Grand Plans: January 30, 2025

A semi-monthly newsletter from Grand Plans designed to normalize and celebrate our glorious geri-destiny through information, stories, real talk conversation, smart planning and shared experience.

Things I’m prattling on about today

Big news! This year, I am planning to release a second-gen edition of my book, Grand Plans: How to Mitigate Geri-Drama in 20 Easy Steps. IKR?! After continued study and schooling on topics of gerontology, it became super obvious to me there were some things in the book that could use a little tweaking. So, during a long, cold stint in the mountains of North Carolina this January, I sat at my space heater and made a few changes and additions of form and function to the first edition — including a new chapter on understanding government programs and long-term care options. I also decided to take some of the sting out of my tone. Sometimes when you’re mad as hell — like I was in 2022, fresh off the worst geri-scary ride of my life sucking my thumb and writing a book for the first time — you say things that are a little, extra. I’m all for being extra, I applaud it, always! But I also want to make sure Grand Plans’ mission of normalizing conversations about aging doesn’t ever get lost in the commotion. Life is too short for that. So, I decided to use my inside voice and keep moving, no big deal. And here we are. Grand Plans 2.0: How to Mitigate Geri-Drama in 20 Easy Steps will be released later this year.

But wait — there’s more! Extra! Extra!

I decided to write t more books! Yes, I’m serious! It’s really not that big of a deal because I condensed and re-packaged a lot of material I had already written on the three most important parts of a Grand Plan — getting your financial, legal and advance directives in order. They are titled Algeribra: 10 Financial Moves to Make Your Grand Planning Great, Gerisprudence: 10 Legal Moves to Make Your Grand Planning Great and Advance Gerictives: 10 Health Directive Moves to Make Your Grand Planning Great. The three books are much shorter than Grand Plans the original and Grand Plans 2.0, and each provides readers with a 10-step process to managing these critical areas of Grand Planning. I hope to get these puppies on the bookshelf by summer.

That’s all I have for this week’s newsletter. Thank you for your support as Grand Plans gets even grander — and yes, more extra — in the New Year!

News you can use

Make sure you get extra copies of your loved ones’ death certificate. Here’s why and for what you’ll need to use them.

“You’ve probably heard about the standard deduction, but did you know that the tax code offers a perk in the form of an extra standard deduction for people aged 65 or older?” Read all about it in this report from Kiplinger.

Yes. There are many extra financial perks to being older. U.S. News & World Report lays them out for you in this handy article.

I am honored and extra excited to speak at this year’s Friendship Luncheon Honoring Melinda, benefiting the Melinda Hicks Jenkins Fund for the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. Melinda was a special friend and I look forward to sharing some Grand Plans words at this beautiful event.

Ready to get ready? This upcoming event at River Garden promises to be informative:

Shelf life

Talk about extra…my bitchin’ viola player buddy Margaret gave me this book, Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book of Death, for Christmas and I cannot wait to dig in. I cannot think of a better Christmas present for myself. She knows me so well — she had me at “shocking and macabre!”

“It’s safe to say everyone thinks about death—whether they want to or not. But have you ever wondered about what sort of keepsakes you can make with your remains, or given any thought to the most scandalous deathbed confessions throughout history? Well Madison Reyes and Spencer Henry have, and they've spent countless hours scouring the darkest corners of the internet, digging through newspaper archives, devouring documents, and picking the brains of death industry experts to bring you Obitchuary, a darkly funny and deeply poignant exploration of all things death.

With chapters like “Coffin Confessions,” “Executions to Die For,” “The Last Word,” and “If These Dolls Could Speak,” Madison and Spencer guide us through surprisingly colorful history, traditions, and contemporary practices. They also demystify taboo topics with incredible and hilarious details, including FUNerals, as they call them, cremations and themed funerals, famous body snatchers, and so much more.

Shocking, macabre, hilarious, and moving, Obitchuary digs deep into the physical aspects of death while also carefully exploring what death says about our humanity and the ways we choose to remember those we've lost. So go ahead, crack open the book—we know you're dying to read it.”

…And, of course, Grand Plans the OG and the Grand Planner can help walk you through all the great ways to talk to your friends and family about your plans for the second half of life!

Some golden gedunk and goods

Get yourself another few copies of Grand Plans: How to Mitigate Geri-Drama in 20 Easy Steps and the Grand Planner for all the people who like getting gifts in your life! Visit www.mygrandplans.com for links to purchase on Amazon.

And… Check out our Grand Plans merch in our Etsy storefront.