For those of you that are interested in GOLD I just felt compelled to correct a post by stocktradr. There is no correlation that is meaningful between times of financial stress and Gold values. Just go look back at stock market crashes of the past and you will see that GOLD has actually declined more than it has rallied during these periods.
Put your money in GOLD if you think it is prudent, but do not do it for the reason that was stated, it is inaccurate. Inflation is the main driver of GOLD prices, I covered this in great detail in one of my newsletters to clients last year. It is true that inflation at times has been present during stock declines, but it has not always been there.
The ETrade situation is a shame, but I doubt a reason for immediate panic. Fear is a great sell for books etc.. but rarely pushes you into correct decisions.