RUSSELL INVESTMENTS EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS

Supplement dated March 2, 2026, to

PROSPECTUS DATED JANUARY 29, 2026

I. MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS: The third sentence in the “Management of the Funds” section in the Prospectus listed above is replaced with the following:

As of December 31, 2025, RIM managed over $50.4 billion in proprietary registered fund portfolios.

II. RUSSELL INVESTMENTS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPED EQUITY ETF INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES: The sixteenth paragraph in the sub-section entitled “Principal Investment Strategies” in the section entitled “Investment Objective and Investment Strategies” for the Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF in the Prospectus listed above is replaced with the following:

While market capitalization changes over time and there is not one universally accepted definition of the lines between large, medium and small capitalization companies, the Fund defines large and medium capitalization companies as those companies represented by the MSCI World ex USA Index or with market capitalization within the capitalization range of the MSCI World ex USA Index. As of December 31, 2025, the market capitalization of such large and medium capitalization companies ranged from approximately $1.78 billion to $420.03 billion. The market capitalization of these companies will change with market conditions and these capitalization ranges may vary significantly between an index reconstitution and at the time of the next index reconstitution. The Fund may invest in companies and countries not included within the MSCI World ex USA Index.

III. RUSSELL INVESTMENTS GLOBAL EQUITY ETF INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES: The fourteenth paragraph in the sub-section entitled “Principal Investment Strategies” in the section entitled “Investment Objective and Investment Strategies” for the Russell Investments Global Equity ETF in the Prospectus listed above is replaced with the following:

While market capitalization changes over time and there is not one universally accepted definition  of the lines between large, medium and small capitalization companies, the Fund defines large and medium capitalization companies as those companies represented by the MSCI World Index or with market capitalization within the capitalization range of the MSCI World Index. As of December 31, 2025, the market capitalization of such large and medium capitalization companies ranged from approximately $477.81 million to $4.53 trillion. The market capitalization of these companies will change with market conditions and these capitalization ranges may vary significantly between an index reconstitution and at the time of the next index reconstitution. The Fund may invest in companies and countries not included within the MSCI World Index.

IV. RUSSELL INVESTMENTS EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY ETF INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES: The sixteenth paragraph in the sub-section entitled “Principal Investment Strategies” in the section entitled “Investment Objective and Investment Strategies” for the Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF in the Prospectus listed above is replaced with the following:

As of December 31, 2025, the market capitalization of companies in the Fund’s benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, an index which includes large, medium and small capitalization companies, ranged from approximately $179.83 million to $1.22 trillion. The Fund may invest in companies and countries not included within the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

 

RUSSELL INVESTMENTS EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS
401 Union Street, 18th Floor
Seattle, Washington 98101
Telephone 1-800-787-7354
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
January 29, 2026, as supplemented through March 2, 2026
Russell Investments Exchange Traded Funds (“RIETF” or the “Trust”) is a single legal entity organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The Trust operates investment portfolios referred to as “Funds.” The Trust offers shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) in the Funds in multiple separate Prospectuses.
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a Prospectus; this SAI should be read in conjunction with the Funds' Prospectus dated January 29, 2026 and any supplements thereto. You should retain this SAI for future reference.
Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this SAI shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Prospectus.
This SAI incorporates by reference the Funds’ Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended September 30, 2025.
A copy of the Funds' Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplements and Annual Report are available free of charge on the Funds' website at https://russellinvestments.com or by calling Russell Investments at 1-800-787-7354 to request a copy.
As of the date of this SAI, the Trust is comprised of seven Funds. This SAI relates to five of these Funds.  
Fund
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange
Ticker
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF1
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
RUSC
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF2
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
RINT
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF3
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
RGLO
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF4
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
REMG
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF5
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
RIFR
1 Prior to October 1, 2025, the Fund’s name was U.S. Small Cap Equity Active ETF.
2 Prior to October 1, 2025, the Fund’s name was International Developed Equity Active ETF.
3 Prior to October 1, 2025, the Fund’s name was Global Equity Active ETF.
4 Prior to October 1, 2025, the Fund’s name was Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF.
5 Prior to October 1, 2025, the Fund’s name was Global Infrastructure Active ETF.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
Structure And Governance
1
ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS HISTORY.
1
SHAREHOLDER MEETINGS.
1
CONTROLLING SHAREHOLDERS.
2
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS.
2
Operation Of The Trust
10
SERVICE PROVIDERS.
10
ADVISER.
10
ADMINISTRATOR.
12
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS.
12
MONEY MANAGERS.
15
CUSTODIAN AND PORTFOLIO ACCOUNTANT.
15
DISTRIBUTOR.
15
TRANSFER AND DIVIDEND DISBURSING AGENT.
15
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM.
16
CODES OF ETHICS.
16
FUND EXPENSES.
16
EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING
16
CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS OF SHARES
17
VALUATION OF FUND SHARES.
20
VALUATION OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES.
21
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATES OF THE FUNDS.
21
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS.
22
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
22
FORUM FOR ADJUDICATION OF DISPUTES.
23
BROKERAGE ALLOCATIONS.
23
BROKERAGE COMMISSIONS.
24
FOREIGN CURRENCY FEES.
26
Investment Restrictions, Policies And CERTAIN INVESTMENTS
27
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS.
27
INVESTMENT POLICIES.
28
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND PORTFOLIO INSTRUMENTS.
28
Taxes
46
Money Manager Information
50
credit Rating definitions
52
Financial Statements
57
Appendix A
58
Structure And Governance
ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS HISTORY.
The Trust commenced business operations as a Delaware statutory trust on August 6, 2024.
The Trust is currently organized and operating under an Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated February 24, 2025 (as amended, the “Declaration of Trust”), and the provisions of Delaware law governing the operation of a Delaware statutory trust. The Board of Trustees (“Board” or the “Trustees”) may amend and/or restate the Declaration of Trust from time to time. The Trustees may, without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting Shares (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) of the Trust or a Fund by a vote of a majority of the Trustees or written instrument executed by a majority of their number then in office, terminate, liquidate or reorganize any Fund at any time by written notice to affected shareholders. The Trust is a registered open-end management investment company. Each of the Funds is diversified. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified company is defined as a management company which meets the following requirements: at least 75% of the value of its total assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), government securities, securities of other investment companies, and other securities for the purposes of this calculation limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than five percent of the value of the total assets of such management company and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer.
The Trust is authorized to issue Shares of beneficial interest, and may divide the Shares into two or more series, each of which evidences a pro rata ownership interest in a different investment portfolio — a “Fund.” The Trustees may, without seeking shareholder approval, create additional Funds at any time. The Declaration of Trust provides that shareholders may be required to redeem their Shares at any time (i) if the Trustees determine in their sole discretion that failure to so redeem may have material adverse consequences to the shareholders of the Trust or of any Fund or (ii) upon such other conditions as may from time to time be determined by the Trustees and set forth in the Prospectuses with respect to the maintenance of shareholder accounts of a minimum amount. However, shareholders can only be required to redeem their Shares to the extent consistent with the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder and Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) interpretations thereof.
The Funds are authorized to issue Shares of beneficial interest in one or more classes, though the Funds do not presently do so.
Shares of each Fund have a par value of $0.01 per share, are fully paid and nonassessable, and have no preemptive or conversion rights. Shares of each Fund represent proportionate interests in the assets of that Fund. Shares of each Fund are entitled to the dividends and distributions earned on the assets belonging to the Fund that the Board declares.
Under Delaware law, the shareholders of a Fund are not generally subject to liability for the debts or obligations of the Trust. Similarly, Delaware law provides that a series of the Trust will not be liable for the debts or obligations of any other series of the Trust. However, no similar statutory or other authority limiting statutory trust shareholder liability exists in other states. As a result, to the extent that a Delaware statutory trust or a shareholder is subject to the jurisdiction of courts of such other states, the courts may not apply Delaware law and may thereby subject the Delaware statutory trust shareholders to liability. To guard against this risk, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of a series. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification by the relevant series for all loss suffered by a shareholder as a result of an obligation of the series. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a series shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the series and satisfy any judgment thereon. In view of the above, the risk of personal liability of shareholders of a Delaware statutory trust is remote.
The Funds’ investment adviser is Russell Investment Management, LLC (“RIM” or the “Adviser”). RIM provides or oversees the provision of all investment advisory and portfolio management services for the Funds. The Funds divide responsibility for investment advice between RIM and a number of money managers unaffiliated with RIM.
Pursuant to claims for exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), RIM is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA with respect to the Funds. In order to maintain the exclusion, RIM on behalf of each Fund must annually affirm to the National Futures Association that RIM and the Fund have met and will continue to meet the conditions necessary to qualify for the exclusion. If a Fund’s transactions require registration as a commodity pool operator and the Fund subsequently operates subject to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) regulation, it may incur additional expenses.
SHAREHOLDER MEETINGS.
The Trust will not hold annual meetings of shareholders, but special meetings may be held. Special meetings may be convened (i) by the Board, (ii) upon written request to the Board by shareholders holding at least 10% of the Trust’s outstanding Shares, or (iii) upon the Board’s failure to honor the shareholders’ request described above, by shareholders
1
holding at least 10% of the outstanding Shares by giving notice of the special meeting to shareholders. The Board will provide the assistance required by the 1940 Act in connection with any special meeting called by shareholders following a failure of the Board to honor a shareholder request for a special meeting. Each Share of a Fund has one vote in Trustee elections and other matters submitted for shareholder vote.  On any matter which affects only a particular Fund, only Shares of that Fund are entitled to vote. There are no cumulative voting rights.
CONTROLLING SHAREHOLDERS.
The Trustees have the authority and responsibility under applicable state law to direct the management of the business of the Trust, and hold office unless they retire (or upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75), resign or are removed by, in substance, a vote of two-thirds of the number of Trustees or of the Trust Shares outstanding. Under these circumstances, no one person, entity or shareholder “controls” the Trust. For a list of shareholders owning 5% or more of any Fund’s Shares or more than 25% of the voting Shares of any Fund, please refer to Appendix A at the end of this SAI.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS.
The Board of Trustees is responsible under applicable state law for generally overseeing management and operations of the business and affairs of the Trust and does not manage operations on a day-to-day basis. The officers of the Trust, all of whom are employed by and are officers of RIM or its affiliates, are responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of the Funds’ operations. The Board of Trustees carries out its general oversight responsibilities in respect of the Funds’ operations by, among other things, meeting with the Trust’s management at the Board's regularly scheduled meetings and as otherwise needed and, with the assistance of the Trust’s management, monitoring or evaluating the performance of the Funds’ service providers, including RIM, the Funds’ custodian and the Funds’ transfer agent. As part of this oversight process, the Board of Trustees consults not only with management and RIM, but with the Trust’s independent auditors, Fund counsel and independent counsel to the independent trustees (“Independent Trustees”). The Board of Trustees monitors Fund performance as well as the quality of services provided to the Funds. As part of its monitoring efforts, the Board of Trustees reviews Fund fees and expenses in light of, among other things, the nature, scope and overall quality of services provided to the Funds. The Board of Trustees is required under the 1940 Act to review and approve the Funds’ advisory contract with RIM and RIM's sub-advisory contracts with the money managers.
The Trustees and the Trust’s officers may amend the Prospectus, any summary prospectus, the SAI and any contracts to which the Trust or a Fund is a party and interpret the investment objective(s), policies, restrictions and contractual provisions applicable to any Fund without shareholder input or approval, except in circumstances in which shareholder approval is specifically required by law (such as changes to fundamental investment policies) or where a shareholder approval requirement is specifically disclosed in the Prospectus or SAI. Neither the Prospectus, any summary prospectus, the SAI, any contracts filed as exhibits to the Trust’s registration statement, nor any other communications or disclosure documents from or on behalf of the Trust creates a contract between a shareholder of a Fund and: (i) the Trust; (ii) a Fund; (iii) a service provider to the Trust or a Fund; and/or (iv) the Trustees or officers of the Trust.
Generally, a Trustee may be removed at any time by a vote of two-thirds of the number of Trustees or of the Trust’s Shares outstanding. A vacancy in the Board shall be filled by a vote of a majority of the remaining Trustees so long as after filling such vacancy, at least two-thirds of the Trustees have been elected by shareholders.
The Board of Trustees is currently comprised of nine Trustees, one of whom, Vernon Barback, is an Interested Trustee. Mr. Barback serves as Vice Chairman of an affiliate of RIM, the Funds’ adviser, and is thus classified as an Interested Trustee. There are eight Independent Trustees, including Julie Dien Ledoux and Michelle L. Cahoon, who serve as the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board, respectively. Ms. Ledoux and Ms. Cahoon have served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board, respectively, since 2026. 
The Board of Trustees has established a standing Audit Committee, a standing Nominating and Governance Committee and a standing Regulatory and Investment Compliance Committee which assist in performing aspects of its role in oversight of the Funds’ operations and are described in more detail in the following paragraphs.
The Board’s role in risk oversight of the Funds reflects its responsibility under applicable state law to oversee generally, rather than to manage, the operations of the Funds. In line with this oversight responsibility, the Board receives reports and makes inquiry at its regular meetings and as needed regarding the nature and extent of significant Fund risks (including investment, operational, compliance and valuation risks) that potentially could have a material adverse impact on the business operations, investment performance or reputation of the Funds, but relies upon the Funds’ management (including the Funds’ portfolio managers), the Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), who reports directly to the Board, and the Adviser (including the Adviser’s Chief Risk Officer (“CRO”)) to assist it in identifying and understanding the nature and extent of such risks and determining whether, and to what extent, such risks may be eliminated or mitigated. Under the Funds' multi-manager
2
structure, the Adviser is responsible for oversight, including risk management oversight, of the services provided by the Funds' money managers, and providing reports to the Board with respect to the money managers. In addition to reports and other information received from Fund management and the Adviser regarding the Funds’ investment program and activities, the Board as part of its risk oversight efforts meets at its regular meetings and as needed with representatives of the Funds’ senior management, including the Funds’ CCO, to discuss, among other things, risk issues and issues regarding the policies, procedures and controls of the Funds. The Board receives quarterly reports from the CCO and the CRO and other representatives of the Funds’ senior management which include information regarding risk issues. The Board may be assisted in performing aspects of its role in risk oversight by the Audit Committee, the Regulatory and Investment Compliance Committee and such other standing or special committees as may be established from time to time by the Board. For example, the Audit Committee of the Board regularly meets with the Funds’ independent public accounting firm to review, among other things, the independent public accounting firm’s comments with respect to the Funds’ financial policies, procedures and internal accounting controls and management’s responses thereto. The Board believes it is not possible to identify all risks that may affect the Funds; it is not practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate all risks; and it is necessary for the Funds to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve their investment objectives. The processes or controls developed to address risks may be limited in their effectiveness and some risks may be beyond the reasonable control of the Board, the Funds, the Adviser, the Adviser’s affiliates or other service providers. Because the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board and the Chairman and Vice Chairman (as applicable) of each of the Board’s Audit, Regulatory and Investment Compliance and Nominating and Governance Committees are Independent Trustees, the manner in which the Board administers its risk oversight efforts is not expected to have any significant impact on the Board’s leadership structure. The Board has determined that its leadership structure, including its role in risk oversight, is appropriate given the characteristics and circumstances of the Funds, including such factors as the number of Funds it oversees, the Funds’ distribution arrangements and the Funds’ manager of managers structure. In addition, the Board believes that its leadership structure facilitates the independent and orderly exercise of its oversight responsibilities.
The Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted and approved a formal written charter for the Audit Committee, which sets forth the Audit Committee’s current responsibilities. The Audit Committee’s primary functions are: (1) to assist Board oversight of (a) the integrity of the Funds’ financial statements, (b) the Trust’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to financial reporting, as appropriate, (c) the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (d) the performance of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm; (2) to oversee the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting policies and practices and its internal controls; and (3) to act as a liaison between the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm and the full Board. The Audit Committee reviews both the audit and non-audit work of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, submits a recommendation to the Board as to the selection of the independent registered public accounting firm, and pre-approves all audit and non-audit services to be rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust. It is management’s responsibility to prepare, or oversee the preparation of, the Funds’ financial statements and to maintain appropriate systems for accounting and internal controls and the auditor’s responsibility to plan and carry out a proper audit and to express an opinion on the Funds’ financial statements. Currently, the Audit Committee members are Messrs. Jeremy May and Jack R. Thompson and Mses. Michelle L. Cahoon and Ellen M. Needham, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the Audit Committee held 4 meetings.
The Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted and approved a formal written charter for the Regulatory and Investment Compliance Committee, which sets forth the Regulatory and Investment Compliance Committee’s current responsibilities. The Regulatory and Investment Compliance Committee: (1) shall regularly receive, review and consider reports on certain regulatory and investment-related compliance and risk matters regarding the operation of the Funds, separately and as a whole; (2) shall review with RIM and its affiliates the kind, scope, and format of, and the time periods covered by the reports provided to the Committee; (3) may review with RIM and its affiliates such other regulatory and investment-related compliance matters that are related to the operation of the Funds as the Committee may deem to be necessary or appropriate; and (4) may meet with any officer of the Trust, or officer or other representative of RIM, any money manager to a Fund or other service provider to the Trust. Currently, the Regulatory and Investment Compliance Committee members are Messrs. Vernon Barback, Michael Day and Raymond P. Tennison, Jr. and Mses. Julie Dien Ledoux and Jeannie Shanahan. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the Regulatory and Investment Compliance Committee held 1 meeting.
The Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted and approved a formal written charter for the Nominating and Governance Committee, which sets forth the Nominating and Governance Committee’s current responsibilities. The primary functions of the Nominating and Governance Committee are to: (1) nominate and evaluate individuals for Trustee membership on the Board, including individuals who are not interested persons of the Trust for Independent Trustee membership; (2) supervise an annual assessment by the Trustees taking into account such factors as the Committee may deem appropriate; (3) review the composition of the Board; (4) review Independent Trustee compensation; and (5) make nominations for membership on all
3
Board committees and review the responsibilities of each committee. In evaluating all candidates for membership on the Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers, among other factors that it may deem relevant: whether or not the person is willing and able to commit the time necessary for the performance of the duties of a Trustee; whether the person is otherwise qualified under applicable laws and regulations to serve as a Trustee; the contribution which the person may be expected to make to the Board the Trust, with consideration being given to the person’s business and professional experience, board experience, education, diversity and such other factors as the Committee, in its sole judgment, may consider relevant; and the character and integrity of the person. In identifying and evaluating Independent Trustee candidates, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers factors it deems relevant which include: whether or not the person is an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act and whether the person is otherwise qualified under applicable laws and regulations to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Trust; whether or not the person has any relationship that might impair his or her independence, such as any business, financial or family relationships with Fund management, the investment adviser of the Funds, Fund service providers or their affiliates; whether or not the person serves on boards of, or is otherwise affiliated with, competing organizations or funds; and the character and integrity of the person and the contribution which the person can make to the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee does not have a formal diversity policy but it may consider diversity of professional experience, education and skills when evaluating potential nominees. The Committee will not consider nominees recommended by shareholders of the Funds. Currently, the Nominating and Governance Committee members are Messrs. Jeremy May, Raymond P. Tennison, Jr. and Jack R. Thompson and Mses. Michelle L. Cahoon and Julie Dien Ledoux, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the Nominating and Governance Committee held 0 meetings.
Independent Trustees are paid an annual retainer. Meeting attendance fees are paid for special meetings of the Nominating and Governance Committee and for special Board meetings related to consideration or approval of new investment advisory agreements required as a result of any future change of control of RIM.  Chairperson and vice-chairperson fees are paid at the Board and Committee levels.  In addition, Independent Trustees are reimbursed for any travel and other expenses incurred in attending Board and Committee meetings. The Trust's officers are paid by RIM or its affiliates.
Each Trustee was selected to join the Board based upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the Trustee’s background, business and professional experience, qualifications and skills. No factor, by itself, has been controlling in the selection evaluations.
The following tables provide information for each officer and Trustee of the Funds. The Russell Investments Fund Complex consists of the Trust, the Russell Investments Strategic Credit Fund (“RISCF”), a registered closed-end investment company operating as an “interval fund,” the Russell Investments New Economy Infrastructure Fund (“RINEIF”), a registered closed-end investment company operating as an “interval fund,” Russell Investment Company (“RIC” ), a registered investment company which has 29 mutual funds, and Russell Investment Funds (“RIF” ), a registered investment company which has nine mutual funds. Each of the Trustees is a trustee of the Trust, RISCF, RINEIF, RIC and RIF. The first table provides information for the Interested Trustee. The second table provides information for the Independent Trustees. The third table provides information for the officers.
Each Trustee possesses the following specific attributes: Ms. Cahoon has had experience as the senior financial executive of other investment companies and their investment adviser and distributor, as well as a certified public accountant who previously provided audit services in the financial sector at a multi-national accounting firm; Mr. Day has had experience as an executive-level leader in corporate finance and accounting, as a member of the boards of other companies and non-profit organizations, and as a certified public accountant; Ms. Ledoux has had investment experience as a portfolio manager and has had experience as a member of the board of trustees of other investment companies; Mr. May has had business, financial services, accounting and investment management experience as a senior executive and board member of financial services, investment management and other organizations, as well as experience as a board member of other investment companies and as a certified public accountant; Ms. Needham has had experience in executive management roles with other financial services institutions and has had experience as a member of the board of trustees of other investment companies and has been determined by the Board to be an “audit committee financial expert”; Ms. Shanahan has had financial, risk management, governance and compliance experience in highly regulated industries as a senior executive at large financial institutions, and as a member of the board of a non-profit organization; Mr. Tennison has had business, financial and investment experience as a senior executive of a corporation with international activities and was trained as an accountant; and Mr. Thompson has had experience in business, governance, investment and financial reporting matters as a senior executive of an organization sponsoring and managing other investment companies, and, subsequently, has served as a board member of other investment
4
companies. Mr. Barback has had experience as a senior executive of other financial services companies with responsibility for investment, financial, and operational matters affecting asset managers and related service providers. As a senior officer of an affiliate of RIM, Mr. Barback is in a position to provide the Board with such entity’s perspectives on the management, operations and distribution of the Funds. 
Name, Age, Address
Position(s) Held
With Fund and
Length of
Time Served
Term of Office*
Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past 5 Years
No. of
Portfolios
in Russell
Investments Fund
Complex Overseen
by Trustee
Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During the Past 5
Years
INTERESTED TRUSTEE
 
