Name that company

I’m an international giant that manufactures, markets and distributes branded beverages and confectionery products in nearly 200 nations. My brands include Dr Pepper, 7UP, Canada Dry, A&W, Snapple, Hawaiian Punch and Mott’s. I employ some 40,000 people and rake in about $8 billion per year. I’m the world’s third-largest soft drink company. I’m acquiring Adams from Pfizer for $4.2 billion. (Adams, known for its gum, sports such brand names as Trident, Dentyne and Hall’s.) Once merged, I’ll be the world’s No. 2 chewing gum company, tied for No. 1 in global confections. Who am I? (Answer: Cadbury Schweppes)

Know the answer? Send it to us with Foolish Trivia on the top and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a nifty prize! The address is Motley Fool, Box 19529, Alexandria, Va. 22320-0529.

My luckiest investment

A few years ago, I spent a few hundred dollars on some stock priced at 30 cents per share. The stock price rose, and a year later, I sold the whole works for $3,700. The penny stock recently was listed at 1 cent per share. Now I can’t even find the company. Since I know nothing about the stock market, I consider myself extremely lucky. As an old friend once told me, gamble only with money you can afford to lose. — Ken Druhot, San Marcos, Calif.

The Fool Responds: You’re right, this is more of a luckiest than a smartest investment. Anyone who doesn’t know much about the stock market should not put any hard-earned dollars into it. Penny stocks, those typically trading for less than $5 per share, are particularly dangerous. Their underlying companies frequently have no track record of profitability, and the shares tend to be extremely volatile and subject to manipulation. It’s smart to expect to lose some money in some of your life’s investments, but if you educate yourself and invest rationally, you can minimize your losses.