5. Alex files his taxes early and receives a tax refund. He uses his refund to pay down his credit card balances. 6. Alex's truck breaks down. He has to have the truck running for his job. He has no emergency savings. He again uses most of the available credit on one of his credit cards to cover the repair. 7. Alex took a financial education class and learned about the importance of reviewing his credit reports. He orders his free credit reports from annualcreditreport.com. 8. After reviewing his credit reports, Alex realized he doesn't use his oldest credit card. He closes that credit card account. 9. Alex has one credit card, but has never had a loan. He applied for a credit-building loan from his bank. His application was approved. He takes out the loan. 10. Alex notices he has an account in collections from a medical visit. He calls the medical clinic where the debt originated and asks them about it. 11. Alex was able to get more hours at his job. He pays his credit card bills consistently and on time. 12. Alex received a prescreened offer for a credit