When it was time for my parents to retire, their chief concern was where to park their travel trailer.

Their home and cars were paid off, their pensions plentiful and their needs few. The money they’d saved was icing on the cake.

During their working lives, my parents weren’t forced to deal with big expenses that could have trashed their savings. The family’s health insurance was completely paid for by employers, and there was no deductible. My out-of-state tuition was only $600 a semester.

What a difference a generation makes.

I’m now reaching the same age as my parents when they retired, and life couldn’t look much different.

I’m sure you can relate. In fact, that’s why I designed a solution that will ease your retirement worries.

The problem: a shrinking safety net and skyrocketing expenses

For the vast majority of us approaching retirement these days, there’s no pension.

It’s been replaced by the 401(k): an often fee-ridden retirement plan that forces you to invest your own money, along with — if you’re lucky — a meager match from your employer. The day you retire, you’re on your own. And if the money you saved isn’t enough to last a lifetime? Well, that’s your problem.

Of course, we still have Social Security, but it was never meant to provide enough income to live on, much less fund a fulfilling retirement.

That leaves the third leg of your retirement stool: your personal savings. But putting money aside isn’t as simple now. Savings rates are low, the stock market is scary, and life is much more expensive.

Although my home is about the same size as that of my parents, my property taxes are 10 times higher. My wife and I pay $800 a month for health insurance, and that’s with a $6,000 deductible. Tuition is 20 times what it was when I was in college. The list goes on.

And now we’re living longer. That’s obviously a good thing, but it means paying for more years in retirement — in an era of skyrocketing medical expenses.

In short, you’ve got a problem: not knowing how to be sure you’ll have enough money to live for decades in retirement.

The solution: the knowledge to win your retirement

If you’re unsure whether you’ll be ready for retirement, you’re not alone. Most Americans are nervous about their golden years. But now’s the time to do something about it. How? The same way you deal with any other uncertainty: Understand where you are and explore potential paths to get where you want to go.

In other words, educate yourself.

As I started examining my own retirement challenges, I recognized the need to help others do the same. So, I put together a retirement “boot camp,” a course designed for those age 40 and over.