 
 
 
Vernon Barback#
Born August 24, 1956
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●President and
Chief Executive
Officer since
2024
●Trustee since
2024
●Until successor is
chosen and
qualified by
Trustees
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●President and CEO, RIC
and RIF
●Vice Chairman, Russell
Investments
●From 2022 to 2024,
Chief Operating Officer,
Russell Investments
●From 2021 to 2022,
Chief Administrative
Officer, Russell
Investments
●From 2019 to 2021,
Vice Chairman, Russell
Investments
47
None
*
Each Trustee shall retire from service on the Board of Trustees at the end of the calendar year in which the Trustee reaches 75 years of age. However, at the discretion of the Board, a one-year waiver may be granted from the application of the policy, which will allow the Trustee to continue to serve on the Board for an additional one-year period following the end of the calendar year in which the Trustee reaches 75 years of age. A maximum of five one-year waivers may be granted by the Board to the Trustee.
#
Mr. Barback is Vice Chairman of an affiliate of RIM and is therefore an Interested Trustee.  
Name, Age, Address
Position(s) Held
With Fund and
Length of
Time Served
Term of Office*
Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past 5 Years
No. of Portfolios
in Russell Investments
Fund Complex
Overseen
by Trustee
Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During the Past 5
Years
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
 
 
 
 
Michelle L. Cahoon
Born July 5, 1966
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Trustee since
2024
 
●Vice Chairman
since 2026
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Approved
Annually
●Retired
●Trustee, Fairway Private
Equity & Venture
Capital Opportunities
Fund (investment
company)
47
●Trustee, Fairway
Private Equity &
Venture Capital
Opportunities
Fund (investment
company)
Michael Day
Born October 23, 1957
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Trustee since
2024
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●From 2019 to 2023,
President and Chief
Executive Officer, Topa
Insurance Group
(insurance company)
47
●From 2016 to
2023, Director,
Topa Insurance
Group (insurance
company)
●From 2020 to
2022, Director,
Puppet, Inc.
(information
technology
company)
●Director, Somos,
Inc. (information
technology
company)
Julie Dien Ledoux
Born August 17, 1969
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Trustee since
2024
 
●Chairman since
2026
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Approved
Annually
●Retired
47
None
5
Name, Age, Address
Position(s) Held
With Fund and
Length of
Time Served
Term of Office*
Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past 5 Years
No. of Portfolios
in Russell Investments
Fund Complex
Overseen
by Trustee
Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During the Past 5
Years
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
 
 
 
 
Jeremy May
Born March 30, 1970
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Trustee since
2024
●Chairman of the
Nominating and
Governance
Committee since
2025
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Founder and Chief
Executive Officer,
Paralel Technologies
LLC (information
technology company)
●Until 2024, Director,
TFIN.AI LLC (financial
services company)
●Until March 2021, Chief
Operating Officer of
Magnifi LLC
(information technology
company)
47
●Trustee, New Age
Alpha Funds
Trust and New
Age Alpha
Variable Funds
Trust (investment
companies)
●Trustee, Bow
River Capital
Evergreen Fund
(investment
company)
●Until 2024,
Director, TFIN.AI
LLC (financial
services
company)
●Until 2022,
Trustee, New Age
Alpha Trust
(investment
company)
●Until 2021,
Trustee, Reaves
Utility Income
Fund (investment
company)
●Until 2021,
Trustee, ALPS
Series Trust
(investment
company)
6
Name, Age, Address
Position(s) Held
With Fund and
Length of
Time Served
Term of Office*
Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past 5 Years
No. of Portfolios
in Russell Investments
Fund Complex
Overseen
by Trustee
Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During the Past 5
Years
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
 
 
 
 
Ellen M. Needham
Born January 4, 1967
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Trustee since
2024
●Chairman of the
Audit Committee
since 2026
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Retired
●Until 2023, Senior
Managing Director,
State Street Global
Advisors; Chairman,
SSGA Funds
Management, Inc.;
President and Director,
SSGA Funds
Management, Inc., and
Director, State Street
Global Advisors, Funds
Distributors, LLC
(financial services
companies)
47
●Trustee,
GoldenTree
Opportunistic
Credit Fund
(investment
company)
●Trustee, The
2023 ETF Series
Trust (investment
company)
●Until 2025,
Trustee, The
2023 ETF Series
Trust II
(investment
company)
●Until 2023,
Trustee, State
Street Navigator
Securities
Lending Trust,
State Street
Institutional
Investment Trust,
State Street
Institutional
Funds, State
Street Master
Funds, SSGA
Funds, Elfun
Government
Money Market
Fund, Elfun
Tax-Exempt
Income Fund,
Elfun Income
Fund, Elfun
Diversified Fund,
Elfun
International
Equity Fund and
Elfun Trusts
(investment
companies)
●Until 2023,
Director, State
Street Variable
Insurance Series
Funds, Inc.
(investment
company)
Jeannie Shanahan
Born February 15, 1964
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Trustee since
2024
●Chairman of the
Regulatory and
Investment
Compliance
Committee since
2024
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Until 2021, President of
Twin Star Consulting,
LLC (consulting
company)
47
None
Raymond P. Tennison, Jr.
Born December 21, 1955
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Trustee since
2024
 
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Retired
47
None
Jack R. Thompson
Born March 21, 1949
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Trustee since
2024
 
●Until successor is
duly elected and
qualified
●Retired
47
None
7
*
Each Trustee shall retire from service on the Board of Trustees at the end of the calendar year in which the Trustee reaches 75 years of age. However, at the discretion of the Board, a one-year waiver may be granted from the application of the policy, which will allow the Trustee to continue to serve on the Board for an additional one-year period following the end of the calendar year in which the Trustee reaches 75 years of age. A maximum of five one-year waivers may be granted by the Board to the Trustee.  
Name, Age, Address
Position(s) Held
With Fund
and Length
of Time Served
Term of Office
Principal Occupation(s)
During the Past 5 Years
OFFICERS
 
 
Vernon Barback
Born August 24, 1956
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●President and Chief
Executive Officer
since 2024
●Until successor is
chosen and qualified
by Trustees
●President and CEO, RIC, RIF, RIETF, RISCF and RINEIF
●Vice Chairman, Russell Investments
●From 2022 to 2024, Chief Operating Officer, Russell
Investments
●From 2021 to 2022, Chief Administrative Officer, Russell
Investments
●From 2019 to 2021, Vice Chairman, Russell Investments
Cheryl Wichers
Born December 16, 1966
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Chief Compliance
Officer since 2024
●Until removed by
Independent Trustees
●Chief Compliance Officer, RIC, RIF, RIETF, RISCF and
RINEIF
●Chief Compliance Officer, Russell Investments Fund
Services, LLC (“RIFUS”)
●Chief Compliance Officer, Venerable Variable Insurance
Trust
Ross Erickson
Born April 9, 1970
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Treasurer, Chief
Accounting Officer
and Chief Financial
Officer since 2025
●Until successor is
chosen and qualified
by Trustees
●Director, Head of North American Fund Operations, Russell
Investments
●Treasurer, Chief Accounting Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, RIC, RIF, RIETF, RISCF and RINEIF
●Treasurer, Venerable Variable Insurance Trust
●Principal Executive Officer, Russell Investments Trust
Company
●President, Russell Investments Fund Management, LLC
●Director, Russell Investments Financial Services, LLC
(“RIFIS”) and RIFUS
●Until June 2025, Assistant Treasurer, RIC, RIF, RIETF,
RISCF and RINEIF
●Until March 2022, Director, Fund Administration
Kate El-Hillow
Born August 17, 1974
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Chief Investment
Officer since 2024
●Until removed by
Trustees
●Chief Investment Officer and President, Russell
Investments
●Chief Investment Officer, RIC, RIF, RIETF, RISCF and
RINEIF
●President, RIM
●Until 2021, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Senior
Portfolio Manager, Head of Strategy Selection and Head of
Portfolio Management & Risk, Goldman Sachs
Mary Beth Albaneze
Born April 25, 1969
401 Union Street,
18th Floor,
Seattle, WA 98101
●Secretary and Chief
Legal Officer since
2024
●Until successor is
chosen and qualified
by Trustees
●Associate General Counsel, Russell Investments
●Secretary, RIM, RIFUS and RIFIS
●Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, RIC, RIF, RIETF,
RISCF and RINEIF
●Secretary, U.S. One, LLC
8
Trustee Compensation Table
For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2025* 
 
AGGREGATE
COMPENSATION
FROM THE TRUST
PENSION OR
RETIREMENT
BENEFITS ACCRUED
AS PART OF THE TRUST
EXPENSES
ESTIMATED ANNUAL
BENEFITS UPON
RETIREMENT
TOTAL COMPENSATION
FROM THE TRUST AND
RUSSELL INVESTMENTS
FUND COMPLEX
PAID TO TRUSTEES
INTERESTED TRUSTEE
 
 
 
 
Vernon Barback
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
 
 
 
 
Michelle L. Cahoon
$452
$0
$0
$113,750
Michael Day
$427
$0
$0
$107,500
Julie Dien Ledoux
$493
$0
$0
$124,167
Jeremy May
$447
$0
$0
$112,500
Ellen M. Needham
$427
$0
$0
$107,500
Jeannie Shanahan
$452
$0
$0
$113,750
Raymond P. Tennison, Jr.
$592
$0
$0
$149,167
Jack R. Thompson
$427
$0
$0
$107,500
* From the Trust’s inception through September 30, 2025.
Equity Securities Beneficially Owned By Trustees
AS OF The Calendar Year Ended December 31, 2025  
 
DOLLAR RANGE OF EQUITY
SECURITIES IN EACH FUND
AGGREGATE DOLLAR
RANGE OF
EQUITY SECURITIES
IN ALL REGISTERED
INVESTMENT
COMPANIES
OVERSEEN
BY TRUSTEES IN
RUSSELL INVESTMENTS
FUND COMPLEX
 
INTERESTED TRUSTEE
 
Vernon Barback
None
Over $100,000
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
 
Michelle L. Cahoon
None
Over $100,000
Michael Day
None
Over $100,000
Julie Dien Ledoux
None
Over $100,000
Jeremy May
None
Over $100,000
Ellen M. Needham
None
$50,001-$100,000
Jeannie Shanahan
None
Over $100,000
Raymond P. Tennison, Jr.
None
Over $100,000
Jack R. Thompson
None
Over $100,000
9
Operation Of The Trust
SERVICE PROVIDERS.
The Trust’s principal service providers are:  
Adviser
Russell Investment Management, LLC (“RIM”)
Administrator
Russell Investments Fund Services, LLC
(“RIFUS”)
Transfer and Dividend Disbursing Agent
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Money Managers
Multiple professional discretionary
and/or non-discretionary investment
management organizations
Custodian and Fund Accountant
State Street Bank and Trust Company
Distributor and Principal Underwriter
Foreside Fund Services, LLC
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
The Trustees, on behalf of the Trust, enter into service agreements with RIM, RIFUS and other service providers in order to provide, and in some cases authorize service providers to procure through other parties, necessary or desirable services on behalf of the Trust and the Funds. Shareholders are not third-party beneficiaries of such agreements.
ADVISER.
The Funds’ investment adviser is RIM, 401 Union Street, 18th Floor, Seattle, WA 98101. RIM was established in 1982 and pioneered the “multi-style, multi-manager” investment method in mutual funds. As of December 31, 2025, RIM managed over $50.4 billion in proprietary registered fund portfolios. RIM provides or oversees the provision of all investment advisory and portfolio management services and makes the day-to-day investment decisions for the Funds. In rendering investment advisory services to certain Funds, RIM may use the portfolio management, research or other resources of a foreign (non-U.S.) affiliate of RIM and may provide services to a Fund through a “participating affiliate” arrangement, as that term is used in relief granted by the staff of the SEC. Under this relief, U.S. registered investment advisers are allowed to use portfolio management or research resources of advisory affiliates subject to the regulatory supervision of the registered investment adviser.
RIM is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Russell Investments Group, Ltd., through which the limited partners of certain private equity funds affiliated with TA Associates Management, L.P. (“TA Associates”) (the “TA Funds”) indirectly have a majority ownership interest through alternative investment vehicles (the “TA Alternative Investment Vehicles”) and the limited partners of certain private equity funds affiliated with Reverence Capital Partners, L.P. (“Reverence Capital”) (the “Reverence Capital Funds”) indirectly have a significant minority controlling ownership interest through certain Reverence Capital Funds and alternative investment vehicles (the “Reverence Capital Entities”) in RIM and its affiliates (“Russell Investments”). The TA Alternative Investment Vehicles are ultimately controlled by TA Associates Cayman, LLC, and the Reverence Capital Entities are ultimately controlled by Milton Berlinski, Alexander Chulack and Peter Aberg. TA Associates is one of the oldest and most experienced global growth private equity firms. Reverence Capital is a private investment firm, focused on investing in leading financial services companies. Certain of Russell Investments’ employees, which may include an officer of the Trust, and Hamilton Lane Advisors, LLC, also hold minority, non-controlling positions in Russell Investments Group, Ltd.
Subject to the approval of the Funds’ Board, RIM selects, oversees and evaluates the performance results of the Funds’ money managers and allocates Fund assets among multiple money manager investment strategies. RIM may change a Fund’s asset allocation at any time. Each money manager has a non-discretionary assignment pursuant to which it provides a model portfolio to RIM representing its investment recommendations. RIM manages the Funds by investing in a portfolio of equity securities determined via qualitative analysis and a quantitative model-based optimization process applied to an initial composite of the model portfolios provided by money managers.  RIM does not evaluate the investment merits of a money manager’s individual security selections or recommendations. Money managers are unaffiliated with RIM. RIM, as agent for the Trust, pays the money managers’ fees for the Funds, as a fiduciary for the Funds, out of the advisory fee paid by the Funds to RIM. The remainder of the advisory fee is retained by RIM as compensation for the services described above and to pay expenses.
10
The Board has approved a unitary advisory fee structure for the Funds. Under the unitary fee structure, RIM will pay all expenses of the Funds except for payments under a Fund’s 12b-1 plan, if any, interest expenses, dividend and interest expenses related to short sales, taxes, the expenses of other investment companies in which a Fund invests which are borne indirectly by the Fund, brokerage commissions and any other transaction-related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of a Fund, costs of holding shareholder meetings, costs of any securities lending program, any and all costs, fees and expenses, including legal fees, associated with litigation or potential litigation, any and all contingency fees paid to vendors out of amounts received by a Fund (for example, contingency fees paid to vendors for foreign tax reclaims and contingency fees paid to vendors for certain securities litigation recoveries) and any infrequent and/or unusual expenses.
Each Fund pays the following annual advisory fee directly to RIM, billed monthly on a pro rata basis and calculated as a specified percentage of the average daily net assets of each Fund:  
Fund
Asset Level
Fee
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
All assets
0.69%
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF
All assets
0.59%
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF
All assets
0.59%
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF
All assets
0.79%
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF
All assets
0.59%
Each Fund invests any cash held in an unregistered cash management fund advised by RIM. RIM has waived its 0.05% advisory fee for the unregistered fund.
The Funds paid RIM the following advisory fees (gross of waivers) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025: 
 
$ Amount Paid
Annual rate
(as a % of average daily net assets)
Fund
2025
2025
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF1
$67,534
0.26%
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF1
144,975
0.23%
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF2
325,383
0.20%
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF2
130,876
0.27%
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF1
33,459
0.23%
1 The Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF first issued shares on May 13, 2025.
2 The Russell Investments Global Equity ETF and Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF first issued shares on May 29, 2025.
RIM has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its advisory fees for certain Funds. These arrangements are not part of the Advisory Agreement with the Trust and may be changed or discontinued. The following paragraphs list the current waivers and those that were in effect during the last fiscal year. Each waiver may not be terminated during the relevant period except with Board approval.
Current Waivers:
For the Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, RIM has contractually agreed, until January 28, 2027, to waive 0.05% of its advisory fee.
For the Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF, RIM has contractually agreed, until January 28, 2027, to waive 0.10% of its advisory fee.
For the Russell Investments Global Equity ETF, RIM has contractually agreed, until January 28, 2027, to waive 0.10% of its advisory fee.
For the Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF, RIM has contractually agreed, until January 28, 2027, to waive 0.15% of its advisory fee.
Past Waivers:
For the Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, RIM contractually agreed, from April 1, 2025 until January 28, 2027, to waive 0.05% of its advisory fee. The total amount of the waiver for the period ended September 30, 2025 was $4,893. As a result of the waiver, the Fund paid advisory fees of $62,641 for the period ended September 30, 2025.
11
For the Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF, RIM contractually agreed, from April 1, 2025 until January 28, 2027, to waive 0.10% of its advisory fee. The total amount of the waiver for the period ended September 30, 2025 was $24,572. As a result of the waiver, the Fund paid advisory fees of $120,403 for the period ended September 30, 2025.
For the Russell Investments Global Equity ETF, RIM contractually agreed, from May 12, 2025 until January 28, 2027, to waive 0.10% of its advisory fee. The total amount of the waiver for the period ended September 30, 2025 was $55,150. As a result of the waiver, the Fund paid advisory fees of $270,233 for the period ended September 30, 2025.
For the Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF, RIM contractually agreed, from April 1, 2025 until January 28, 2027, to waive 0.15% of its advisory fee. The total amount of the waiver for the period ended September 30, 2025 was $24,850. As a result of the waiver, the Fund paid advisory fees of $106,026 for the period ended September 30, 2025.
From its advisory fees, RIM, as agent for the Trust, pays all fees to the money managers of the Funds for their investment advisory services. The table in the section entitled “Money Managers” sets forth the fees paid to money managers of the Funds. The following table sets forth the advisory fees retained by RIM with respect to the Funds, net of fees paid to the money managers of the Funds, for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 but does not reflect RIM advisory fee waivers.  
 
