Alternatives explained

Alternative investments are alternatives to so-called 'mainstream investments': equities and fixed income. They include private capital, real estate, real assets and hedge funds. Investors increasingly use alternative strategies to help them achieve their return and diversification goals.

Our approach to alternative investing

We know that different people need different types of alternative investing. So we'll help you determine which investment is right for you. Next, we'll implement your chosen investment. We apply decades of alternatives experience to help build, manage and implement our alternative funds.

We’ve been researching many of the world's top money managers in alternatives for over 30 years. We commingled identify the most appropriate managers for the respective fund-investment objectives. We then combine them and use dynamic implementation techniques to effectively and efficiently manage targeted strategy exposures. Our approach provides flexibility and highly opportunistic portfolio management.

Russell Investments' alternative products

Russell Investments provides a wide selection of options and advice for corporations, non-profits and public plans across the spectrum of alternative investments.

We can customise our investment services to your needs and give you access to them through integrated comingled funds or separate accounts. We also provide due diligence services to help you with existing or potential alternative investments. Our alternative capabilities include:

• Commodities – commodities cover a broad range of real assets, including live cattle, wheat, corn, soybeans, copper, aluminum, nickel, gold, oil and coffee. We offer global access to the dynamic growth of developed and developing markets.


• Hedge funds – one of the main benefits of investing in hedge funds is the diversification it offers at the total portfolio level. The return potential is another attractive characteristic.


• Infrastructure – as a real-asset category, infrastructure offers a distinct risk, return and diversification profile relative to other asset classes. So it merits consideration for a discrete allocation in a diversified portfolio.


• Private capital – select private capital solutions have some correlation to public markets and are perceived to have higher risks than public markets. However, they can offer diverse allocations to strategies often inaccessible through public markets. They can also offer potentially higher returns in compensation for their illiquidity.


• Real estate – real-estate investment returns are driven by different factors than other asset classes. Investing in real estate can help investors diversify risks and offer return potential and lower volatility than other asset classes.

Any opinion expressed is that of Russell Investments, is not a statement of fact, is subject to change and does not constitute investment advice.

The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed. You may not get back the amount originally invested.

Please refer to the prospectus of the relevant [UCITS or AIF or EuSEF or EuVECA] and/or Information document of the relevant [AIF/EuSEF/EuVECA], and (where relevant) to the [KIID/KID] before making any final investment decisions.

In general, alternative investments involve a high degree of risk, including potential loss of principal; can be highly illiquid and can charge higher fees than other investments. Hedge strategies and private capital investments are not subject to the same regulator requirements as registered investment products. Hedge strategies often engage in leveraging and other speculative investment practices that may increase the risk of investment loss.