Money Mindset & PsychologyDecision Making

The Sunk Cost Trap

Years already spent shouldn't decide the next ones

You've already paid, so you might as well keep going. It feels like good sense. Is it your brain playing a trick on you?

You'll find out

  • The ski trip that tests your brain
  • Why people went to more plays
  • When pushing on is still right

Why it matters

Money and years already spent pull on every next choice, from a ticket to a career. Seeing the pull is the way out.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 161 · Zone 18

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More in this zone

  1. 154CompensationYour Total CompensationYour salary is only part of what a job pays
  2. 155Retirement PlansThe Employer MatchMoney your employer adds when you save
  3. 156CareersA Dozen Jobs in a LifetimeThe average American career has many chapters
  4. 157TaxesW-2 or 1099Employee or contractor changes your taxes
  5. 158Labor LawEvery Hour Over 40 Pays ExtraMany salaried workers get no overtime at all
  6. 159NegotiationNegotiating Your PayThe first number on the table shapes the result
  7. 160EarningsWhat a Raise Is WorthA small raise compounds across a career
  8. 162AmbitionThe Bobbin BoyAndrew Carnegie started at $1.20 a week in a cotton mill, built a steel empire, and gave most of it away