How your guardians behave financially tends to shape your money mindset—their habits play into how you handle money. However, you do NOT have to manage money the way they do.

Many wonderful adults never learned nor embraced responsible financial practices, and the result can be stressful.

These questions are designed to help you think critically about how you want to manage money as a young adult. You’ll find some people do not feel comfortable with talking about money, so be sure to respect whatever amount of participation your subject is willing to give.

1. What was your first job? What did you get paid? How did you spend that money? Did you save any of it?

2. Do you save money now? When did you start saving? What percentage of your income do you save annually?

3. When did you start building credit? How did you build it and how have you maintained it?

4. What was your first car, and how did you buy it?

5. Do you have a bank? What type of bank? Do you know your bankers by name? Do you wish you did?

6. What do you value most?

7. What are your short- and long-term financial goals?

8. Do you have any financial fears?

9. How much money does a person need to live comfortably? Do you think money can buy happiness?

10. If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?

11. What’s the hardest/easiest thing about being an adult?

12. Who is your financial role model?

13. Have you learned any financial lessons the hard way that you think I could learn from?