Okay -- ONE more post because it's relevant given todays dividend post etc.... and more importantly -- the "downer" market we've been having (typical by the way in May).
Please go to Google Finance -- link pasted here -- and look at this chart. This is simply an EXAMPLE being used - since it just paid me a nice dividend....
What I want you to do is to click the "ALL" time frame (top of the chart) to expand (zoom) the time frame out... NOTE the SPLITS (2 for 1 --- TWICE!) and the line from left to right....
Now -- Note the DOWN blips in the chart... and ask yourself where you'd be had you BOUGHT then. Now note the HUGE dip where the world was coming to an end -- the sky was falling ('08).... and please note that had you bought THEN you'd have DOUBLED your money since....
I AM NOT recommending this stock! I'm using this chart because it's so typical and I'm trying to get you to understand that all the "noise" is just that.
http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:KMP