Q: I have saved about $10,000, but I will need $5,000 to $10,000 more to make a down payment on my first home. I have been thinking of withdrawing the extra money I need from my individual retirement account. Would this be a good idea?

A: Probably not. As you're likely aware, the Internal Revenue Service permits most taxpayers to pull up to $10,000 out of their IRA accounts without levying the typical 10 percent early-withdrawal penalty if the money is used to buy a first home. The IRS considers you a first-time buyer if you haven't owned a home in the past two years.

You would have to pay state and federal taxes on it. For most folks, the federal bite is about 25 cents on the dollar for Uncle Sam.

You'd also be prohibited from putting the money back into your IRA soon because most taxpayers can contribute only $3,000 a year to such accounts (those older than 50 can deposit up to $3,500).

Most lenders offer low-down-payment or even zero-down-payment mortgages. You might try that instead.

Q:  I recently read that Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates has once again been named the richest person in America. What is his house like?

A:  Gates, whose net worth is estimated at $46 billion, lives in a 66,000-square-foot waterfront compound valued at $60 million in the Seattle suburb of Medina, Wash.

As you might guess, the Gates Estate is loaded with all the latest high-tech gadgets. Some of the more unusual amenities include a 60-foot-long pool with an underwater sound system, a 1,500-square-foot art deco theater that seats 20, and a trampoline room.

It's interesting to contrast Gates' home with that of the nation's second-richest man, legendary investor and Berkshire Hathaway Chief Executive Warren Buffett.

Buffett, whose personal wealth is estimated at $36 billion, still lives in the relatively modest home he bought in Omaha for $31,500 in 1958. A comfortable home in the same neighborhood today can be purchased for about $200,000, realty agents say.