Hi PF community — I'm a 37yo looking to reduce my tax burden and optimize retirement savings. I have a mix of W2 and 1099 income and want to make sure I'm taking full advantage of contribution limits and retirement vehicles.

Income Sources:

1. Full-time job (W2) – $350k salary + $5k–$15k annual bonus
2. Job B: Part-time W2 side gig – $16.5k YTD
3. Job C: 1099 contracting work – $52,337.50 YTD

Jobs B and C are inconsistent. I pick up Job B when it doesn't interfere with my main job. Job C is mostly evenings and pays well, but availability varies. Because of this inconsistency, I don't think it's worth the effort/cost to form an S-corp right now.

Current Retirement Contributions:

• 401(k) employee deferral (full-time job): $23.5k
• 401(k) employer match: ~$10.5k (3%)
• Backdoor Roth IRA: $7k
• Taxable brokerage account: Additional savings invested here

My Plan:

• From my understanding, I can contribute up to $70k total across all 401(k) accounts (employee + employer, under the 2025 limit).
• I've used $23.5k (employee) + $10.5k (employer) from my W2, so I still have ~$36k of space for employer contributions via a solo 401(k) tied to my 1099 income.
• Since I have no business expenses, I believe I can contribute 20% of net self-employment income from Job C as an employer.
• Planning to open a Vanguard solo 401(k) to keep things simple and low-cost (already use Vanguard for Roth and brokerage accounts).

Questions:

1. Does this strategy make sense?
2. Am I missing anything regarding contribution limits, solo 401(k) setup, or tax considerations?
3. Any tips to further optimize this mix of W2 + 1099 income for tax and retirement purposes?

Thanks in advance!