EXHIBIT (d) xvii
FRANKLIN XXXXXXXXX VARIABLE INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST
on behalf of
FRANKLIN STRATEGIC INCOME SECURITIES FUND
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT made between FRANKLIN XXXXXXXXX VARIABLE
INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST, a Massachusetts business trust (the "Trust"), on
behalf of FRANKLIN STRATEGIC INCOME SECURITIES FUND (the "Fund"), a series of
the Trust, and FRANKLIN ADVISERS, INC., a California corporation, (the
"Adviser").
WHEREAS, the Trust has been organized and intends to operate as an
investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the
"1940 Act") for the purpose of investing and reinvesting its assets in
securities, as set forth in its Agreement and Declaration of Trust, its By-Laws
and its Registration Statements under the 1940 Act and the Securities Act of
1933, all as heretofore and hereafter amended and supplemented; and the Trust
desires to avail itself of the services, information, advice, assistance and
facilities of an investment adviser and to have an investment adviser perform
various management, statistical, research, investment advisory and other
services for the Fund; and,
WHEREAS, the Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, is engaged in the business of rendering
investment advisory, counseling and supervisory services to investment companies
and other investment counseling clients, and desires to provide these services
to the Fund.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the terms and conditions hereinafter
set forth, it is mutually agreed as follows:
1. EMPLOYMENT OF THE ADVISER. The Trust hereby employs the Adviser to
manage the investment and reinvestment of the Fund's assets and to administer
its affairs, subject to the direction of the Board of Trustees and the officers
of the Trust, for the period and on the terms hereinafter set forth. The Adviser
hereby accepts such employment and agrees during such period to render the
services and to assume the obligations herein set forth for the compensation
herein provided. The Adviser shall for all purposes herein be deemed to be an
independent contractor and shall, except as expressly provided or authorized
(whether herein or otherwise), have no authority to act for or represent the
Fund or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund or the
Trust.
2. OBLIGATIONS OF AND SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE ADVISER. The
Adviser undertakes to provide the services hereinafter set forth and to assume
the following obligations:
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A. INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES.
(a) The Adviser shall manage the Fund's assets
subject to and in accordance with the investment objectives and policies of the
Fund and any directions which the Trust's Board of Trustees may issue from time
to time. In pursuance of the foregoing, the Adviser shall make all
determinations with respect to the investment of the Fund's assets and the
purchase and sale of its investment securities, and shall take such steps as may
be necessary to implement the same. Such determinations and services shall
include determining the manner in which any voting rights, rights to consent to
corporate action and any other rights pertaining to the Fund's investment
securities shall be exercised. The Adviser shall render or cause to be rendered
regular reports to the Trust, at regular meetings of its Board of Trustees and
at such other times as may be reasonably requested by the Trust's Board of
Trustees, of (i) the decisions made with respect to the investment of the Fund's
assets and the purchase and sale of its investment securities, (ii) the reasons
for such decisions and (iii) the extent to which those decisions have been
implemented.
(b) The Adviser, subject to and in accordance with
any directions which the Trust's Board of Trustees may issue from time to time,
shall place, in the name of the Fund, orders for the execution of the Fund's
securities transactions. When placing such orders, the Adviser shall seek to
obtain the best net price and execution for the Fund, but this requirement shall
not be deemed to obligate the Adviser to place any order solely on the basis of
obtaining the lowest commission rate if the other standards set forth in this
section have been satisfied. The parties recognize that there are likely to be
many cases in which different brokers are equally able to provide such best
price and execution and that, in selecting among such brokers with respect to
particular trades, it is desirable to choose those brokers who furnish research,
statistical, quotations and other information to the Fund and the Adviser in
accordance with the standards set forth below. Moreover, to the extent that it
continues to be lawful to do so and so long as the Board of Trustees determines
that the Fund will benefit, directly or indirectly, by doing so, the Adviser may
place orders with a broker who charges a commission for that transaction which
is in excess of the amount of commission that another broker would have charged
for effecting that transaction, provided that the excess commission is
reasonable in relation to the value of "brokerage and research services" (as
defined in Section 28(e) (3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) provided by
that broker.
