<prompt> Human: Im 28 and financially on ball, not wealthy or anything, but I live within my means and have a decent nest egg. Apparently, this is really rare. Im a bit worried as some of the short conversations with friends my age same education, same sort of work history, same pay etc lead me to believe most are living pretty hand to mouth. Most seem to be depending on large salary increases in the future so they can start making money. I know money is one of the faux pas conversation topics, but I have no idea why. I dont pry, but when anything about finances comes up stocks, shares, bank accounts, property, they pretty much shut down. I know my best friend also 28 earns 6 figures and has a savings account of a few grand, which she dips into regularly to pay off credit cards and rpersonalfinance goes gasp. My partner has also just managed to clear his debts and is well intentioned with saving and building up again, but is fairly reluctant to discuss finances as it scares him and stresses him out.Actually, this seems a common theme among my friends. They seem stressed to even think about financial planning. Is there any way I can bring up financial options for discussion in a positive way? Are there any small, easily digestible bits of sound financial thinking I can drop nonchalantly in conversation? How best do I discuss finances with my partner without scaring him?And yes, this is totally out of self interest so they dont come to me for loans in 5 years ;  <response>: I actually have a finance degree, and my friends know that, so Ive had several of them come to me for advice and explanations. For people without a finance background, I think mentioning that personal finance is a hobby, or something youre really interested in, is a good way to let someone know that you could be a resource if they have questions. In general, I think you have to be very, very good friends with someone before you can question their finances or tell them theyre making poor choices. If you cant tell them that in a way that comes off as loving and concerned, rather than preachy, you probably cant say anything without offending them. 