You Can Tap an IRA Penalty-Free to Buy a Home. Here's Why You Shouldn't.

There's a reason it pays to save for retirement in an IRA. These accounts give you a couple of helpful tax breaks in the course of building a nest egg. First, contributions to a traditional IRA get to go in on a pre-tax basis. That allows you to shield some income from taxes. Also, investment gains in an IRA are tax-deferred, so you don't pay taxes until you're ready to take withdrawals. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right ...