RJP History
From a dream in a Frys grocery store to Arizona's oldest and largest estate planning company.
How It All Started
Jim and Debbie Placet met in 1993 when they were both working for Liberty Financial. Jim worked in the Great American Bank branches inside the Frys grocery stores, offering alternative investments to bank products. Debbie was the wholesaler for those same products and services.
As the financial services industry grew and evolved, so did the Placets’ dream of offering more products and services to the retirees of Arizona. When Great American Bank was taken over by the RTC, the Placets saw an opportunity to build something of their own.
“Jim maintained a strong belief in understanding a person for their needs and their goals, and as a human being, rather than a number.”
Key Milestones
1987
Jim Placet graduates from ASU with a Finance degree and enters the investment and brokerage business in Arizona.
1993
Jim and Debbie meet while both working for Liberty Financial, sparking the partnership that would become RJP.
Mid-1990s
RJP Estate Planning is founded. The Placets recognize that Arizona families need affordable, approachable estate planning backed by real, ongoing support.
2006
BBB accreditation earned. RJP receives its A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, a rating it has maintained every year since.
2000s–2010s
Growth across Arizona. RJP expands its advisory team, partner attorney network, and seminar program across Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sun City, and Tucson.
2017
RJP-AZ, LLC is incorporated, formalizing the company structure and expanding its insurance and financial services capabilities.
January 3, 2019
Jim Placet passes away. His legacy and vision continue through Debbie and the team he helped build.
Today
A second-generation family company carrying forward the same values, now with two offices and a team that continues to grow.
In Loving Memory of James C. Placet
“Jim will be remembered by his charismatic and magnetic personality. Loved by so many, his legacy will live on.”
James Christopher Placet died on January 3rd, 2019. He was born and raised in Wheaton, Illinois, a west suburb of Chicago. He moved to Arizona and graduated from ASU with a Finance degree in 1987. He then went into the investment and brokerage business, maintaining a strong belief in understanding a person for their needs and their goals, and as a human being, rather than a number.
Jim was a born entrepreneur and took great personal fulfillment in helping others around him. Through his businesses he believed in helping people and educating them on how to make an actual difference in someone’s life, and he shared this philosophy with many. He loved to travel with his family, feeling that life is precious and making memories with the ones he loved was the most important thing.
He is survived by his wife, Deborah, and their daughters Melissa and Emily. He is also survived by his parents, Harold and Rosalie, and his sister, Jane.
Published in The Arizona Republic on January 12, 2019
RJP Today
Under the continued leadership of Debbie Placet and the team Jim helped build, RJP has stayed true to the values he championed: treat every client like family, and never stop being there for them. The company now serves multiple generations of Arizona families, with adult children of original clients coming back to update their own plans, and bringing their friends.
“Every person who walks through our door deserves to be treated as a human being, not a number. That is the belief that started it all, and it is what drives us every single day.”
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