$ Amount Retained
Annual rate
(as a % of average daily net assets)
Fund
2025
2025
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF1
$47,988
0.19%
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF1
121,749
0.19%
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF2
273,537
0.17%
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF2
104,369
0.21%
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF1
23,664
0.16%
1 The Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF first issued shares on May 13, 2025.
2 The Russell Investments Global Equity ETF and Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF first issued shares on May 29, 2025.
ADMINISTRATOR.
RIFUS, with the assistance of RIM and its affiliates, provides the Funds with office space, equipment and the personnel necessary to operate and administer the Funds’ business and to supervise the provision of services by certain third parties such as the custodian. RIFUS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RIM (the Funds’ adviser).
Each Fund invests any cash held in an unregistered cash management fund administered by RIFUS. RIFUS charges a 0.05% administrative fee to the unregistered fund.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS.
The RIM Managers (RIM’s employees who manage the Funds, oversee the Funds' asset allocations and have primary responsibility for the management of the Funds) are compensated by RIM with salaries, annual incentive awards (paid in cash and/or awarded as part of an equity incentive plan) and profit-sharing contributions. Salaries are fixed annually and are driven by the marketplace. Although compensation is not directly affected by an increase in Fund assets, RIM Managers are responsible for aiding in client retention and assistance in RIM assets under management growth.
Annual incentive awards for the RIM Managers of the Funds are assessed by senior management based on the following:
●
Qualitative measures, such as a RIM Manager’s quality of decisions made for the accounts, contributions to client services efforts and improvement of RIM’s investment process. RIM Managers are evaluated on the performance of the total portfolio and all related decisions, for example, money manager selection, timing of money manager change decisions and risk management. 
●
Quantitative measures (fund performance). RIM Managers receive a quantitative performance assessment score for the Funds they manage. Fund performance is measured relative to the Fund's primary or secondary benchmarks and relative to senior management approved peer groups, as indicated below. The score is predominantly based on 1-year and 3-year measurement horizons. A 2-year horizon may be used for a Fund that does not have 3-years of performance history. A 5-year horizon may be used for a Fund with longer absolute return assessment components.
In determining the relevant peer group, senior management assigns the peer group which in their judgment most closely represents the habitat of the Fund.  The RIM Manager does not choose the peer group. For most Funds, the peer group assigned by senior management matches the assigned Morningstar peer group for the Fund. 
12
Each Fund (other than those set forth below)
Performance is generally assessed 75% relative to the
Fund’s primary or secondary benchmark index and 25%
relative to the Fund’s relevant peer group.
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF
Performance is generally assessed relative to the Fund’s
primary or secondary benchmark index.
RIM Managers may be responsible for one or more funds. In determining annual incentive awards, fund weightings for RIM Managers who are responsible for more than one fund are determined at the beginning of each yearly assessment period and signed off by the Co- Heads of Portfolio Management (“Co-Heads of PM”). These funds and the assessment weighting for each fund are recorded in a central system at the beginning of the assessment period. Each fund may have an equal weight, could be asset weighted, could be a combination of the two, or could be a custom set of applicable weights. Importantly, the assessment weighting for each fund is approved by the Co-Heads of PM at the beginning of the assessment period. The central system tracks the performance of the allocations throughout the assessment period and delivers a score at the end of the period to be used in the RIM Manager’s evaluation.
As of January 29, 2026, the market indexes and peer group averages used for the RIM Managers’ quantitative performance assessment for the Funds are as follows: 
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
Russell 2000® Index
Morningstar Small Blend
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF
MSCI World ex USA Index (net of tax on
dividends from foreign holdings)
Morningstar Foreign Large Blend
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF
MSCI World Index (net of tax on dividends from
foreign holdings)
Morningstar Global Large Stock Blend
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF
MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net of tax on
dividends from foreign holdings)
Morningstar Diversified Emerging Markets
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF
FTSE Developed Core Infrastructure 50/50 Index
(net of tax on dividends from foreign
holdings)
RIM Manager evaluations, salary and annual incentive award recommendations are conducted and reviewed by the Co-Heads of PM. Russell Investments’ compensation committee approves salaries and annual incentive awards after the Co-Heads of PM’s recommendations have been reviewed by the Chief Investment Officer.
The equity incentive plan provides key professionals with shares and/or options, the values of which are tied to Russell Investments' financial performance. Awards under the equity incentive plan are based on the expected future contribution to the success of Russell Investments and vest over a number of years. Based on Russell Investments’ Board of Directors’ approval, the shares may also be eligible for dividend payments. The market value of the equity incentive plan is reviewed and approved annually by Russell Investments’ Board of Directors.
RIM Managers earning over a specified amount of total cash compensation (salary plus annual incentive awards) are eligible to participate in the Deferred Compensation Plan. The Deferred Compensation Plan allows the RIM Manager to voluntarily elect to defer receipt of a portion of his/her cash compensation for a given year. Deferred amounts are placed at the RIM Manager’s discretion in either a retirement or scheduled withdrawal account with distributions made accordingly.
For the profit sharing plan, contributions by Russell Investments will be made at the discretion of Russell Investments’ Board of Directors based on a profitability assessment (which may include factors in addition to achieving the operating profit plan). The annual determination of whether or not Russell Investments’ profitability warrants a discretionary contribution will be solely within the Russell Investments’ Board of Directors’ discretion and not based on a static formula. Russell Investments matches employee contributions to the profit sharing plan up to 5% of eligible base pay.
13
Equity Securities Beneficially Owned By Rim Managers In The FundS
They Manage AS OF The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2025  
RIM Managers Of The Funds
Dollar Range Of Equity Securities In The
Funds Managed By The RIM Manager
Nick Haupt
None
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
Jordan McCall
$10,001-$50,000
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF
$1-$10,000
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF
Patrick Nikodem
None
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF
Ryan Parker
None
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
None
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF
None
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF
None
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF
None
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF
Megan Roach
$1-$10,000
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF
Soeren Soerensen
None
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF
 
RIM Managers typically manage multiple portfolios. These portfolios may include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, interval funds, separate accounts, unregistered funds and commingled trusts. Russell Investments’ investment process, which includes money manager selection and proprietary asset allocation, is guided by the principle that all portfolios will be treated in a fair and equitable manner. To adhere to this guiding principle, RIM Managers follow a process of constructing portfolios in accordance with regulatory and investment guidelines and then selecting money managers to fulfill those needs. Specifically, RIM Managers make money manager selection and allocation decisions for each portfolio based on a variety of factors relevant to that portfolio. The investment process dictates that RIM Managers utilize RIM’s manager research analysis and manager rankings to assist in selecting the most suitable money manager(s) to meet the unique investment needs of the various portfolios they manage.
 At the core of Russell Investments’ investment process is a robust oversight and peer review program for money manager selection. It includes the hiring, termination and retention of money managers.  This process is overseen by Russell Investments’ Investment Strategy Committee (“ISC”) and the Co-Heads of PM.
Occasionally, a particular money manager may restrict the total amount of capacity they will allocate to Russell Investments portfolios. If, however, the total allocation is too small to be shared in a meaningful size across all Russell Investments portfolios or if the money manager restricts the absolute number of assignments they will accept from Russell Investments, it is the RIM Manager’s responsibility to determine which portfolios receive the allocation. In cases where a RIM Manager is managing multiple portfolios and must allocate a manager differently across her/his funds, or multiple RIM Managers must allocate the same manager differently across their funds, both the Co-Heads of PM and the ISC must review and ratify the recommendations.
Other Accounts Managed By Rim Managers
And Assets Under Management In The Accounts
As Of September 30, 2025  
RIM Manager
Number of
Registered
Investment
Companies
Assets Under
Management
(in millions)
Number
of Pooled
Investment
Vehicles
Assets Under
Management
(in millions)
Other Types
of Accounts
Assets Under
Management
(in millions)
Asset Total
(in millions)
Nick Haupt
10
$18,877.3
8
$1,419.2
2
$3,386.0
$23,982.5
Jordan McCall
6
$10,170,3
19
$2,996.7
2
$836.5
$14,003.5
Patrick Nikodem
4
$2,941.1
12
$2,687.8
-
-
$5,628.9
 
1*
$249.4
$249.4
Ryan Parker
-
-
-
-
2
$12,254.9
$12,254.9
Megan Roach
9
$18,590.0
15
$2,930.3
7
$2,417.8
$23,938.1
Soeren Soerensen
2
$1,030.1
8
$2,681.5
-
-
$3,711.6
* These accounts, which are a subset of the preceding row, are those for which the advisory fee is based on the performance of the account.
14
MONEY MANAGERS.
The Funds’ money managers are non-discretionary managers for the Funds. The money managers are not affiliates of the Trust or RIM.  Money managers may serve as advisers or discretionary and/or non-discretionary managers for RIC, RIF, Russell Investments Trust Company, other investment vehicles sponsored or advised by RIM or its affiliates, consulting clients of RIM, offshore vehicles and/or for accounts which have no business relationship with RIM or its affiliates.
From its advisory fees received from the Funds, RIM, as agent for the Trust, pays all fees to the money managers for their investment advisory services. Money manager fees are determined through arm’s-length negotiations with RIM. These negotiations take into account, among other factors, the anticipated nature and quality of services to be rendered, the current and expected future level of business with the money manager, and fees charged by the money manager and other money managers for services provided to funds and accounts with similar investment mandates. Typically, a sliding fee scale corresponding to future levels of assets is agreed upon to reflect economies of scale that may be achieved as a result of cash inflows or market appreciation. RIM periodically reviews money manager fee levels and renegotiates these agreements as appropriate. Quarterly, each money manager is paid the pro rata portion of an annual fee, which is typically based on the average for the quarter of all the assets with respect to which the money manager provides its services. For the Funds' fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, fees paid to the money managers of the Funds were:  
 
$ Amount Paid
Annual rate
(as a % of average daily net assets)
Fund
2025
2025
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF1
$19,546
0.08%
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF1
23,226
0.04%
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF2
51,846
0.03%
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF2
26,507
0.05%
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF1
9,795
0.07%
1 The Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF first issued shares on May 13, 2025.
2 The Russell Investments Global Equity ETF and Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF first issued shares on May 29, 2025.
Each money manager has agreed that it will look only to RIM for the payment of the money manager’s fee, after the Trust has paid RIM. Fees paid to the money managers are not affected by any voluntary or statutory expense limitations. Some money managers may benefit as a result of brokerage commissions received by their broker-dealer affiliates that execute portfolio transactions for the Funds.
CUSTODIAN AND PORTFOLIO ACCOUNTANT.
State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as the custodian and fund accountant for the Funds. As custodian, State Street is responsible for the safekeeping of the Funds’ assets and the appointment of any subcustodian banks and clearing agencies. State Street also provides basic portfolio recordkeeping required for each Fund for regulatory and financial reporting purposes. The mailing address for State Street is: 1776 Heritage Drive, North Quincy, MA 02171.
DISTRIBUTOR.
Foreside Fund Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Foreside Financial Group, LLC (dba ACA Group) (the “Distributor”), is the exclusive distributor of “Creation Units,” which are aggregations of a specified number of Shares of a Fund. The Distributor continually distributes Shares using commercially reasonable efforts and has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Shares. The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in Shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the investment policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor’s principal address is 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, ME 04101.
TRANSFER AND DIVIDEND DISBURSING AGENT.
State Street serves as the transfer and dividend disbursing agent for the Trust. For this service, State Street is paid a fee for transfer agency and dividend disbursing services provided to the Trust. State Street’s mailing address is 1776 Heritage Drive, North Quincy, MA 02171.
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INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) serves as the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm of the Trust. PwC is responsible for performing annual audits of the financial statements of the Funds in accordance with the auditing standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and providing federal tax return preparation services and other tax compliance services. The mailing address of PwC is 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2800, Seattle, WA 98101.
CODES OF ETHICS.
The Trust, RIM and each money manager have each adopted a code of ethics which complies in all material respects with applicable law and which is intended to protect the interests of each Fund's shareholders. The codes of ethics are designed to prevent affiliated persons of the Trust, RIM and the money managers from engaging in deceptive, manipulative, or fraudulent activities in connection with securities held or to be acquired by the Funds (which may also be held by persons subject to a code of ethics). There can be no assurance that the codes of ethics will be effective in preventing such activities. The codes of ethics generally permit investment personnel to trade securities for their own account, including securities that may be purchased or held by a Fund, subject to restrictions on personal securities trading specified in the applicable code of ethics. Each code of ethics has been filed with the SEC and may be viewed by the public.
Because each money manager is an entity not affiliated with the Trust or RIM, RIM relies on each money manager to monitor the personal trading activities of the money manager’s personnel in accordance with that money manager’s code of ethics. Each money manager provides RIM with a quarterly certification of the money manager’s compliance with its code of ethics and a report of any significant violations of its code.
FUND EXPENSES.
The Funds pay expenses other than those expressly assumed by RIM under the Funds’ unitary fee structure. The principal expenses of the Funds are the annual advisory fee. The Funds' other expenses include payments under a Fund’s 12b-1 plan, if any, interest expenses, dividend and interest expenses related to short sales, taxes, the expenses of other investment companies in which a Fund invests which are borne indirectly by the Fund, brokerage commissions and any other transaction-related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of a Fund, costs of holding shareholder meetings, costs of any securities lending program, any and all costs, fees and expenses, including legal fees, associated with litigation or potential litigation, any and all contingency fees paid to vendors out of amounts received by a Fund (for example, contingency fees paid to vendors for foreign tax reclaims and contingency fees paid to vendors for certain securities litigation recoveries) and any infrequent and/or unusual expenses. Whenever an expense can be attributed to a particular Fund, the expense is charged to that Fund. Common expenses are allocated among the Funds based primarily upon their relative net assets.
EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING
A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in the Funds is contained in the Buying and Selling Shares section of the Funds’ Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of each of the Prospectus.
Shares of each Fund are listed for trading, and trade throughout the day, on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC  (the “Listing Exchange”)  and in other secondary markets. Shares of each Fund may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The Listing Exchange  may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of the Fund from listing if, among other things: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund Shares, there are fewer than 50 record and/or beneficial owners of Shares of the Fund; (ii) the Fund is no longer eligible to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act; (iii) any of the other listing requirements are not continuously maintained; or (iv) any event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further dealings on the Listing Exchange  inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove Shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund. As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell Shares of the Funds through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker, as well as other charges. The Trust reserves the right to adjust the share price of the Fund in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund or an investor’s equity interest in the Fund.
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CREATIONS AND REDEMPTIONS OF SHARES
The Trust issues and sells Shares of each Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form as described in the Participant Agreement (as defined below), on any Business Day (as defined below). Shares are either issued in exchange for a basket of securities and/or instruments (the “Deposit Securities”) together with a deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”), or in exchange for cash (the “Cash Deposit”).
A transaction fee is imposed for the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the purchase or redemption of Creation Units, as applicable. Investors who are authorized to deal in Creation Units (“Authorized Participants”) will be required to pay a fixed creation transaction fee and/or a fixed redemption transaction fee, as applicable, on a given day regardless of the number of Creation Units created or redeemed on that day. The Funds may adjust the transaction fee from time to time, and a Fund may waive all or a portion of its applicable transaction fee. An additional charge or a variable charge will be applied to certain creation and redemption transactions, including non-standard orders and whole or partial cash purchases or redemptions. Specifically, a Fund may charge an additional variable fee for creations and redemptions in cash to offset brokerage and other impact expenses associated with the cash transaction. With respect to creation orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of a Fund and with respect to redemption orders, Authorized Participants are responsible for the costs of transferring the securities received on redemption from a Fund to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may also be charged a fee for such services. In no event will fees charged by a Fund in connection with a redemption exceed 2% of the value of each Creation Unit. To the extent a Fund does not recoup the amount of transaction costs incurred in connection with a purchase or redemption (because of the 2% cap or otherwise), those transaction costs will be borne by a Fund and may negatively affect the Fund’s performance.
In its discretion, RIM reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of a Fund’s Shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of a Fund, and to make a corresponding change in the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
A “Business Day” with respect to the Funds is each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the Listing Exchange and the Trust are open, including any day that a Fund is required to be open under Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act, which excludes weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Orders from Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Funds’ Distributor to create or redeem Creation Units will only be accepted on a Business Day.
The time at which transactions and Shares are priced and the time by which orders must be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the NYSE and/or the Listing Exchange is stopped at a time other than its regularly scheduled closing time. The Trust reserves the right to reprocess creation and redemption transactions that were initially processed at a NAV other than a Fund’s official closing NAV (as each may be subsequently adjusted), and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) Authorized Participants based on the official closing NAV. The Trust reserves the right to advance the time by which creation and redemption orders must be received for same Business Day credit as otherwise permitted by the SEC.
Fund Deposit
The consideration for purchase of Creation Units may consist of Deposit Securities together with the Cash Component or a Cash Deposit. Deposit Securities together with the Cash Component or the Cash Deposit constitute a “Fund Deposit,” which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of a Fund. The portfolio of securities required may be different than the portfolio of securities such Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund Shares.
The function of the Cash Component, where applicable, is to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component would be an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant. The Cash Component may also include a “Dividend Equivalent Payment,” which enables each Fund to make a complete distribution of dividends on the next
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dividend payment date, and is an amount equal, on a per Creation Unit basis, to the dividends on all the securities held by the Fund with ex-dividend dates within the accumulation period for such distribution (the “Accumulation Period”), net of expenses and liabilities for such period, as if all of the securities had been held by the Fund for the entire Accumulation Period. The Accumulation Period begins on the ex-dividend date for each Fund and ends on the next ex-dividend date.
The Custodian, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), makes available on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the identity and the required number or amount of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component (or cash deposit) to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day). Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments, as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of that Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Fund Deposit is made available.
Procedures of Creating Creation Units
To be eligible to place orders with the Transfer Agent and to create a Creation Unit of a Fund, an entity must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units (a “Participant Agreement”). All Shares of the Funds, however created, will be entered on the records of the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) in the name of its nominee for the account of a participant of DTC (“DTC Participant”).
Except as described below, and in all cases subject to the terms of the applicable Participant Agreement and any instructions in the Transfer Agent’s electronic order system, all orders to create Creation Units of a Fund must be received by the Transfer Agent no later than the closing time of the regular trading session of the Listing Exchange (“Order Cutoff Time”) (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) in each case on the date such order is placed for creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of Shares of such Fund as next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. A “Custom Order” may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that a  Fund accepts (or delivers, in the case of a redemption) a basket of securities and/or cash that differs from a basket of Deposit Securities and/or cash published or transacted on a Business Day (discussed below). Custom Orders must be received by the Transfer Agent at such earlier time as provided in the Transfer Agent’s electronic order system. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal (such as the day before a holiday), the Fund requires standard orders to create Creation Units to be placed by the earlier closing time and Custom Orders to create Creation Units to be placed no later than one hour prior to the earlier closing time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust may, but is not required to, permit Custom Orders until 4:00 p.m., Eastern time, or until the market close (in the event the Listing Exchange closes early). The date on which an order to create Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units, as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the “Transmittal Date.” Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant through the Transfer Agent’s electronic order system or by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Transfer Agent and approved by the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure may impede the ability to reach the Transfer Agent, Distributor or an Authorized Participant.
All investor orders to create Creation Units shall be placed with an Authorized Participant in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, an Authorized Participant may request that an investor make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to an order (to provide for payments of cash). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and, therefore, orders to create Creation Units of a  Fund will have to be placed by the investor’s broker through an Authorized Participant. In such cases, there may be additional charges to such investor. A limited number of broker-dealers are expected to execute a Participant Agreement and only a small number of such Authorized Participants are expected to have international capabilities.
Creation Units may be created in advance of the receipt by a Fund of all or a portion of the Fund Deposit. In such cases, the Authorized Participant will remain liable for the full deposit of the missing portion(s) of the Fund Deposit and will be required to post collateral with a Fund consisting of cash at least equal to a percentage of the marked to market value of such missing portion(s) that is specified in the Participant Agreement. A Fund may use such collateral to buy the missing portion(s) of the Fund Deposit at any time and will subject such Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the value of such collateral. A Fund will have no liability for any such shortfall. A Fund will return any unused portion of the collateral to the Authorized Participant once the entire Fund Deposit has been properly received by the Transfer Agent and deposited into the Fund.
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Orders for Creation Units that are effected outside the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the “Clearing Process”) are likely to require transmittal by the DTC Participant earlier on the Transmittal Date than orders effected using the Clearing Process. Those persons placing orders outside the Clearing Process should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit Securities and Cash Component.
Acceptance of Creation Orders
The Trust reserves the right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor, for any reason, provided that such action does not result in a suspension of sales of Creation Units in contravention of Rule 6c-11 and the SEC’s positions thereunder. For example, a Fund may reject or revoke acceptance of a creation order when: (a) the order is not in proper form; (b) the creator or creators, upon obtaining the Shares, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of a Fund; (c) the Deposit Securities delivered are not as specified by the Transfer Agent, as described above; (d) the acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; or (e) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and RIM make it for all practical purposes impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include, without limitation, acts of God or public service or utility problems such as earthquakes, fires, floods, extreme weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and computer failures; wars; civil or military disturbances, including acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions; terrorism; sabotage; epidemics; riots; labor disputes; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the Trust, RIM, the Distributor, DTC, the NSCC or any other participant in the creation process, and similar extraordinary events. The Transfer Agent will notify an Authorized Participant if an order is rejected. The Trust, the Custodian, any sub-custodian, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits to Authorized Participants nor shall any of them incur any liability to Authorized Participants for the failure to give any such notification. All questions as to the amounts of the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and the Trust’s determination shall be final and binding.
Redemption of Creation Units
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form on a Business Day and only through an Authorized Participant or DTC Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement. The Funds will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units (except each Fund may redeem Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit in the event the Fund is being liquidated). Beneficial owners must accumulate enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Authorized Participants should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit. All redemptions are subject to the procedures contained in the applicable Participant Agreement.
With respect to a Fund, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes available prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time) on each Business Day, the identity and number or amount of each Fund’s securities (“Fund Securities”) and/or an amount of cash that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as described below) on that day. All orders are subject to acceptance by the Distributor. Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units.
Unless cash-only redemptions are available or specified for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will generally consist of Fund Securities – as published on the Business Day of the request for a redemption order received in proper form – plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities, less the redemption transaction fee and variable fees described above. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust reserves the right to deliver a basket of securities and/or cash that differs from a basket of Fund Securities and/or cash published or transacted on a Business Day, or to substitute an amount of cash (a “cash-in-lieu” amount) to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Fund Security. Where “cash-in-lieu” is used, the amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the instrument listed as a Deposit Security. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the difference is required to be made by an Authorized Participant.
Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws, and each Fund reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such
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laws. An Authorized Participant, or a beneficial owner of Shares for which it is acting, subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular security included in the redemption of a Creation Unit may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. This would specifically prohibit delivery of Fund Securities that are not registered in reliance upon Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) to a redeeming beneficial owner of Shares that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming beneficial owner of the Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to a Fund: (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities it owns or determination of the Fund’s NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as permitted by the SEC.
If the Trust determines, based on information available to the Trust when a redemption request is submitted by an Authorized Participant, that (i) the short interest of a Fund in the marketplace is greater than or equal to 100% and (ii) the orders in the aggregate from all Authorized Participants redeeming Fund Shares on a Business Day represent 25% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, such Authorized Participant will be required to verify to the Trust the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption. If, after receiving notice of the verification requirement, the Authorized Participant does not verify the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption in accordance with this requirement, its redemption request will be considered not to have been received in proper form.
Regular Foreign Holidays. A Fund may effect deliveries of Creation Units and portfolio securities on a basis other than the normal settlement periods in order to accommodate local holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among foreign and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates or under certain other circumstances. The ability of the Trust to effect in-kind creations and redemptions within the normal settlement periods is subject, among other things, to the condition that, within the time period from the date of the order to the date of delivery of the securities, there are no days that are holidays in the applicable foreign market. For every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable foreign market that are not holidays observed in the U.S. equity market, the redemption settlement cycle may be extended by the number of such intervening holidays. In addition to holidays, other unforeseeable closings in a foreign market due to emergencies may also prevent the Trust from delivering securities within normal settlement periods. The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for transferring portfolio securities to redeeming Authorized Participants, coupled with foreign market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days for a Fund, in certain circumstances. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods. The timing of settlement may also be affected by the proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as “informal holidays” (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices. Because the portfolio securities of a Fund may trade on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or on days that are not Business Days for the Fund, Authorized Participants may not be able to redeem their Shares of the Fund, or to purchase and sell Shares of the Fund on the Listing Exchange, on days when the NAV of a Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
VALUATION OF FUND SHARES.
The net asset value per Share is calculated separately for each Fund on each Business Day. Net asset value per share is computed by dividing the current value of the Fund’s assets, less liabilities, by the number of Shares of the Fund outstanding and rounding to the nearest cent. Information regarding each Fund’s current net asset value per Share is available at https://russellinvestments.com. For additional information regarding the calculation of Fund net asset value, please see the section titled “Net Asset Value Per Share” in the Prospectus.
The Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF, Russell Investments Global Equity ETF, Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF portfolio securities actively trade on foreign exchanges which may trade on Saturdays and on days that the Funds do not offer or redeem Shares. The trading of portfolio securities on foreign exchanges on such days may significantly increase or decrease the net asset value of Fund Shares when the shareholder is not able to purchase or redeem Fund Shares. Further, because foreign securities markets may close prior to the time the Funds determine their net asset values, events affecting the value of the portfolio securities occurring between the time prices are determined and the time the Funds calculate their net asset values may not be reflected in the calculations of net asset value unless RIM (with the assistance of RIFUS) determines that a particular event would materially affect the net asset value.
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VALUATION OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES.
The Funds value their portfolio instruments according to securities valuation procedures, which include market value procedures, fair value procedures and a description of the pricing sources and services used by the Funds. With respect to a Fund's investments that do not have readily available market quotations, the Trustees have designated RIM as the valuation designee to perform fair valuations pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act. However, the Board retains oversight over the valuation process.
Ordinarily, the Funds value each portfolio instrument based on prices provided by pricing sources and services or brokers (when permitted by the market value procedures). Equity securities (including exchange traded funds) are generally valued at the last quoted sale price or the official closing price as of the close of the Listing Exchange's or other market’s regular trading hours on the day the valuation is made. Listed options are valued on the basis of the closing mean price and exchange listed futures contracts are valued on the basis of settlement price. Swaps may be valued at the closing price, clean market price or clean exchange funded price provided by a pricing service or broker or based on the valuation of the underlying security depending on the type of swap being valued. Listed fixed income securities that have greater than 60 days remaining until maturity at the time of purchase are generally valued at the last quoted sale price as of the close of the Listing Exchange's or other market’s regular trading hours on the day the valuation is made. Non-listed fixed income securities that have greater than 60 days remaining until maturity at the time of purchase are generally valued using the price supplied by a pricing service or broker, which may be an evaluated bid (a form of fair value pricing). Evaluated bids are derived from a matrix, formula or other objective method that takes into consideration actual trading activity and volume, market indexes, credit quality, maturity, yield curves or other specific adjustments. Fixed income securities that have 60 days or less remaining until maturity at the time of purchase are valued using the amortized cost method of valuation, unless it is determined that the amortized cost method would result in a price that would be deemed to be not reliable. Issuer-specific conditions (e.g., creditworthiness of the issuer and the likelihood of full repayment at maturity) and conditions in the relevant market (e.g., credit, liquidity and interest rate conditions) are among the factors considered in this determination. While amortized cost provides certainty in valuation, it may result in periods when the value of an instrument is higher or lower than the price a Fund would receive if it sold the instrument.
If market quotations or pricing service prices are not readily available for an instrument or are considered not reliable because of market and/or issuer-specific information, the instrument will be valued at fair value, as determined in accordance with the fair value procedures. The fair value procedures may involve subjective judgments as to the fair value of securities. The effect of fair value pricing is that securities may not be priced on the basis of quotations from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that RIM believes reflects fair value. The use of fair value pricing by a Fund may cause the net asset value of its Shares to differ significantly from the net asset value that would be calculated using current market values. Fair value pricing could also cause discrepancies between the daily movement of the value of Fund Shares and the daily movement of the benchmark index if the index is valued using another pricing method.
This policy is intended to assure that the Funds' net asset values fairly reflect portfolio instrument values as of the time of pricing. Events or circumstances affecting the values of portfolio instruments that occur between the closing of the principal markets on which they trade and the time the net asset value of Fund Shares is determined may be reflected in the calculation of the net asset values for each  applicable Fund when the Fund deems that the particular event or circumstance would materially affect such Fund’s net asset value. Funds that invest primarily in frequently traded exchange listed securities will use fair value pricing in limited circumstances since reliable market quotations will often be readily available.
Because foreign securities can trade on non-Business Days, the net asset value of a Fund’s portfolio that includes foreign securities may change on days when shareholders are not able to purchase or redeem Fund Shares.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER RATES OF THE FUNDS.
Portfolio turnover measures how frequently securities held by a Fund are bought and sold. The portfolio turnover rate for each Fund is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the particular year, by the monthly average value of the portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the year. For purposes of determining the rate, all short–term securities, including options, futures, forward contracts, and repurchase agreements, are excluded. The portfolio turnover rates for multi-manager Funds are a function of the portfolio turnover rate of each of the Fund’s money managers and any changes to a Fund’s money managers during a fiscal year (for example, replacing a money manager, hiring a new money manager or changing the allocations among money managers). It is possible that over certain time periods, a multi-manager Fund may have a higher portfolio turnover rate than a mutual fund with a single money manager.
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The portfolio turnover rates for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 for each Fund were: 
 
