Franklin Templeton Conference on Geopolitical Shifts and the Quest for Alpha at the Essex House Marriott Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ben Hider)

Ben Hider - Event, Food and Portrait Photographer based in New York City and Westchester

Franklin Resources Inc. is an American holding company that, together with its subsidiaries, is referred to as Franklin Templeton Investments; it is a global investment firm originally founded in New York in 1947 as Franklin Distributors, Inc. It is listed on the NYSE under the ticker BEN, in honor of Benjamin Franklin, for whom the company is named after, and who was admired by founder Rupert Johnson, Sr. In 1973 the company's headquarters moved from New York to San Mateo, California. Today, Franklin Templeton Investments is one of the world's largest asset management groups with over US$850 billion in assets under management (AUM) on behalf of over 25 million private, professional and institutional investors, as at September 30, 2014, up $29.7 billion or 4% during the 4th quarter (FY 2013).