20 psychological tricks brands and your own brain use to empty your wallet, the famous story behind each one, what the research really says, and a 30-day reset to beat them.
Get the Playbook · $19 →20 psychological tricks that empty your wallet, and a 30-day reset to beat them.
IRRATIONAL MONEYPsychology had a replication crisis. Some "facts" from bestsellers didn't hold up. We tell you which traps are rock solid and which ones are weaker than the gurus claim.
Why Costco happily loses money on a hot dog, and how a cheap "anchor" makes you spend more on everything else in the cart.
EVIDENCE: SOLIDWhy the medium Starbucks cup exists, and why a third option you'd never pick quietly decides which one you buy.
EVIDENCE: MIXEDHow a sudden fortune rewires spending, from boxing rings to NBA locker rooms, and the one rule that protects a windfall.
EVIDENCE: SOLIDOne-tap checkout, saved cards and free trials that turn into subscriptions you forgot about.
EVIDENCE: SOLIDWhy every raise feels great for a few months and then feels like nothing at all.
EVIDENCE: MIXEDWhy a famous face on a product makes you trust it more than the product deserves.
EVIDENCE: WEAK+ 14 more traps inside the Playbook
The decoy, the anchor, the safe middle, the frictionless click, the income spike, the halo and more. No jargon.
Costco, Starbucks, Blockbuster vs. Netflix, Tyson, 50 Cent, Antoine Walker, Ronaldo and Coca-Cola.
Every trap rated Solid, Mixed or Weak, so you know what science actually backs.
A concrete move to use the next time you shop, subscribe or get paid.
One 5 to 15 minute action a day, plus printable worksheets: subscription audit, 48-hour list, trap spotter.
Studies, court filings and SEC documents. Check every claim yourself.
Day 1 takes ten minutes and it changes how you see every price tag after it. By day 30 you'll spot the traps before they spot you.
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14-day guarantee. If it doesn't teach you at least one trap you didn't know, email us within 14 days and you get a full refund. No questions.
Right after checkout you're taken straight to the download. It's a PDF that works on your phone, tablet or computer.
No. It's educational content about behavior: how brands price, sell and nudge, and how your brain reacts. It never tells you what to invest in.
Irrational Money, the YouTube channel about the psychology of money, habits and business. Same research, same honesty about what holds up and what doesn't.
Email us within 14 days for a full refund.