The health of our nation is shaped not only in health facilities but also in the environments where we live, learn, and grow. Schools, where Filipino youth spend much of their childhood, are more than places for academic learning—they are vital settings for cultivating lifelong health and well-being. Schools play a critical role in shaping not just the health of our youth, but their overall well-being. Education and health are deeply interconnected. Studies show that individuals with higher educational attainment tend to lead healthier lives. However, health-promoting behaviors are shaped by more than just academic knowledge—they are influenced by the environments students inhabit, the relationships they build, and the support they receive. In the Philippines, challenges such as teenage pregnancy, mental health problems, and substance abuse continue to disproportionately affect young people. These are not simply matters of personal choice; they are shaped by the environments where students grow up, study, and socialize. Schools play a pivotal role in shaping these environments. Behavior change, however, cannot be achieved through information alone. It requires creating nurturing environments where making healthy decisions becomes natural and easier, if not default. Healthy Learning Institutions: A holistic approach to student development. The Healthy Learning Institutions (HLI) Framework envisions schools as environments that promote not only academic success but also holistic development. Aligned with the World Health Organization’s Health Promoting Schools model, the HLI Framework is built on six core pillars: (1) policies supporting health promotion, (2) safe and healthy environments, (3) supportive social surroundings, (4) health education embedded in the curriculum, (5) accessible health services, and (6) engagement with families and communities. These pillars create environments where students thrive, fostering physical, mental, and social well-being. Beyond health, school sports and youth formation programs cultivate discipline, leadership, and teamwork, developing well-rounded individuals. Health cannot be treated as an isolated service in schools. It must be embedded in the core of the education system. Under the HLI Framework, health promotion is not an add-on but is woven into the curriculum, ensuring that learners develop essential life skills—from managing their mental and physical health to navigating relationships and making informed decisions about their well-being. As of 2024, over 1,554 schools—many in underserved communities—have adopted the HLI Framework, ensuring integrated health promotion and holistic development for their students. To support this, 94 nurses have been hired to address the shortage of health professionals in schools, especially in areas with limited access to health services. Expanding this effort will help meet the needs of learners while providing opportunities for homegrown nurses. The HLI Program’s impact extends beyond health services. Its integration of school sports and co-curricular activities helps students develop healthy habits, leadership, and resilience—skills that will benefit them long after they leave school. The promise of healthier, more well-rounded futures. The potential impact of the HLI Framework goes beyond health. By investing in healthy schools, we are shaping healthier, more well-rounded individuals, families, and communities. When students learn healthy behaviors and life skills early, they carry them for life. Schools are not only shaping students academically, they are shaping the future of our nation. The journey toward Universal Health Care in the Philippines cannot be confined within the walls of hospitals and clinics. It must extend into classrooms, playgrounds, sports fields, and every part of the school environment. By embedding health, well-being, and holistic development throughout the learner’s journey, we are building a foundation for healthier, more resilient communities. Through the HLI Framework, we are creating schools where learning is not just about academic achievement—it’s about life. By nurturing the health, resilience, and growth of our youth, we are shaping a stronger, more vibrant future for our nation. This is not just about reaching for the promise of universal health care—it’s about making that promise real, lived, and felt in every classroom, playground, and community. A future where each Filipino child thrives isn’t an aspiration; it’s a commitment we make today, in the places where they learn and grow. —————- Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Dr. Miguel Angelo S. Mantaring, MD, MPM, is Director IV of the Bureau of Learner Support Services at the Department of Education. He is also an active participant in consultations and technical working groups of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom II), for the priority area on safe learning institutions.
