Investor education

Shareable, client-ready content that advisors can use to educate investors

Volatility & Risk Types of Investments Retirement Investment Planning & Strategies Investor Guidance

When investors understand the fundamentals of investing, it can increase their confidence and bolster the relationship they have with their advisor. The resources featured below cover types of investments, retirement, volatility & risk, investment planning & strategies, as well as investor guidance—in-demand topics that investors want to learn more about.

Volatility & risk

Volatility and risk are often key factors that influence investor behavior. However, an investor can more easily ride out these periods of uncertainty if they are armed with knowledge and an understanding of historical market performance.

Article

Why Timing the Market Is a Fool’s Errand

Learn the importance of staying invested during volatile times.

Article

Why Stocks and Bonds Work Together

How holding bonds can help counter equity risk.

Article

A Tale of Two Markets

Why taking a longer-term view can lead to a smoother ride.

Article

Volatility Isn’t Your Enemy — Missing the Rebound Can Be

Major single-day selloffs are often followed by sharp one-day rallies.

Article

Recovery Often Comes Hard on Heels of Market Pullbacks

Don’t be spooked by short-term volatility.

Two people talking by the side of the pool

Related content: Volalility & risk

Market volatility is to be expected during your investment lifespan. And with volatility, often comes risk. However, there are ways we, at Russell Investments, work to ensure that the right risks are taken, with the highest likelihood of compensation.

 

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Types of investments

There are many types of investments, including, bonds, stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, savings accounts, and more. Which investment type should an investor use in their portfolio? That depends on many factors and is a conversation we encourage investors to have with their financial advisors.

Article

All about bonds

6 minute read

A bond is simply a loan you make to a corporation, municipality, or government agency. The borrower gets the cash it needs, while you, the lender, earn interest for the term of the loan. For the use of your money, the borrower promises to pay you a specific interest rate on a regular basis for a set period of time.

Article

Stocks versus bonds

5 minute read

Choosing the right mix of stocks and bonds can be one of the most basic yet confusing decisions facing any investor. In general, the role of stocks is to provide long-term growth potential and the role of bonds is to provide an income stream. The question is how these qualities fit into your investment strategy.

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Cryptocurrency and investor portfolios: Is an allocation warranted?

24 minute read

In this article, we discuss the case for cryptocurrency and examine how one might position cryptocurrency within a total portfolio.

Models & Products Related content: Types of Investments

Once you've developed an understanding of these types of investments, please explore our investment solutions, which embody many of these investment types.

Learn More
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Retirement

While your financial advisor will have tools to help evaluate whether you're on track for, or will be sustained through, retirement, these articles introduce fundamental principles when it comes to preparing for retirement.

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Introduction to IRAs

4 minute read

An individual retirement account (IRA) is a tax-deferred account set up by an individual. IRAs can give you a tax advantage and complement other retirement funds. Finding the most appropriate IRA vehicle for you can depend on your investment goals, income, and age, personal tax situation and retirement options available at your employer.

Article

Planning for your retirement goals

18 minute read

Getting to retirement requires many steps and plenty of planning. Learn how to start planning and saving, how to invest during life changes, and how to retire by design instead of default can help you achieve your retirement goals.

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Retirement lifestyle factors

7 minute read

Your new job in retirement is to manage and track your portfolio to meet your goals. Learn what to discuss with your spouse and your advisor, how to keep on giving during retirement, and deciding between one lump sum or periodic payments.

Value of an advisor study Related content: Retirement

Retirement takes careful planning. It's helpful to know the basics as well as what investment solutions might be best suited for your portfolio. A financial advisor can provide this guidance and our study helps explain their value.

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Investment planning & strategies

Investment planning and strategies can encourage investors to stick to their investment plan and overall objectives. These straight-forward approaches can be easily implemented and, with the help of an advisor, investors can reap the benefits.

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Developing your investment strategy

3 minute read

As many investors discover, mapping out an investment plan is the easy part. Sticking with that plan is what separates investors from speculators.

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Value of diversification

3 minute read

What style or asset class performs best in any given year? It depends. This color chart shows how large cap, small cap, value, growth, international, bonds, and real estate performed over the past number of years. It demonstrates how there is never an asset class guaranteed to be the best performing asset class year over year, which supports the value of diversification in a portfolio.

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Dollar-cost averaging

4 minute read

Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) helps you deal with the unpredictable nature of the financial markets. The way it works is you invest equal amounts of money on a regular schedule, over a chosen time period. You decide how much you want to invest, how often and for how long.

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Tax-smart investing

35 minute read

This guide has been created to help you understand how taxes impact your investments. Whether you’re new to investing or experienced, it’s designed to empower you with the knowledge you need to make informed decisions. From unravelling how investments are taxed to exploring tax-smart strategies like tax-loss harvesting, we want this guide to be your go-to resource.
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Related content: Investment planning & strategies

An advisor can work with investors to understand their financial goals and translate that understanding into an investment plan that fits the investor's risk tolerance. Our investment approach and solutions include careful evaluation as well as variety to better suit an investor's needs.

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Investor guidance

Advisors play a critical role in steering investors, and their behavior, through the various market environments they may encounter over their lives—and through the various major life events they undergo. The content below can be helpful to advisors and investors, whether a relationship is just getting established, or is maturing over time.

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Value of an advisor study

11 minute read

We at Russell Investments believe all investors should work with a financial advisor. Our study is based on a simple formula that shows the value that advisors add by helping investors gain financial security.

Interactive

Cycle of investor emotions

1-10 minute read

Emotions can be such a threat to an investor's financial health, it is important to know how to keep your head above water in the cycle of investor emotions.

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How to avoid common behavioral biases

6 minute read

Why do investors react differently to the same market event? It depends on a number of factors, such as what the investor’s objectives are, what their beliefs are about where they are in the market cycle and what markets will do next within the investor’s time horizon. Some beliefs may lead to successful investment strategies and behaviors. However, other beliefs may lead to behavioral biases that jeopardize the likelihood of achieving an investor’s objectives.

The information, analyses and opinions set forth herein are intended to serve as general information only and should not be relied upon by any individual or entity as advice or recommendations specific to that individual entity. Anyone using this material should consult with their own attorney, accountant, financial or tax adviser or consultants on whom they rely for investment advice specific to their own circumstances.

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First used: February 2025. RIFIS-26411