Managed Fund Since 2018
FKSAX Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund
- Core building block. Provides broad, diversified exposure to high quality US fixed income markets.
- Differentiated approach. Our portfolio construction approach is designed to reduce performance volatility and provide a consistent range of outcomes and strong risk-adjusted returns across market environments.
- Experienced Portfolio Management Team. Tenured investment team with expertise across market cycles.
Popular Documents
Name and principal investment strategy changes
Effective November 12, 2024, the fund updated its principal investment strategies, policies and practices to follow a “core plus” strategy, among other changes. Effective December 11, 2024, the fund was renamed Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund. If you have any questions, please contact your financial professional.
Overview
Fund Facts
Fund description
The fund seeks to provide a high level of current income. Its secondary goal is capital appreciation over the long term. The fund is a core plus fund that invests across fixed income sectors, primarily in investment grade rated securities.
- Benchmark
- Bloomberg US Aggregate Index
- Dividend Frequency, if any
- Monthly
- Fund Inception Date
- 05/24/1994
- Distribution Rate at NAV
4 As of 11/26/2025 (Updated Daily) - 4.73%
- Effective Duration
As of 10/31/2025 (Updated Monthly) - 6.07 Years
Identifiers
- Ticker
- FKSAX
- Fund Number
- 694
- CUSIP Code
- 354713737
Average Annual Total Returns As of 10/31/2025
Advisor Class
- 6.17%1 Year
- 7.39%3 Years
- 2.78%5 Years
- 3.04%10 Years
- 5.89%Since Inception
05/24/1994
Performance data quoted represents past performance, which does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the figures shown.
Top Sectors
As of 10/31/2025 - Notional Exposure % of Total (Updated Monthly)
Agency Mortgage-Backed Securities35.00% | |
Investment Grade Corporates31.95% | |
U.S. Treasuries16.17% | |
High Yield Corporates9.71% | |
Interest Rate Derivatives7.26% |
Additional Fund Info
- Share Class Inception Date
- 08/12/1999
- Investment Style
- Multi-Sector
- Lipper Classification
- Core Plus Bond Funds
- Morningstar Category
3 - Intermediate Core-Plus Bond
Manager and Commentary
About the Team
Franklin Templeton Fixed Income
Franklin Templeton Fixed Income is a fixed income specialist with a measured "no surprises" approach that is committed to the goal of delivering clients consistent, predictable fixed income results. We pursue dimensional sources of potential alpha across all global fixed income securities, sectors, and markets.
Commentary Highlights
September 30, 2025- Markets: Market sentiment improved across the third quarter of 2025 (Q3) due to a partial resolution of some of the outstanding trade policy concerns. At its September meeting, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) cut the fed funds rate by 25 basis points (bps) and signaled that more cuts were likely to come by the end of this year. This bolstered markets which viewed that the cut was addressing some of the weakening economic measures, such as the status of the US labor market. As per Bloomberg, fixed income spread markets performed well as corporate bond spreads reached multidecade lows by the end of the quarter. Other fixed income sectors, such as securitized, also posted positive returns. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield fell eight bps to end the quarter at 4.15%.
- Contributors: Overweight investment-grade (IG) corporate bonds and agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Out-of-index exposure to high-yield (HY) corporate bonds and.
- Detractors: Security selection in senior secured-floating rate bank loans and HY and IG corporate bonds.
- Outlook: There is high uncertainty about future Fed policy, even between members, as reflected in a large distribution seen in the Fed’s scattered projections for the path of fed funds for the remainder or the year. In our view, this level of uncertainty has the potential to spur volatility in the UST market..
Managed Fund Since 2024
Managed Fund Since 2022
Managed Fund Since 2025
Managed Fund Since 2016
Latest Insights
November 18, 2025
November 12, 2025
October 30, 2025
October 28, 2025
Performance
Performance data quoted represents past performance, which does not guarantee future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the figures shown. Principal value and investment returns will fluctuate, and investors' shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Performance would have been lower if fees had not been waived in various periods. Total returns assume the reinvestment of all distributions and the deduction of all Fund expenses. Returns with sales charge reflect a deduction of the stated maximum sales charge. Returns without sales charge would have been lower had sales charges been reflected. An investor cannot invest directly in an index, and unmanaged index returns do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges. Returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
©2025 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.
Portfolio
Assets
As of10/31/2025 (Updated Monthly)
- Total Net Assets
- $2.56 Billion
Positions
As of 10/31/2025 (Updated Monthly)
- Fund
- 835
- Benchmark
- 13,899
Portfolio Statistics
As of 10/31/2025 (Updated Monthly)
- Fund
- 12.59 Years
- Benchmark
- 12.20 Years
- Fund
- 6.07 Years
- Benchmark
- 5.98 Years
Asset Allocation
As of 10/31/2025 - Market Value % of Total (Updated Monthly)
| Holdings | Fund |
|---|---|
Fixed Income | 116.66% |
Equity | 0.05% |
Cash & Cash Equivalents | -16.70% |
Holdings
As of 10/31/2025 (Updated Monthly)
Portfolio holdings are based on the total portfolio and are subject to change at any time. Holdings are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell any security.
