Let's start off with the assumption that you want to own gold. You want to own gold as a hedge against inflation. You want to own gold as a hedge against a declining currency, like the U.S. dollar. And you want to own gold -- well, for the same reason you would make any investment -- because the price is likely to go a lot higher in coming years.

But how do you own gold? Until this year you had two basic choices: You could own the metal or you could own shares of gold mining companies (for the purpose of this discussion I'm leaving out gold futures). The disadvantage of owning the metal is that it's not convenient. You have to store it and insure it. That's a pain. And the transaction costs can be high when you go to buy or sell it.

The disadvantage of owning the shares of mining companies is that you own a stock. And you have all the risks that you would have in owning any stock. Management may make poor decisions. Increased operating costs could hurt earnings. The price of the stock could go down while the price of the metal goes higher, etc.

There's a third way to own gold. And it may be the best way. StreetTracks Gold Trust (symbol: GLD), makes purchasing gold just as easy as buying shares of Microsoft or Starbucks. It's innovative and it offers a very liquid and cost-effective way to invest in an important asset that, until now, was not available to individual investors. In fact, it is so innovative and such a major advancement that it will dramatically change the way investors look at investing.

Here are some relevant facts about GLD