Trump wants to let you take money from your 401(k) to buy a house. Putting it back is complicated.

Beth Pinsker is a financial-planning columnist at MarketWatch. She has been a certified financial planner (CFP®) since 2018. Previously, she worked at Reuters, Fidelity and Walletpop.com. Prior to covering personal finance, she was a film critic and entertainment business reporter, writing for Entertainment Weekly, The Dallas Morning News and many other publications. Her book, “My Mother’s Money: A Guide to Financial Caregiving,” is out in November 2025 from Crown Currency. You can follow heron BlueSky (@bethpinsker.bsky.social) or LinkedIn (@bpinsker).