wateroverfire posted:

The share of the business's income paid to the shareholders in compensation to them for the use of their money, which they wouldn't put into the business if they couldn´t expect a return on the investment. A business needs money to operate and to expand and that money has to come from somewhere. Providing capital is every bit as important and deserving of compensation as unloading trucks or touching computers.

And while I'm sure in some circumstances you can find investors who would rather eat the goose than wait for eggs, that is definitely not the norm.