2025
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF1
30%
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF1
28%
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF2
24%
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF2
15%
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF1
24%
1 The Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF first issued shares on May 13, 2025.
2 The Russell Investments Global Equity ETF and Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF first issued shares on May 29, 2025.
A high portfolio turnover rate generally will result in higher brokerage transaction costs and may result in higher levels of realized capital gains or losses with respect to a Fund’s portfolio securities (see “Taxes”).
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS.
The Funds maintain portfolio holdings disclosure policies that govern the timing and circumstances of disclosure to shareholders and third parties of information regarding the portfolio investments held by a Fund. These portfolio holdings disclosure policies have been approved by the Board. Disclosures of portfolio holdings information are made pursuant to these Board-approved policies and procedures.
Public Disclosures of Portfolio Holdings Information
Each Fund’s portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business through the Fund’s website at https://russellinvestments.com. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Creation Units, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Listing Exchange via the NSCC. The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund.
Each Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings information as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter in Form N-PORT within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter and in its annual and semiannual financial statements in Form N-CSR within 60 days after the second and fourth quarter ends of the Fund’s fiscal year. The portfolio holdings information in Form N-PORT and Form N-CSR is not required to be delivered to shareholders but is made public through the SEC electronic filings at www.sec.gov. The Funds also make their annual and semiannual financial statements in Form N-CSR and portfolio holdings information as of the end of the first and third quarters of each fiscal year available on their website at https://russellinvestments.com.
Upon the occurrence of an unexpected, out of the ordinary event with respect to one or more portfolio holdings or the market as a whole, RIM may, consistent with the statement of policy set forth above and with the prior approval of the CCO, prepare and make available on the Funds’ website a statement relating to such event which may include information regarding the Funds’ portfolio holdings.
Portfolio managers and other senior officers or spokespersons of the Funds may disclose or confirm the ownership of any individual portfolio holdings position to reporters, brokers, shareholders, consultants or other interested persons only if such information has been previously publicly disclosed in accordance with the portfolio holdings disclosure policies.
Administration of the Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Policies
The Funds’ CCO is responsible for ensuring that RIM has adopted and implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the portfolio holdings disclosure policies, and, to the extent the CCO considers necessary, the CCO shall monitor RIM’s compliance with its policies and procedures. If the CCO determines that RIM’s policies and procedures do not meet the above standard, the CCO shall notify RIM of the deficiency and request that RIM indicate how it intends to address the deficiency. If the deficiency is not addressed to the CCO’s satisfaction within a reasonable time after such notification (as determined by the CCO), then the CCO shall promptly notify the Fund’s Board of Trustees of the deficiency and shall discuss with the Board possible responses.
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
RIM, as the Trust’s investment adviser, is primarily responsible for monitoring, evaluating and voting proxies solicited by or with respect to issuers of securities in which assets of the Funds may be invested. RIM has established an Active Ownership Committee (“Committee”) and has adopted written Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures and an Engagement Policy (together, the “P&P”) and written proxy voting guidelines (“Guidelines”). RIM has also hired a third-party service provider to serve as
22
proxy administrator (“Proxy Administrator”), which may provide RIM with research, analysis and/or recommendations relating to proxy voting. The Proxy Administrator utilizes an automated platform that collects and documents RIM’s voting decisions and interfaces directly with the tabulator of each proxy vote to help ensure timely and accurate votes on the matters being voted. The automated platform is not a substitute for RIM’s judgment or discretion; RIM (whether acting directly or through the Committee) retains final authority with respect to proxy voting and maintains records of all votes cast and other relevant information as may be required by applicable law or regulation.
The P&P are designed to ensure that proxy voting decisions are made in accordance with the best interests of RIM’s clients (including the Funds) and to enable the Committee to receive timely notice of and resolve any material conflicts of interest between the Funds on the one hand, and RIM or its affiliates, on the other, before voting proxies with respect to a matter in which such a conflict may be present. In order to assure that proxies are voted in accordance with the best interests of clients at all times, the P&P authorize votes to be cast in accordance with the Guidelines and delegate to the Proxy Administrator responsibility for performing research and making proxy voting recommendations to RIM. Conflicts are addressed in the P&P by requiring the implementation of a process requiring additional diligence and documentation if ballots are not voted in accordance with the Guidelines or pursuant to the recommendation of the Proxy Administrator.
The Guidelines address matters that are commonly submitted to shareholders of a company for voting, including, but not limited to, issues relating to corporate governance, auditors, the board of directors, capital structure, executive and director compensation, and mergers and corporate restructurings. RIM, through the Committee, constructs the Guidelines based on its assessment of each matter covered by the Guidelines. This assessment may take into account or adopt pertinent third-party research, including research provided by the Proxy Administrator. Subject to the supervision and oversight of the Committee, and the authority of the Committee to intervene with respect to a particular proxy matter, the Proxy Administrator is obligated to vote all proxies as set forth in the Guidelines.
Matters that are not covered in the Guidelines or that the Committee determines to be more appropriately examined on a case-by-case basis are voted by the Committee. Regardless of whether a matter is voted pursuant to the Guidelines or by the Committee, RIM, through the Committee, exercises its proxy voting authority in the best interests of the Funds based on its analysis of relevant facts and circumstances; pertinent internal and third party research; reasonably available subsequent information; applicable law and regulation; as well as certain best practices.
Information on how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available, without charge, upon request by contacting the Funds at 1-800-787-7354, at https://connect.rightprospectus.com/russellinvestments?Site=ETF and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Guidelines are available, without charge, at https://russellinvestments.com.
FORUM FOR ADJUDICATION OF DISPUTES.
The Trust’s Bylaws provide that, unless the Trust consents to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for any claims, suits, actions or proceedings (except for any claims, suits, actions or proceedings arising under the Securities Act) relating to: (i) any action to assert a claim arising pursuant to the Trust’s Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws, (ii) any action regarding the duties (including fiduciary duties), obligations or liabilities of the Trustees, officers, or other employees of the Trust to the Trust or the Trust’s shareholders or each other, (iii) any action regarding the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, the Trustees, the officers, the Trustees or the shareholders, (iv) any action pertaining to the laws of the State of Delaware pertaining to the Trust, or (v) any action relating to any other instrument, document, agreement or certificate contemplated by the Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws relating in any way to the Trust, shall be the Delaware Court of Chancery or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction (each, a “Covered Action”). The Bylaws further provide that if any Covered Action is filed in a court other than the relevant court of the State of Delaware in the name of any shareholder, such shareholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the relevant court of the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such courts to enforce the preceding sentence (an “Enforcement Action”) and (ii) having service of process made upon such shareholder in any such Enforcement Action by mailing, certified mail, return receipt requested, a copy thereof to such shareholder at the address in effect for notices under the Bylaws.
BROKERAGE ALLOCATIONS.
The selection of a broker or dealer to execute portfolio transactions for a Fund is made by RIM. The Trust's arrangements with RIM provides that in executing portfolio transactions and selecting brokers or dealers, the principal objective is to seek best execution. The factors that may be considered in assessing the best execution available for any transaction include the depth of market in a security or breadth of market access, the price of the security, the financial condition and execution
23
capability of the broker or dealer, the reasonableness of the commission, if any, and the value of research services (as that term is defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). In assessing whether the best overall terms have been obtained, RIM is not obligated to select the broker offering the lowest commission. Any commission, fee or other remuneration paid to an affiliated broker-dealer is paid in compliance with the Trust's Board-approved policies and procedures.
Substantially all of the equity transactions that RIM effects for the Funds are executed through Russell Investments Implementation Services, LLC (“RIIS”), a registered broker and an affiliate of RIM. This presents a conflict of interest because RIIS generates revenue from executing equity transactions for the Funds, which is a financial incentive for RIM to favor the ongoing selection of RIIS for execution of the Funds’ equity transactions. To oversee its use of RIIS to execute equity transactions for the Funds, RIM reviews third-party reports regarding RIIS’ trade execution quality and commission rates relative to commission rates for comparable services. RIIS uses a multi-venue trade approach whereby RIIS trades through its network of independent venues, including third-party brokers for clearing and settlement services, to which RIIS pays a portion of its commission.
RIM does not effect trades to obtain research services.
To the extent creation or redemption transactions are conducted on a cash or “cash in lieu” basis, a Fund may contemporaneously transact with broker-dealers for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities in connection with such transactions. Such orders may be placed with RIIS, an Authorized Participant in its capacity as broker-dealer, a broker-dealer that is affiliated with the Authorized Participant, or a third-party broker-dealer. Specifically, following a Fund’s receipt of a creation or redemption order, to the extent such purchases or redemptions consist of a cash portion, the Fund may enter an order with RIIS, the Authorized Participant, its affiliated broker-dealer or a third-party broker-dealer to purchase or sell the portfolio securities, as applicable.
BROKERAGE COMMISSIONS.
During the Funds’ fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the total brokerage commissions paid by the Funds were: 
 
2025
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap
Equity ETF1
$16,952
Russell Investments International
Developed Equity ETF1
26,268
Russell Investments Global Equity
ETF2
33,107
Russell Investments Emerging Markets
Equity ETF2
26,496
Russell Investments Global
Infrastructure ETF1
2,609
1 The Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF first issued shares on May 13, 2025.
2 The Russell Investments Global Equity ETF and Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF first issued shares on May 29, 2025.
The table below sets forth: (1) the aggregate dollar amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Funds during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 to any broker that is an affiliated person of a Fund, RIM or the relevant money manager, including the percentage of the Fund’s aggregate brokerage commissions paid to the broker and the percentage of the Fund’s aggregate dollar amount of transactions involving the payment of commissions effected through the broker during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025; and (2) for RIIS, an affiliated person of RIM, the net amount of the RIIS commission after payment by RIIS of any commissions or fees to third party brokers, generally for clearing and settlement services for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025.  
Fund Name
RIM/Money Manager
Affiliated Broker
2025
Total
(USD)
Percent of
Fund's
Commissions
Percent of
Fund's Principal
2025
RIIS Net
(USD)
Russell Investments
U.S. Small Cap
Equity ETF1
 
 
 
 
 
RIM
 
 
 
 
 
 
Russell Investments Implementation
Services, LLC
16,952
100.000%
100.000%
12,865
Total:
16,952
100.000%
100.000%
12,865
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Fund Name
RIM/Money Manager
Affiliated Broker
2025
Total
(USD)
Percent of
Fund's
Commissions
Percent of
Fund's Principal
2025
RIIS Net
(USD)
Russell Investments
International
Developed Equity
ETF1
 
 
 
 
 
RIM
 
 
 
 
 
 
Russell Investments Implementation
Services, LLC
25,922
98.685%
94.728%
20,981
Total:
25,922
98.685%
94.728%
20,981
Russell Investments
Global Equity ETF2
 
 
 
 
 
RIM
 
 
 
 
 
 
Russell Investments Implementation
Services, LLC
29,132
87.992%
95.223%
23,822
Total:
29,132
87.992%
95.223%
23,822
Russell Investments
Emerging Markets
Equity ETF2
 
 
 
 
 
RIM
 
 
 
 
 
 
Russell Investments Implementation
Services, LLC
16,995
64.140%
45.814%
9,848
Total:
16,995
64.140%
45.814%
9,848
Russell Investments
Global Infrastructure
ETF1
 
 
 
 
 
RIM
 
 
 
 
 
 
Russell Investments Implementation
Services, LLC
2,603
99.764%
98.362%
2,153
Total:
2,603
99.764%
98.362%
2,153
1 The Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF first issued shares on May 13, 2025.
2 The Russell Investments Global Equity ETF and Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF first issued shares on May 29, 2025.
During the Funds’ fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the Funds purchased securities issued by the following regular brokers or dealers as defined by Rule 10b-1 of the 1940 Act. The values of broker–dealer securities held as of September 30, 2025 (USD) were as follows:  
 
 
 
Broker
Russell Investments
International
Developed
Equity ETF1
Russell Investments
Global Equity
ETF2
Barclays Capital, Inc
437,121
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
857,371
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
774,052
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
2,146,186
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner &
Smith, Inc
1,482,181
Nomura Securities International,
Inc.
1,468
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
706,284
408,855
UBS Securities LLC
1,376,892
1,191,441
 
1 The Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF first issued shares on May 13, 2025.
2 The Russell Investments Global Equity ETF and Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF first issued shares on May 29, 2025.
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FOREIGN CURRENCY FEES.
RIIS may execute foreign currency transactions (“FX Transactions”) on an agency basis on behalf of the Funds.  RIIS may charge the Funds an agency fee for effecting FX Transactions (“FX Fee”).  During the Funds' fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, the total FX Fees paid by the Funds to RIIS were: 
 
