Hello Jim,
How many countries do you have? If you have only one country, this is permanently secured and cannot be taken by means of war. Any additional countries must be boosted with 'war protection,' which costs 1 GC per country per 3 game months (2GC on FB).
In term of economic stability, your options are more limited. 'Beginners and general economic protection' in 'automation' will remain active for your first year of game play, i'd advise leaving this on as it should keep some aspects under control. In the past when i've been away for extended periods of time a friend has logged in and managed my countries, which was ok so long as the GM's were notified by email beforehand. However, this may not still be the acceptable.