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Money · Sunk cost check
The Sunk Cost Checker
Should you keep going because it has future value, or because you have already spent too much to feel comfortable stopping?
Blank until you answer
Plain-English why
Copyable takeaway
What this means
This instrument starts blank so it does not judge a made-up example before you have entered your own situation.
Formula used
Continue score = (future value × 5) + start-fresh score − (sunk weight ÷ 4)
Worked example
A relationship kept going because of five shared years, despite no positive future projection and high exit anxiety, scores heavily toward sunk cost. A project kept going because of genuine future upside and low exit cost scores as rational continuation.
Common questions
What is the sunk cost fallacy?
Continuing with something because of what you have already invested — time, money, effort, emotion — rather than because of its future value. The past investment is gone either way. Only the future matters to the decision.
Does this apply to relationships as well as money?
Yes. The sunk cost fallacy is at least as common in relationships and careers as in financial decisions. The tool covers all three.
Plain-English summary
Fill in the questions on the left to generate a verdict card.
This section translates the result into a short, direct takeaway rather than leaving the page at a bare number.
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