Accordingly, the Trust and the Adviser agree that the
Adviser shall select brokers for the execution of the Fund's transactions from
among:
(i) Those brokers and dealers who provide
quotations and other services to the Fund,
specifically including the quotations necessary to
determine the Fund's net assets, in such amount of
total brokerage as may reasonably be required in
light of such services; and
(ii) Those brokers and dealers who supply research,
statistical and other data to the Adviser or its
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affiliates which the Adviser or its affiliates may
lawfully and appropriately use in their investment
advisory capacities, which relate directly to
securities, actual or potential, of the Fund, or
which place the Adviser in a better position to
make decisions in connection with the management of
the Fund's assets and securities, whether or not
such data may also be useful to the Adviser and its
affiliates in managing other portfolios or advising
other clients, in such amount of total brokerage as
may reasonably be required. Provided that the
Trust's officers are satisfied that the best
execution is obtained, the sale of shares of the
Fund may also be considered as a factor in the
selection of broker-dealers to execute the Fund's
portfolio transactions.
(c) When the Adviser has determined that the Fund
should tender securities pursuant to a "tender offer solicitation,"
Franklin/Xxxxxxxxx Distributors, Inc. ("Distributors") shall be designated as
the "tendering dealer" so long as it is legally permitted to act in such
capacity under the federal securities laws and rules thereunder and the rules of
any securities exchange or association of which Distributors may be a member.
Neither the Adviser nor Distributors shall be obligated to make any additional
commitments of capital, expense or personnel beyond that already committed
(other than normal periodic fees or payments necessary to maintain its corporate
existence and membership in the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc.) as of the date of this Agreement. This Agreement shall not obligate the
Adviser or Distributors (i) to act pursuant to the foregoing requirement under
any circumstances in which they might reasonably believe that liability might be
imposed upon them as a result of so acting, or (ii) to institute legal or other
proceedings to collect fees which may be considered to be due from others to it
as a result of such a tender, unless the Trust on behalf of the Fund shall enter
into an agreement with the Adviser and/or Distributors to reimburse them for all
such expenses connected with attempting to collect such fees, including legal
fees and expenses and that portion of the compensation due to their employees
which is attributable to the time involved in attempting to collect such fees.
(d) The Adviser shall render regular reports to the
Trust, not more frequently than quarterly, of how much total brokerage business
has been placed by the Adviser, on behalf of the Fund, with brokers falling into
each of the categories referred to above and the manner in which the allocation
has been accomplished.
(e) The Adviser agrees that no investment decision
will be made or influenced by a desire to provide brokerage for allocation in
accordance with the foregoing, and that the right to make such allocation of
brokerage shall not interfere with the Adviser's paramount duty to obtain the
best net price and execution for the Fund.
(f) Decisions on proxy voting shall be made by the
Adviser unless the Board of Trustees determines otherwise. Pursuant to its
authority, Adviser shall have the power to vote, either in person or by proxy,
all securities in which the Fund may be invested from time to time, and shall
not be required to seek or take instructions from the Fund with respect thereto.
Adviser shall not be expected or required to take any action other than the
rendering of investment-related advice with respect to lawsuits involving
securities presently or formerly held
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in the Fund, or the issuers thereof, including actions involving bankruptcy.
Should Adviser undertake litigation against an issuer on behalf of the Fund, the
Fund agrees to pay its portion of any applicable legal fees associated with the
action or to forfeit any claim to any assets Adviser may recover and, in such
case, agrees to hold Adviser harmless for excluding the Fund from such action.
In the case of class action suits involving issuers held in the Fund, Adviser
may include information about the Fund for purposes of participating in any
settlements.
B. PROVISION OF INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR PREPARATION OF
SECURITIES REGISTRATION STATEMENTS, AMENDMENTS AND OTHER MATERIALS. The Adviser,
its officers and employees will make available and provide accounting and
statistical information required by the Fund in the preparation of registration
statements, reports and other documents required by federal and state securities
laws and with such information as the Fund may reasonably request for use in the
preparation of such documents or of other materials necessary or helpful for the
underwriting and distribution of the Fund's shares.
C. OTHER OBLIGATIONS AND SERVICES. The Adviser shall make its
officers and employees available to the Board of Trustees and officers of the
Trust for consultation and discussions regarding the administration and
management of the Fund and its investment activities.
