The investment world can confuse a lot of people and it’s no wonder. It’s a complex place, far removed from normal planes of existence. But thankfully our capitalmancers are here to demystify some of the common terms you might here.
A company looking to gain a lot of power can sell “shares” in itself. People who buy these shares become “shareholders”, which gives them part ownership of the companies destiny but also means they take on some of the risk. A shareholder can choose to hold their shares which can fluctuate in worth as the company grows or ebbs or attempt to sell it for a profit (except in the case of soulbound shares). Companies often offer regular dividends (see below) which are another benefit to holding shares.
Many companies that sell shares also provide dividends, which are small distributions of power per share owned. For minor “witch and wizard” shareholders this can mean chances for slightly more powerful hexes or an increased level of luck (depending on what powers the company trades in) but many large capitalmancer firms will own millions of shares and can consolidate the power for hostile possessions and takeovers of other companies.
Some companies choose not to go down the route of selling shares and maintain power through the force of a small, driven cabal of powerful owners instead (privately held companies). ScorpInc is just one such example, which shows that there is no single, right way to gain infinite power across the dimensional spectrum.
Rather than selling your goods now and hoping for a buyer, why not barter on assets you predict to hold at a certain point in the future? A common example of this is instead of sacrificing 100 souls to an unholy power today in exchange for power, you promise them more followers at a certain point in the future. It’s a riskier gamble for both parties; if you can’t pony up the lifeblood you’ll be made to pay it ten-fold in an eternal hellscape, but if the demon is defeated in the meantime he can’t collect and you’ve essentially attained the status of a minor god for free.