Combat Finance: How Military Values and Discipline Will Help You Achieve Financial Freedom

Chapter 5

Protect the Home Front

In America, the financial journey is depicted as an offensive one. The TV image of shouting men aggressively trading stocks and wagering on the markets is what some people associate with financial success. Yes, that offensive effort can be one component to our economic journey, but we can’t win the financial war without solidifying our defensive position as well. A great way to understand the importance of a defensive stronghold in any dominant force is to look at the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is tasked with our nation’s safety and security. They have specific forces and personnel that work not to win the war overseas, but to protect the home front. The Coast Guard’s mission—to protect maritime interests, aid navigation, provide search and rescue, guard environmental interests, defend marine safety, ready the home defense, and insulate against drug trade—is inherently so defensive that in 2003 they were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security.

The Coast Guard’s motto is “Semper Paratus,” which means “Always Ready,” signaling their preparation for anything on the home front that might pop up. And stuff does pop up. It doesn’t matter how great our military is: If the borders of our home front aren’t properly defended, we could face a disaster that would make all our offensive efforts for naught. An example of that would be the events of September 11, 2001. The United States lost more people in that attack on our soil than ...