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Belichick's bid to reshape UNC football latest sign of pro influence on college levelNominations for the Mail & Guardian ’s 200 Young South Africans 2025 are now open. This initiative celebrates the extraordinary achievements of young people in South Africa, spotlighting the leaders, innovators and changemakers shaping the nation’s future. 2025 marks a significant milestone for these awards — the 20th anniversary of what young people have achieved over the past two decades. Nominees must be aged 18 to 35 and should demonstrate excellence in 19 categories that include agriculture, arts and entertainment, financial services, health, justice, sport and technology. Be part of this milestone by submitting your nominations before 17 March 2025 here .
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Taylor Swift once raved about the sweet potato casserole served at a New York City restaurant and now that recipe pops up every now and again at Thanksgiving. The holidays encourage many of us to try new recipes. Social media right now is flooded with recipes for appetizers, side dishes and desserts. Anyone making that cornbread casserole from TikTok? While we might not get to share a Thanksgiving feast with Swift — is your name Blake Lively? — or other celebrities beloved by Kansas City, we can eat like them. So here’s the recipe for that casserole Swift loved so much, and favorite family side dish recipes from Donna Kelce and Eric Stonestreet. Enjoy. If we tried to guess how many holiday dinner rolls Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce, have scarfed over the years, would it be in the hundreds? Thousands? Their mom has spoken often about the batches of holiday crescent rolls she has baked over the years. Based on the recipe that won the 1969 Pillsbury Bake-Off, Pillsbury’s Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs , they’re now known as Mama Kelce’s Dinner Rolls. They blend the crescent roll pastry with marshmallows, cinnamon and sugar. Dinner roll or dessert? We bet they didn’t last long enough in front of Travis and Jason for that debate. Ingredients Rolls •1/4 cup granulated sugar •2 tablespoons Pillsbury Best all-purpose flour •1 teaspoon ground cinnamon •2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls (8 Count) •16 large marshmallows •1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted Glaze •1/2 cup powdered sugar •1/2 teaspoon vanilla •2-3 teaspoons milk •1/4 cup chopped nuts Directions Make the rolls 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 16 medium muffin cups with nonstick baking spray. 2. In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon. 3. Separate the dough into 16 triangles. For each roll, dip 1 marshmallow into melted butter; roll in the sugar mixture. Place marshmallow on the shortest side of a triangle. Roll up, starting at shortest side and rolling to opposite point. Completely cover the marshmallow with the dough; firmly pinch edges to seal. Dip 1 end in remaining butter; place butter side down in muffin cup. 4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. 5. When done, remove from the oven and let the puffs cool in the pan for 1 minute. Remove rolls from muffin cups; place on cooling racks set over waxed paper. Make the glaze and assemble In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve warm. Eric Stonestreet attends 'Eric Stonestreet visits The SiriusXM Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles' at SiriusXM Studios on Oct. 8, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM/TNS) Thanksgiving is one of the “Modern Family” star’s favorite holidays. Three years ago, as part of a campaign honoring hometown heroes , he shared one of his favorite recipe with McCormick Spices: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Butternut Squash . This recipe serves eight. Ingredients •1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved •1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes •1 tablespoon olive oil •1/2 teaspoon garlic powder •1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves •1/2 teaspoon salt •1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper •5 slices bacon, chopped •1 shallot, finely chopped •1/2 cup dried cranberries •1/4 cup balsamic vinegar •1 teaspoon whole grain mustard •1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional) •1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese, (optional) Directions 1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Spray large shallow baking pan with no stick cooking spray; set aside. Place Brussels sprouts and squash in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly. Spread in single layer on prepared pan. 2. Roast 16 to 18 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring halfway through cooking. 3. Meanwhile, cook bacon in medium skillet on medium heat about 6 minutes or until crispy. Remove using slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Add shallot to same skillet; cook and stir 2 minutes until softened and lightly browned. Stir in cranberries, vinegar and mustard until well blended. Transfer mixture to small bowl; set aside. 