2025
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF1
$0
Russell Investments International Developed Equity
ETF1
2,026
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF2
2,912
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF2
375
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF1
278
1 The Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF, Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF and Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF first issued shares on May 13, 2025. 2 The Russell Investments Global Equity ETF and Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF first issued shares on May 29, 2025.
26
Investment Restrictions, Policies And CERTAIN INVESTMENTS
Each Fund’s investment objective is “non-fundamental.” Having a non-fundamental investment objective means that it may be changed without the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the relevant Fund. If a Fund’s investment objective is changed by the Board of Trustees, the Prospectus will be supplemented to reflect the new investment objective. Certain investment policies and restrictions may be fundamental, which means that they may only be changed with the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the relevant Fund. The vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund means the vote of the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Fund present at the meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or represented by proxy; or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Other policies and restrictions may be changed by a Fund without shareholder approval. The Funds’ investment objectives are set forth in their Prospectus.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS.
Each Fund is subject to the following fundamental investment restrictions.
Unless otherwise stated, all restrictions, percentage limitations and credit quality limitations on Fund investments listed in this SAI apply on a fund-by-fund basis at the time of investment. There would be no violation of any of these requirements unless a Fund fails to comply with any such limitation immediately after and as a result of an investment. A later change in circumstances will not require the sale of an investment if it was proper at the time it was made.
No Fund may:
1.
Purchase securities if, as a result of such purchase, the Fund's investments would be concentrated within the meaning of the 1940 Act in securities of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries.
Investments in other investment companies shall not be considered an investment in any particular industry or group of industries for purposes of this investment restriction.
This investment restriction shall not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities.
Each Fund may:
2.
Purchase or sell real estate, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder (except as permitted by an exemption therefrom), as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted by the SEC from time to time.
3.
Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder (except as permitted by an exemption therefrom), as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted by the SEC from time to time.
4.
Borrow money, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder (except as permitted by an exemption therefrom), as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted by the SEC from time to time.
5.
Underwrite securities of other issuers, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder (except as permitted by an exemption therefrom), as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted by the SEC from time to time.
6.
Make loans to other persons, except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder (except as permitted by an exemption therefrom), as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted by the SEC from time to time.
7.
Issue senior securities (as defined under the 1940 Act), except as prohibited under the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations thereunder (except as permitted by an exemption therefrom), as such statute, rules or regulations may be amended or interpreted by the SEC from time to time.
With regard to investment restriction 1, above, concentration within the meaning of the 1940 Act refers to the position of the staff of the SEC that a fund is concentrated if it invests 25% or more of the value of its total assets in any one industry or group of industries. For purposes of this investment restriction, the Russell Investment Global Infrastructure ETF defines an “industry” to be those industries defined by reference to the industry and sub-industry classifications of the Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICs”) methodology. 
With regard to investment restriction 1, above, mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities are not subject to the Funds’ industry concentration restrictions, by
27
virtue of the exclusion from that test available to all U.S. Government securities. Privately-issued mortgage-backed securities are, however, subject to the Funds’ industry concentration restrictions.
Each Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental investment restriction (one that can be changed by the Trustees without shareholder approval):
No Fund may borrow money for purposes of leveraging or investment. Provisional credits related to contractual settlements shall not be considered to be a form of leverage.
Under the 1940 Act, the Funds may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes. Each Fund is presently permitted to borrow up to 5% of its total assets from any person for temporary purposes, and may also borrow from banks, provided that if borrowings exceed 5%, the Fund must have assets totaling at least 300% of the borrowing when the amount of the borrowing is added to the Fund's other assets. Put another way, an investment company may borrow, in the aggregate, from banks and others, amounts up to one-third (33 1∕3%) of its total assets (including those assets represented by the borrowing). Accordingly, if a Fund were required to pledge assets to secure a borrowing, it would pledge no more than one-third (33 1∕3%) of its assets.
The Funds will not purchase additional securities while outstanding cash borrowings exceed 5% of total assets.
A Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. During these times, a Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, shares of money market mutual funds, commercial paper, zero coupon bonds, repurchase agreements, and other securities RIM believes to be consistent with the Fund’s best interests. During a period in which a Fund takes a temporary defensive position, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
INVESTMENT POLICIES.
The investment objective and principal investment strategies for each Fund are provided in their Prospectus. The following discussion describes certain investment strategies that the Funds may pursue and certain types of instruments in which the Funds may invest. The Funds may not invest in all of the instruments listed below. The Funds use investment techniques commonly used by other funds. The instruments and investment strategies listed below are discretionary, which means that RIM or the money managers may or may not use them.
Unless otherwise stated, all percentage and credit quality limitations on Fund investments listed in this SAI apply at the time of investment. There would be no violation of any of these limitations unless an excess or deficiency exists immediately after and as a result of an investment.
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND PORTFOLIO INSTRUMENTS.
Each Fund’s principal investment strategies and the related risks are described in the Fund's Prospectus. The following discussion provides additional information regarding those investment strategies and risks, as well as information regarding non-principal investment strategies and risks. An investment strategy and related risk that is described below, but which is not described in the Fund's Prospectus, is a non-principal strategy and risk of the Fund.
Cash and Being Fully Invested. The Funds usually, but not always, pursue a strategy of being fully invested by exposing all or a portion of any cash held to the performance of certain markets by purchasing equity securities and/or derivatives (also known as “equitization”), which typically include futures contracts and foreign currency contracts. This is intended to cause the Fund to perform as though its cash were actually invested in those markets. This exposure may or may not match the Fund’s benchmark(s) and RIM may use the cash equitization process to manage Fund exposures. RIM may not equitize all or a portion of the Fund’s cash or use the cash equitization process to reduce market exposure. Given the nature of the markets in which the Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF invests, the Fund may hold larger amounts of cash than other funds, which may prevent it from being fully invested at all times.
RIM generally invests any remaining cash in short-term investments, including the U.S. Cash Management Fund, an unregistered fund advised by RIM and administered by RIFUS, whose investment objective is to seek to preserve principal and provide liquidity and current income (the “Cash Management Fund”). RIM has waived its 0.05% advisory fee with respect to cash invested in the Cash Management Fund. RIFUS charges a 0.05% administrative fee on the cash invested in the Cash Management Fund.
The Cash Management Fund invests in a portfolio of high quality U.S. dollar denominated money market securities. The dollar-weighted average maturity of the Cash Management Fund’s portfolio is 90 days or less. The Cash Management Fund primarily invests in (1) securities issued by U.S. and foreign banks; (2) commercial paper, including asset-backed commercial
28
paper, and short-term debt of U.S. and foreign corporations and trusts; (3) bank instruments, including certificates of deposit, Eurodollar certificates of deposit, Eurodollar time deposits and Yankee certificates of deposit; (4) Yankee Bonds; (5) other money market funds; (6) demand notes; (7) repurchase agreements; (8) investment-grade municipal debt obligations; (9) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies; (10) variable and floating rate securities and (11) asset backed securities.
Hedging Strategies. Financial futures contracts may be used by the Funds during or in anticipation of adverse market events such as declining equity prices. For example, if equity prices were anticipated to fall, financial futures contracts may be sold (short hedge), which would have an effect similar to short selling equities. Once equity prices fall, securities held in a Fund's portfolio may decline, but the futures contract value may increase, partly offsetting the loss in value of the Fund's securities by enabling the Fund to repurchase the futures contract at a lower price to close out the position.
The Funds may purchase a put and/or sell a call option or enter into an option spread on a stock index futures contract instead of selling a futures contract in anticipation of an equity market decline. Conversely, purchasing a call and/or selling a put option or entering into an option spread on a stock index futures contract may be used instead of buying a futures contract in anticipation of an equity market advance, or to temporarily create an equity exposure for cash held until those balances are invested in equities. Options on financial futures are used in a similar manner in order to hedge portfolio securities against anticipated market changes.
Risk Associated with Hedging Strategies. There are certain investment risks involved with using futures contracts and/or options as a hedging technique. One risk is the imperfect correlation between the price movement of the futures contracts or options and the price movement of the portfolio securities, stock index or currency subject of the hedge. Another risk is that a liquid market may not exist for a futures contract causing a Fund to be unable to close out the futures contract thereby affecting the Fund's hedging strategy. Position limits may constrain a Fund from being able to enter into hedging transactions.
In addition, foreign currency options and foreign currency futures involve additional risks. Such transactions may not be regulated as effectively as similar transactions in the United States; may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees; and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign securities. The value of such positions could also be adversely affected by (1) other complex foreign, political, legal and economic factors; (2) lesser availability of data on which to make trading decisions than in the United States; (3) delays in a Fund's ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States; (4) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States and (5) lesser trading volume.
Illiquid and Restricted Securities. No more than 15% of a Fund's net assets will be invested in certain investments, including repurchase agreements of more than seven days' duration, that are deemed to be “illiquid” as defined in Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act. This limitation is applied at the time of purchase. An investment is generally deemed to be illiquid if it is not reasonably expected to be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. A Fund may not be able to sell an illiquid or less liquid investment quickly and at a fair price, which could cause the Fund to realize losses on the investment if the investment is sold at a price lower than that at which it had been valued. An illiquid investment may also have large price volatility.
The expenses of registration of restricted securities that are illiquid (excluding securities that may be resold by the Funds pursuant to Rule 144A) may be negotiated at the time such securities are purchased by a Fund. When registration is required, a considerable period may elapse between a decision to sell the securities and the time the sale would be permitted. Thus, a Fund may not be able to obtain as favorable a price as that prevailing at the time of the decision to sell. A Fund also may acquire, through private placements, securities having contractual resale restrictions, which might lower the amount realizable upon the sale of such securities.
Investment Company Securities and Pooled Investment Vehicles. The Funds may invest in securities of other open-end or closed-end investment companies. If a Fund invests in other investment companies, shareholders will bear not only their proportionate share of the Fund’s expenses (including operating expenses and the advisory fee paid by the Fund to RIM), but also, indirectly, the similar expenses of the underlying investment companies. Shareholders would also be exposed to the risks associated not only to the investments of the Funds but also to the portfolio investments of the underlying investment companies.
Some emerging market countries have laws and regulations that currently preclude direct foreign investments in the securities of their companies. However, indirect foreign investments in the securities of companies listed and traded on the stock exchanges in these countries are permitted through pooled investment vehicles or investment funds that have been specifically authorized.
29
Exchange Traded Funds or “ETFs.” The Funds may invest in shares of open-end mutual funds or unit investment trusts that are traded on a stock exchange, called exchange-traded funds or ETFs. An “index-based ETF” seeks to track the performance of an index, such as the S&P 500®, the Nasdaq 100, the ICE BofA 1-3 Year U.S. Treasury Index or the Bloomberg Capital 1-15 Year Municipal Bond Index, by holding in its portfolio either the same securities that comprise the index, or a representative sample of the index. Investing in an index-based ETF will give a Fund exposure to the securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based, and the Fund will gain or lose value depending on the performance of the index. An “actively-managed ETF” invests in securities based on an adviser’s investment strategy. ETFs have expenses, including advisory and administrative fees paid by ETF shareholders, and, as a result, if a Fund invests in an ETF, an investor in the Fund will indirectly bear the fees and expenses of the underlying ETF.
Unlike shares of typical mutual funds or unit investment trusts, shares of ETFs are bought and sold based on market values throughout each trading day, and not at net asset value. For this reason, shares could trade at either a premium or discount to net asset value. The Funds may invest in ETFs that track equity market indices. The portfolios held by these ETFs are publicly disclosed on each trading day, and an approximation of actual net asset value is disseminated throughout the trading day. Because of this transparency, the trading prices of these index-based ETFs tend to closely track the actual net asset value of the underlying portfolios. The Funds may invest in ETFs that are based on fixed income indices, or that are actively managed. Actively managed ETFs may not have the transparency of index-based ETFs, and therefore, may be more likely to trade at a discount or premium to actual net asset values. If an ETF held by a Fund trades at a discount to net asset value, the Fund could lose money even if the securities in which the ETF invests go up in value.
Foreign Securities.
Investment in Foreign Securities. The Funds may invest in foreign (non-U.S.) securities traded on U.S. or foreign exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. Investing in securities issued by foreign governments and corporations involves considerations and possible risks not typically associated with investing in obligations issued by the U.S. government and domestic corporations. Less information may be available about foreign companies than about domestic companies, and foreign companies generally are not subject to the same uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards or other regulatory practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to domestic companies. The values of foreign investments are affected by changes in currency rates or exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws, including withholding taxes, changes in governmental administration or economic or monetary policy (in the United States or abroad) or changed circumstances in dealings between nations. Costs are incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. In addition, foreign brokerage commissions are generally higher than in the United States, and foreign securities markets may be less liquid, more volatile and less subject to governmental supervision than in the United States. Investments in foreign countries could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including nationalization, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, lack of uniform accounting, financial reporting and auditing standards and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations and could be subject to extended settlement periods or restrictions affecting the prompt return of capital to the United States. To the extent that a Fund’s principal investment strategies involve foreign (non-U.S.) securities, the Fund may tend to have a greater exposure to liquidity risk.
Investment in foreign countries may also be affected by a country’s political climate which could result in regulatory restrictions, including restrictions on transacting in certain foreign securities (“restricted securities”), being contemplated or imposed in the U.S. or in the foreign country that could have a material adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective. Geopolitical developments, including regional and global conflict, in certain countries in which a Fund may invest have caused, or may in the future cause, significant volatility in financial markets. For example, the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, or Brexit, resulted in market volatility and caused additional market disruption on a global basis. To the extent that a Fund is unable to transact in a restricted security on a U.S. exchange, the Fund will have to seek other markets in which to transact in such securities which could increase the Fund’s costs. Certain restricted securities may have less liquidity as a result of such designation and the market price of such security may decline and a Fund may incur a loss as a result.
Economic sanctions and other similar governmental actions could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate a Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or groups of securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), and thus may make the Fund’s investments in such securities less liquid or more difficult to value. In addition, as a result of economic sanctions, the Fund may be forced to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, which could result in losses to the Fund and increased transaction costs. These conditions may be in place for a substantial period of time and enacted with limited advance notice to the Fund.
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Foreign (non-U.S.) securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (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. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time due to market events, actions of governments or their central banks or political developments in the U.S. or abroad. As a result, investments in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities and currencies may reduce the returns of a Fund. Securities held by a Fund which are denominated in U.S. dollars are still subject to currency risk.
Investment in Emerging Markets. The Funds may invest in emerging markets stocks. As a general rule, the Funds consider emerging market countries to include every country in the world except Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Risks Associated with Emerging Markets. The considerations outlined above when making investments in foreign securities also apply to investments in emerging markets. The risks associated with investing in foreign securities are often heightened for investments in developing or emerging markets. Investments in emerging or developing markets involve exposure to economic structures that are generally less diverse and mature, and to political systems which can be expected to have less stability, than those of more developed countries. As a result, emerging market governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries, including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation or unfavorable diplomatic developments. In general, this can be expected to result in less stringent investor protection standards as compared with investments in U.S. or other developed market equity securities. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that a Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. Some countries have pervasiveness of corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Funds will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. Emerging market countries typically have less established legal, accounting and financial reporting systems than those in more developed markets, which may reduce the scope or quality of financial information available to investors. In addition, there is the risk that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) may not be able to inspect audit practices and work conducted by audit firms in emerging market countries – such as the People’s Republic of China – and, therefore, there is no guarantee that the quality of financial reporting or the audits conducted by audit firms of emerging market issuers meet PCAOB standards. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize that ownership exists in some emerging markets, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. The Funds would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation. In addition, communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. Moreover, the economies of individual emerging market countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as the rate of growth in gross domestic product, the rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. Furthermore, U.S. regulatory authorities’ ability to enforce legal and/or regulatory obligations against individuals or entities, and shareholders’ ability to bring derivative litigation or otherwise enforce their legal rights, in emerging market countries may be limited. Because the Funds' foreign securities will generally be denominated in foreign currencies, the value of such securities to the Funds will be affected by changes in currency exchange rates and in exchange control regulations. A change in the value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the U.S. dollar value of the Funds' foreign securities. In addition, some emerging market countries may have fixed or managed currencies which are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar. Further, certain emerging market countries’ currencies may not be internationally traded. Certain of these currencies have experienced devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.
Investments in frontier markets are generally subject to all of the risks of investments in non-U.S. and emerging markets securities, but to a heightened degree. Because frontier markets are among the smallest, least developed, least liquid, and most volatile of the emerging markets, investments in frontier markets are generally subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in developed or traditional emerging markets. Many frontier market countries operate with relatively new and unsettled securities laws and are heavily dependent on commodities, foreign trade and/or foreign aid. Compared to developed and traditional emerging market countries, frontier market countries typically have less political and economic stability, face greater risk of a market shutdown, and impose greater governmental restrictions on foreign investments.
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Investments in the People’s Republic of China. The Funds may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). In determining whether an instrument is economically tied to the PRC, RIM uses the criteria for determining whether an instrument is economically tied to an emerging market country as set forth in the Prospectus. Investing in securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC subjects a Fund to the risks listed under “Foreign Securities” in this section, including those associated with investment in emerging markets.
The PRC is dominated by the one-party rule of the Communist Party. Investments in the PRC involve risks of greater governmental control over the economy. Unlike in the U.S., the PRC’s currency is not determined by the market, but is instead managed at artificial levels relative to the U.S. dollar. This system could result in sudden, large adjustments in the currency, which could negatively impact foreign investors. The PRC could also restrict the free conversion of its currency into foreign currencies, including the U.S. dollar. Currency repatriation restrictions could cause securities and instruments tied to the PRC to become relatively illiquid, particularly in connection with redemption requests. The PRC government exercises significant control over economic growth through direct and heavy involvement in resource allocation and monetary policy, control over payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and provision of preferential treatment to particular industries and/or companies. Economic reform programs in the PRC have contributed to growth, but there is no guarantee that such reforms will continue.
The application of tax laws (e.g., the imposition of withholding taxes on dividend or interest payments) or confiscatory taxation may also affect a Fund’s investments in the PRC. Because the rules governing taxation of investments in securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC are unclear, RIM may provide for capital gains taxes on a Fund investing in such securities and instruments by reserving both realized and unrealized gains from disposing or holding securities and instruments economically tied to the PRC. This approach is based on current market practice and RIM’s understanding of the applicable tax rules. Changes in market practice or understanding of the applicable tax rules may result in the amounts reserved being too great or too small relative to actual tax burdens.
In addition, as much of China’s growth over recent decades has been a result of significant investment in substantial export trade, international trade tensions may arise from time to time which can result in trade tariffs, embargoes, trade limitations, trade wars and other negative consequences. These consequences may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry with a potentially severe negative impact to the Funds. In addition, it is possible that the continuation or worsening of the current political climate could result in regulatory restrictions being contemplated or imposed in the US or in China that could have a material adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective. In November 2020, the President of the United States issued an executive order (“CCMC Order”) prohibiting US persons, including the Funds, from transacting in securities of any Chinese company identified by the Secretary of Defense as a “Communist Chinese military company” (“CCMC”) or in instruments that are derivative of, or are designed to provide investment exposure to, prohibited CCMC securities. The CCMC order was amended in June 2021 when the President of the United States issued an executive order (“CMIC Order”) prohibiting US persons, including the fund, from purchasing or selling publicly traded securities (including publicly traded securities that are derivative of, or are designed to provide exposure to, such securities) of any Chinese company identified as a Chinese Military Industrial Complex Company (“CMIC”). This prohibition expands on the CCMC order. To the extent that a Fund holds securities of a Chinese issuer and the issuer of a Fund portfolio holding is deemed to be a CMIC, it may have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective and/or strategy. To the extent that a Fund currently transacts in securities of a foreign company on a U.S. exchange but is unable to do so in the future, the Fund will have to seek other markets in which to transact in such securities which could increase the Fund’s costs. In addition, to the extent that a Fund holds a security of a CMIC, one or more Fund intermediaries may decline to process customer orders with respect to such Fund unless and until certain representations are made by the Trust and/or RIM or the CMIC holding(s) are divested. Certain CMIC securities may have less liquidity as a result of such designation and the market price of such CMIC may decline and a Fund may incur a loss as a result. In addition, the market for securities of other Chinese-based issuers may also be negatively impacted resulting in reduced liquidity and price declines.
Investing through Stock Connect. Certain Funds may invest in certain eligible securities (“Stock Connect Securities”) that are listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange through the Hong Kong – Shanghai Stock Connect program or the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through the Hong Kong – Shenzhen Stock Connect program (“Stock Connect”). The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“SEHK”), Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited developed Stock Connect as a securities trading and clearing program to establish mutual market access between SEHK and the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Unlike other means of foreign investment in Chinese securities, investors in Stock Connect Securities are not subject to individual investment quotas or licensing requirements. Additionally, no lock-up periods or restrictions apply to the repatriation of principal and profits.
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However, a number of restrictions apply to Stock Connect trading that could affect a Fund’s investments and returns. For example, the home market’s laws and rules apply to investors in the Stock Connect program. This means that investors in Stock Connect Securities are generally subject to PRC securities regulations and Shanghai Stock Exchange or Shenzhen Stock Exchange listing rules, among other restrictions. Further, an investor may not sell, purchase or transfer its Stock Connect Securities by any means other than through Stock Connect, in accordance with applicable rules. Although individual investment quotas do not apply, Stock Connect participants are subject to daily and aggregate investment quotas, which could restrict or preclude a Fund’s ability to invest in Stock Connect Securities.
Investing through Variable Interest Entities. Certain Funds may obtain exposure to companies based or operated in the PRC by investing through legal structures known as variable interest entities (“VIEs”). Due to PRC governmental restrictions on non-PRC ownership of companies in certain industries in the PRC, certain PRC companies have used VIEs to facilitate foreign investment without distributing direct ownership of companies based or operated in the PRC. In such cases, the PRC operating company establishes an offshore company, and the offshore company enters into contractual arrangements (such as powers of attorney, equity pledge agreements and other services or business cooperation agreements) with the operating company. These contractual arrangements are intended to give the offshore company the ability to exercise power over and obtain economic rights from the operating company. Shares of the offshore company, in turn, are listed and traded on exchanges outside of the PRC and are available to non-PRC investors such as a Fund. This arrangement allows non-PRC investors in the offshore company to obtain economic exposure without direct equity ownership in the PRC company.
Although VIEs are a longstanding industry practice and well known to officials and regulators in the PRC, VIEs are not formally recognized under PRC law. On February 17, 2023, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CRSC”) released the “Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies” (the “Trial Measures”) which came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures require Chinese companies that pursue listings outside of mainland China, including those that do so using the VIE structure, to make a filing with the CSRC. While the Trial Measures do not prohibit the use of VIE structures, the Trial Measures are not an endorsement of VIE structures by the PRC. There is a risk that the PRC may cease to tolerate VIEs at any time or impose new restrictions on the structure, in each case either generally or with respect to specific industries, sectors or companies. Investments involving a VIE may also pose additional risks because such investments are made through a company whose interests in the underlying operating company are established through contract rather than through equity ownership. For example, in the event of a dispute, the offshore company’s contractual claims with respect to the operating company may be deemed unenforceable in the PRC, thus limiting (or eliminating) the remedies and rights available to the offshore company and its investors. Such legal uncertainty may also be exploited against the interests of the offshore company and its investors. Further, the interests of the equity owners of the operating company may conflict with the interests of the investors of the offshore company, and the fiduciary duties of the officers and directors of the operating company may differ from, or conflict with, the fiduciary duties of the officers and directors of the offshore company. Foreign companies listed on U.S. exchanges, including offshore companies that utilize a VIE structure, also could face delisting or other ramifications for failure to meet the requirements of the SEC, the PCAOB or other United States regulators. Any of the foregoing risks and events could negatively impact a Fund’s performance. There is also uncertainty related to the PRC’s taxation of VIEs and the PRC tax authorities may take positions which may result in increased tax liabilities for VIEs.
Investments in Saudi Arabia. Certain Funds may invest in securities and instruments of Saudi Arabian issuers. These issuers may be impacted by the significant ties in the Saudi Arabian economy to petroleum exports. As a result, changes within the petroleum industry could have a significant impact on the overall health of the Saudi Arabian economy. Additionally, the Saudi Arabian economy relies heavily on foreign labor and changes in the availability of this labor supply could have an adverse effect on the economy.
The Saudi Arabian government exerts substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. While the political situation in Saudi Arabia is generally stable, future political instability or instability in the larger Middle East region could adversely impact the economy of Saudi Arabia, particularly with respect to foreign investments. Certain issuers located in Saudi Arabia may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and/or the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. The Funds are also subject to the risk of expropriation or nationalization of assets or the risk of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital.
The ability of foreign investors to invest in Saudi Arabian issuers is relatively new and untested, and such ability may be revoked or restricted by the government of Saudi Arabia in the future, which may materially affect a Fund. A Fund may be unable to obtain or maintain the required licenses, which would affect the Fund’s ability to buy and sell securities at full value. Additionally, a Fund’s ownership of any single issuer listed on the Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange may be limited by the Saudi Arabia Capital Market Authority (“CMA”). The securities markets in Saudi Arabia may not be as developed as
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those in other countries. As a result, securities markets in Saudi Arabia are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Major disruptions or regulatory changes may occur in the Saudi Arabian market, which could negatively impact a Fund.
A Fund's ability to invest in Saudi Arabian securities depends on the ability of RIM and/or the Fund to maintain its respective status as a Foreign Portfolio Manager and/or a Qualified Foreign Investor (“QFI”), as applicable, with the CMA and, if applicable, a Fund as a client of a QFI who has been approved by the CMA (“QFI Client”). QFI regulations and local market infrastructure are relatively new and have not been tested and the CMA may discontinue the QFI regime at any time. Any change in the QFI system generally, including the possibility of RIM or a Fund losing its Foreign Portfolio Manager, QFI and/or QFI Client status, as applicable, may adversely affect the Fund.
A Fund is required to use a trading account to buy and sell securities in Saudi Arabia. Under the Independent Custody Model (“ICM”), securities are under the control of the local custodian, while assets are held within a trading account at the Saudi Arabian depository and would be recoverable in the event of the bankruptcy of the local custodian. When a Fund utilizes the ICM approach, the Fund relies on a local broker’s instruction to authorize transactions in Saudi Arabian securities. The risk of a fraudulent or erroneous transaction through the ICM approach is mitigated by a manual affirmation process conducted by the local custodian, which validates a Fund’s settlement instructions with the local broker’s instructions and the transaction report from the depository. Additionally, instructions may only be given by a Fund’s authorized brokers and these brokers are unable to view the holdings within a Fund’s trading account.
Synthetic Foreign Equity/Fixed Income Securities (also referred to as International Warrants, Local Access Products, Participation Notes or Low Exercise Price Warrants). Certain Funds may invest in local access products. Local access products, also called participation notes, are a form of derivative security issued by foreign banks that either give holders the right to buy or sell an underlying security or securities for a particular price or give holders the right to receive a cash payment relating to the value of the underlying security or securities. The instruments may or may not be traded on a foreign exchange. Local access products are similar to options in that they are exercisable by the holder for an underlying security or the value of that security, but are generally exercisable over a longer term than typical options. These types of instruments may be exercisable in the American style, which means that they can be exercised at any time on or before the expiration date of the instrument, or exercisable in the European style, which means that they may be exercised only on the expiration date. Local access products have an exercise price, which is fixed when they are issued.
Investments in these instruments involve the risk that the issuer of the instrument may default on its obligation to deliver the underlying security or its value. These instruments may also be subject to counterparty risk, liquidity risk, currency risk and the risks associated with investment in foreign securities. In the case of any exercise of the instruments, there may be a time delay between the time a holder gives instructions to exercise and the time the price of the security or the settlement date is determined, during which time the price of the underlying security could change significantly. In addition, the exercise or settlement date of the local access products may be affected by certain market disruption events, such as difficulties relating to the exchange of a local currency into U.S. dollars, the imposition of capital controls by a local jurisdiction or changes in the laws relating to foreign investments. These events could lead to a change in the exercise date or settlement currency of the instruments, or postponement of the settlement date. In some cases, if the market disruption events continue for a certain period of time, the local access products may become worthless resulting in a total loss of the purchase price.
Foreign Currency Exchange. Since the Funds may invest in securities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, and since the Funds may temporarily hold funds in bank deposits or other money market investments denominated in foreign currencies, the Funds may be affected favorably or unfavorably by exchange control regulations or changes in the exchange rate between such currencies and the dollar. A change in the value of a foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in the dollar value of the Fund assets denominated in that foreign currency. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates may also affect the value of dividends and interest earned, gains and losses realized on the sale of securities and net investment income and gains, if any, to be distributed to shareholders by the Funds. The rate of exchange between the U.S. dollar and other currencies is determined by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets. Changes in the exchange rate may result over time from the interaction of many factors directly or indirectly affecting economic and political conditions in the U.S. and a particular foreign country, including economic and political developments in other countries. Governmental intervention may also play a significant role. National governments rarely voluntarily allow their currencies to float freely in response to economic forces. Sovereign governments use a variety of techniques, such as intervention by a country’s central bank or imposition of regulatory controls or taxes, to affect the exchange rates of their currencies. The Funds may use hedging techniques with the objective of protecting against loss through the fluctuation of the value of foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar, particularly the forward market in foreign exchange, currency options and currency futures.
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Equity Securities.
Common Stocks. The Funds may invest in common stocks, which are shares of a corporation or other entity that entitle the holder to a pro rata share of the profits of the entity, if any, without preference over any other shareholder or class of shareholders, including holders of the entity's preferred stock and other senior equity. Common stock usually carries with it the right to vote and frequently an exclusive right to do so. The Funds may invest in common stocks and other securities issued by medium capitalization, small capitalization and micro capitalization companies and companies with capitalization smaller than the Russell 2000® Index. 
Investments in securities of medium capitalization companies are subject to the risks of common stocks. However, investments in medium capitalization companies may involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. Securities of such issuers may be thinly traded, and thus, difficult to buy and sell in the market. These companies often have narrower markets, more limited operating or business history, more limited product lines, and more limited managerial or financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure and bankruptcy, which could increase the volatility of a Fund's portfolio.
Investments in securities of small capitalization companies are subject to the risks of common stocks, including the risks of investing in securities of medium capitalization companies. However, investments in small capitalization companies may involve greater risks, as, generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks.
Investments in securities of micro capitalization companies and companies with capitalizations smaller than the Russell 2000® Index are subject to the risks of common stocks, including the risks of investing in securities of medium and small capitalization companies. However, investments in such companies may involve greater risks, as, generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks. In addition, micro capitalization companies and companies with capitalization smaller than the Russell 2000® Index may be newly formed with more limited track records and less publicly available information.
Preferred Stocks. The Funds may invest in preferred stocks, which are shares of a corporation or other entity that pay dividends at a specified rate and have precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. If the corporation or other entity is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of preferred stock will have precedence over the claims of owners of common stock, but not over the claims of owners of bonds. Some preferred stock dividends are non-cumulative, but some are “cumulative,” meaning that they require that all or a portion of prior unpaid dividends be paid to preferred stockholders before any dividends are paid to common stockholders. Certain preferred stock dividends are “participating” and include an entitlement to a dividend exceeding the specified dividend rate in certain cases. Investments in preferred stocks carry many of the same risks as investments in common stocks and debt securities, as well as the risk that interest rates will rise and make the fixed dividend feature, if any, less appealing to investors resulting in a decline in price. Preferred stock does not usually have voting rights. The absence of voting rights may result in approval by the holders of the common stock of a corporate action to restructure a company for the benefit of the holders of the common stock to the detriment of the holders of the preferred stocks.
Initial Public Offering Stocks. The Funds may invest in initial public offering (“IPO”) stocks. Investments in IPO stocks expose a Fund to the risks associated with companies that have little operating history as public companies, as well as to the risks inherent in those sectors of the market where these new issuers operate. Although investments in IPO stocks may have had a positive impact on a Fund’s performance in the past, there can be no assurance that a Fund will identify favorable IPO investment opportunities in the future. The purchase of IPO stock may involve high transaction costs. IPO stocks are also subject to liquidity risk.
Convertible Securities. The Funds may invest in convertible securities, which entitle the holder to acquire the issuer’s common stock by exchange or purchase for a predetermined rate. Convertible securities can be bonds, notes, debentures, preferred stock or other securities which are convertible into common stock. Convertible securities are subject both to the credit and interest rate risks associated with fixed income securities and to the stock market risk associated with equity securities. Convertible securities rank senior to common stocks in a corporation's capital structure. They are consequently of higher quality and entail less risk than the corporation's common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. The Funds may purchase convertible securities rated Ba or lower by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”), BB or lower by Standard & Poor's Ratings Group (“S&P”) or BB+ or lower by Fitch Investors Services, Inc. (“Fitch”) and may also purchase non-rated securities considered to be of comparable quality. Although these securities are selected primarily on the basis of their equity characteristics, investors should be aware that debt securities rated in these categories are considered high
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risk securities; the rating agencies consider them speculative, and payment of interest and principal is not considered well assured. To the extent that such convertible securities are acquired by the Funds, there is a greater risk as to the timely payment of the principal of, and timely payment of interest or dividends on, such securities than in the case of higher rated convertible securities.
The Funds may invest in contingent convertible securities. Unlike traditional convertible securities, contingent convertible securities generally provide for mandatory conversion into common stock of the issuer under certain circumstances. The mandatory conversion might be automatically triggered, for instance, if a company fails to meet the minimum amount of capital described in the security, the company's regulator makes a determination that the security should convert or the company receives specified levels of extraordinary public support. Since the common stock of the issuer may not pay a dividend, a Fund could experience a reduced income rate, potentially to zero. Conversion would deepen the subordination of a Fund, hence worsening the Fund’s standing in the case of an issuer’s insolvency. In addition, some contingent convertible securities have a set stock conversion rate that would cause a reduction in value of the security if the price of the stock is below the conversion price on the conversion date. Under certain circumstances, contingent convertible securities may be subject to an automatic write-down of the principal amount or value of the securities, sometimes to zero and thereby cancelling the securities. If such an event occurs, a Fund could lose the entire value of its investment in the securities even if the issuer remains in business and may not have any rights to repayment of the principal amount of the securities that has not become due.
Rights and Warrants. The Funds may invest in rights and warrants. Rights and warrants are instruments which entitle the holder to buy an equity security at a specific price for a specific period of time. Rights are similar to warrants but typically have shorter durations and are offered to current stockholders of the issuer. Changes in the value of a right or a warrant do not necessarily correspond to changes in the value of its underlying security. The price of a right or a warrant may be more volatile than the price of its underlying security, and a right or a warrant may offer greater potential for capital loss.
Real Estate Securities. The Funds may invest in real estate securities.  Just as real estate values go up and down, the value of the securities of real estate companies in which a Fund invests also fluctuates. A Fund that invests in real estate securities is also indirectly subject to the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate. Additional risks include declines in the value of real estate, changes in general and local economic and real estate market conditions, changes in debt financing availability and terms, increases in property taxes or other operating expenses, environmental damage and changes in tax laws and interest rates. The value of securities of companies that service the real estate industry may also be affected by such risks.
Real Estate Investment Trusts or “REITs.” The Funds may invest in REITs. REITs are characterized as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs. An equity REIT invests primarily in the fee ownership or leasehold ownership of land and buildings and derives its income primarily from rental income. An equity REIT may also realize capital gains (or losses) by selling real estate properties in its portfolio that have appreciated (or depreciated) in value. A mortgage REIT invests primarily in mortgages on real estate, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans. A mortgage REIT generally derives its income primarily from interest payments on the credit it has extended. A hybrid REIT combines the characteristics of equity REITs and mortgage REITs, generally by holding both ownership interests and mortgage interests in real estate.
A Fund's investments in REITs are subject to the risks associated with particular properties and with the real estate market in general, including the risks of a general downturn in real estate values. Mortgage REITs may be affected by the creditworthiness of the borrower. The value of securities issued by REITs is affected by tax and regulatory requirements and by perceptions of management skill. A Fund's investments in REITs is also subject to changes in availability of debt financing, heavy cash flow dependency, tenant defaults, self-liquidation, and, for U.S. REITs, the possibility of failing to qualify for the exemption from tax for distributed income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) or failing to maintain exemption from the 1940 Act. By investing in REITs indirectly through a Fund, a shareholder will bear expenses of the REITs in addition to expenses of the Fund.
Depositary Receipts. The Funds may hold securities of foreign issuers in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) and European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), or other securities convertible into securities of eligible non-U.S. issuers. These securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the securities for which they may be exchanged. ADRs and ADSs typically are issued by an American bank or trust company and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs, which are sometimes referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts, are issued in Europe typically by foreign banks and trust companies and evidence ownership of either foreign or domestic securities. Generally, ADRs and ADSs in registered form are designed for use in United States securities markets and EDRs in bearer form are designed for use in European securities
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markets. GDRs allow companies in Europe, Asia, the United States and Latin America to offer shares in many markets around the world. GDRs are traded on major stock exchanges, particularly the London SEAQ International trading system. For purposes of a Fund’s investment policies, the Fund’s investments in ADRs, ADSs, GDRs and EDRs will be deemed to be investments in the equity securities representing securities of foreign issuers into which they may be converted.
ADR facilities may be established as either “unsponsored” or “sponsored.” While ADRs issued under these two types of facilities are in some respects similar, there are distinctions between them relating to the rights and obligations of ADR holders and the practices of market participants. A depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by (or even necessarily the acquiescence of) the issuer of the deposited securities, although typically the depositary requests a letter of non-objection from such issuer prior to the establishment of the facility. Holders of unsponsored ADRs generally bear all the costs of such facilities. The depositary usually charges fees upon the deposit and withdrawal of the deposited securities, the conversion of dividends into U.S. dollars, the disposition of non-cash distributions, and the performance of other services. The depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited securities or to pass through voting rights to ADR holders with respect to the deposited securities. Sponsored ADR facilities are created in generally the same manner as unsponsored facilities, except that the issuer of the deposited securities enters into a deposit agreement with the depositary. The deposit agreement sets out the rights and responsibilities of the issuer, the depositary and the ADR holders. With sponsored facilities, the issuer of the deposited securities generally will bear some of the costs relating to the facility (such as dividend payment fees of the depositary), although ADR holders continue to bear certain other costs (such as deposit and withdrawal fees). Under the terms of most sponsored arrangements, depositories agree to distribute notices of shareholder meetings and voting instructions, and to provide shareholder communications and other information to the ADR holders at the request of the issuer of the deposited securities. Unsponsored depositary receipts tend to trade over the counter, and are issued without the involvement of the underlying non-U.S. company whose stock underlies the depositary receipts. Shareholder benefits, voting rights and other attached rights may not be extended to the holder of an unsponsored depositary receipt. The Funds may invest in sponsored and unsponsored ADRs.
