Peter J. Gallagher, ChFC®, CLU®, CASL®, AIF®, RICP®
Founder and Managing Director
I was raised in Ossining, New York, and my parents still live in the house I grew up in. My wife, Chris, a retired elementary school teacher, and I live in Briarcliff Manor. We have two children: Alison, who teaches art in a local public school, and Ryan, a former Division 1 athlete on Providence College’s track and cross-country team. He has begun his professional career in the Boston area. My family is very important to me and comes first in everything that I do.
I’ve been involved in the music profession since I was young, beginning my studies on the string bass at the age of nine. I have always loved the discipline required to practice and perform music at a high level. I studied with some of the best bass teachers in the industry over the years and earned full-tuition music scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate school.
I learned a lot about setting goals and working hard to achieve them while practicing the string bass more than six hours a day in my early 20s. This determination paid off as I won ultra-competitive symphony orchestra auditions and began my career playing the string bass professionally. I was selected to perform with orchestras in Hartford, Connecticut and Orlando, Florida.
Although I loved performing music, the music business began to wear on me. After spending 20 years perfecting my craft, I decided it was time to change careers. I soon realized that in addition to my love for music, helping others was a core part of my life. I entered the financial services industry in 1994. I studied for and passed the exams to become a financial advisor, then went on to obtain five advanced planning designations: ChFC®, CLU®, CASL®, AIF®, and RICP® designations.
I have held positions in several large financial services firms, including TIAA-CREF and Citigroup, as senior retirement consultant and first vice president-financial advisor. Realizing the need to specialize in helping individuals plan for retirement, invest their assets intelligently, and preserve their legacy for their loved ones, I founded Unified Retirement Planning Group in 2016.
My passion as a financial advisor and retirement planner has extended into joining organizations with like-minded professionals, who are dedicated to client service. I was invited to serve on the board of the Estate Planning Council of Westchester County and am a member of the Northern Westchester Geriatric Committee.
I also greatly enjoy engaging with journalists from national media outlets - The Wall Street Journal and New York Times among them - on a variety of topics. Please visit our In the News page at www.myurpg.com/news to review recent coverage.
It is very gratifying that URPG has received awards and recognition for our commitment to client and community service. I believe in giving back and we also consistently participate in several charitable events and community service activities throughout the year.
I have recertified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in Briarcliff Manor. One of my proudest achievements occurred during my previous tenure of 15 years as an EMT, when I served as a first responder at Ground Zero.