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LRG Wealth Advisors Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary with Hightower: An Interview with Founder and Managing Director LaRue Gibson

By Hightower Advisors / July 6, 2026

Managing director and partner LaRue Gibson founded LRG Wealth Advisors after 28 years at Merrill Lynch, with a vision to build a practice centered on independence and a deeply personalized client experience. Over the past decade, LRG Wealth Advisors has doubled in size and surpassed $500 million in AUM (as of 12/31/2025), leveraging Hightower’s robust platform — particularly its estate planning capabilities — to strengthen client engagement and provide thoughtful, value‑driven support.

Read our full interview with LaRue below.

Q: What led you to establish your practice—and what brought you to Hightower?
A: I spent 28 years building a highly successful practice at Merrill Lynch. My time with the “thundering herd” fills me with great pride; however, I wanted to build a practice that offered greater autonomy and a fiduciary‑first approach for my clients. Founding LRG Wealth Advisors at Hightower Advisors allowed me to provide bespoke fiduciary solutions that take advantage of my experience and creativity.

Q: How has your practice evolved since joining Hightower?
A: Our practice has more than doubled in size since joining Hightower 10 years ago. Much of that growth happened because we tirelessly drive the adoption of our financial planning pedagogy; we have applied our rigorous approach to investment portfolio management; and our clients continue to believe in us and reward us with referrals.

Q: Which Hightower capabilities or resources have made the biggest impact on your team?
A: Over the past two or three years, we have utilized the estate planning services available from Hightower to deepen customer engagement and provide extremely cost-effective solutions in estate planning.

Q: What is one milestone or achievement your practice is especially proud of since joining?
A: Crossing over the $500 million in advised assets was quite a milestone, but seeing our clients achieve their goals and dreams so they may live the life they imagine is the milestone with which we measure LRG Wealth Advisors.

Q: What are the defining characteristics of your practice?
A: I have a team of intelligent, dedicated, hard-working, and empathetic teammates who stay focused on our clients, their needs, their goals, and their dreams. The whole team believes in our defining mantra: LRG Wealth Advisors helps you live the life you imagine.

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