For me, turning 49 triggered more anxiety than ever about family finances. It didn’t feel possible to be middle-aged, yet 50 was right around the corner.

My wife Jane and I are raising Mike, 11, Carley, 13, and Caleb, 14, but we met when we were kids ourselves. We grew up in the same Denver, Co., neighborhood and reconnected at our 10^th high school reunion. After we married and had our children, we moved to Littleton, just outside Denver. We consider our cul-de-sac to be suburban bliss!

But more and more, while watching the kids roller skate or throw the football around, I had the nagging thought that Jane and I should be doing more to plan for our financial future. My money-related goals have been pretty simple: Make enough to meet the family’s needs, pay down debt, save what we can for retirement. Yes, we have a college savings plan, but we put contributions on hold to pay off some credit card bills.

Overall, we’ve been fortunate. We survived the Great Recession back in 2008. We had financed our five-bedroom house for $418,000 more than a decade ago, but it’s maintained its value and has continued to appreciate. Another reason not to worry: We make pretty good money. As an aerospace engineer, I earn about $150,000, while Jane brings home $79,000 as a human resources manager. So, we have a comfortable lifestyle that affords kids’ sports and summer camps.

However, between school uniforms, childcare, family vacations, and activities during summers, putting aside significant savings for the kids’ college took a back seat—not to mention savings for our own retirement.

Retirement was all I could think about. I knew some of my bosses in their late 50s or early 60s are planning to retire next year. They’ve done their 30 years, but I wasn’t sure I could ever afford to stop working. Plus, watching my parents’ health decline, I worry about affording health care costs for Jane and me down the road.

Our immediate financial needs have always distracted me from looking too far into the future. But that’s changed after a meeting I had with Virginia, my financial professional. Virginia helped me establish a road map so that I truly feel more confident about our long-term financial stability. We discussed the tax-deferred savings in Jane’s and my 401(k)s and an almost forgotten IRA we contribute to every now and then. Virginia also pointed out that my term life insurance policy will end in a few years, and I asked about how a cash value life insurance could work to our advantage. I’m interested in that type of life insurance because it offers the death benefit protection, along with the ability to build up cash value over time and to tap those funds via loans or withdrawals if needed.

I like small steps—I’m comfortable with small steps. They can really make a difference in our financial lives. I now have a workable, monthly amount to boost my retirement contributions, and we calculated how contributing to it could offer a tax benefit. Simply identifying potential income streams for retirement years helped a fuzzy future come into clearer focus. I plan to meet with Virginia periodically to review my evolving financial plan as retirement approaches. In the meantime, just knowing more about the possibilities has helped me sleep a little better in our cul-de-sac each night.