This feels like old-timey advice.

As an alternative, do some intel gathering on the company to find out what ranges they pay for the role in question, then determine where your skills and experience are likely to land in that range. In other words, know the answer instead of dodging the question, and it won't matter if the salary question comes up early or late. There was a time when salary info was hard to come by, but it really isn't any more.