VineLesson 81 · Written for kid, teen, and little
Shareholders Get to Vote
Owning shares usually comes with votes on big company choices.
When you own shares of a company, you own a small piece of it — and pieces usually come with a voice. Most common shares give you one vote per share on big questions, like who sits on the board of directors. Companies mail owners a proxy, which is a ballot you can fill out without showing up in person. One small stake will not decide an election on its own, but millions of small owners voting together genuinely can. 🗳️
Words to know
5Shareholder
A person who owns shares of a company. Own one share of Apple and you are one of its owners.
Vote
Your say on a company question. Usually one vote for each share you own.
Board of directors
The group shareholders elect to keep an eye on the company's bosses. They can hire and fire the CEO.
Proxy
A ballot that lets you vote without going to the meeting in person. It arrives by mail or in your brokerage app.
Annual meeting
The once-a-year meeting where a company's owners vote. One share usually equals one vote.
Match each voting word to what it means.
0 / 4 matched
In the full lesson
- 1Match the pairs
- 2Work out the number
- 3Make the call
Vine has 107 lessons like this one, each written three ways so a 7-year-old and a 17-year-old both get a version that fits.
The practice portfolio is open.
Start practicingMore in Reading a business
- 📋The Balance SheetA balance sheet lists what a company owns and what it owes on one day.
- 💵Profit vs CashA company can earn a profit on paper and still be short of cash.
- 🌱Growth or Value?Growth focuses on expected expansion; value compares price with business fundamentals.
- 🐘Small Companies vs Giant CompaniesHow big a company is changes how its stock tends to behave.
- 🪙The Bid, the Ask and the SpreadThe gap between the buying price and the selling price quietly costs you money.
- 💧Liquidity: How Fast Can You Sell?Liquidity is how quickly you can turn something into cash.