Stocks

· Charter: people who want to form a corporation must file for permission from the government. If approved, a charter- a government document that gives permission to create a corporation- is granted.
· Stock: a certificate of ownership in a corporation.
· Common stock: is the most frequently used form of corporate ownership, with one vote per share for stockholders.
· Preferred stock: a form of corporate ownership without vote, in which stockholders get their investments back before common stockholders.
· Shareholders: people who own a share or shares of stock in a corporation.