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Russell Short Duration Bond Fund
RUSSELL SHORT DURATION BOND FUND
Investment Objective (Non-Fundamental)
               The Fund seeks to provide current income and preservation of capital with a focus on short duration securities.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
               The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Russell Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the Front-End Sales Charges section and the More About Deferred Sales Charges section beginning on pages 216 and 219, respectively, of the Prospectus, and the Purchase, Exchange and Redemption of Fund Shares section, beginning on page 30 of the Fund's Statement of Additional Information. Please see the Expense Notes section of the Fund's Prospectus for further information regarding expenses of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees Russell Short Duration Bond Fund
Class A
Class C
Class E
Class S
Class Y
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 3.75% none none none none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) [1] 1.00% none none none none
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends none none none none none
[1] The Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) is charged on the lesser of the purchase price of the Shares being redeemed or the net asset value of those Shares at the time of redemption.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses Russell Short Duration Bond Fund
Class A Shares
Class C Shares
Class E Shares
Class S Shares
Class Y Shares
Advisory Fee [1] 0.45% 0.45% 0.45% 0.45% 0.45%
Distribution (12b-1) Fees [1] 0.25% 0.75% none none none
Other Expenses [1] 0.30% 0.55% 0.55% 0.30% 0.10%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses [1] 1.00% 1.75% 1.00% 0.75% 0.55%
Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements [1] (0.13%) (0.13%) (0.13%) (0.13%) (0.05%)
Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses [1] 0.87% 1.62% 0.87% 0.62% 0.50%
[1] Until February 28, 2014, Russell Investment Management Company ("RIMCo") has contractually agreed to waive 0.05% of its 0.45% advisory fee. This waiver may not be terminated during the relevant period except with Board approval. Until February 28, 2014, Russell Fund Services Company ("RFSC") has contractually agreed to waive 0.08% of its transfer agency fees for Class A, C, E and S Shares. This waiver may not be terminated during the relevant period except with Board approval. "Other Expenses," "Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses" and "Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses" have been restated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred by the Fund during the current fiscal year. "Less Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursements" and "Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses" have been restated to remove the effect of non-contractual waivers that were in effect for the fiscal period ended October 31, 2012.
Example
               This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

               The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes your investment has a 5% return each year and that operating expenses remain the same. The calculation of costs for the one year period takes into account the effect of any current contractual fee waivers and/or reimbursements. The calculation of costs for the remaining periods takes such fee waivers and/or reimbursements into account only for the first year of the periods.

               Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, under these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example Russell Short Duration Bond Fund (USD $)
Class A Shares
Class C Shares
Class E Shares
Class S Shares
Class Y Shares
1 Year 460 164 88 64 51
3 Years 668 537 304 226 172
5 Years 893 935 538 403 303
10 Years 1,539 2,048 1,209 916 687
Portfolio Turnover
               The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 245% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
               The Fund has a non-fundamental policy to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes in bonds. The Fund employs multiple money managers, each with its own investment style. Fund assets not allocated to money managers are managed by Russell Investment Management Company ("RIMCo"). Assets not allocated to money managers include the Fund's liquidity reserves and assets which may be managed directly by RIMCo to modify the Fund's overall portfolio characteristics by investing in securities or other instruments that RIMCo believes will achieve the desired risk/return profile for the Fund. The Fund invests principally in short duration bonds and defines short duration as a duration ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 years. The Fund has no restrictions on individual security duration. The Fund invests in mortgage related securities, including mortgage-backed securities. The Fund also invests in (1) U.S. and non-U.S. corporate debt securities, (2) Yankee Bonds (dollar-denominated obligations issued in the U.S. by non-U.S. banks and corporations), (3) fixed income securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, non-U.S. governments, or by any U.S. government or non-U.S. government agency or instrumentality and (4) asset-backed securities. The Fund may invest in debt securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as "high-yield" or "junk bonds"). The Fund may at times seek to protect its investments against adverse currency exchange rate changes by purchasing forward currency contracts. The Fund may also invest in derivatives, including credit default swaps. The Fund's use of derivatives may cause the Fund's investment returns to be impacted by the performance of securities the Fund does not own and result in the Fund's total investment exposure exceeding the value of its portfolio. A portion of the Fund's net assets may be illiquid. The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate securities. The Fund purchases loans and other direct indebtedness. The Fund invests in non-U.S. debt securities, including developed and emerging market debt securities, some of which may be non-U.S. dollar denominated. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. The Fund may invest in commercial paper, including asset-backed commercial paper. The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. or foreign banks. The Fund usually, but not always, pursues a strategy to be fully invested by exposing all or a portion of its cash to the performance of appropriate markets or to changes in interest rates or sectors by purchasing fixed income securities and/or derivatives, which typically include exchange traded fixed income futures contracts and swaps. Please refer to the "Investment Objective and Investment Strategies" section in the Fund's Prospectus for further information.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
               An investment in the Fund, like any investment, has risks. The value of the Fund fluctuates and you could lose money. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are those associated with:
  • Active Management. Despite strategies designed to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, the value of investments will change with market conditions, and so will the value of any investment in the Fund and you could lose money. The securities selected for the portfolio may not perform as RIMCo or the Fund’s money managers expect. Additionally, securities selected may cause a Fund to underperform relative to other funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. There is no guarantee that RIMCo will effectively assess a Fund’s characteristics or exposures and it is possible that its judgments regarding a Fund’s risk/return profile may prove incorrect. In addition, actions taken to modify overall portfolio characteristics, including risk, may be ineffective and/or cause the Fund to underperform.
  • Multi-Manager Approach. While the investment styles employed by the money managers are intended to be complementary, they may not in fact be complementary. A multi-manager approach could result in more exposure to certain types of securities and higher portfolio turnover.
  • Fixed Income Securities. Prices of fixed income securities generally rise and fall in response to, among other things, interest rate changes. The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security or other issuer of credit support is unable or unwilling to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. In addition, fixed income securities may be downgraded in credit rating or go into default.
  • Non-Investment Grade Debt Securities ("High Yield" or "Junk Bonds"). Non-investment grade debt securities involve higher volatility and higher risk of default than investment grade bonds.
  • U.S. and Non-U.S. Corporate Debt Securities Risk. Investments in U.S. and non-U.S. corporate debt securities are subject to interest rate risk and market risk, and are affected by perceptions of the creditworthiness and business prospects of individual issuers. Non-U.S. corporate debt securities may expose the Fund to greater risk than investments in U.S. corporate debt securities.
  • Government Issued or Guaranteed Securities, U.S. Government Securities. Bonds issued or guaranteed by a government are subject to inflation risk, price depreciation risk and default risk.
  • Bank Obligations. The banking industry may be particularly susceptible to certain economic factors such as interest rate changes, adverse developments in the real estate market, fiscal and monetary policy and general economic cycles. The banking industry may also be impacted by legal and regulatory developments.
  • Money Market Securities (Including Commercial Paper). Prices of money market securities generally rise and fall in response to interest rate changes.
  • Asset-Backed Commercial Paper. Investment in asset-backed commercial paper is subject to the risk that insufficient proceeds from the projected cash flows of the contributed receivables are available to repay the commercial paper.
  • Variable and Floating Rate Securities Risk. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general.
  • Mortgage-Backed Securities. Mortgage-backed securities may be affected by, among other things, changes or perceived changes in interest rates, factors concerning the interests in and structure of the issuer or the originator of the mortgage, or the quality of the underlying assets. The underlying assets may default or decline in quality or value.
  • Asset-Backed Securities. Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets.
  • Loans and Other Direct Indebtedness. Loans and other direct indebtedness involve the risk that payment of principal, interest and other amounts due in connection with these investments may not be received.
  • Repurchase Agreements. Repurchase agreements are subject to the risk that the sellers may not be able to pay the agreed-upon repurchase price on the repurchase date.
  • Non-U.S. and Emerging Markets Securities. Non-U.S. securities have risks relating to political, economic and regulatory conditions in foreign countries. The risks associated with non-U.S. securities may be amplified for emerging markets securities.
  • Currency Risk. Non-U.S. securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, non-U.S. currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. As a result, investments in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities and currencies may reduce the returns of the Fund.
  • Yankee Bonds and Yankee CDs. Issuers of Yankee Bonds and Yankee CDs are not necessarily subject to the same regulatory requirements that apply to U.S. corporations and banks.
  • Derivatives. Investments in a derivative instrument could lose more than the principal amount invested. Compared to conventional securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Fund’s losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in equity or fixed income securities, currencies or other investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks such as liquidity risk, market risk, credit risk, default risk, counterparty risk (the risk that the other party in an agreement will fail to perform its obligations) and management risk. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate exactly with the change in the value of the underlying asset, rate or index.
  • Credit Default Swaps. Credit default swap agreements may involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly since, in addition to risks relating to the reference obligation, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk and counterparty risk.
  • Currency Trading Risk. Currency trading strategies may involve instruments that have volatile prices, are illiquid or create economic leverage. Forward currency contracts are subject to the risk that should forward prices increase, a loss will be incurred to the extent that the price of the currency agreed to be purchased exceeds the price of the currency agreed to be sold.
  • Leveraging Risk. As a result of the Fund’s use of derivatives, the Fund may be subject to leveraging risk. Leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of a security, which exposes the Fund to a heightened risk of loss.
  • Liquidity Risk. The market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse or volatile market or economic conditions, making those investments difficult to sell. The market price of certain investments may fall dramatically if there is no liquid trading market.
  • Illiquid Securities. An illiquid security may be difficult to sell quickly and at a fair price, which could cause the Fund to realize a loss on the security if it was sold at a lower price than that at which it had been valued.
  • Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the other party or parties to an agreement or a participant to a transaction, such as a broker, might default on a contract or fail to perform by failing to pay amounts due or failing to fulfill the obligations of the contract or transaction.
  • Global Financial Markets Risk. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected and conditions (including recent volatility and instability) and events (including natural disasters) in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. In addition, governmental and quasi-governmental organizations have taken a number of unprecedented actions designed to support the markets. Such events and conditions may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s securities, result in greater market or liquidity risk or cause difficulty valuing the Fund’ s portfolio instruments or achieving the Fund’s objective.
  • Large Redemptions. The Fund is used as an investment by certain funds of funds and in asset allocation programs and may have a large percentage of its Shares owned by such funds or held in such programs. Large redemption activity could result in the Fund incurring additional costs and being forced to sell portfolio securities at a loss to meet redemptions.
               Please refer to the “Risks” section in the Fund’s Prospectus for further information.

