When Regret Controls Your DecisionsHave you ever paid for a movie ticket, realized 20 minutes in that it’s a total flop, and yet forced yourself to sit through the entire thing? Not because the plot was promising or the acting might improve, but because you’d already spent the money. And for good measure, China tightened its grip on rare earth metals, the stuff that makes your favorite gadgets work, potentially slowing down production lines everywhere. The markets responded as dramatically as you’d expect. On one dark April day in 2025, the Dow Jones took such a tumble it left investors questioning why they didn’t just stash their money under the mattress instead. If you’re considering investing your allowance or birthday money, you might just want to pause and wait until this trade war dust settles or at least buy popcorn and watch from the sidelines. What Sunk Costs Really AreIn economic terms, a sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. Once that money, time, or energy is spent, it’s gone. Rationally speaking, these costs should not influence future decisions. But human psychology doesn’t always play fair. Instead of focusing on what will bring