The best answer is: “as much as possible.” If you’re salaried and have a 401(k) plan with matching contributions, you should contribute enough to take all of those contributions. Freelance designers won’t have matching contributions but they should aim to save enough to be able to live on 4% of their total savings one day with help from Social Security. Calculate the amount you think you’ll need to live on each year, deduct your expected annual Social Security earnings, and multiply by 25. That’s your target.