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Who We Are

Meet Our Dedicated Team of Professionals

Gerry Barrasso Photo

Gerry Barrasso

Founder / President, CFP®, CPA, PFS
I am a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and the founder of United Financial Planning Group. I provide financial planning, tax preparation and wealth management services on a fee only advisory basis. I bring over two decades of financial advisory experience to my practice.

My professional career began in 1991 as a CPA for Price Waterhouse. There, I was assigned to the firm’s Technology Industry Group where I gained extensive knowledge working with start-up businesses helping take several companies public. I also worked as the Corporate Controller of a leading public company in Long Island. During this time, I gained experience in corporate finance, SEC reporting taxation and investing.

My practice began focused primarily on tax planning and small business consulting. By working closely with my clients’ investment advisors, I was also able to gain extensive investment knowledge which led me to realize the conflicts of interest prevalent in the financial services industry. It was due to this revelation that I began to incorporate fee-only financial planning and wealth advisory into my practice. In my opinion, this shift in focus created the perfect synergy between tax and personal financial planning.Throughout my decades in the industry, I’ve accumulated several designations including:

  1. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) 
  2. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) 
  3. Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) 
In addition to earning these designations, I am also an active member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA), the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the Garrett Planning Network.

Prior to entering the financial industry, I earned my BBA in Finance from Hofstra University and MBA in Accounting from St. John’s University. In addition, I hold a Certificate of Financial Planning from Fordham University.

I currently reside in Smithtown, NY with my wife and two children. I enjoy playing an active role in the community by devoting time to charitable organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. In my free time, I enjoy sports, the outdoors and family activities.
Amir Noor, CFP® Photo

Amir Noor, CFP®

Director of Financial Planning

Amir is the Director of Financial Planning for United Financial Planning Group LLC. He started his career in the financial services industry in 2007 in Huntington, NY at the W. J. Valone Agency. Looking to expand his practice and skillset, Amir joined Park Avenue Securities in 2014. As he continued to grow and understand financial services, he felt there should be more of a client-first model with fee-based planning and joined UFPG in 2021.

Amir specializes in Personal Financial Planning and Qualified Retirement Plans. As well as the following focus areas:

  • Investment Management
  • Attorney Growth Planning
  • Estate and Trust Planning
  • Physician Growth Planning
  • Defined Benefit/401(k) Plans
  • Wealth and Risk Management
  • Insurance and Benefit Coordination

While networking, learning, and connecting with like-minded professionals, Amir is happy to be affiliated with the following organizations:

  • The LiiNCS Organization
  • IVY Connect - NYC Chapter
  • Golden Key International Honour Society
  • South Asian Bar Association of New York
  • Asian American Bar Association of New York
  • New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants
  • Honoree - Huntington Chamber of Commerce Young Professional Award

If you want to become fast friends with Amir, recommend a great restaurant!

Feel free to reach out anytime, or get on his calendar at Calendar.AmirNoor.com

John J. Ferro Photo

John J. Ferro

Director of Financial Planning

With more than 30 years of Wall Street experience, John’s entire career has been about managing risks.  He has actively traded proprietary positions in US and international equity indices and fixed income, cash foreign exchange, commodity futures, options and most recently cash cryptocurrencies. Leveraging a background within both traditional and non-traditional asset classes, John welcomes opportunities to work intimately with clients, family and friends to assist with taking on complex investment ideas and simplifying them. He learned there’s no such thing as a perfect portfolio, or one that doesn’t require strategic adjustments from time to time. There needs to be balance and understanding of how it works.

John applies this approach when developing a financial plan. Whether you’re an individual looking to make strategic investments or a trader overseeing a multi-billion-dollar fund, it’s always essential to have a well-thought-out pathway toward success and a steady guiding voice assisting along the way.

Having experienced the divorce process and bringing his own budget into focus, John gained an entirely new appreciation for holistic financial planning. From scoping out educational costs, managing insurance needs, tax strategies, investing, retirement and estate planning – all of these factors need to work cohesively to achieve long-term independent goals. 

John enjoys helping people with this process, lending them knowledge from decades of experience and working together to think strategically about a financial plan that meets and exceeds their goals. 

Prior to entering the financial industry, John earned his BBA in International Business from Hofstra University. He currently resides in Hell’s Kitchen, NY with his son and moonlights as a Certified Spinning Instructor for Crunch Gym. In his free time, John enjoys snowboarding, scuba diving, reading, mixing music and hunting for vinyl records.  

 Feel free to get on his calendar at http://unitedfpg.com/john

Ryan Derousseau, CFP® Photo

Ryan Derousseau, CFP®

Financial Advisor

I’ve spent nearly 15 years both learning the tricks and trades of the financial world and running my own operations as a solo practitioner.

As a trained journalist, I wrote for publications read by millions, including Fortune, Money and Forbes, discussing investing, personal finance and small business issues. In the process, I delved into what individuals and families need to know and what they should avoid to protect their wealth. I also spent these years working for myself, learning the tricks and tools one needs to succeed as a contractor, consultant, freelancer, solopreneur or small business owner.

But I realized that the best way to connect with people and help them achieve success was as a financial planner. I now specialize in working with families or individuals as they tackle their life and financial goals, as well as helping the self-employed navigate unique financial concerns.

Reach out if you have questions about:

  • Financial and Wealth Management
  • Self-Employment Setup & Design
  • A Career Change
  • Long-term Goal Development
  • Family Financial Planning

I’m a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with a Master’s in Business and Economic Reporting from New York University and a certificate of Financial Planning from Boston University.

I live in Huntington, NY with my wife, two kids and one small dog. You will often find me discussing movies or basketball when not delving into someone’s financial picture or serving as a jungle gym for my children.

Patricia Watkins Photo

Patricia Watkins

Client Services Manager
I work alongside Gerry Barrasso as Client Service Manager, providing operational and administrative support. With my experience and knowledge of the financial services industry, I strive to provide the highest level of customer service and dedication to our clients.

I have worked as a Senior Client Service Associate in the financial services industry since 1996. I began my career at Dean Witter and subsequently Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney and UBS Financial.
Petr Perecinsky Photo

Petr Perecinsky

EA, Paraplanner / Tax Preparer
I have worked in the tax and accounting fields since 1998. I am an IRS certified enrolled agent with a bachelors degree in economics and accounting. I provide tax preparation and planning services to United clients with a focus on strategic tax planning.
Christine Backel Photo

Christine Backel

Consultant, CPA, CFP®, MST

I bring 20 plus years knowledge in accounting, taxation and financial planning. 

I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who has worked in both public accounting as a Business Advisor in various industries & private accounting as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO). While working as a CFO, I worked with a business owner whom required individual planning; for me this was a natural progression which leads me to become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP).  From here I have worked in Wealth Management as a Financial Planner & Tax Associate.

I have a Bachelors in Accounting, Masters in Taxation and I hold a Certificate of Financial Planning from Fairfield University.

Outside of work, I love outdoor activities to include camping, hiking, biking, astronomy and bird watching.    I also enjoy making mixed media artwork and I am a big NY Jets fan that enjoys the tailgate.