Whether you’re a new investor or someone that’s definitely been around the block a few times, there’s going to come a point where you have to check into the major financial media outlets. This can be newspapers, televisions, or even online websites. You might remember a few from crawling the Web, so we won’t mention them again. However, there is something that you should know: they often get gold investing wrong.

Calling gold trading a mere hedge implies that it’s something that you can really do without, and we’re not clearly convinced that this is the case. As much as we would like to assume that all investors act based on the numbers they see in the market as a whole, there are plenty of investors that react based on mere emotion alone. Is it the right way to run a portfolio? No, but no one really can tell you what to do with your money but you — you are the one that ultimately wields that power.

Remember that part of what keeps the financial media outlets afloat is reader engagement. If they know that they can produce an article or a news segment where everything is about fear and loss and you tune in, then they’re going to do what works. Positive news rarely sends people running to the news stations, but negative news always does in a pinch!

Are we saying that the media outlets are always wrong? Not necessarily — it is quite possible to have correct information being passed around. However, when it comes to gold, a lot of media outlets feel that it’s outdated, unstable, and the returns aren’t good.

At the time of this writing (July 2011), gold prices in the UK are experiencing record highs. If you purchased gold before the major run, you stood to make a substantial profit. That’s why we know that the gold rush is alive and well, and that the major news outlets are really missing the boat.

However, just because they’re missing the boat doesn’t mean that you have to join the party. You can choose to invest in gold slowly, and then increase your holdings as capital allows.

If that sounds straightforward, it was definitely meant to — why not jump into the world of online gold trading today? It’s truly easier than you think!