Investor education

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

Types of Investments Retirement Volatility & Risk 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.

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.
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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.

Models and products

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.

Article

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.

Article

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.
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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.

Value of an advisor study

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.

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Impact of staying invested

4 minute read

Staying the course during market volatility is often difficult for many investors. Some choose to move to cash investments, while others try to time the market. Unfortunately, these investors are often buying high and selling low—and miss the rallies that follow the challenging periods.

PDF

Keep calm and staying invested

8 minute read

It’s important to remember to stick to your long-term financial plan and avoid emotional, headline-driven decisions. To help ease some of the angst, consider these three guidelines to help you keep things in perspective, and stay calm and invested.

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Bull versus bear market

4 minute read

We believe that possessing the discipline to stay invested through the ups and downs of the market gives a diversified portfolio the best probability of meeting its goals.
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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.

Managing market volatility

Cycle of investor emotions

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.

Article

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.

Using diversification to combat risk

Our investment approach

Models and products

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.

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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