Depositary receipts have the same currency and economic risks as the underlying shares they represent. They are affected by the risks associated with the underlying non-U.S. securities, such as changes in political or economic conditions of other countries and changes in the exchange rates of foreign currencies. The value of depositary receipts will rise and fall in response to the activities of the company that issued the securities represented by the depositary receipts, general market conditions and/or economic conditions. Also, if there is a rise in demand for the underlying security and it becomes less available to the market, the price of the depositary receipt may rise, causing a Fund to pay a premium in order to obtain the desired depositary receipt. Conversely, changes in foreign market conditions or access to the underlying securities could result in a decline in the value of the depositary receipt.
“Special Situation” Companies. The Funds may invest in “special situation companies.” “Special situation companies” are companies involved in an actual or prospective acquisition or consolidation; reorganization; recapitalization; merger, liquidation or distribution of cash, securities or other assets; a tender or exchange offer; a breakup or workout of a holding company; or litigation which, if resolved favorably, would improve the value of the company’s stock. If the actual or prospective situation does not materialize as anticipated, the market price of the securities of a “special situation company” may decline significantly. The Funds believe, however, that if RIM or a money manager analyzes “special situation companies” carefully and invests in the securities of these companies at the appropriate time, it may assist the Funds in achieving their investment objectives. There can be no assurance, however, that a special situation that exists at the time of its investment will be consummated under the terms and within the time period contemplated.
Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”). The Funds may invest in MLPs. An MLP is a publicly traded limited partnership. Holders of MLP units have limited control on matters affecting the partnership. An investment in MLP units involves some risks that differ from an investment in the common stock of a corporation. Investing in MLPs involves certain risks related to investing in the underlying assets of the MLPs and risks associated with pooled investment vehicles. MLPs that concentrate in a particular industry or a particular geographic region are subject to risks associated with such industry or region. The benefit derived from a Fund's investment in MLPs is largely dependent on the MLPs being treated as partnerships for federal income tax purposes. Any return of capital distributions received from an MLP equity security may require a Fund to restate the character of distributions made by the Fund as well as amend any previously issued shareholder tax reporting information.
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Other Financial Instruments Including Derivatives.
Options, Futures and Other Financial Instruments. The Funds may use various types of financial instruments, some of which are derivatives, to attempt to manage the risk of the Funds' investments or for investment purposes (e.g., as a substitute for investing in securities). These financial instruments include, but are not limited to, options and futures, forward contracts. Derivatives may be used to take long or short positions.  Positions in these financial instruments may expose a Fund to an obligation to another party.
Derivatives are generally subject to a number of risks such as leverage risk, liquidity risk, market risk, credit risk, default risk, counterparty risk, management risk, operational risk and legal risk. Certain of these risks do not apply to derivative instruments entered into for hedging or cash equitization, certain cleared derivative instruments, and written options contracts. Derivatives 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.
Options and Futures. The Funds may purchase and sell (write) both call and put options on securities, securities indexes, foreign currencies and other assets, and purchase and sell interest rate, foreign currency, index and other types of futures contracts and purchase and write options on such futures contracts for hedging purposes or to effect investment transactions consistent with a Fund's investment objective and strategies. If other types of options, futures contracts, or options on futures contracts are traded in the future, the Funds may also use those instruments, provided that their use is consistent with the Funds' investment objectives, and provided that their use is consistent with restrictions applicable to options and futures contracts currently eligible for use by the Funds.
Options on Securities and Indexes. Each Fund may purchase and write both call and put options on securities and securities indexes in standardized contracts traded on foreign or national securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, or quoted on Nasdaq or on a regulated foreign or national over-the-counter market, and agreements, sometimes called cash puts, which may accompany the purchase of a new issue of bonds from a dealer.
Exchange-listed options are issued by a regulated intermediary, such as the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”), which guarantees the performance of the obligations of the parties to such options. This discussion uses the OCC as an example but is also applicable to other financial intermediaries. With certain exceptions, OCC-issued and exchange-listed options generally settle by physical delivery of the underlying security or currency, although cash settlements may sometimes be available. Index options and Eurodollar instruments are cash settled for the net amount, if any, by which the option is “in-the-money” (i.e., where the value of the underlying instruments exceeds, in the case of a call option, or is less than, in the case of a put option, the strike price of the option) at the time the option is exercised. Frequently, rather than taking or making delivery of the underlying instrument through the process of exercising the option, listed options are closed by entering into offsetting purchase or sale transactions that do not result in ownership of the new option.
A Fund's ability to close out its position as a purchaser or seller of an OCC or exchange-listed put or call option is dependent, in part, upon the liquidity of the option market. If one or more exchanges decide to discontinue the trading of an option (or a particular class or series of an option), the relevant market for that option on that exchange would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange would generally continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
Over-the-counter options (“OTC Options”) are purchased from or sold to securities dealers, financial institutions or other parties (“Counterparties”) through a direct bilateral agreement with the Counterparty. In contrast to exchange-listed options, which generally have standardized terms and performance mechanics, all the terms of an OTC Option, including such terms as method of settlement, term, exercise price, premium, guarantees and security, are set by negotiation of the parties.
Certain OTC Options will eventually be exchange-traded and cleared. Although these changes are expected to decrease the counterparty risk involved in bi-laterally negotiated contracts, exchange-trading and clearing would not make the contracts risk-free. Where OTC Options remain uncleared, if the Counterparty fails to make or take delivery of the security, currency or other instrument underlying an OTC Option it has entered into with a Fund or fails to make a cash settlement payment due in accordance with the terms of that option, the Fund will lose any anticipated benefits of the transaction. Accordingly, the creditworthiness of each such Counterparty or any guarantor or credit enhancement of the Counterparty’s credit must be assessed to determine the likelihood that the terms of the OTC Option will be satisfied. A Fund will engage in OTC Option transactions only with U.S. Government securities dealers recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as “primary dealers” or broker/dealers, domestic or foreign banks or other financial institutions that have received (or the guarantors or the obligations of which have received) a minimum long-term Counterparty credit rating, including reassignments, of BBB- or better as defined by S&P or an equivalent rating from any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (using highest of split ratings) or determined to be of equivalent credit.
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An option on a security (or securities index) is a contract that gives the purchaser of the option, in return for a premium, the right (but not the obligation) to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the security underlying the option at a specified exercise price at any time during the option period or on a specified date or dates, for certain types of options. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option, to deliver the underlying security upon payment of the exercise price (in the case of a call), or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security (in the case of a put). Upon exercise, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier (established by the exchange upon which the stock index is traded) for the index option. (An index is designed to reflect specified facets of a particular financial or securities market, a specified group of financial instruments or securities, or certain economic indicators.) Options on securities indexes are similar to options on specific securities except that settlement is in cash and gains and losses depend on price movements in the stock market generally (or in a particular industry or segment of the market), rather than price movements in a specific security.
A Fund may purchase a call option on securities to protect against substantial increases in prices of securities the Fund intends to purchase pending its ability or desire to purchase such securities in an orderly manner or as a cost-efficient alternative to acquiring the securities for which the option is intended to serve as a proxy. A Fund may purchase a put option on securities to protect holdings in an underlying or related security against a substantial decline in market value. Securities are considered related if their price movements generally correlate positively to one another.
A Fund will write call and put options only if they are “covered.” In the case of written call options that are not legally required to cash settle, the option is “covered” if the Fund (a) owns the security underlying the call or purchases a call option on the same security or index where the purchased call is scheduled to settle before or at the same time as the call written (i) with a strike price no greater than the strike price of the call option sold or (ii) if the strike price is greater, the Fund segregates liquid assets at least equal to the difference in value or (b) has segregated liquid assets at least equal in value to the market value of the underlying security or index, less any margin on deposit. A written put option that is not legally required to cash settle is “covered” if the Fund (a) sells the underlying security short at a price at least equal to the strike price where the short sale is scheduled to settle before or at the same time as the written put option is written or (b) holds a put on the same security or index where the put held is scheduled to settle before or at the same time as the put written, and where the exercise price of the put held is (i) equal to or greater than the strike price of the put written, or (ii) less than the strike price of the put written, provided the difference is maintained by the Fund in liquid segregated assets. Written call and put options that are legally required to cash settle are covered if the Fund segregates liquid assets in an amount at least equal in value to the Fund's daily marked-to-market obligation, if any, less any margins on deposit.
If an option written by a Fund expires out of the money, the Fund realizes a capital gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. If an option purchased by a Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital loss (long- or short-term depending on whether the Fund's holding period for the option is greater than one year) equal to the premium paid.
Prior to the earlier of exercise or expiration, as noted above, an option may generally be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series (type, exchange, underlying security or index, exercise price and expiration).
A Fund will realize a capital gain from a closing transaction on an option it has written if the cost of closing the option is less than the premium received from writing the option. If the cost of closing the option is more than the premium received from writing the option, the Fund will realize a capital loss. If the premium received from a closing sale transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, the Fund will realize a capital gain. If the premium received from a closing sale transaction is less than the premium paid to purchase the option, the Fund will realize a capital loss. With respect to closing transactions on purchased options, the capital gain or loss realized will be short- or long-term depending on the holding period of the option closed out. The principal factors affecting the market value of a put or a call option include supply and demand, interest rates, the current market price of the underlying security or index in relation to the exercise price of the option, the volatility of the underlying security or index, and the time remaining until the expiration date.
The premium paid for a put or call option purchased by a Fund is an asset of the Fund. The premium received for an option written by a Fund is recorded as a liability. The value of an option purchased or written is marked-to-market daily and is valued at the closing price on the exchange on which it is traded or, if not traded on an exchange or no closing price is available, at the last bid.
Risks Associated With Options On Securities and Indexes. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and on indexes. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events.
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If a put or call option purchased by a Fund is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security or index, in the case of a put, upon expiration, remains equal to or greater than the exercise price or, in the case of a call, remains less than or equal to the exercise price, the Fund will lose its entire investment (i.e., the premium paid) on the option. When a Fund writes an option on a security or index, movements in the price of the underlying security or value of the index may result in a loss to the Fund. Also, where a put or call option on a particular security is purchased to hedge against price movements in a related security, the price of the put or call option may move more or less than the price of the related security.
There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist if a Fund seeks to close out an option position. If a Fund were unable to close out an option that it had purchased on a security, it would have to exercise the option in order to realize any profit or the option may expire worthless. If a Fund were unable to close out a covered call option that it had written on a security, it would not be able to sell the underlying security unless the option expired without exercise.
As the writer of a covered call option (i.e., where a Fund holds the security underlying the option), a Fund forgoes, during the option’s life, the opportunity to profit from increases in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise price, but, as long as its obligation as a writer continues, has retained a risk of loss should the price of the underlying security increase above the exercise price. It also retains a risk of loss on the underlying security should the price of the underlying security decrease. Where a Fund writes a put option, it is exposed during the term of the option to a decline in the price of the underlying security.
If trading were suspended in an option purchased by a Fund, the Fund would not be able to close out the option. If restrictions on exercise were imposed, the Fund might be unable to exercise an option it has purchased. Except to the extent that a call option on an index written by the Fund is covered by an option on the same index purchased by the Fund, movements in the index may result in a loss to the Fund; however, such losses may be mitigated by changes in the value of the Fund's securities during the period the option was outstanding.
Options on Foreign Currency. A Fund may buy and sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the over-the-counter market for the purpose of hedging against changes in future currency exchange rates or to effect investment transactions consistent with a Fund's investment objectives and strategies. Call options convey the right to buy the underlying currency at a price which is expected to be lower than the spot price of the currency at the time the option expires. Put options convey the right to sell the underlying currency at a price which is anticipated to be higher than the spot price of the currency at the time the option expires. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits, which may limit the ability of a Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options. OTC Options differ from traded options in that they are two-party contracts with price and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-traded options.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A Fund may invest in interest rate futures contracts, foreign currency futures contracts, Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) futures or stock index futures contracts, and options thereon that are traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange or board of trade or over-the-counter. A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified quantity of financial instruments (such as GNMA certificates or Treasury bonds) or foreign currency at a specified price at a future date. A futures contract on an index (such as the S&P 500®) is an exchange-traded contract to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of the index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract was originally written. In the case of futures contracts traded on U.S. exchanges, the exchange itself or an affiliated clearing corporation assumes the opposite side of each transaction (i.e., as buyer or seller). A futures contract may be satisfied or closed out by delivery or purchase, as the case may be, of the financial instrument or by payment of the change in the cash value of the index. Although the value of an index may be a function of the value of certain specified securities, no delivery of these securities is made. A public market exists in futures contracts covering several indexes as well as a number of financial instruments and foreign currencies, for example: the S&P 500®; the Russell 2000®; Nikkei 225; CAC-40; FTSE 100; the NYSE composite; U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; GNMA Certificates; three-month U.S. Treasury bills; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian Dollar; the Canadian Dollar; the British Pound; the Swiss Franc; the Mexican Peso and certain multinational currencies, such as the Euro. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future. SOFR futures are typically dollar-denominated futures contracts or options on those contracts that are linked to SOFR, which is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by Treasury securities. In addition, foreign currency denominated instruments are available from time to time. SOFR futures contracts enable purchasers to obtain a fixed rate for the lending of funds and sellers to obtain a fixed rate for borrowings. A Fund might use SOFR futures contracts and options thereon to hedge against changes in SOFR, to which many interest rate swaps and fixed income instruments are linked.
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A Fund may use futures contracts for both hedging purposes and to effect investment transactions consistent with its investment objective and strategies. For example, a Fund might use futures contracts to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates that might adversely affect either the value of the Fund's securities or the price of the securities which the Fund intends to purchase. In addition, a Fund may use futures contracts to create equity exposure for its cash or, conversely, to reduce market exposure. See “Cash and Being Fully Invested” and “Hedging Strategies” for a fuller description of these strategies.
Frequently, using futures to affect a particular strategy instead of using the underlying or related security or index will result in lower transaction costs being incurred.
A Fund may also purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts. Options on futures contracts possess many of the same characteristics as options on securities and indexes (discussed above). A futures option gives the holder the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a long position (in the case of a call) or short position (in the case of a put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. In the case of a put option, the opposite is true. An option on a futures contract may be closed out (before exercise or expiration) by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option on a futures contract of the same series.
There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when a Fund seeks to close out a futures contract or an option position. Most futures exchanges and boards of trade limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single day. Once the daily limit has been reached on a particular contract, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond that limit. In addition, certain of these instruments are relatively new and without a significant trading history. As a result, there is no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or continue to exist. Lack of a liquid market for any reason may prevent a Fund from liquidating an unfavorable position and the Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed.
When a purchase or sale of a futures contract is made by a Fund, the Fund is required to deposit with the broker a specified amount of cash or U.S. government securities (“initial margin”). The initial margin required for a futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and, in certain cases, by the Fund's futures commission merchant (“FCM”). The required initial margin may be modified during the term of the contract including, among other reasons, as a result of periods of significant market volatility which affect the value of the initial margin deposited. Such requirements to deposit or maintain additional margin may be imposed at times when a Fund is unable to, or would face potential challenges in, meeting the additional margin requirement. Under these circumstances, a Fund could be required to, among other actions, reduce the Fund's exposure(s) giving rise to the additional margin requirement, sell or otherwise transfer other investments of the Fund to raise cash to satisfy the additional margin requirement, and/or hold cash on an ongoing basis – potentially at a disadvantageous time to the Fund – to satisfy the additional margin requirement. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract which is returned to the Fund upon termination of the contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Each Fund expects to earn interest income on its initial margin deposits.
A futures contract held by a Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day the Fund pays or receives cash, called “variation margin,” equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as “marking-to-market.” Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a Fund, but is instead a settlement between the Fund and the FCM of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. In computing daily net asset value, each Fund will mark-to-market its open futures positions.
A Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option, and other futures positions held by the Fund.
Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying securities or other assets, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (same exchange, underlying security or index, and delivery month). If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations. In the case of transactions, if any, involving certain regulated futures contracts,
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any gain or loss arising from the lapse, closing out or exercise of such positions generally will be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. In addition, at the close of each taxable year, such positions generally will be marked-to-market (i.e., treated as sold for fair market value), and any resulting gain or loss will be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss.
Limitations on Use of Futures and Options on Futures Contracts. A Fund will only enter into futures contracts or options on futures contracts which are standardized and traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange, board of trade or similar entity, or quoted on an automated quotation system.
The Funds are limited in entering into futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swaps to positions which constitute “bona fide hedging” positions within the meaning and intent of applicable CFTC rules and, with respect to positions for non-“bona fide hedging” purposes, to positions for which (a) the aggregate initial margins and premiums required to establish non-hedging positions in futures and options on futures when aggregated with the independent amounts required to establish non-hedging positions in swaps, less the amount by which any such options are “in-the-money,” do not exceed 5% of the Fund's net assets after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on those positions or (b) the aggregate net notional value of such instruments does not exceed 100% of the Fund's net assets, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on those positions. 
Risks Associated with Futures and Options on Futures Contracts. There are several risks associated with the use of futures and options on futures contracts as hedging techniques. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in the hedging vehicle and in the portfolio securities being hedged. In addition, there are significant differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given hedge not to achieve its objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and options on futures contracts on securities, including technical influences in futures trading and options on futures contracts, and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities and creditworthiness of issuers. An incorrect correlation could result in a loss on both the hedged securities in a Fund and the hedging vehicle so that the portfolio return might have been greater had hedging not been attempted. A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected interest rate or other trends.
Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day's settlement price at the end of the current trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. As a result, there can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when a Fund seeks to close out a futures contract or a futures option position. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.
In addition, certain of these instruments are relatively new and without a significant trading history. As a result, there is no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or continue to exist. Lack of a liquid market for any reason may prevent a Fund from liquidating an unfavorable position and the Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed.
Foreign Currency Futures Contracts. The Funds are also permitted to enter into foreign currency futures contracts in accordance with their investment objectives and as limited by the procedures outlined above.
A foreign currency futures contract is an exchange-traded contract pursuant to which a party makes or accepts delivery of a specified type of currency at a specified price. Although such futures contracts by their terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of currency, in most cases the contracts are closed out before the settlement date without the making or taking of delivery.
The Funds may sell a foreign currency futures contract to hedge against possible variations in the exchange rate of the foreign currency in relation to the U.S. dollar or other currencies or to effect investment transactions consistent with the Funds' investment objectives and strategies. When a manager anticipates a significant change in a foreign exchange rate while intending to invest in a foreign security, a Fund may purchase a foreign currency futures contract to hedge against a rise in foreign exchange rates pending completion of the anticipated transaction or as a means to gain portfolio exposure to that currency. Such a purchase would serve as a temporary measure to protect the Fund against any rise in the foreign exchange
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rate which may add additional costs to acquiring the foreign security position. The Funds may also purchase call or put options on foreign currency futures contracts to obtain a fixed foreign exchange rate. The Funds may purchase a call option or write a put option on a foreign exchange futures contract to hedge against a decline in the foreign exchange rates or the value of its foreign securities. The Funds may write a call option or purchase a put option on a foreign currency futures contract as a partial hedge against the effects of declining foreign exchange rates on the value of foreign securities or as a means to gain portfolio exposure to a currency.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Transactions (“Forward Currency Contracts”). The Funds may engage in forward currency contracts to hedge against uncertainty in the level of future exchange rates or to effect investment transactions consistent with the Funds' investment objectives and strategies. The Funds will conduct their forward foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market, or through entering into forward currency exchange contracts to purchase or sell currency at a future date. A forward currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency on a specific date in the future. For example, a forward currency contract may require a Fund to exchange a certain amount of U.S. dollars for a certain amount of Japanese Yen at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward currency contracts are (a) traded in an interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (typically, commercial banks or other financial institutions) and their customers, (b) often have deposit or initial margin requirements and (c) are consummated without payment of any commissions. The Funds may engage in forward contracts that involve transacting in a currency whose changes in value are considered to be linked (a proxy) to a currency or currencies in which some or all of the Funds' portfolio securities are or are expected to be denominated. A Fund's dealings in forward contracts may involve hedging involving either specific transactions or portfolio positions or taking a position in a foreign currency. Transaction hedging is the purchase or sale of foreign currency with respect to specific receivables or payables of a Fund generally accruing in connection with the purchase or sale of its portfolio securities. Position hedging is the sale of foreign currency with respect to portfolio security positions denominated or quoted in the currency. The Funds may enter into a forward currency contract to purchase a currency other than that held in the Funds' portfolios. Forward currency transactions may be made from any foreign currency into U.S. dollars or into other appropriate currencies.
At or before the maturity of a forward foreign currency contract, a Fund may either sell a portfolio security and make delivery of the currency, or retain the security and offset its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by purchasing a second contract pursuant to which the Fund will obtain, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the currency which it is obligated to deliver. If a Fund retains the portfolio security and engages in an offsetting transaction, the Fund, at the time of execution of the offsetting transaction, will incur a gain or a loss to the extent that movement has occurred in forward currency contract prices. Should forward prices decline during the period between the Fund's entering into a forward contract for the sale of a currency and the date that it enters into an offsetting contract for the purchase of the currency, the Fund will realize a gain to the extent that the price of the currency that it has agreed to sell exceeds the price of the currency that it has agreed to purchase. Should forward prices increase, the Fund will suffer a loss to the extent that the price of the currency it has agreed to purchase exceeds the price of the currency that it has agreed to sell.
Upon maturity of a forward currency contract, a Fund may (a) pay for and receive, or deliver and be paid for, the underlying currency, (b) negotiate with the dealer to roll over the contract into a new forward currency contract with a new future settlement date or (c) negotiate with the dealer to terminate the forward contract by entering into an offset with the currency trader whereby the parties agree to pay for and receive the difference between the exchange rate fixed in the contract and the then-current exchange rate. A Fund also may be able to negotiate such an offset prior to maturity of the original forward contract. There can be no assurance that new forward contracts or offsets will be available to the Funds.
The cost to a Fund of engaging in currency transactions varies with factors such as the currency involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Because transactions in currency exchange are usually conducted on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are typically involved. The use of a forward foreign currency contract does not eliminate fluctuations in the price of the underlying securities, but it does establish a rate of exchange that can be achieved in the future. In addition, although forward foreign currency contracts limit the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of a hedged currency, at the same time, they limit any potential gain that might result should the value of the currency increase.
If a devaluation is generally anticipated, a Fund may be able to contract to sell the currency at a price above the devaluation level that it anticipates. A Fund will not enter into a currency transaction if, as a result, it will fail to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Code for a given year.
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Many foreign currency forwards will eventually be exchange-traded and cleared as discussed further below. Although these changes are expected to decrease the counterparty risk associated with bi-laterally negotiated contracts, exchange-trading and clearing would not make the contracts risk-free. In the forward foreign currency market, there are no daily price fluctuation limits, and adverse market movements could therefore continue to an unlimited extent over a period of time. Moreover, as with foreign currency futures contracts, a trader of forward contracts could lose amounts substantially in excess of its initial investments, due to the collateral requirements associated with such positions.
The market for forward currency contracts may be limited with respect to certain currencies. These factors will restrict a Fund's ability to hedge against the risk of devaluation of currencies in which the Fund holds securities and are unrelated to the qualitative rating that may be assigned to any particular portfolio security. Where available, the successful use of forward currency contracts draws upon special skills and experience with respect to such instruments and usually depends on the ability to forecast interest rate and currency exchange rate movements correctly. Should interest or exchange rates move in an unexpected manner, a Fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of forward currency contracts or may realize losses and thus be in a worse position than if such strategies had not been used. In addition, the correlation between movements in the prices of such instruments and movements in the price of the securities and currencies hedged or used for cover will not be perfect. In the case of proxy hedging, there is also a risk that the perceived linkage between various currencies may not be present or may not be present during the particular time a Fund is engaged in that strategy.
A Fund's ability to dispose of its positions in forward currency contracts will depend on the availability of active markets in such instruments. It is impossible to predict the amount of trading interest that may exist in various types of forward currency contracts. Forward currency contracts may be closed out only by the parties entering into an offsetting contract. Therefore, no assurance can be given that the Fund will be able to utilize these instruments effectively for the purposes set forth above. Many foreign currency forward contracts will eventually be exchange-traded and cleared. Although these changes are expected to decrease the credit risk associated with bi-laterally negotiated contracts, exchange-trading and clearing would not make the contracts risk-free.
Additional Risks of Options on Securities, Futures Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts, and Forward Currency Contracts and Options Thereon Traded on Foreign Exchanges. Options on securities, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward currency contracts and options on currencies may be traded on foreign exchanges. Such transactions may not be regulated as effectively as similar transactions in the United States, may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees, and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign securities. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by (1) other complex foreign, political, legal and economic factors; (2) lesser availability of data on which to make trading decisions than in the United States; (3) delays in a Fund's ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States; (4) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States and (5) lesser trading volume.
SEC Regulatory Matters. The SEC rule related to the use of derivatives, reverse repurchase agreements and certain other transactions by registered investment companies requires that the Funds trade derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations subject to a value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit and certain derivatives risk management program and reporting requirements. Generally, these requirements apply unless a Fund qualifies as a “limited derivatives user,” as defined in the rule. Under the rule, when a Fund trades reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions, including certain tender option bonds, it needs to aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness when calculating the Fund’s asset coverage ratio or treat all such transactions as derivatives transactions. Reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions aggregated with other indebtedness do not need to be included in the calculation of whether a Fund is a limited derivatives user, but for Funds subject to the VaR testing, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions must be included for purposes of such testing whether treated as derivatives transactions or not. The SEC also provided guidance in connection with the rule regarding use of securities lending collateral that may limit the Funds' securities lending activities. In addition, under the rule, a Fund is permitted to invest in a security on a when-issued or forward-settling basis, or with a non-standard settlement cycle, and the transaction will be deemed not to involve a senior security under the 1940 Act, provided that (i) the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction and (ii) the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date (the “Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision”). A Fund may otherwise engage in such transactions that do not meet the conditions of the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision so long as the Fund treats any such transaction as a “derivatives transaction” for purposes of compliance with the rule. Furthermore, under the rule, a Fund will be permitted to enter into an unfunded commitment agreement, and such unfunded commitment agreement will not be subject to the asset coverage requirements under the 1940 Act, if the Fund reasonably believes, at the time it enters into such agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all such agreements as they come due.
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Inflation. A Fund's investments are subject to inflation risk, which is the risk that the intrinsic value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the purchasing power and value of money (i.e., as inflation increases, the values of a Fund's assets can decline as can the value of the Fund’s distributions).
Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly as a result of various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in monetary or economic policies (or expectations that these policies may change). Therefore, the income generated by debt securities may not keep pace with inflation. The market price of debt securities generally falls as inflation increases because the purchasing power of the future income and repaid principal is expected to be worth less when received by a Fund. The risk of inflation is greater for debt instruments with longer maturities and especially those that pay a fixed rather than variable interest rate. Additionally, actions by governments and central banking authorities can result in changes in interest rates. Periods of higher inflation could cause such authorities to raise interest rates, and vice versa, which may adversely affect a Fund and its investments.
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Taxes
Tax Information for All Funds.
The following is only a summary of certain additional federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Trust, the Funds and their shareholders. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of the federal, state or local tax treatment of the Trust, the Funds or shareholders, and the discussion here and in each Fund’s Prospectus is not intended to be a substitute for careful tax planning.
The following general discussion of certain federal income tax consequences is based on the Code and the regulations issued thereunder as in effect on the date of this SAI. New legislation, as well as administrative changes or court decisions, may significantly change the conclusions expressed herein, and may have a retroactive effect with respect to the transactions contemplated herein.
Each Fund of the Trust is generally treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes. Thus, the provisions of the Code generally will be applied to each Fund separately, rather than to the Trust as a whole.
Distributions of Net Investment Income. Each Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and interest on its investments. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund's net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. If you are a taxable investor, any distributions by the Fund from such income (other than certain qualified dividend income, described below) will be taxable to you as ordinary income, whether you receive them in cash or in additional Shares.
If you are an individual investor, a portion of the dividends you receive from certain Funds may be treated as “qualified dividend income” which is taxable to individuals at the same rates that are applicable to long-term capital gains. A Fund’s distribution is treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that the Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met. Fund distributions generally will not qualify as qualified dividend income to the extent attributable to interest, capital gains, REIT distributions and, in many cases, distributions from non-U.S. corporations. For individual and other non-corporate taxpayers, the maximum rate applicable to qualified dividend income is 20%.
Distributions of Capital Gain. A Fund may realize a capital gain or loss in connection with sales or other dispositions of its portfolio securities. Distributions from net short-term capital gain will be taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions from net long-term capital gain will be taxable to you as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held your Shares in the Fund. Any net capital gain realized by a Fund generally will be distributed once each year, and may be distributed more frequently, if necessary, to reduce or eliminate excise or income taxes on the Fund. For individual and other non-corporate taxpayers, the maximum rate applicable to long-term capital gains is 20%.
Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from sales or other taxable dispositions of Fund Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount.
Effect of Foreign Investments on Distributions. Most foreign exchange gain realized by a Fund on the sale of debt securities is treated as ordinary income by a Fund. Similarly, foreign exchange loss realized on the sale of debt securities by a Fund generally is treated as ordinary loss. This gain when distributed will be taxable to you as ordinary income, and any loss will reduce a Fund’s ordinary income otherwise available for distribution to you. This treatment could increase or decrease a Fund’s ordinary income distributions to you, and may cause some or all of the Fund’s previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital. A return of capital generally is not taxable, but if distributed to you by a Fund, reduces your tax basis in your shares of Fund. Any return of capital in excess of your tax basis is taxable to you (if distributed to you by a Fund) as a capital gain.
Certain Funds may invest in foreign securities and may be subject to foreign withholding taxes on income from these securities. This, in turn, could reduce ordinary income distributions to you. If more than 50% of such a Fund's total assets at the end of the fiscal year is invested in foreign securities, the Fund may elect to pass through to you your pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, the year-end statement you receive from the Fund will show more taxable income than was actually distributed to you. In that case, you will be entitled either to deduct your share of these taxes in computing your taxable income or to claim a foreign tax credit for these taxes against your U.S. federal income tax (subject to limitations for certain shareholders). The Fund will provide you with the information necessary to complete your personal income tax return if it makes this election.
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Information on the Amount and Tax Character of Distributions. Each Fund will inform you of the amount of your ordinary income and capital gain dividends at the time they are paid, and will advise you of its tax status for federal income tax purposes shortly after the end of each calendar year. If you have not held Fund shares for a full year, a Fund may report and distribute to you, as ordinary income or capital gain, a percentage of income that may not be equal to the actual amount of this type of income earned during the period of your investment in the Fund. Taxable distributions declared by a Fund in October, November or December to shareholders of record in such a month but paid in January are taxable to you as if they were paid in December.
Election to be Taxed as a Regulated Investment Company. Each Fund intends to elect or has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. Each Fund that has been in existence for more than one year has qualified as a regulated investment company for its most recent fiscal year, and intends to continue to qualify during the current fiscal year. As a regulated investment company, a Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gain it distributes to you. The Board of Trustees reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of a Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders. In such a case, the Fund would be subject to federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable income and gain, and distributions to you would be taxed as ordinary dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits.
Creation Units. As a result of U.S. federal income tax requirements, the Trust on behalf of a Fund, has the right to reject an order for a creation of Shares if the creator (or group of creators) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Section 351 of the Code, the Fund would have a basis in the Deposit Securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination. See “Creations and Redemptions.”
A person who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the amount of any cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received and the amount of any cash paid for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of primarily securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities for Creation Units or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax adviser with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible and the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
Under current U.S. federal income tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon a redemption (or creation) of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund Shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the Fund Shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for one year or less.
State and Local Tax Considerations. Rules of state and local taxation of dividend and capital gains from regulated investment companies often differ from the rules for federal income taxation described above. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the consequences of these and other state and local tax rules regarding an investment in a Fund.
Excise Tax Distribution Requirements. To avoid federal excise taxes, the Code requires a Fund to distribute to you by December 31 of each year, at a minimum, the following amounts: 98% of its taxable ordinary income earned during the calendar year; 98.2% of its capital gain net income earned during the twelve-month period ending October 31; and 100% of any undistributed amounts from the prior year on which the Fund paid no federal income tax. Each Fund intends to declare and pay these distributions in December (or to pay them in January, in which case you must treat them as received in December) but can give no assurances that its distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all taxes.
Sale of Fund Shares. Sales of Fund Shares are taxable transactions for federal and state income tax purposes. If you sell your Fund Shares, the IRS will require that you report any gain or loss on your sale. If you held your Shares as a capital asset, the gain or loss that you realize will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term or short-term, generally depending on how long you held your Shares.
Sales at a Loss Within Six Months of Purchase. Any loss incurred on a sale of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributed to you by a Fund on those Shares.
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Wash Sales. All or a portion of any loss that you realize on a sale of your Fund Shares is disallowed to the extent that you buy other Shares in the Fund (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after you sell your Shares. Any loss disallowed under these rules is added to your tax basis in the new Shares.
U.S. Government Securities. The income earned on certain U.S. government securities is generally exempt from state and local personal income taxes if earned directly by you. States also grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on these securities, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by a Fund. The income on Fund investments in certain securities, such as repurchase agreements, commercial paper and federal agency-backed obligations (e.g., Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) or Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) securities), generally does not qualify for tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporations.
Dividends-Received Deduction for Corporations. If you are a corporate shareholder, a percentage of the dividends paid by certain Funds for the most recent fiscal year may have qualified for the dividends-received deduction. You may be allowed to deduct a portion of these qualified dividends, thereby reducing the tax that you would otherwise be required to pay on these dividends, if certain holding period and other requirements are met. The dividends-received deduction will be available only with respect to dividends reported by a Fund as eligible for such treatment. If a Fund’s income is derived primarily from either investments in foreign rather than domestic securities or interest rather than dividends, generally none of its distributions are expected to qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction.
Investment in Complex Securities. Certain Funds may invest in complex securities that may be subject to numerous special and complex tax rules. These rules could affect whether gain or loss recognized by the Fund is treated as ordinary or capital, or as interest or dividend income. These rules could also accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund (possibly causing the Fund to sell securities to raise the cash for necessary distributions). These rules could defer the Fund’s ability to recognize a loss, and, in limited cases, subject the Fund to U.S. federal income tax on income from certain foreign securities. These rules could, therefore, affect the amount, timing or character of the income distributed to you by the Fund.
Non-U.S. Investors. Non-U.S. investors are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax and may be subject to U.S. estate taxes, and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements. A portion of Fund distributions received by a non-U.S. investor may be exempt from U.S. withholding tax to the extent attributable to U.S. source interest income and short-term capital gains earned by a Fund if properly reported by the Fund. If a non-U.S. investor were to hold an interest of more than 5% in a Fund that were deemed to be a “U.S. real property holding company” by reason of holding significant interests (other than as a creditor) in other U.S. real property holding companies (including REITs) or “U.S. real property,” certain Fund distributions could be taxable to such investor and require the investor to file U.S. tax returns and may also be subject to withholding taxes. Non-U.S. investors holding an interest of 5% or less in such a Fund may be subject to withholding tax with respect to certain Fund distributions that are attributable to U.S. real property gains, as well as ordinary income dividends.
A Fund will be required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply or be deemed compliant with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to a Fund to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.
Backup Withholding. By law, each Fund must withhold a portion of your taxable distributions and sale proceeds unless you provide your correct social security or taxpayer identification number, certify that this number is correct, certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, and certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien) or (if applicable) certify that you are exempt from backup withholding. A Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the rate is 24%.
Tax Considerations Relating to REIT and MLP Investments. Non-corporate taxpayers generally may deduct 20% of “qualified business income” derived either directly or through partnerships or S corporations. For this purpose, “qualified business income” generally includes ordinary REIT dividends and income derived from MLP investments. A Fund may pass through to shareholders the character of ordinary REIT dividends so as to allow non-corporate shareholders to claim this deduction. There currently is no mechanism for a Fund that invests in MLPs to similarly pass through to non-corporate shareholders the character of income derived from MLP investments. It is uncertain whether future legislation or other guidance will enable the Funds to pass through to non-corporate shareholders the ability to claim this deduction with respect to income derived from MLP investments.
At September 30, 2025, the following Funds had net tax basis capital loss carryforwards which may be applied against any net realized taxable gains in each succeeding year. Available capital loss carryforwards and expiration dates are as follows: 
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No Expiration
No Expiration
 