4. Arrange roasted Brussels sprouts and squash on serving platter. Drizzle with cranberry balsamic glaze and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cooked bacon, toasted pecans, and crumbled blue cheese, if desired. Serve immediately. Donna Kelce, left, mother of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce watched the game with pop superstar Taylor Swift, center, during the first-half on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS) Swift gushed about the sweet potato casserole served at Del Frisco’s Grille in New York City, a dish crowned with a crunchy candied pecan and oatmeal crumble. “I’ve never enjoyed anything with the word casserole in it ever before, but it’s basically sweet potatoes with this brown sugary crust,” she told InStyle. ”Oh my God, it’s amazing.” The media rushed to find the recipe, which Parade has published this Thanksgiving season . “Similar to T. Swift herself, we think this recipe is a mastermind, especially if you’ve been asked to bring the sweet potato side dish to this year’s Thanksgiving feast. It seriously begs the question: who needs pumpkin pie?” the magazine writes. Ingredients •4 lbs sweet potatoes •1⁄3 cup oats •12 oz unsalted butter, divided •1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar •1⁄2 cup toasted pecans •1⁄2 cup granulated sugar •1 tsp kosher salt •2 tsp vanilla extract •4 large eggs, beaten Directions Preheat oven to 375°F. 1. Scrub sweet potatoes. Pierce each several times with a fork and wrap tightly in foil. Place on a sheet pan. Bake 90 minutes or until tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle. 2. Meanwhile, place oats in a food processor; process 1 minute. Add 4 oz butter, brown sugar and pecans; pulse five times to combine. Spread mixture on a baking sheet; bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven, crumble. Bake 5 minutes or until golden brown. 3. Melt remaining 8 oz butter. Remove skin from cooled sweet potatoes. In a large bowl, whisk sweet potatoes, melted butter, granulated sugar and remaining ingredients until slightly lumpy. Transfer to a greased baking dish, smoothing surface evenly. Top with oat mixture. Bake 12 minutes or until heated through. Make-ahead tips •Sweet potato filling can be made up to 2 days in advance. Prepare the sweet potato filling, cool, place in a casserole dish and keep refrigerated. •Oat-pecan crust can also be made up to 2 days ahead. Make the crust according to recipe directions, cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Sprinkle over the sweet potato filling just before baking. With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food.CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Bill Belichick spent time after his NFL exit talking with college coaches wanting his thoughts on managing new wrinkles at their level that looked a lot like the pros. The two-minute timeout. The transfer portal as de facto free agency. Collectives generating name, image and likeness (NIL) money for athletes becoming like a payroll. The impending arrival of revenue sharing. It didn't take long for Belichick to envision how a college program should look based on his own NFL experience. "I do think there are a lot of parallels," Belichick said. And that's at least partly why the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is now taking over at North Carolina. Years of rapid change at the have only increased the professionalization of college football across the country, with schools adjusting staffing to handle growing duties once seemingly more fitting for a pro team. UNC just happens to be making the most audacious of those bets, bringing in a 72-year-old who has never coached in college and asking him to build what amounts to a mini-NFL front office. But plenty could follow. "I really think there's going to be some of those guys that maybe don't have a job in the NFL anymore," Kansas State general manager Clint Brown said, "and now that this is going to be structured in a way where there is a cap that that's going to be something they're interested in." A changing college course The rapid changes in college athletics have fueled that, notably with players able to transfer and play right away without sitting out a year and be paid through NIL endorsement opportunities in the past five years. Recruiting is now just as much about bringing in veteran talent through the portal as signing recruits out of high school, mirroring the NFL with free agency and the draft, respectively. And a bigger change looms with revenue sharing, the result of a $2.78 billion legal settlement to antitrust lawsuits. Specifically, that model will allow the biggest schools to establish a pool of about $21.5 million for athletes in the first year, with a final hearing in that case set for April 2025. It will be up to schools to determine how to distribute that money and in which sports, though football's role as the revenue driver in college sports likely means a prominent cut everywhere as a direct parallel to a professional team's salary cap. Throw all that together, and it's why coaches are adjusting their staffs like Florida's Billy Napier interviewing candidates to be the Gators' general manager. "We're built to do it now," Napier said. "The big thing here is that we're getting ready to be in a business model. We have a cap. We have contracts. We have negotiation. We have strategy about how we distribute