“Opportunity Cost” Tool Aims to Normalize Bitcoin-Denominated Economic Thinking
Truth for the Commoner (TFTC), a Bitcoin-focused media company, has launched a new browser extension called Opportunity Cost, allowing users to view online prices in Bitcoin (BTC) or satoshis (sats). The tool is designed to help users assess purchasing decisions through the lens of sound money principles, by showing prices denominated in Bitcoin instead of fiat currencies.
TFTC founder Marty Bent says the tool aims to reintroduce economic rationality by providing a consistent pricing standard not distorted by fiat currency manipulation.
Tool Designed to Challenge Fiat Pricing Signals
In a statement to Cointelegraph, Bent said the extension was created to combat what he described as the erosion of economic calculation caused by fiat monetary policy.
“The concept of opportunity cost has been completely corrupted in the late-stage fiat era wrought with interest rate manipulation and money printing,” Bent said.
“Bitcoin reintroduces a proper hurdle rate that enables individuals to truly weigh the opportunity cost of their spending decisions.”
A hurdle rate is the minimum return an investor requires before committing capital — a concept Bent believes is no longer meaningful under current fiat frameworks.
Three Core Goals: Adoption, Education, and Business Utility
According to Bent, the Opportunity Cost extension has three main objectives:
-
Promote low time preference behavior — encouraging users to delay consumption in favor of long-term savings.
-
Drive Bitcoin adoption by integrating it into daily digital interactions.
-
Support business owners in calculating revenue and pricing models using BTC as the base unit.
The tool is open-source, free to use, and has no revenue model, underscoring its goal of supporting grassroots Bitcoin adoption rather than commercializing the software.
How It Works
Once installed, the Opportunity Cost browser extension scans web pages for fiat-denominated prices and converts them into their Bitcoin or satoshi equivalent using real-time exchange rates. This allows users to instantly visualize the BTC cost of goods and services they browse online.
The software supports a wide range of websites and is compatible with major browsers, making it accessible to both consumers and merchants seeking a Bitcoin-denominated pricing framework.
A Push Toward the Bitcoin Standard
The browser extension is part of a larger movement within the Bitcoin ecosystem to normalize BTC as a base unit of economic calculation — often referred to as building a “Bitcoin standard.” This emerging standard envisions a world where:
-
Savings are stored in Bitcoin
-
Loans are collateralized with Bitcoin
-
Prices are expressed in BTC or sats
-
Opportunity costs are measured in foregone Bitcoin appreciation
“This is about moving from a world where your savings lose value over time, to one where saving is rewarded,” Bent said.
Corporate Bitcoin Treasuries Are Growing
TFTC’s release comes amid a growing trend of companies adding Bitcoin to their treasuries as a strategic reserve asset. The idea is to protect balance sheets from fiat currency depreciation and benefit from Bitcoin’s long-term appreciation potential.
Firms such as Ledn, a Bitcoin lending platform, have pioneered Bitcoin-backed loan products. These allow users to:
-
Access fiat liquidity without selling BTC
-
Finance real estate or business expenses
-
Reinvest in additional Bitcoin positions
This kind of crypto-collateralized finance is foundational to building an economic system where Bitcoin is both a store of value and a functional medium of exchange.
Infrastructure for a Bitcoin-Based Economy
The Opportunity Cost extension represents another piece of the growing infrastructure needed to support a Bitcoin-centric economy. As more services allow for price visibility, payment flexibility, and debt markets in BTC, the path toward a non-fiat financial system becomes more tangible.
“These kinds of tools are about changing mindsets,” said one Bitcoin educator. “When people start to think in Bitcoin, they start to value their time and money differently.”
What’s Next for Bitcoin-Native Tools
While the extension is a small step, it aligns with a broader wave of Bitcoin-native applications, including:
-
Lightning Network wallets
-
Non-custodial merchant payment processors
-
BTC-denominated accounting tools
-
Onchain analytics tools priced in sats
As macroeconomic instability persists and inflation continues to erode purchasing power in many countries, products like these may find greater relevance — especially in emerging markets and among tech-savvy younger generations.
Conclusion
The launch of TFTC’s Opportunity Cost browser extension underscores the growing interest in reframing economic decisions through a Bitcoin lens. By allowing users to see prices in Bitcoin and sats, the tool aims to challenge fiat norms and support a transition toward long-term savings, low time preference behaviors, and ultimately a Bitcoin-based financial system.
With no revenue model and open-source accessibility, the extension reflects the ethos of Bitcoin as a public good — and signals that “thinking in Bitcoin” may be the next frontier in personal finance and economic reform.
