Your Adviser Retired and Handed the Accounts Back at 71? These 3 ETFs Are a Portfolio You Can Run Yourself

For years, someone else watched the markets, adjusted your accounts, and made sure withdrawals went out on time. Now your adviser has retired, and at 71, the account statements land on your kitchen table. That feels uncomfortable, but the job is manageable. Three broad funds from State Street cover the core jobs of a retirement portfolio. State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:SPYV) handles U.S. stocks. State Street SPDR MSCI ACWI ex-US ETF (NYSEARCA:CWI) adds international stocks. State Street SPDR Portfolio Intermediate Term Treasury Index ETF (NYSEARCA:SPTI) provides bond stability.

Running It Yourself Is One Option Among Several

Many firms assign a replacement adviser when one retires, and hiring a new adviser is a reasonable path. Some people will prefer that. If you would rather take the wheel, start with a short checklist.

• Find out what you own. Inventory every account and holding. Adviser-built portfolios can include funds or products that are hard to follow or costly to hold, so learn what each one does before deciding anything.
• Avoid selling everything at once. When moving accounts to a new brokerage, ask whether holdings can transfer as they are. In a taxable account, selling can create taxable gains, so check first.
• Confirm who handles required distributions. Withdrawals from traditional retirement accounts are either underway or nearing, and your adviser may have managed them. Make sure that task now has an owner.
• Plan for help later, as many brokerages let you name a trusted contact person. Decide who could step in if managing the accounts gets harder.
• Keep it simple. Make it easy enough to run. A few broad funds, reviewed and rebalanced on a schedule such as once a year, is a workload most people can handle.

SPYV Gives You a Steady U.S. Stock Core

SPYV tracks the S&P 500 Value Index, selecting S&P 500 companies that look inexpensive based on book value, earnings, and sales relative to price. It launched on September 25, 2000, and held about $35.3 billion as of June 30, 2026.

Its 0.04% expense ratio places it among the cheapest S&P 500 value ETFs, so nearly every dollar stays invested. A 1.93% dividend yield adds modest cash flow.

The fund spreads across the economy. Technology at 16.6%, financials at 15.6%, and health care at 12.32% led its sector weights on the latest fact sheet. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) was the largest position at about 7.3% at midyear, with Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) near 2%. On a dividend-adjusted basis, SPYV gained 16.41% over the past year and 224.32% over 10 years.

CWI Puts the Rest of the World in One Fund

CWI tracks the MSCI ACWI ex-USA Index, owning stocks in developed and emerging markets outside the United States. Its midyear holdings stretched across the globe. They ranged from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, and Australia to China, India, Taiwan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, covering banks, chipmakers, drugmakers, insurers, and miners.

That reach goes well with SPYV, which focuses on large U.S.-listed companies, and with one fund you own a piece of global markets without picking countries. CWI held about $2.78 billion at midyear and returned 13.67% over the past year and 148.07% over 10 years on a dividend-adjusted basis.

SPTI Adds Monthly Income and Ballast

SPTI holds U.S. Treasury notes maturing in roughly 3 to 10 years, backed by the federal government with no corporate credit risk. The yield is monthly. The most recent payout was $0.095876 per share, payable November 5, 2026, and the trailing 12-month total reached $1.101789 per share. Payments vary month to month, so treat them as income that varies.

Rates in this part of the curve remain meaningful. The 5-year Treasury yielded 4.71% and the 10-year 4.94% on October 30, 2026.

Know one key fact: a bond fund holds bonds but never comes due itself, so it can lose value if rates climb. SPTI returned -0.42% over the past year and 0.45% over five years on a dividend-adjusted basis.

Consider These Trade-Offs Before You Commit

Three funds still need a manager, and that manager is now you—you will rebalance, arrange withdrawals, and decide how much to hold in each fund. SPYV leans on one name, Apple, more than any other, and value stocks can lag during growth-led rallies. CWI carries currency and emerging-market swings; it fell 3.44% over the past month. SPTI has delivered stability more than growth, finishing roughly flat over five years.

Inflation matters too. The Labor Department’s research price measure for those 62 and up weights housing and medical care more heavily, and it rose 0.5% in September. Treasury income alone may not keep pace with those costs.

For a 71-year-old who wants a portfolio they can understand, this trio covers U.S. stocks, global stocks, and government bonds with funds you can explain in a sentence each. If you later decide to hire a new adviser, the portfolio you built makes that conversation easier.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.