Distributions & Tax
- Distribution Frequency
- MonthlyThis fund is an ex-Dividend fund
- Capital Gain Distributions
- December
Rates and Yields Read important information about results and other investment disclosures
Distribution Rate
Final composition of the current year’s distribution—income, capital gains and/or return of capital—are based on US tax rules and will be determined by February of the following year. For tax characterization of a distribution, such as return of capital and tax-exempt income, click on the “Tax Information” tab above.
Distributions Per Share Distributions with future dates are estimates and those figures are not final
Annually, a fund must distribute all realized capital gains net of realized losses, so the fund will not be subject to an entity level income tax. A fund’s capital gain distribution in a particular year may be a result of the disposition of holdings that appreciated in value during prior years. Thus, while the fund may gain or lose value over the course of a year, a capital gain distribution paid by the fund may not be indicative of current performance of the fund.
The distributable amount of net capital gains are paid on a per-share basis to all investors who hold shares of the fund on the record date of the distribution and are recognized by the shareholder for tax purposes as of the ex-date of the distribution, regardless of when the gains or losses arose in the fund. Net gains on holdings held long term by the fund would be distributed to shareholders as a long-term capital gain distribution no matter how long the shareholder has owned shares in the fund.
Refer to the fund’s annual report or statement of additional information for specific information regarding distributions.
Pricing
Documents
| Name | Download | Add to Cart | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factsheet - Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund | |||
| Product Commentary - Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund |
| Name | Download | Add to Cart | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Report - Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund Advisor Class | |||
| Annual Financial Statements and Other Information - Franklin Strategic Series | |||
| Semi-Annual Report - Franklin Strategic Income Fund - Advisor Class | |||
| Semi-Annual Financial Statements and Other Information - Franklin Strategic Income Fund | |||
| Prospectus - Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund (fka Franklin Strategic Income Fund) | |||
| Summary Prospectus - Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund (fka Franklin Strategic Income Fund) as amended 11/12/24 | |||
| Statement of Additional Information - Franklin Core Plus Bond Fund (fka Franklin Strategic Income Fund) | |||
| Fiscal Q1 Holdings - Franklin Strategic Series | |||
| Fiscal Q3 Holdings - Franklin Strategic Series |
Risks
All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal. Fixed income securities involve interest rate, credit, inflation and reinvestment risks, and possible loss of principal. As interest rates rise, the value of fixed income securities falls. Changes in the credit rating of a bond, or in the credit rating or financial strength of a bond’s issuer, insurer or guarantor, may affect the bond’s value. Low-rated, high-yield bonds are subject to greater price volatility, illiquidity and possibility of default. Floating-rate loans and debt securities are typically rated below investment grade and are subject to greater risk of default, which could result in loss of principal. International investments are subject to special risks, including currency fluctuations and social, economic and political uncertainties, which could increase volatility. These risks are magnified in emerging markets. Derivative instruments can be illiquid, may disproportionately increase losses, and have a potentially large impact on performance. The manager may consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in the research or investment process; however, ESG considerations may not be a determinative factor in security selection. In addition, the manager may not assess every investment for ESG criteria, and not every ESG factor may be identified or evaluated. These and other risks are discussed in the fund’s prospectus.
Important Information
Most funds offer multiple share classes. Share classes are subject to different fees and expenses, which will affect their performance.
Certain share classes are only offered to eligible investors as stated in the prospectus. Different minimums may apply to clients of certain service agents. All classes of shares are not available through all distribution channels. See the Fund's prospectus for additional information.
Franklin Distributors, LLC. Member FINRA, SIPC. All entities mentioned are Franklin Templeton affiliated companies. Investment Products: NOT FDIC INSURED | NO BANK GUARANTEE | MAY LOSE VALUE.
Reports and other information about the funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at www.sec.gov.
You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF documents. Download a free version from Adobe's website.
Important data provider notices and terms available at www.franklintempletondatasources.com.
Performance data quoted represents past performance, which does not guarantee future results.
CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
Indexes are unmanaged and one cannot invest directly in an index. They do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges.
The Bloomberg US Aggregate Index is comprised of investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated government, corporate, and mortgage- and asset-backed issues having at least one year to maturity.
Source: Bloomberg Indices.
Investors should carefully consider a fund's investment goals, risks, sales charges and expenses before investing. The prospectus contains this and other information. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money.