Proxy Card Requirements

• Investors in a company have a right to vote on the company's affairs. Companies hold annual general meetings to elect directors and discuss other company affairs. Investors can vote on all these matters. The Securities and Exchange Commission requires companies that are shareholders to send you a proxy card in a certain format to use in case you can't attend a meeting. The card also allows you to send somebody as a proxy to vote on your behalf.

Voting Instructions

• A proxy card should provide instructions on how you can exercise your vote over the telephone by calling a designated telephone number and using the proxy card number to identify yourself. You could also vote over the Internet if you can't make it to a company's annual meeting by going to a specific website and using your proxy number. You could also send in your filled proxy card by mail to have the company count your vote.

Voting Items

• The items that a company will vote on at its annual meeting should also be presented on the proxy card. One usual matter that companies vote on at their annual meetings is the election of directors. The proxy card should provide a list of directors that are coming up for election and give you a choice of voting for or against their elections. There are also other management proposals that the company might want shareholders to vote on at the meeting. The proxy card should allow you to vote on all these matters. For instance, a company may want to choose a specific accounting firm to audit the company's affairs and you could vote for or against this proposal.

Routine Items

• There are also other routine non-voting matters that a proxy card should take care of. For instance, if you have a change of address, you should be able to notify the company on the proxy card. And if you don't want to receive a copy of a company's annual report, you should be able to indicate this on the proxy card as well.