Fund
Short Term
Long Term
TOTAL
Russell Investments
U.S. Small Cap Equity
ETF
$373,599
$0
$373,599
Russell Investments
International Developed
Equity ETF
607,265
0
607,265
Russell Investments
Global Equity ETF
439,317
0
439,317
Russell Investments
Emerging Markets
Equity ETF
226,614
0
226,614
Russell Investments
Global Infrastructure
ETF
104,612
0
104,612
 
You should consult your tax adviser about the federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences of your investment in the Funds.
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Money Manager Information
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap equity ETF
Ancora Advisors, LLC is indirectly majority-owned by Ferdinand FFP Ultimate Holdings, L.P. and indirectly minority-owned by Focus Financial Partners, Inc. Ferdinand FFP Ultimate Holdings, L.P. is owned by private fund vehicles with no fund controlling more than 10%. 
Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc., is controlled by ORIX Corporation through its controlling share ownership. ORIX Corporation is a publicly traded company.
Calamos Advisors LLC is controlled by John S. Koudounis and John P. Calamos, Sr. through their indirect controlling ownership.
Copeland Capital Management, LLC is wholly-owned by its employees and is controlled by Eric Brown through his controlling ownership of the firm’s outstanding voting securities.
DePrince, Race & Zollo, Inc. is controlled by Gregory M. DePrince, John D. Race and Victor A. Zollo through each of their controlling share ownership.
Jacobs Levy Equity Management, Inc. is owned and controlled by Bruce Jacobs and Kenneth Levy.
Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC (“Lord Abbett”) is privately held and is not publicly traded. No individual or company owns 25% or more of Lord Abbett. 
Penn Capital Management Company, LLC is owned and controlled by SGAM Advisors LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seaport Global Holdings LLC, whose controlling owners are Stephen C. Smith, Michael J. Meagher and Michael J. Meyer. 
Ranger Investment Management, L.P. is owned and controlled by Ranger Investment GP, LLC.  Ranger Investment GP, LLC is 100% employee owned and controlled by Conrad Doenges.
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF
Algert Global LLC is majority owned and controlled by Peter M. Algert and Ryan LaFond.
Intermede Investment Partners Limited and Intermede Global Partners Inc. are 57% owned by SCA Global Advisors Limited (“SCA”), 38% owned by IOOF Holdings, Ltd., a publicly traded company, and 5% employee owned.  SCA is 100% employee owned and controlled by Barry Dargan.
Pzena Investment Management, LLC is controlled by Richard S. Pzena through his indirect controlling ownership.
Wellington Management Company LLP is a limited liability partnership formed under Delaware law with no one individual controlling more than 5% of the firm.
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF
Algert Global LLC is majority owned and controlled by Peter M. Algert and Ryan LaFond.
Intermede Investment Partners Limited and Intermede Global Partners Inc. are 57% owned by SCA Global Advisors Limited (“SCA”), 38% owned by IOOF Holdings, Ltd., a publicly traded company, and 5% employee owned.  SCA is 100% employee owned and controlled by Barry Dargan.
Sanders Capital, LLC is a private firm, wholly-owned by current employees. Lew Sanders is the controlling shareholder, through his controlling share ownership.
Wellington Management Company LLP is a limited liability partnership formed under Delaware law with no one individual controlling more than 5% of the firm.
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Axiom Investors LLC is wholly-owned by Axiom Investors LP. Axiom Investors LP is 100% employee owned, with Andrew Jacobson the only individual owning more than 25%.
Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC is majority-owned and controlled by Perpetual Limited, a publicly traded company.
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Numeric Investors LLC is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Man Group plc, a publicly traded company.
Oaktree Fund Advisors, LLC is indirectly controlled by Brookfield Asset Management, a publicly traded company.
Pzena Investment Management, LLC is controlled by Richard S. Pzena through his indirect controlling ownership.
Sands Capital Management, LLC is owned and controlled by Sands Capital Management, LP. Sands Capital Management is owned by the Sands family and controlled by Frank M. Sands.
Russell Investments global infrastructure ETF
Cohen & Steers Capital Management, Inc. and Cohen & Steers UK Limited are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Cohen & Steers, Inc., a publicly traded company. Cohen & Steers Asia Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cohen & Steers Capital Management, Inc.  Cohen & Steers, Inc. is controlled by Martin Cohen and Robert H. Steers, who together have a majority ownership of its voting securities.
First Sentier Investors (Australia) IM Ltd is indirectly wholly-owned and controlled by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., a publicly traded company. 
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credit Rating definitions
MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. (MOODY’S):
Global Long-Term Rating Scale
Aaa –– Obligations rated ‘Aaa’ are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa –– Obligations rated ‘Aa’ are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A –– Obligations rated ‘A’ are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa –– Obligations rated ‘Baa’ are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba –– Obligations rated ‘Ba’ are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B –– Obligations rated ‘B’ are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa –– Obligations rated ‘Caa’ are judged to be speculative and of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca –– Obligations rated ‘Ca’ are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C –– Obligations rated ‘C’ are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.
STANDARD & POOR’S RATINGS GROUP (“S&P”):
Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
AAA –– An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA –– An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.
A –– An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.
BBB –– An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
BB, B, CCC, CC, C –– Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposure to adverse conditions.
BB –– An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
B –– An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
CCC –– An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
CC –– An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
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C –– An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.
D –– An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within the next five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or the next 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.
Plus (+) or minus (-)
The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.
NR indicates that a rating has not been assigned or is no longer assigned.
FITCH INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. (“FITCH”):
Long-Term Ratings Scales
AAA –– Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA –– Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A –– High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB –– Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
BB –– Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists that supports the servicing of financial commitments.
B –– Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.
CCC –– Substantial credit risk. Very low margin for safety. Default is a real possibility.
CC –– Very high levels of credit risk. Default of some kind appears probable.
C - Near default. A default or default-like process has begun, or for a closed funding vehicle, payment capacity is irrevocably impaired. Conditions that are indicative of a ‘C’ category rating for an issuer include:
●
the issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation;
●
the formal announcement by the issuer or their agent of a distressed debt exchange;
●
a closed financing vehicle where payment capacity is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to pay interest and/or principal in full during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default is imminent.
RD - Restricted default.
‘RD’ ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has experienced:
●
an uncured payment default or distressed debt exchange on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation, but
●
has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation, or other formal winding-up procedure, and
●
has not otherwise ceased operating.
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This would include:
●
the selective payment default on a specific class or currency of debt;
●
the uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation.
D –– Default. ‘D’ ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure or that has otherwise ceased business and debt is still outstanding.
Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.
In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agency’s opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuer’s financial obligations or local commercial practice.
Note to Long-Term Ratings:
The modifiers “+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ ratings and ratings below the ‘CCC’ category.
SECTOR SPECIFIC CREDIT RATING SERVICES
MOODY’S:
U.S. Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings
MIG Ratings
We use the MIG scale for US municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or less.
MIG-1 –– This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG-2 –– This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG-3 –– This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG –– This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
VMIG Ratings
For variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), Moody’s assigns both a long-term rating and a short-term payment obligation rating. The long-term rating addresses the issuer’s ability to meet scheduled principal and interest payments. The short-term payment obligation rating addresses the ability of the issuer or the liquidity provider to meet any purchase price payment obligation resulting from optional tenders (“on demand”) and/or mandatory tenders of the VRDO. The short-term payment obligation rating uses the VMIG scale. Transitions of VMIG ratings with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions of Prime ratings reflecting the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer’s long-term rating drops below investment grade. Please see our methodology that discusses obligations with conditional liquidity support. For VRDOs, we typically assign a VMIG rating if the frequency of the payment obligation is less than every three years. If the frequency of the payment obligation is less than three years, but the obligation is payable only with remarketing proceeds, the VMIG short-term rating is not assigned and it is denoted as “NR”. Industrial development bonds in the US where the obligor is a corporate may carry a VMIG rating that reflects Moody’s view of the relative likelihood of default and loss. In these cases, liquidity assessment is based on the liquidity of the corporate obligor.
VMIG 1 –– This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.
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VMIG 2 –– This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.
VMIG 3 –– This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.
SG –– This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural or legal protections.
S&P:
Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings
An S&P Global Ratings U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P Global Ratings’ opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P Global Ratings’ analysis will review the following considerations:
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Amortization schedule—the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and
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Source of payment—the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.
Note rating symbols are as follows:
SP-1 –– Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2 –– Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3 –– Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
D -- is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed debt restructuring, or the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions.
SHORT-TERM RATINGS
MOODY’S:
P-1 –– Ratings of Prime-1 reflect a superior ability to repay short-term obligations.
P-2 –– Ratings of Prime-2 reflect a strong ability to repay short-term obligations.
P-3 –– Ratings of Prime-3 reflect an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP –– Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
S&P:
A-1 ––  A short-term obligation rated “A–1” is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2 –– A short-term obligation rated “A–2” is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3 –– A short-term obligation rated “A–3” exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken an obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B –– A short-term obligation rated “B” is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
C –– A short-term obligation rated “C” is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
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D –– A short-term obligation rated “D” is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.
FITCH:
F1 –– Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2 –– Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3 –– Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B –– Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C –– High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.
RD –– Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.D –– Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
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Financial Statements
The 2025 annual financial statements of the Funds, including notes to the financial statements and financial highlights and the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, are included in the Funds’ annual financial statements and other information in Form N-CSR. The Funds’ Annual Report is incorporated herein by reference and is available free of charge on the Funds’ website at https://russellinvestments.com or by calling Russell Investments at 1-800-787-7354.
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Appendix A
Although the Trust does not have information concerning the beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of DTC Participants, as of December 31, 2025, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC Participant that owned of record 5% or more of the outstanding Shares of any Fund were as follows: 
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA 92121, 25.23%
 
