A shareholder is a person or company that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. Shareholders get special privileges that depend on the class of the stock. There are a number of privileges that can come with stock that include: the right to have a vote on things like elections to the board of directors, the right to share in distributions of the company’s income, the right to buy more shares that are issued by the company, and the right to a company’s assets when a company liquidates. Directors and officers of a company are bound by fiduciary duties to act in the best interest of the shareholders.

Owners of a company may sell shares to build additional capital for investing in new projects within the company, or to reduce their holding so they have more capital freed for their own private use. When you purchase a share you are literally sharing in the ownership of the company, a portion of the decision making power, and potentially, a portion of the profits.

Because there could potentially be thousands of shareholders in a large publicly traded corporation, shareholders will use their shares as votes in the election of members of the board of directors of the company.

Usually, each share equals one vote. Corporations might issue different classes of shares though, which might have different voting rights. Because shares are proportional to votes, owning most of the shares permits other shareholders to be out voted, which is how original owners of a large business will usually still have control of the company. To Be Continued In Part Three.

Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles about medical collection agencies. Also published at Stocks For Beginners Part Two.

Collectors attempt to create a sense of urgency, to try and collect the debt within the shortest amount of time. This hopefully will encourage the debtor to prioritize that particular obligation. Deadlines may be set, such as, Pay this amount within 10 days. There may also be threats, such as, …Or we will proceed with further collection attempts. But most of the time, if a debtor fails to meet the deadline, all that will happen is that yet another dunning letter will arrive, making the same basic demand. The & further collection action usually just means more dunning letters.

Collection letters will always coax the debtor to call the collection company directly via the telephone. If the debtor doesn’t call within thirty days, then a collector will usually attempt to contact the debtor again.

What are the phone calls like? Individual debt collectors may be assigned a group of accounts, and spend their entire workday, every day, calling them. Their enthusiasm is fueled by frequent performance evaluations and personal commission payments. The size of a collector’s own paycheck depends upon how much money he or she takes from people who owe money. That factor coupled with the relentless confrontations, this is a very high-stress job, with high employee turnover.

If a debt collector calls and reaches someone other than the debtor (e.g. a friend), s/he is legally prohibited from disclosing That this is an attempt to collect a debt. Every state is different but this may or may not include the debtor’s spouse. If the collector reaches an answering machine or voice mail, s/he will often leave a FDCPA approved message, but is prohibited from giving details for the call, since someone besides the debtor might hear it. The basic message goes something like, “I am calling for Jane Doe. It is very important that you call me back. My name is JR Rooney, and my number is 1-631-999-9999.” S/he will typically sound rather unemotional and stiff. Collection companies may be required to provide a phone number which is free for the debtor to call. They also may attach their toll free numbers to caller ID equipment which instantly identifies and logs the phone number the debtor is calling from, in order to call the debtor at that number at a later date.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a New York debt collection agency. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

It might be a smart move to accommodate for them considering that their commissions have been lower as of late, and the stress of the commute or a need to spend more time with family may drive your best collectors away.

Work at home programs haven’t become an every day thing yet, but there are a few companies that are making exceptions for certain bill collectors. Typically these collectors are the best at what they do and may work from home a few days a week.

The way that working at home operates is easy. Generally, the agent is set up with a computer that can access the computers at the office and they are given designated phone equipment to use. The beauty of it is that everything the collector does can be monitored still, as if he or she was working in the call center itself.

Before sending employees to work at home, it is important to assess the good and bad qualities of each collector. But studies have shown that if a collector is a good candidate to work from home, they will be more productive, take fewer breaks, and without social interaction with other employees they can focus on the job itself.

There are still a number of issues that need to be addressed when one considers working at home. First, there are potential data security performance control and data security issues. Also, in light of all of the recent legislation impacting the collection industry, it is not probable that we will know of many formal work at home programs anytime soon. Yet experts believe it is not good to alienate the best workers who are inquiring about work at home. They predict that we will see more collection agencies allowing collectors to work from home within the next five years.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection agency. Also she writes articles on business, finance, the credit industry and collection agencies.

The majority of students that have just finished their education and are currently looking for jobs attempt to work federal school loan consolidation first. This loan has benefits in a number of ways. First, the government is the source of this loan but it is issued by private lenders. That means that the time you have to repay the loan has the capacity to be extended for a long duration.

Perhaps the most enticing benefit of school loan consolidation is the fact that the multiple student loans are substituted with only one loan. The overall amount of the debt is reduced; at times this reduction can even go up to 60%. This, of course leads to reduction in your monthly payment.

Even better, the new rate of interest is based on the weighted average of the rates that apply on your current loans. You’ll also get rid of the mental stress connected with remembering the details about multiple loans. Consolidation doesn’t require a cosigner or any checking of the credit score, and you can use this opportunity to improve the credit score or rating.

One problem that comes with the situation is that is it is very difficult to prove yourself eligible for the federal school loan consolidation. Typically, you will need the assistance of a good debt consolidation expert to prove that you are eligible for this kind of consolidation. The standards to be qualified for this loan are very rigid, leaving many ineligible for the loan. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to check to see if you qualify. It could be a good resource for protecting your finances in the future.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection agency. She also writes articles on business, finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.

PREPARE: Review the paperwork on the debtor before making the call. Know the history of the account, credit record, the promises kept/broken. Have all records in front of you, ready for reference.

ATTITUDE: Adopting a straight, professional, business-like attitude is important. You have a contract or you delivered the goods, money is now owed and you have the right to expect payment. Do not let it become personal. Don’t yell or raise your voice; and NEVER curse. Don’t make idol threats; legal action is your recourse.

CONTACT: It is important that you are talking to the decision maker. Do not let any individuals brush you off with “You’ll have to talk to the bookkeeper.” Identify the person who can cut you a check. If you can not get through after several calls, let the secretary know that you know your calls are being screened. Tell her the purpose of your call and if necessary give a deadline.

CONTROL: Always control the conversation. Keep it focused on the debt and on the repayment schedule. Do not let the debtor sidetrack you with personal history, excuses, etc. Remember, the objective of your call is to collect money, or get a commitment to pay not to become friends with the debtor or win arguments.

FLEXIBLE: Always be prepared to adjust to any situation. Think about the kind of customer you are dealing with and adapt to meet the circumstances. Be prepared to accept a reasonable payment schedule, and a willingness to deal with a customers circumstances.

NOTES: Try to Keep detailed, accurate notes of every single contact with the debtor. Always probe for additional information on the debtor. Notes of these contacts will help you in later phone calls, and may be invaluable if litigation is needed. Great notes will also help in credit decisions in the future or in cases where skip tracing may be needed.

PRODUCTIVE: Keep calls brief and to the point. This is a business call only, not a social one. Try to view your efforts on a ratio of time expended to results achieved. Long conversations usually mean the customer is stalling for time or trapping you in the buddy syndrome.

PRECISE: Never leave a call open ended, such as “Well talk next week,” or “Ill send what I can.” Every single call should result in a commitment to some kind of payment, You need a specific amount, by a specific date, even the check number the customer is using to pay the promise.

TIME: The longer an account is outstanding, the less likely it is that it will be paid. If payment is not arranged or a payment plan is not established within 90 days, place the claim with a collection agency or start legal proceedings.

PLACEMENT: Try to choose an agency that does not have to pay to get your information. Just type in “Collection Agency” to any search engine and pick a firm that ranks organically.

Mallory McGuinness is employed by a collections agency that works with a debt collection lawyer. She also does articles on business, finance, the credit industry and collections agencies. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.