The term shareholder strictly refers to the owner of shares in the company, meaning equity stakes. The term stockholder refers to someone who owns stock in the company, which can sometimes get interpreted as inventory rather than equity. As a result, shareholder may represent the more technical term for this entity.
A shareholder agreement is a legal document that outlines the rights, responsibilities, and obligations of shareholders in a company. Its primary purpose is to establish a framework for the governance and management of the company, as well as to protect the interests of the shareholders.
Common shareholders are granted six rights: voting power, ownership, the right to transfer ownership, a claim to dividends, the right to inspect corporate documents, and the right to sue for wrongful acts. Investors should thoroughly research the corporate governance policies of the companies they invest in.
We have 5 steps. Step 1: Decide on the issues the agreement should cover. Step 2: Identify the interests of shareholders. Step 3: Identify shareholder value. Step 4: Identify who will make decisions - shareholders or directors. Step 5: Decide how voting power of shareholders should add up.
The shareholder agreement helps protect the interests of current shareholders from cases of abuse by future management. If there is new management or the company is acquired by another entity, the agreement helps safeguard certain decisions such as dividend distribution and issuing of new stock or debt.