those funds, and it's a major math puzzle. "We're going to build out a front office here in the next couple of months, and it's primarily to help us manage that huge math problem," Napier added. "There'll be a ton of strategy around that. I'm looking forward to it." Still, that also explains why Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, the former head coach of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, said: "This job as a head coach is a juggernaut. There's way more to do here than I had to do in the NFL." The value of a hire And it explains why the Tar Heels are betting on Belichick to be the right fit for today's changing climate. "If I was 16 of 17 years old, a coach who came at you and won how many Super Bowls? And he said, 'Come play for me,'" said New York Giants offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu, now in his third year out of UNC. "I mean, that's pretty hard to turn down now, especially in this day and age, he's telling you to come play for him and he's offering you some money, too. I mean, you can't go wrong with that choice." The timing worked for UNC with Belichick, who was bypassed for some NFL openings after leaving the New England Patriots last year and instead spent months taking a closer look at the college game. Those conversations with coaches — some in the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten and Southeastern conferences, he said Thursday — made him understand how the changes in college aligned with his pro experience. "College kind of came to me this year," Belichick said. "I didn't necessarily go and seek it out." And his mere presence in Chapel Hill makes a difference, with athletic director Bubba Cunningham saying his "visibility" would likely allow the team to raise prices for advertising such as sponsorships and signage. Belichick is also hiring Michael Lombardi, a former NFL general manager and executive, as the Tar Heels' general manager. Cunningham also said the plan is for Belichick to continue his appearances on former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning's "Manningcast" broadcasts during Monday Night Football as well as ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" — all giving the coach the chance to promote himself and the program. Investing in football Yet these steps to reshape football at North Carolina comes with a rising price. Belichick will make $10 million per year in base and supplemental pay, with the first three years of the five-year deal guaranteed, according to a term sheet released by UNC on Thursday. That's roughly double of former coach Mack Brown, whose contract outlined about $4.2 million in base and supplemental salary before bonuses and other add-ons. Additionally, Belichick's deal includes $10 million for a salary pool for assistant coaches and $5.3 million for support staff. That's up from roughly $8.1 million for assistants and $4.8 million for support staff for the 2022 season, according to football financial data for UNC obtained by The Associated Press. And those figures from 2022 under Brown were already up significantly from Larry Fedora's tenure with the 2017 season ($4 million for assistant coaches, $2.3 million for support staff). There is at least one area where the Tar Heels are set for Belichick's arrival: facilities. UNC spent more than $40 million on its football practice complex with an indoor facility (2018) as the biggest project, while other projects include $3 million in upgrades to the locker room and weight room (2019), $14.5 million on renovations to the Kenan Football Center (2022), even $225,000 on Brown's former office (2021). Now it's up to Belichick to rethink the approach to football here for the changing times. "We're taking a risk," Cunningham said. "We're investing more in football with the hope and ambition that the return is going to significantly outweigh the investment."
Freeport MyCHN celebrates grand reopeningYou've decided that 2025 is the year you're finally going to claim Social Security. Perhaps it's the year you're retiring as well. It's an exciting change, and those monthly benefits can be a big help when it comes to paying your bills. But it's also important to prepare before you apply. Doing the following three things can ensure you don't accidentally shortchange yourself. So take some time in these last few days of 2024 to give them some thought. 1. Understand how your claiming age affects your benefits The government bases your Social Security benefits on your income during your working years and your age at sign-up. You qualify for your full benefit, known as your primary insurance amount (PIA), at your full retirement age (FRA) . FRA varies by birth year as shown in the table below: Birth Year Full Retirement Age (FRA) 1943 to 1954 66 1955 66 and 2 months 1956 66 and 4 months 1957 66 and 6 months 1958 66 and 8 months 1959 66 and 10 months 1960 and later 67 Source: Social Security Administration. You can claim as early as 62 regardless of your FRA. But doing so reduces your monthly checks. Specifically, you lose 5/9 of 1% per month (6.67% per year) for your first 36 months of early claiming. Those who sign up more than