QUESTION: Dear Amy – Do you have any tips on negotiating salary? From: Joe W.

ANSWER: Last Sunday's New York Times had a fascinating article about salary, Not So Personal Finance. The author, Alex Williams, considered a recent trend among young professionals of comfortably and openly disclosing and discussing their salaries—an absolute taboo for most people over age 35.

I couldn't help but wonder if this new trend—probing one another's most well-preserved secrets—is really taking hold throughout the country? Are young adults in Maine openly discussing their salaries like the New Yorkers profiled in the article?