How to start building long-term wealth, even if you don't have much to start investing.

Sometimes the hardest part of investing is getting started.

"I want to start investing, but where do I even begin?"

It's the most common question I hear from Don't Short Yourself readers, and I totally get it. To outsiders, investing can seem like an elite country club with its own rules.

But you don't need to be fluent in markets jargon or have thousands of dollars stashed away to get started. Just make sure you have some emergency savings and a plan for paying off high-interest debt.

Then you're ready to begin.

Sign up to get Don't Short Yourself.

Your investing cheat sheet

Here's what you need to know to get started:

-- Choose an account (or accounts) that fits your goal. Depending on your circumstances and eligibility, that could be your workplace 401(k), a Roth IRA or a brokerage account.

-- Start with a mix. Low-cost funds that track an index like the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Broad-market mutual funds and/or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can also spread your money across many companies and industries, potentially mitigating the impact of a single investment tanking.

-- Automate it. Recurring contributions remove emotion and analysis paralysis from the equation. And another bonus: You pay yourself first.

Investing tips from journalists who cover financial markets

While working on this week's installment of DSY, I realized some of my best potential sources were my own colleagues.

MarketWatch journalists don't bet on individual stocks or sector funds tied to industries that they cover, but we spend every day following financial markets and reporting on savvy strategies. So I asked my colleagues which investing habits they thought mattered most to those just starting out.

Maximize your 401(k)

My own advice: Contribute as much as you can to your 401(k), or similar workplace retirement funds, to receive the full employer match if it's offered at your company.

My 401(k) balance has more than doubled since the start of the year thanks to my consistent contributions, employer contributions and investment gains.

I previously contributed 12% to my Roth 401(k) but dropped the contribution to 7% earlier this year to free up some extra cash when my fiancé was laid off. Even with the lower contributions, I made sure I was still setting aside enough to get the full employer match, which is extra money your employer contributes to your 401(k), typically matching what you put in, up to a certain percentage. If you aren't contributing up to the match, then you're leaving money on the table.

Since the beginning of the year my 401(k) balance has more than doubled thanks to my consistent contributions, my employer's contributions and investment gains.

Here are some more tips for getting the most out of your 401(k).

Put some of your extra money to work

Joy Wiltermuth, assistant managing editor of markets: "At my first job when I was in my 20s, we got a bonus around July 4 and another around Christmas. The accountant would rush into my office to ask how much of the bonus I planned to put toward my retirement account. It wasn't a whole lot, but it was the idea of putting any little extra away that I've tried to sustain over the years."

Joy raises a good point: Once you've taken care of the fundamentals (e.g., an emergency savings, expensive loans, etc.), extra cash from gifts or bonuses can be directed toward your long-term investments.

"It's not like, 'Oh, gosh, I only have $100. I need to be wealthy,' or 'I need to start with $5,000 or $10,000' " to invest, said Matt Gellene, head of specialized consumer client solutions at Bank of America. "It doesn't matter if it's just a few dollars that you begin with. This is a step on your learning journey."

Brokerage accounts offer flexibility

Claudia Assis, news editor and deputy San Francisco bureau chief: "Instead of a Roth IRA I opened brokerage accounts for my kids and got a low-fee ETF tracking the broader stock market. I wanted them to have options and more flexibility, and also more agency versus tying their money to retirement. I do tell them that the money is for big, important things. My 18-year-old daughter especially has been pretty good about buying shares with summer-job money."

While a Roth IRA offers tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals in retirement, its withdrawal rules make it less ideal for midterm financial goals like buying a home. For goals that may happen before age 591/2, standard taxable brokerage accounts offer access and flexibility - even if it means paying capital-gains taxes along the way.

Regardless of which account type you choose, starting early allows compounding interest to work in your favor over time. Your investments earn a return, that money gets reinvested, and you earn returns on both your original contributions and past gains. This financial snowball effect means the younger you start, the more your money can grow.

Stay calm and carry on

Isabel Wang, markets reporter: "Don't panic when the market tumbles. You're investing for 30+ years. There will be bad years. Your best move is often to stay the course."

The broader market has recovered from previous downturns, although recoveries can take time. A long investing horizon can make it easier to endure those periods.

On the flip side, "don't get too euphoric when stocks rise," said Isabel, who has been covering financial markets at MarketWatch for four years. "Ask what's driving the move and whether the fundamentals justify it. If you can't explain why something is going up, or what could make it stop, you probably shouldn't be rushing in."

Next week's Don't Short Yourself is about how shoppers can negotiate the price of almost anything: furniture, gym memberships, even college tuition. I want to hear about a time when you successfully haggled to score a great deal. Email the details to dontshortyourself@marketwatch.com, and your response might be included in a future edition of the newsletter.

Calling all Gen Z investors

For an upcoming project, I'm surveying Gen Z-ers to better understand their investing behaviors. If you're an investor under age 30 - anything from contributing to a workplace 401(k) to active day trading counts here - please take our survey. It's anonymous, unless you choose to share your name at the end.

Key money reads

- Many college students are facing new federal student-loan borrowing restrictions as classes start, but read this before taking out a private student loan to help cover tuition.

- Soon you'll be able to use PayPal or Venmo to pay your tuition. But should you?

- Want to understand why everyone's talking about the bond market? Here's the latest on the alarming selloff in long-term U.S. government bonds and what the U.S. Treasury's trying to do about it.

- If you're looking for an affordable place to live, this Midwestern city has been America's best deal in housing for over 134 years.

- And finally: Move over, credit cards. Social-media stars are tapping magic wands to buy things.

About Genna

I'm Genna Contino, an award-winning journalist on MarketWatch's personal-finance team. I'm 27 years old, originally from South Carolina, and currently splitting the rent on an overpriced apartment in New York City with my fiancé. When I'm not writing about my hack for saving hundreds of dollars on airfare, or the four must-have money conversations before moving in with your partner, you can find me reading a celebrity memoir, overanalyzing reality TV, junk journaling, borrowing DVDs from the library or getting thoroughly humbled in an adult ballet class after a 10-year hiatus.

-Genna Contino