three years early lose another 5/12 of 1% for each month above 36 (5% per year). Put another way, your checks grow for every month you delay benefits and this doesn't stop at your FRA. Your checks will continue to increase past your FRA at a rate of 2/3 of 1% per month (8% per year) until you qualify for your maximum benefit at 70. This doesn't mean delaying benefits is always your best move, though. If you have a short life expectancy or you cannot afford to pay your bills without Social Security, it's usually worth applying earlier. But if neither of those things apply, you may be able to significantly increase your lifetime benefit by delaying Social Security. If you're not sure what the best claiming age for you is, make a my Social Security account . There's a calculator here that can help you estimate your benefit at every claiming age. Choose a few you're considering. Then multiply your estimated monthly benefit by the number of months you expect to claim to see what kind of lifetime benefit each claiming age could give you. 2. Check your earnings record for accuracy The Social Security Administration gets its information about your earnings history from the IRS and keeps it in your earnings record, which you can view in your my Social Security account. This information is normally accurate, although errors can happen if you fail to notify your employer of a legal name change or someone transposes some digits in your Social Security number on your employment paperwork, for example. Mistakes can hurt your benefits, particularly if you're reported as having no income for a year you worked. So it's important to check your record for accuracy before you sign up. Compare your earnings record amount for each year against your own records of your income from that year to make sure everything checks out. One note for high earners: You might see your income frequently -- and correctly -- underreported. That's because you don't pay Social Security payroll taxes on all your income. In 2024, you only paid these taxes on the first $168,600 you earned. In prior years, this limit was lower . If you earned more than the limit in place for that year, you will see the dollar amount you paid Social Security taxes on instead of your actual income. If you notice an error, it's important to correct it before you apply for Social Security. You can do this by filling out a Request for Correction of Earnings Record form and submitting it to the Social Security Administration along with any documentation you have proving your actual income for that year. 3. Know when you can actually apply for Social Security You can apply for Social Security up to four months in advance of when you want to start claiming. It's often a good idea to sign up in advance to ensure you get your checks promptly. This way, if there are any issues with your documentation, you'll have plenty of time to resolve them. Those who plan to claim at 62 should also be aware that they may not be able to apply in their birth month. Due to a strange quirk in the Social Security rules, you can only apply for benefits in the month you turn 62 if you were born on the 1st or 2nd of that month. Otherwise, you must wait until the month after your birthday in order to claim. You must also remember that Social Security pays checks in the month after the month they're due. So if you apply in February, you won't get your first check until March. Make sure you have other ways to cover your expenses until your first Social Security check arrives. If you have any questions about your specific situation, it's best to contact the Social Security Administration directly with questions. You can do this by phone or email or you can schedule an appointment at your local Social Security office.
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LAS VEGAS — If Texas coach Steve Sarkisian holds aloft the College Football Playoff trophy next month, that will be bad news for BetMGM Sportsbook. It would be similarly disappointing if any of the coaches at Boise State, Indiana or Arizona State end up celebrating a title with confetti falling all around them inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Wait, what? Texas has attracted a lot of money all season to go all the way, but those other schools provide the hope of a big payoff. The fifth-seeded Longhorns are the co-favorite at BetMGM with No. 1 and unbeaten Oregon at 7-2 odds; the other three are least 40-1, while Georgia is right behind Oregon and Texas as the next favorite. "These teams get hot and people just want to have a flyer on them," BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. "They don't want to be standing there and not have a ticket on some of these long-shot teams." Expanding the playoff field from four to 12 teams this year meant more betting in general on college football and more varieties of wagering on the postseason. There were meaningful games played in the final month by not only Arizona State, Boise State and Indiana, but also SMU, Army and UNLV — a number of teams not always in the national title conversation. "It's one of the highest handles we've ever had on our national-championship