Form with which the secretary of a corporation notifies all necessary parties of the date, time, and place of the annual stockholder's meeting.
Form with which the secretary of a corporation notifies all necessary parties of the date, time, and place of the annual stockholder's meeting.
Both California Corporations and California S-Corps are required to hold an annual meeting for shareholders. These meetings are pivotal for fostering transparency, discussing business strategy, and making essential corporate decisions.
A general meeting is a members' meeting, but certain non-members may also be entitled to attend. It's important to check the articles of association and any shareholders' agreement to determine the rules and restrictions for attending general meetings.
The annual meeting should be held on the date and time designated in the bylaws. All shareholders who are entitled to vote are entitled to written notice of the annual meeting as well as any special meeting. Notice must include the date, time and place of the meeting and how shareholders may attend.
The minutes must include the name of the attendees at the meeting, the time and day of the meeting, as well as the focus and decisions made at the meeting. The minutes must record what happened at the meeting, even if nothing of importance occurred.
But to keep the liability shield in place, corporations must follow certain formalities—such as holding and documenting an annual meeting. Failure to hold annual meetings could allow creditors to “pierce the corporate veil” to pursue shareholders' personal assets to satisfy the business's debts.
All shareholders must be notified of the format, date, time, and place of the meeting. How far in advance notices should be distributed may depend on your state, but generally, they should be sent out more than 10 days prior to the meeting, but less than 60 days.
Annual Shareholder Meeting and Annual Board of Director Meeting. California law requires ALL California corporations, even those owned by a single shareholder, to hold an annual meeting of the shareholder(s) for the purpose of electing the board of directors.
AGMs are mandatory for both public and private companies. All shareholders are legally obligated to receive an invitation to these meetings. The board of directors should also be represented. An auditor may also be present if the organization is subject to an audit requirement.
Minutes do not need to be filed with the state but should be kept with other corporate records, such as articles of organization for an LLC, articles of incorporation, bylaws, and resolutions. Experts advise that, like other business documents, minutes should be kept on hand for at least seven years.