Your Financial Planner’s Field of Dreams – Part I

Asking your financial planner to rewrite ten of the movie’s iconic scenes

“Field of Dreams” is a 1989 baseball movie inspired by W.P. Kinsella’s 1982 novel “Shoeless Joe.” Starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan and Burt Lancaster, it is about a famer (Costner) who builds a baseball field in his Iowa cornfield that attracts the ghosts of baseball legends.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest sports movies of all time, the story artfully communicates so many messages, including the importance of following your dreams, the pull of generational ties that bind us and the magic of baseball.

Fast forward more than 30 years later and Major League Baseball brought us a memorable game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees, complete with Kevin Costner emerging from a real cornfield in Iowa and giving a pre-game speech. By most accounts, it was a welcome respite from the heat of the summer months.

Ask any movie or baseball fan to recite a line or two from “Field of Dreams” and it is unlikely that you will be disappointed. So let’s relive ten famous scenes from the movie and edit them as if written by your financial planner.

Here are the first five:

#10. “You know, we just don’t recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they’re happening. Back then I thought, well, there’ll be other days. I didn’t realize that was the only day.” Dr. Archibald Graham, reminiscing about playing just one inning in the majors.

New quote from your financial planner: “You know, many just don’t plan for the most significant moments of their lives before they happen. We think, well, there’ll be other days. They didn’t realize that was the only day.”

#9. “Son, if I’d only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes … now that would have been a tragedy.” Dr. Archibald Graham explaining that it was not a tragedy that he only played one inning in the majors.

New quote from your financial planner: “If I’d only gotten to be a financial planner for five minutes … now that would have been a tragedy.”

#8. “Chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases … stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That’s my wish, Ray Kinsella. That’s my wish. And is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?” Dr. Archibald Graham’s response when Ray Kinsella asks him his greatest wish.

New quote from your financial planner: “Chance to squint at your retirement portfolio so green that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arms as you connect with the markets.

To plan your investments … stretch your assets across generations, survive the flops and wrap your arms around the risk. That’s my wish. That’s my wish. And with enough planning, we can make your dreams come true.”

#7. “Not if you get it near the plate we don’t.” Shoeless Joe Jackson’s response when Kinsella is pitching to him and asks if they need a catcher.
New quote from your financial planner: “Not if you plan for your retirement, we don’t.”

#6. “Sure, kid. Watch out you don’t get killed.” The umpire’s response when Archie Graham almost gets hit by a pitch and asks for a warning.
New quote from your financial planner: “Sure, day-traders. Watch out your portfolio doesn’t get killed.”

Check out Part II.