shareholders

AOL said Monday that it would sell 800 patents and their related applications to Microsoft and grant it a license for its remaining patents for a total about $1.06 billion in cash. AOL plans to return some of the proceeds to its shareholders.

For investors who open a brokerage account and buy stocks, there's more to be had than just the promise of better investment returns. Some of America's best-known firms also offer perks to their shareholders -- and not just big-money shareholders, either.

Yahoo's embattled co-founder Jerry Yang is off the board, but for disgruntled investor Third Point LLC, that's not good enough. The hedge fund with a 5.2% stake in Yahoo wants to take down Chairman Roy Bostock and potentially three other directors.

CEO bonuses rose 30.5% in the past year, but are the heads of large U.S. firms really earning their hefty compensation packages by creating increased profits and shareholder value? A closer look reveals wide disparities: There are some Bargain CEOs, but also some Hogs and Value Destroyers.

Twice before, the iconic CEO had to leave the company in others' hands, and if that history is any guide, Apple investors may see the stock price do well once again in his absence -- providing they can handle the pain of the drop long enough to enjoy the recovery.

As 2010 draws to a close, it looks like 2011 is likely to be another wild year for the stock market. Fear not: Here are some tips from T. Rowe Price portfolio managers on how careful investors can take advantage of drops and rebounds in the coming year.

In a case with wider implications for the financial industry, jurors in a class-action securities fraud suit found that BankAtlantic Bankcorp was liable to shareholders for about $42 million for making false statements about the bank's real estate portfolio and net income.

In his new book, Trading Realities, tech-executive-turned-personal-investor Jeff Augen offers a refreshingly realistic account of how markets function in a sensible look at the forces that shape today's chaotic investment landscape.

Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) is considering spinning off its Rainbow unit, which includes cable channels AMC, Sundance and IFC. The company may spin off the unit to its shareholders as a "tax-free pro-rata distribution," Cablevision said in a statement. The deal would be completed by mid-year...

New York's highest court just gave a big gift to accountants, lawyers, and any other outside professional in a position to detect fraud at one of their corporate clients: The court ruled that shareholders still can't sue them for failing to detect the fraud.