market," Magee said. "We're in more states, for one, but the activity and the betting patterns we're seeing, it definitely feels a lot more than it has in years past." Magee said BetMGM has received action on both sides of the first-round game between 11th-seeded SMU and sixth-seeded Penn State, but the Mustangs have drawn notable action at DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook. Money on SMU dropped Penn State from a 9-point favorite at DraftKings to 8 1/2. "Any time they've played a real good team, they've had trouble," Johnny Avello, DraftKings race and sports operations director, said of the Nittany Lions. "SMU shows that they're pretty good on both sides of the football and pretty resilient as a team. Always in the game. Always finds ways to fight back." Joey Feazel, who oversees football trading for Caesars, said much of the early betting in general was on underdogs. "Usually, you see the dog money for these teams come late, especially on the sharps' (professional bettors) side," Feazel said. Boise State, which as the third seed has a first-round bye, will be the underdog in its quarterfinal matchup with Penn State or SMU. The Broncos got into the field as the highest-ranked Group of Five champion, but Avello said that doesn't mean they are one of the nation's top 12 teams (they are ranked No. 8 by AP and No. 9 by CFP). Avello said BYU, Colorado and Miami — none of which made the playoff — all would be favored over them. "There are a lot of teams that aren't in the playoffs that would be favored," Avello said. "That's just not the way these playoffs work." Feazel said Boise State not being able to play at home on its blue carpet will be a notable disadvantage. Boise State's quarterfinal game will be at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. "It will be all neutral," Feazel said. "It's a big step up in class for Boise." Instead of all the games being played in climate-controlled domes or warm-weather locales — as has been in the case in past postseasons — three of the four first-round matchups will take place in the Northeast and Midwest. While that might not make a difference when Notre Dame hosts in-state foe Indiana, Ohio State will be at home against Tennessee and SMU visits Penn State. BetMGM favors all four home teams by more than a touchdown. "You have to take the weather into account for some of these games," Magee said. "It's going to be really cool to see a team like Tennessee that will have to go up to Columbus, where it can get really cold. SMU has to go from Dallas to Happy Valley. That's definitely going to be one of the coldest games a lot of those kids have played in their lives." SMU was the last team in the field, getting the benefit of the doubt over Alabama. The Mustangs had one fewer defeat than the three-loss Crimson Tide, who did not appear in the SEC title game. SMU lost on a 56-yard field goal to Clemson in the ACC championship. The sportsbook operators said the Tide would be favored by 5-10 points if they met SMU on a neutral field.
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Luke Humphries defeats Luke Littler to retain Players Championship Finals titleDrones for commercial and recreational use have grown rapidly in popularity, despite restrictions on who can operate them and where they can be flown. No-fly zones are enforced around airports, military installations, nuclear plants, certain landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, and sports stadiums during games. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.If safeguarding your identity from theft is a top priority, freezing your credit is one of the smartest actions you can take. This straightforward but highly effective measure stops creditors from viewing your credit report without your direct authorization. By cutting off access to your credit file, you create a strong barrier that makes it far more difficult for criminals to misuse your personal details to open accounts or secure loans under your name. Secure Your Credit with a Freeze Today Think of a credit freeze as a virtual lock on your financial profile. Once in place, it restricts access to your credit report entirely, preventing unauthorized parties from exploiting your Social Security number or credit information. When your credit is frozen, lenders cannot check your credit score, which renders your Social Security number and credit details useless to would-be fraudsters. In essence, a credit freeze acts as a barrier, preventing criminals from opening new lines of credit or accounts in your name. If your personal information has already been compromised, freezing your credit can be a vital step to stop thieves from exploiting your identity further. The good news is that lifting the freeze is quick and straightforward. You can easily lift the freeze whenever needed, using the personal PIN issued by the credit bureau, allowing access to your credit report for loan or credit card applications. While it might seem like an extra step, the process is free and takes just a few minutes—an incredibly small effort for such a substantial benefit. Please remember freezing your credit is entirely free. There are no hidden