fun stocks

is it a good time to buy a stock in cedar fair? it can only go up for summer.

Any time is a good time to buy it and accumulate it for the long term, but if you think it can "only go up" I think you should not invest. If you're looking to short-sell, buy something else more volatile.

Unless you're buying 10,000 or so shares of it, you don't stand to make any substantial profit in the short-run. Like Jeff said, it's a good long-term investment, but then again, you'd be pretty silly if you relied on the performance of CF stock to finance your retirement. If you want a safe way to invest, look into Vanguard -- or really any index fund. My partner is the finance wiz and he has a good portion of money in those funds, claiming that "the only way to beat the market is to have insider information!" and then he usually complains that the rich control the legal system and that's why they keep getting rich. He's just bitter :P.

My advice would be: Sure! Buy some CF stock just to say that you own a bit of the company and then enjoy any returns you get on it. On the same hand, though, don't actually expect it to be some super-earner. It's pretty steady, though, so your investment is most likely safe.

i think since i only want one share i may buy one. but then again why deal with the hassle of one share lol. prolly only make like 5 dollars over 5 years maybe

$32.25 unit (and they are partnership units, not shares), $20 agency commission. Not a real smart buy.

I wouldn't invest in less than 50 units of FUN for the first time. That is because it is the minimum requirement for the D.R.I.P. program.

That program doesn't mean anything. Most brokerages will do that for you, often at no cost. You don't need Cedar Fair to do it for you.

Heh, its funny because at my dorm here at The Ohio State University (go buckeyes) we had a stock challenge. I invested probably around 5,000 in Cedar fair and that yeilded $18.00 I think.

Don't forget about the $1.80 dividend a year per share. That can really help out over time.

If you had 5,000 units of FUN, you'd make $9,000 a year from the distribution alone. At one point I had nearly a thousand units in 2000, for about two quarters. Hardest my money had ever worked. I wish I could've kept it all in there at the time, because I got in under $20 a unit. It's trading at $32 now.

I was close to buying FUN units after 9/11 when it dipped below $20 per unit. Still kicking myself because of it.

Maybe I'm being mislead, but It seems that you can add an amount between $50 and $5000 quarterly without brokerage fees. I guess some people have the market down to science when I still have newbieitis.

I use Sharebuilder.com, and the reinvest doesn't cost me anything. They just roll it in to additional units every quarter.

TigerTyson said:
Unless you're buying 10,000 or so shares of it, you don't stand to make any substantial profit in the short-run. Like Jeff said, it's a good long-term investment, but then again, you'd be pretty silly if you relied on the performance of CF stock to finance your retirement. If you want a safe way to invest, look into Vanguard -- or really any index fund. My partner is the finance wiz and he has a good portion of money in those funds, claiming that "the only way to beat the market is to have insider information!" and then he usually complains that the rich control the legal system and that's why they keep getting rich. He's just bitter :P.

My advice would be: Sure! Buy some CF stock just to say that you own a bit of the company and then enjoy any returns you get on it. On the same hand, though, don't actually expect it to be some super-earner. It's pretty steady, though, so your investment is most likely safe.

Tiger, While I appreciate your intent it may not be legal for you to give specific investment advice when you may not be qualified to do so. I am not a lawyer but I am a RIA.

In general terms index investing is a fools game. It is better than nothing but when the S&P averages a negative 2.13% over the last five years there are better ways. There are several active funds that have beaten that record by over 700 basis points for the period. Check www.morningstar.com for them.

While I have never been a fan of FUN, the investment results are undeniable. FUN is focused and very cost aware. The MLP structure creates some interesting tax situations but that can be ignored if you choose to treat FUN like a conventional equity. It is probably a good investment. I do not like it, but then I do not like lobster either.