D. AUTHORITY TO DELEGATE. The Adviser may, at its expense,
select and contract with one or more investment advisers registered under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ("Sub-Advisers") to perform some or all of the
services for a Fund for which it is responsible under this Agreement. The
Adviser will compensate any Sub-Adviser for its services to the Fund. The
Adviser may terminate the services of any Sub-Adviser at any time in its sole
discretion, and shall at such time assume the responsibilities of such
Sub-Adviser unless and until a successor Sub-Adviser is selected and the
requisite approval of a Fund's shareholders is obtained. The Adviser will
continue to have responsibility for all advisory services furnished by any
Sub-Adviser.
3. EXPENSES OF THE FUND. It is understood that the Fund will pay all of
its own expenses other than those expressly assumed by the Adviser herein, which
expenses payable by the Fund shall include:
A. Fees and expenses paid to the Adviser as provided herein;
B. Expenses of all audits by independent public accountants;
C. Expenses of transfer agent, registrar, custodian, dividend
disbursing agent and shareholder record-keeping services, including the expenses
of issue, repurchase or redemption of its shares;
D. Expenses of obtaining quotations for calculating the value
of the Fund's net assets;
E. Salaries and other compensations of executive officers of
the Trust who are not officers, directors, stockholders or employees of the
Adviser or its affiliates;
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F. Taxes levied against the Fund;
G. Brokerage fees and commissions in connection with the
purchase and sale of securities for the Fund;
H. Costs, including the interest expense, of borrowing money;
I. Costs incident to meetings of the Board of Trustees and
shareholders of the Fund, reports to the Fund's shareholders, the filing of
reports with regulatory bodies and the maintenance of the Fund's and the Trust's
legal existence;
J. Legal fees, including the legal fees related to the
registration and continued qualification of the Fund's shares for sale;
K. Trustees' fees and expenses to trustees who are not
directors, officers, employees or stockholders of the Adviser or any of its
affiliates;
L. Costs and expense of registering and maintaining the
registration of the Fund and its shares under federal and any applicable state
laws; including the printing and mailing of prospectuses to its shareholders;
M. Trade association dues;
N. The Fund's pro rata portion of fidelity bond, errors and
omissions, and trustees and officer liability insurance premiums; and
O. The Fund's portion of the cost of any proxy voting service
used on its behalf.
4. COMPENSATION OF THE ADVISER. The Fund shall pay an advisory fee in
cash to the Adviser based upon a percentage of the value of the Fund's net
assets, calculated as set forth below, as compensation for the services rendered
and obligations assumed by the Adviser, during the preceding month, on the first
business day of the month in each year.
A. For purposes of calculating such fee, the value of the net
assets of the Fund shall be determined in the same manner as that Fund uses to
compute the value of its net assets in connection with the determination of the
net asset value of its shares, all as set forth more fully in the Fund's current
prospectus and statement of additional information. The rate of the management
fee payable by the Fund shall be calculated daily at the following annual rates:
/bullet/ 0.425% of the value of net assets up to $500 million;
/bullet/ 0.325% of the value of net assets over $500 million up to and including
$1 billion;
/bullet/ 0.280% of the value of net assets over $1 billion up to and including
$1.5 billion;
/bullet/ 0.235% of the value of net assets over $1.5 billion up to and including
$6.5 billion;
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/bullet/ 0.215% of the value of net assets over $6.5 billion up to and including
$11.5 billion;
/bullet/ 0.200% of the value of net assets over $11.5 billion up to and
including $16.5 billion;
/bullet/ 0.190% of the value of net assets over $16.5 billion up to and
including $19 billion;
/bullet/ 0.180% of the value of net assets over $19 billion up to and including
$21.5 billion; and
/bullet/ 0.170% of the value of net assets over $21.5 billion.
B. The advisory fee payable by the Fund shall be reduced or
eliminated to the extent that Distributors has actually received cash payments
of tender offer solicitation fees less certain costs and expenses incurred in
connection therewith and to the extent necessary to comply with the limitations
on expenses which may be borne by the Fund as set forth in the laws, regulations
and administrative interpretations of those states in which the Fund's shares
are registered. The Adviser may waive all or a portion of its fees provided for
hereunder and such waiver shall be treated as a reduction in purchase price of
its services. The Adviser shall be contractually bound hereunder by the terms of
any publicly announced waiver of its fee, or any limitation of the Fund's
expenses, as if such waiver or limitation were full set forth herein.
C. If this Agreement is terminated prior to the end of any
month, the accrued advisory fee shall be paid to the date of termination.
