What a Second Trump Term Could Mean for Your Money

Here’s what the president-elect has said he might do with your taxes, student loans, Social Security and more.

President-elect Donald J. Trump made a number of personal finance promises during his presidential campaign. How many will he try to — and be able to — keep?

The answer will depend in part on the outcome of races in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Despite Republican gains, both houses are close enough to a 50-50 split that just a few elected officials could impose their will and lead to certain policies that look nothing like Mr. Trump’s campaign agenda.

It will also depend on the courts. Last year, the Supreme Court struck down President Biden’s attempt to cancel certain federal student loans, ruling that Congress had not provided clear enough authority to take such a major action. The court may — or may not — restrict some of Mr. Trump’s actions in the same way.

Then there is Mr. Trump’s plan for increased tariffs. It’s hard to estimate whether your financial situation will improve in his second term without knowing how much success he will have in putting more tariffs into place — and how much consumer prices might rise as a result. The markets may be a kind of brake as well, depending on how investors react to his plans.

Candidates say plenty of things, mean most of them, follow through on many of those and successfully meet a fraction of their goals.

Mr. Trump is not like most politicians, but all we have to go on is the record of what he said he would attempt if he won. What follows is that record.