               An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Performance
               The following bar chart illustrates the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the performance of the Fund's Class S Shares varies from year to year over a 10-year period. The returns (both before and after tax) for other Classes of Shares offered by this Prospectus may be lower than the returns shown in the bar chart, depending upon the fees and expenses of those Classes. The highest and lowest returns for a full quarter during the periods shown in the bar chart are set forth next to the bar chart.
               The table accompanying the bar chart further illustrates the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the periods shown compare with the returns of one or more indexes that measure broad market performance. After-tax returns are shown only for one class. The after-tax returns for other classes will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. If the Fund has realized capital losses, the total return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares may be higher than the total return before taxes and the total return after taxes on distributions. For more information, see the Performance Notes section in the Fund's Prospectus.

               Past performance, both before-tax and after-tax, is no indication of future results. More current performance information is available at www.russell.com.
Class S Calendar Year Total Returns
Bar Chart
Highest Quarterly Return:
5.84% (2Q/09)

Lowest Quarterly Return:
(3.76)% (3Q/08)
Average annual total returns
for the periods ended December 31, 2012
Average Annual Total Returns Russell Short Duration Bond Fund
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A
0.65% 2.74% 2.73%
Class C
3.73% 2.75% 2.35%
Class E
4.53% 3.52% 3.12%
Class Y
4.91% 3.87% 3.43%
Class S
4.80% 3.78% 3.39%
Class S Return After Taxes on Distributions
3.93% 2.69% 2.30%
Class S Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
3.20% 2.59% 2.25%
BofA Merrill Lynch 1-3 Yr US Treasuries Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
0.43% 2.32% 2.72%