Fortress step two — after the bleeding stops — is the moat.
​
​The moat is real savings. Boring, automatic, untouchable savings. Not an investment. Not a strategy. A moat. Its job is not to grow. Its job is to keep one bad month from becoming a catastrophe.
​
​Here's what I learned raising a son whose wheelchair, therapy, and equipment don't care about my cash flow: for families like ours, the emergency isn't an "if." It's a schedule.
​
​Law #8: Automate the moat. The same amount, the same day every month, moved somewhere you don't see it and can't spend it by accident. Start embarrassingly small if you have to. The moat doesn't need to be deep on day one. It needs to be filling on every day after.
​
​Books educate — before you act, sit with qualified professionals who do this every day.
​
​Step three raises the walls, and it's the one that shocks everyone. That's Law #8.
​
​The Laws are from my book, Raising Eddie: Fathering a Disabled Son — available on Amazon. Free 10-Strategy Survival Guide: joinironfathers.com/guide · Free 2-minute Fortress Check-Up: joinironfathers.com/gps-updated
​
​Educational content from the book — not financial, legal, or investment advice. Before acting, talk to qualified professionals who do this every day.