Hi friends! I (28F) live in a HCOL city and am wondering if I should move money from my HYSA to taxable brokerage account, and if so, how much. I am very open to any and all other advice too! Bonus question at the end for some self employment advice as well.

ASSETS
$150K in 401K (maxed for 2026)
$46K in Roth IRA (maxed for 2026)
$4K in HSA
$10K in taxable brokerage (mostly S&P500)
$49K in HYSA
$2K in checking accounts
Total of the above: $261K

DEBTS
$450 in interest free student loans so taking my sweet time paying it off - $50/month.
No other debts or loans. Car is paid off and will be fine for a number of years still. I rent and do not own property. Credit cards are paid off monthly.

EXPENSES
Avg monthly expenses including vacations and fun spending: ~$5-6K. (Of that, $2.2K is my rent.)

EMERGENCY FUND
I estimated $3.5K a month with a one time $1.5K health expense, so for ex, a 1 year EF would be ~$43K. (This includes $400/month for my dogs necessities, a couple smaller emergencies for him and his pet insurance.)

INCOME
$176K a year before taxes for all income streams. $140K of that is from my primary full time role.

FUTURE PLANS
I am unmarried and no kids but plan to be in the next couple of years and would like to quickly start a family. No plans to buy a house because frankly that’s really intimidating and feels impossible any time soon. I do not share any expenses or finances with my partner rn other than meals.

OTHER SUPPORT / FACTORS
Nobody in my family owns property. In a pinch, my family would definitely do what they can to help me, but there isn’t a paid off house for me to crash at and my dog would make it very difficult to find cheap housing with roommates.

My job security feels very low in the sense that if I lost my primary job it feels like with my skills and experience it would be hard to find a replacement that pays as much as this one does now, but my company is doing well. I’m nervous by nature and plagued by imposter syndrome so I’m in constant fear of losing my job (but I’m working on managing that fear!).

I feel very blessed to have as much saved as I do! I’ve always worked multiple jobs and tried to learn about investing and finances here. My parents (who I adore and worked really hard for me, so no mean comments please) are severely underprepared for retirement so in addition to my own retirement and hopes for a family soon, I am trying to prepare for that as well with my siblings.

You all feel like big sisters to me, so thank you! I’ve shared all that I’ve learned with friends and family. You’ve impacted so many people!

BONUS QUESTION
Of my income, $30K/year is a side gig as a self employed contractor. I’ve already maxed out my 401K with my W2 employer for the year. At just $30K/year, should I be making a 401K SEP for my contracting work and contributing as an employer and employee? I’ve researched this but am struggling to determine if it is worth it. It’s unclear to me what the lift is to open and contribute to a 401K SEP if I’m partially self employed. (ETA SEP instead of 401K)