April Wilcoxson-Harrison, Financial Professional

Are you a displaced Federal Employee in need of resources to sustain during the government shutdown?

Here are some options:

Mobile Telephone Service Providers

AT&T: Will assist with adjusting late fees, providing extensions, and revising payment schedules.

Sprint: Will provide short-term payment solutions. Call 1-888-211-4747

T-Mobile: Offering short-term assistance and can spread out service payments over time. Call 1-877-746-0909 or 611 from a T-Mobile device.

Verizon: Offering flexible payment options and has a Promise to Pay program to set payments for a future date. Call 1-866-266-1445.

Rental Home Assistance

National Rental Home Council: Represents many of the nation’s largest operators of single-family rental homes. They’re offering deferred rent payment options with no late fees to any renter who has been furloughed.

OPM Sample Letters for Creditors and Mortgage Companies: OPM created sample letters for Federal workers to contact their landlords, mortgage lenders, and utilities, to request help during the shutdown.

National Food Resources & Advice

Feeding America: These guys have a nationwide network of 200 food banks. From those food banks, they have 60,000 partner pantries from which they can serve every community across the United States. This is an awesome resource, and they have already begun serving Federal employees affected by the government shutdown.

Your School District: To save on food and ensure your kid eats breakfast and/or lunch free (less stress and worry for you), notify the district of your furlough. No income is an emergency and normally qualifies you for the free meal program.

Home, Auto & Life Insurance Relief

MetLife: For those not receiving a paycheck from the federal government because of the current shutdown, MetLife Auto & Home may grant a one-time, 30-day grace period on your payment of premium on a MetLife Auto & Home policy. Members must request this one-time allowance by calling 1-800-GET-MET8. Certain restrictions apply, and premium remains due after delay expires.

Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company: To help the nearly 27,000 AFGE members who currently have a policy with the company during this government shutdown, the company “will keep the policy-in-force by waving the cost of insurance charges for the next 30 days.”. Policies beginning with the letter "Y" call: 844-800-9146, all other policies call: 888-513-8797

Other Notable Mentions for Relief & Assistance.

Rent-A-Center (Benefits Plus Membership): If your account was up to date at the time of furlough and you are a part of benefits plus you may be eligible for a payment waiver based on your state: “Involuntary Unemployment Payment Waiver: Losing a job is hard and making payments while unemployed is even harder. Fortunately, your Membership waives your payments when you are involuntarily unemployed. Whether you were fired, laid off, suspended, or are out of work due to a labor dispute or strike, your payments are covered for up to four (4) months, up to $1,000, or when you’re able to return to work.”

Thinking about an annuity for retirement income? Here are five things to consider before adding an annuity to your retirement income plan.

How does an annuity work? Five things to consider before adding an annuity to your retirement income plan.

You work hard for your money, but when your paycheck comes you may notice that you don’t get to keep it all. Why does your take-home pay shrink? And what do all those deductions mean? Here’s a brief guide

Common paycheck deductions and withholdings Here’s a brief guide to the common deductions and withholdings you see each payday

It’s a long race women run toward retirement, and the steps you take now will impact tomorrow.

The Long Run: Women and Retirement For women, retirement strategy is a long race. It’s helpful to know the route.

You can’t control market highs and lows. But you can control risk by diversifying your investment portfolio with whole life insurance and annuities.

April Harrison Dedicated Financial Professional, April Harrison is a Breast Cancer Survivor equipped with experience in budgeting, income protection and wealth strategies. She is passionate about helping individuals and families achieve financial confidence. Skilled in simplifying complex financial concepts.

Bi-weekly mortgage payment can potentially accelerate your mortgage payoff. Sound interesting?

Bi-Weekly Payments This calculator estimates the savings from paying a mortgage bi-weekly instead of monthly.

This piece guides readers through placing financial pillars in place, sustaining financial well-being or creating wealth.

Building a Solid Financial Foundation Sustain financial well-being or create wealth through these actions.

For many, retirement starts a new phase of life. Are you getting prepared for your new phase?

Saving for Retirement This calculator can help you estimate how much you may need to save for retirement.

Insurance isn’t fun to think about, but it can help protect you and give you confidence, so you can focus on the important things in life.

Why should we consider life insurance? Insurance isn’t always top of mind, but it can help protect you and give you confidence, so you can focus on your life.

Can money buy happiness? It depends. Happiness doesn't sit on a store shelf with a price tag, but these 5 spending tips may make your days a little brighter.

5 ways to spend money on your happiness Building proactive, sustainable financial habits can help increase a person's well-being no matter what their salary

Do you carry a balance on your credit card? Learn how long it may take to pay off the entire debt.

Paying Off a Credit Card Enter various payment options and determine how long it may take to pay off a credit card.