5. ACTIVITIES OF THE ADVISER. The services of the Adviser to the Fund
hereunder are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser and any of its
affiliates shall be free to render similar services to others. Subject to and in
accordance with the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust
and Section 10(a) of the 1940 Act, it is understood that trustees, officers,
agents and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser or
its affiliates as directors, officers, agents or stockholders; that directors,
officers, agents or stockholders of the Adviser or its affiliates are or may be
interested in the Trust as trustees, officers, agents, shareholders or
otherwise; that the Adviser or its affiliates may be interested in the Fund as
shareholders or otherwise; and that the effect of any such interests shall be
governed by said Agreement and Declaration of Trust, By-Laws and the 1940 Act.
6. LIABILITIES OF THE ADVISER.
A. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross
negligence, or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part
of the Adviser, the Adviser shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or
the Fund or to any shareholder of the Fund for any act or omission in the course
of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may
be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security by the Fund.
B. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Adviser agrees to
reimburse the Trust for any and all costs, expenses, and counsel and trustees'
fees reasonably incurred by the Trust in the preparation, printing and
distribution of proxy statements, amendments to its Registration Statement,
holdings of meetings of its shareholders or trustees, the conduct of factual
investigations, any legal or administrative proceedings (including any
applications for exemptions or determinations by the Securities and Exchange
Commission) which the Trust incurs as the result of action or inaction of the
Adviser or any of its affiliates or any of their
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officers, directors, employees or stockholders where the action or inaction
necessitating such expenditures (i) is directly or indirectly related to any
transactions or proposed transaction in the stock or control of the Adviser or
its affiliates (or litigation related to any pending or proposed or future
transaction in such shares or control) which shall have been undertaken without
the prior, express approval of the Trust's Board of Trustees; or, (ii) is within
the control of the Adviser or any of its affiliates or any of their officers,
directors, employees or stockholders. The Adviser shall not be obligated
pursuant to the provisions of this Subparagraph 6(B), to reimburse the Trust for
any expenditures related to the institution of an administrative proceeding or
civil litigation by the Trust or a shareholder seeking to recover all or a
portion of the proceeds derived by any stockholder of the Adviser or any of its
affiliates from the sale of his shares of the Adviser, or similar matters. So
long as this Agreement is in effect, the Adviser shall pay to the Trust the
amount due for expenses subject to this Subparagraph 6(B) within 30 days after a
xxxx or statement has been received by the Adviser therefor. This provision
shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any claim the Trust may have or may assert
against the Adviser or others for costs, expenses or damages heretofore incurred
by the Trust or for costs, expenses or damages the Trust may hereafter incur
which are not reimbursable to it hereunder.
C. No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to
protect any trustee or officer of the Trust, or director or officer of the
Adviser, from liability in violation of Sections 17(h) and (i) of the 1940 Act.
7. RENEWAL AND TERMINATION.
A. This Agreement shall become effective on the date written
below and shall continue in effect for two (2) years thereafter, unless sooner
terminated as hereinafter provided and shall continue in effect thereafter for
periods not exceeding one (1) year so long as such continuation is approved at
least annually (i) by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities
of each Fund or by a vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, and (ii) by a
vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to the
Agreement (other than as Trustees of the Trust), cast in person at a meeting
called for the purpose of voting on the Agreement.
B. This Agreement:
(i) may at any time be terminated without the
payment of any penalty either by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust or
by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on 60
days' written notice to the Adviser;
(ii) shall immediately terminate with respect to
the Fund in the event of its assignment; and
(iii) may be terminated by the Adviser on 60 days'
written notice to the Fund.
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C. As used in this Paragraph the terms "assignment,"
"interested person" and "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities" shall have the meanings set forth for any such terms in the 1940
Act.
D. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing
addressed and delivered, or mailed post-paid, to the other party at any office
of such party.
8. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or
made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of
this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
9. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of California.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
and effective on the 1st day of May, 2000.
FRANKLIN XXXXXXXXX VARIABLE
INSURANCE PRODUCTS TRUST on behalf of
FRANKLIN STRATEGIC INCOME SECURITIES FUND
/S/ XXXXX X. XXXX
----------------------------
Xxxxx X. Xxxx
Vice President
& Assistant Vice President
FRANKLIN ADVISERS, INC.
/S/ XXXXXX X. XXXXX
----------------------------
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Executive Vice President
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