixed income portfolio. We see this as a validation of the value MD places on our investment expertise and client service, spanning our more than four-decade relationship," said Ed Lee, vice president of Institutional Alliances, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp.

Franklin Bissett Investment Management
For over 32 years, Franklin Bissett Investment Management has been applying a disciplined team approach to managing equity, fixed income and balanced portfolios for Canadian retail and institutional investors. Franklin Bissett's Canadian Fixed Income group, with over C$5 billion in assets across multi-sector, credit and duration-targeted strategies, integrates a research-driven process, with a disciplined and risk-focused investment style. The Calgary-based team combines top-down macro analysis with bottom-up security selection and quantitative analysis to build diversified portfolios of active, low-correlated positions with favorable risk/return characteristics. Franklin Bissett Investment Management is part of Franklin Templeton Investments Corp.

Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group
With over C$400 billion in fixed income assets under management across a number of our investment advisors and more than 156 fixed income specialists, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group is one of the largest fixed income management teams in the world. This highly experienced team manages a diverse range of regional and global core as well as other specialized strategies, across all major fixed income sectors, in benchmark-relative and unconstrained styles. Additionally, the Group is responsible for some of the longest active track records in the industry in strategies such as US municipal bond, high-yield credit and global bond. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group is part of Franklin Templeton Investments Corp.

About Franklin Templeton Investments
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments. Franklin Templeton Investments provides global and domestic investment management to retail, institutional and sovereign wealth clients in over 150 countries. Through specialized teams, the company has expertise across all asset classes—including equity, fixed income, alternative and custom solutions. The company's more than 600 investment professionals are supported by its integrated, worldwide team of risk management professionals and global trading desk network. With offices in 35 countries, the California–based company has more than 65 years of investment experience and over US$790 billion (C$1,055) in assets under management as of November 30, 2015.

For more information, please visit franklintempleton.ca or connect with Franklin Templeton on Twitter (@FTI_Global) and read the Beyond Bulls & Bears blog featuring perspectives from Franklin Templeton investment professionals around the world.

*Franklin Advisers Inc. is an affiliate of Franklin Templeton Investments Corp.

™Trademark of the Canadian Medical Association, used under license.

Copyright © 2015. Franklin Templeton Investments. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Franklin Templeton Investments Corp.

Media contact: Amie Lauder, Corporate Communications - Canada, Franklin Templeton Investments, 416.957.6560, [email protected]