Grim Choices

A human-centered planning tool for documenting end-of-life decisions with clarity and care. Designed to reduce uncertainty and emotional burden for loved ones.

Thoughtful planning for life’s hardest moments

Early access is available. Join the mailing list at https://grimchoices.com/ to receive updates and early access invitations.

Grim Choices is a human-centered planning tool designed to help people think through end-of-life decisions before they become emergencies.

It provides a calm, guided way to document wishes, responsibilities, and important information—so loved ones aren’t left guessing during already difficult times.

What Grim Choices is

Grim Choices helps individuals organize and communicate critical decisions around end-of-life planning in one place.

Rather than focusing on legal complexity or fear-based messaging, it emphasizes clarity, reflection, and practical preparedness.

The goal is not to replace legal advice, but to make conversations and documentation easier to start, revisit, and share when appropriate.

How it works

1. Answer guided questions Users are prompted with clear, plain-language questions covering common end-of-life scenarios.

2. Record decisions and preferences

   Capture wishes around care, guardianship, responsibilities, and important contacts.

3. Organize critical information Keep key details structured and accessible in one place.

4. Share intentionally

   Choose when and with whom information is shared.

Designed to reduce burden

Grim Choices is built around the idea that good planning is an act of care.

• Calm, non-alarmist language
• Clear explanations without legal jargon
• Focus on reducing stress for loved ones
• Designed for revisiting over time, not one-time completion

Key areas covered

Care preferences

Document wishes related to medical care, quality of life considerations, and decision-making preferences.

Guardianship and dependents

Capture plans and intent around children, pets, and other dependents.

Responsibilities and roles

Clarify who should handle specific tasks and decisions.

Important information

Organize contacts, documents, and details that are often scattered or forgotten.

Why Grim Choices

End-of-life planning is often avoided because tools are overwhelming, impersonal, or framed around fear.

Grim Choices takes a different approach.

It treats planning as a reflective, ongoing process—one that respects emotional reality while still delivering practical value.

Built with care

Grim Choices is being developed with a strong emphasis on privacy, respect, and long-term trust.

User data is treated as deeply personal, and design decisions prioritize dignity over engagement metrics.

From Sparkstone

Grim Choices is built by Sparkstone, a Portland-based product studio focused on thoughtful, human-centered software.

We believe tools dealing with serious life events should be calm, clear, and worthy of trust.

Status

Grim Choices is under active development. Early feedback from individuals, families, and advisors helps shape its direction.

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