Please note that Decision Center articles should not be confused with financial advice, which recommends a course of action based on the specifics of your person circumstances. The articles are intended to provide general personal finance information. We urge you to consult with a professional financial adviser before making any important decisions about your finances. Opinions set forth by our contributing authors are exclusively opinion and do not necessarily reflect the views of Microsoft Corporation.

Ginger Applegarth, a certified financial planner, has written books and articles on insurance, retirement and estate planning. She is a former contributing correspondent for CNBC's "The Money Club," a former contributing editor at Worth magazine and a former contributing correspondent for NBC's "The Today Show." She currently regularly appears as a financial consultant on Boston's WBZ morning news show. In addition, she is a chartered financial consultant and chartered life underwriter. The author of How to Protect Your Family with Insurance and The Money Diet, she is working on another book, Choose Wealth. She lives in the Boston area.

Adriane Berg, a lawyer, divorce mediation counselor and licensed stockbroker, hosts the WABC radio talk show "Adriane Berg's Peace of Mind." She has appeared on several local and national television shows including "Oprah." Berg is the author of nine books including Your Wealth Building Years and Financial Planning for Couples. She lives in New Jersey.

Mary Rowland has been writing about personal finance and investing for more than 20 years. She was the Sunday New York Times personal finance columnist from 1989 to 1995. Her articles have been featured in Fortune, Worth, Business Week, Bloomberg Personal, Money, Woman's Day, Family Circle, McCall's, Ladies' Home Journal and USA Today. She is the author of several books on personal finance, the most recent being A Common Sense Guide to Your 401(k). She lives in New York state.

Jeff Schnepper is the author of the best-selling, How to Pay Zero Taxes, which is in its 15th edition. He has written several other books on finance and taxation including TurboTax Deluxe, How Much is it Worth? Asset and Business Valuation, The New Bankruptcy Law: A Professional Handbook, and Inside the IRS, How it Works (You Over). A former professor of taxation, accounting and finance, Schnepper has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and has appeared on numerous national and local television programs. He lives in New Jersey.