Franklin Advisors

The firm's sourcing advantage derives from its geographic positioning — a Detroit-area headquarters with offices in Baltimore, Bethesda, New York, and São Paulo. This gives Franklin Advisors access to US Midwestern and mid-Atlantic middle-market deals that bypass coastal institutional auctions, while the Brazil office provides a distinct pipeline into Latin American real assets and credit. The firm's direct real estate practice specifically targets secondary and tertiary US markets where institutional competition is sparse.

Franklin Advisors operates as a fiduciary allocator — an outsourced CIO — rather than a fund manager. It does not raise or manage commingled funds. The firm constructs bespoke portfolios for its families across direct investments (especially real estate) and external fund commitments in private equity, private credit, and hedge funds. This separates it from platforms that sell proprietary products to client families.