Jenny Johnson

Jenny Johnson believes Franklin Templeton has unlocked the key to bringing investments in private markets to more clients, a trend that is likely to accelerate under Trump administration policies designed to broaden access to private equity, real estate and other less liquid investment options. The key is something the firm has been doing for three decades—educating financial advisers.

Advisers want to give their clients more options, said Johnson, president and CEO of Franklin Templeton, which manages about $1.6 trillion in assets. "There's a real recognition that it's kind of un-American if we don't all have fair access to the same kinds of investments." 

But it is not enough to pick a good product, she said. "If the firm behind that product hasn't surrounded it with really robust education, it's too hard for the advisers to understand."