A corporate action is an activity that will bring material change to an organisation, and will therefore impact its stakeholders (including shareholders).

These events are approved by a company’s board of directors, and shareholders may also be permitted to vote on actions by submitting their response.

If you own shares (or even a fraction of a share) in a particular US company that issues a corporate action, you may be contacted by email to have your say.

Whether or not you are invited to cast your vote will depend on the nature of the decision being made, and the internal policy of the company in question.