Is It Even Possible to Motivate Family or Friends to Care About Personal Finance?

I’m a first-gen college grad who’s really focused on building a solid financial future. I love to work, personal finance, and learn. I’ve surrounded myself with some ambitious, financially-minded people, but when it comes to my family and closest friends, it’s like I’m speaking a different language.

The only exception is my parents—they’re incredibly hardworking and run small businesses, so I grew up seeing what dedication and discipline can accomplish. But my siblings? Not so much. One of my brothers is living on my couch, doesn’t have savings or credit, and doesn’t seem interested in improving his situation. Same thing with a close friend who’s been with me since high school. I don’t say this to put anyone down—I genuinely care about them—but it’s frustrating when I try to help and nothing sticks.

I’ve tried everything from:

• Helping them budget

• Introducing credit-building apps or simple savings habits

• Talking about goals and financial freedom

• Even just modeling the behavior I hope they’ll adopt

And sometimes, it works—for a week or two. Then they just go back to doing nothing. It feels like I care more about their financial future than they do.

I want to believe people can change, especially when they have support. But honestly, I’m starting to wonder if I’m just wasting time and energy.