fees or costs involved, so there is no reason to delay taking this critical step to secure your financial future. Another important thing is that freezing your credit does not affect your credit score . The freeze simply restricts access to your credit report without changing your existing accounts or their status. Your existing creditors and authorized entities can still conduct "soft" credit inquiries, which have no effect on your credit score. These checks are often used for account reviews or pre-approved offers, ensuring that freezing your credit will not interfere with your existing financial activities. Why Choose a Credit Freeze Over a Fraud Alert? While fraud alerts can provide some level of security, they are far less effective than a credit freeze. A fraud alert is temporary, lasting only one year, and does not block identity thieves from accessing your credit report. It merely notifies creditors that your information could be compromised. A credit freeze, by contrast, offers stronger, more comprehensive protection, blocking unauthorized access altogether. Your Credit with the Main Credit Bureaus Follow these steps to place a credit freeze with the three primary credit bureaus: Do not forget about Innovis, the fourth credit bureau that is often overlooked. Freezing your credit with Innovis follows a process similar to the three major bureaus and is completely free. Click here to freeze your credit with Innovis. Do Not Forget About the National Consumer Telecommunications and Utilities Exchange Protecting your identity goes beyond the major credit bureaus. The National Consumer Telecommunications and Utilities Exchange (NCTUE) is an important organization you should also keep in mind. Many mobile phone providers and utility companies rely on NCTUE for credit checks. This means that even if your credit is frozen with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, identity thieves could still use your information to open accounts through these providers. You can safeguard yourself by placing a freeze on your NCTUE account. The process involves verifying your Social Security number and other details, but it is typically automated and straightforward. Once your account is frozen, your NCTUE credit report will be secured, adding another layer of protection against fraud. To freeze your NCTUE report, you can call their toll-free number at 1-866-349-5355 or attempt to do it online here: NCTUE Freeze (though some users report that the link may not always function smoothly). Secure Your Bank Accounts With A ChexSystems Freeze Another key step in protecting your identity is freezing your report with ChexSystems, a consumer reporting agency that banks use to evaluate applicants for checking and savings accounts. Freezing your ChexSystems report blocks unauthorized access to your financial data, helping to minimize the risk of fraud. Keep in mind that freezing your ChexSystems report only protects your banking information. For complete protection, it is essential to also freeze your credit with the major bureaus. You can freeze your ChexSystems report here . Stop Pre-Approved Credit Offers With Opt-Out Prescreen You can take additional precautions by opting out of pre-approved credit offers. These offers, while convenient, can be a goldmine for scammers if they gain access to your mail. To opt out, you can call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT or visit OptOutPrescreen.com . Prevent Employment Fraud with myE-Verify's Self Lock The Department of Homeland Security's Self Lock service is another valuable resource for protecting your identity. This service allows you to lock your Social Security number, preventing it from being used fraudulently for employment purposes. If someone attempts to use your locked Social Security number, it triggers a mismatch in the system, flagging the activity as suspicious. The lock remains in effect for one year and can be conveniently renewed each year. To learn more or set up a lock, visit Self-Lock Freeze . Protect Your Social Security Benefits From Fraud Creating an online account with the Social Security Administration (SSA) is a proactive step to protect your benefits and personal information. Through your SSA account, you can track your earnings history, review future benefits, and stay informed with key updates. Be wary of fraudulent calls or emails claiming to be from the SSA. They will never issue threats of arrest or request immediate payment. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a communication, log in to your SSA account or call their official number to verify. Take Control of Your Identity Today Freezing your credit is a straightforward yet powerful way to safeguard yourself against identity theft . By limiting access to your credit report, you greatly reduce the chances of criminals opening accounts in your name. Combine this with other measures—such as freezing ChexSystems, locking your Social Security number, and securing your SSA account—to build a comprehensive shield against identity theft. Do not wait for fraud to happen—take these steps today and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your identity is secure.