Stocks represent ownership in a company. When you purchase stocks, you are buying a share of that company, which means you own a part of it. This ownership can entitle you to a portion of the company's profits, typically distributed as dividends, and gives you voting rights in certain corporate decisions. In contrast, annuities are financial products that provide a stream of income, commodities are physical goods traded in markets, and bonds are debt securities where you lend money to an entity in exchange for periodic interest payments and the return of the bond's face value at maturity.