I recall that when I "take" the lulav and etrog that is recommended that I remove my wedding ring, so that there should be no concern of a barrier/Chatzitza to "taking" the arba minim. Does this same stringency apply to my daily wearing of tefillin? Should I remove my ring before this? I live in an area where it is universally customary for married men to wear a wedding band.

The law regarding the taking of a lulav requires that there not be a barrier (chatzitza) between your hand and the lulav and it is therefore recommended to remove rings (R'ma Orach Chayyim 651 7). Regarding tefillin, no chatzitza is allowed between the boxes of the tefillin and your head or arm (Shulchan Aruch and R'ma Orach Chayyim 27 4). The straps attaching the boxes to the arm and head should also rest on the head and arm without a chatzitza. This obligation does not apply to the rest of the strap including that which goes around the fingers (Mishna Berura 27 16). There are those however who avoid a chatzitza even here (ben Ish Chai as quoted by R' Mordechai Eliahu in notes on Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10, 6).