Peter J. Gallagher, ChFC®, CLU®, CASL®, AIF®
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 just moved back to Ossining. We have two children: Alison, who teaches art in a local public school, and Ryan, who attends Providence College, running on their track and cross-country team. 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 obtained four advanced planning designations. They include my ChFC®, CLU®, CASL®, and AIF® 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.
Three months after my daughter was born, I began my studies as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). I spent more than 15 years as a volunteer for the Village of Briarcliff Manor Fire Department. I also became a CPR instructor and donated my time and to teach others to save lives. I was one of the many first responders who worked at Ground Zero in 2001. Because I consistently volunteered my time over 500 hours each year, I have been honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award for several years in a row.
