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There are two types of shares, ordinary shares and preference shares. * Ordinary shares are the most familiar type of shares and have flexible dividends (dividends that are adjusted in relation to a company's profit). These shares also allow full voting rights. * Preferred shares carry fixed dividends, which must be paid before any dividends are paid to ordinary shareholders. However, preferred shares do not allow voting rights. Remember that when dealing with shares in the stock market as we know it, it will practically always be involving ordinary shares and this should not be a very big issue!

What is a stock dividend? A stock dividend is the payment a trader obtains from the company he/she is presently investing in. The company pays the dividend from the earning it acquired within its financial year. Hence, if the company does not make a profit, dividends are not likely to be given to the investor. The dividend is generally paid in two parts, an interim and a final dividend. This means an investor who has shares in a company for one year; he or she will ordinarily obtain two lump sum payments annually (most often as cash payments). To collect a dividend, you must have the stock before the ex-dividend date. The dividend is given to the investor on the payment schedule set by each individual company. The dates can be obtained from a company's official website in the investor relations section.