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF - Charles Schwab & Co, Inc Special Custody Account For Benefit of
Customers 211 Main Street San Francisco CA 94105, 6.09%
 
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of
Customers 499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 33.23%
 
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF - PERSHING LLC 1 Pershing Plaza Jersey City NJ 07399, 15.71%
 
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF - Cetera Investment Services LLC 400 First Street South Suite 200 Saint
Cloud MN 56301, 10.07%
 
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA
92121, 26.70%
 
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF - Charles Schwab & Co, Inc Special Custody Account For
Benefit of Customers 211 Main Street San Francisco CA 94105, 5.03%
 
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of
Customers 499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 27.44%
 
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF - PERSHING LLC 1 Pershing Plaza Jersey City NJ 07399,
17.73%
 
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF - Cetera Investment Services LLC 400 First Street South Suite
200 Saint Cloud MN 56301, 11.56%
 
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA 92121, 26.72%
 
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of Customers 499
Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 27.36%
 
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF - PERSHING LLC 1 Pershing Plaza Jersey City NJ 07399, 20.17%
 
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF - Cetera Investment Services LLC 400 First Street South Suite 200 Saint Cloud
MN 56301, 10.83%
 
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA 92121,
27.07%
 
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of
Customers 499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 28.24%
 
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF - PERSHING LLC 1 Pershing Plaza Jersey City NJ 07399, 17.54%
 
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF - Cetera Investment Services LLC 400 First Street South Suite 200
Saint Cloud MN 56301, 11.43%
 
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA 92121, 20.61%
 
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF - Charles Schwab & Co, Inc Special Custody Account For Benefit of
Customers 211 Main Street San Francisco CA 94105, 7.08%
 
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of Customers
499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 42.05%
 
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF - PERSHING LLC 1 Pershing Plaza Jersey City NJ 07399, 13.62%
 
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF - Cetera Investment Services LLC 400 First Street South Suite 200 Saint
Cloud MN 56301, 8.12%
 
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At December 31, 2025, the following DTC Participants could be deemed to “control” the following Funds because such DTC Participant owned of record more than 25% of the voting Shares of the indicated Fund. A shareholder who “controls” a Fund has the ability to exert a greater influence over the outcome of any proposals on which it is entitled to vote concerning the Fund than do non-controlling shareholders. 
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA 92121, 25.23%
 
Russell Investments U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of
Customers 499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 33.23%
 
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA
92121, 26.70%
 
Russell Investments International Developed Equity ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of
Customers 499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 27.44%
 
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA 92121, 26.72%
 
Russell Investments Global Equity ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of Customers 499
Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 27.36%
 
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF - LPL Finanical LLC 4707 Executive Drive San Diego CA 92121,
27.07%
 
Russell Investments Emerging Markets Equity ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of
Customers 499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 28.24%
 
Russell Investments Global Infrastructure ETF - National Financial Services LLC, For the Exclusive Benefit of Customers
499 Washington Boulevard Jersey City NJ 07310, 42.05%
 
The Trustees and officers of the Trust, as a group, own less than 1% of the Shares of any Fund.
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