system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What happens if a shareholder does not collect dividends? does the money go back to the company? or can a shareholder take dividends that he has not taken for 10 years?
gpt
If the company declares and distributes dividends they are paid to the shareholders. If the shareholder is paid via check and doesn’t deposit the check, the company turns over the funds to the state as abandoned property. 

If the company doesn’t declare dividends, then earnings are reinvested in the company. New companies and companies experiencing growth tend to reinvest earnings. Mature companies with earnings and positive cash flow pay regular dividends.