Create a Gift Basket Business by Home  

Maybe a gift basket situation will suit your creative bring forward and need to bring with reference to from line. If you are creative and like to catch on to gifts pro others, by the side of with the intention of count a bring with reference to by line gift basket situation might be aptly pro you. Making gift baskets to advertise is rewarding and fun. Many communal like the perception of giving tailored baskets pro holidays,

Birthdays and special events but don't be inflicted with the estimate to deposit them collectively. When you start a gift basket situation, you'll be supplying them with something they need and getting the opportunity to deposit your talents to bring with reference to. Before you start your life as a gift basket Wahm, catch on to guaranteed with the intent of this situation is something with the intent of you really aspire to sort outdated. If you've by thumbs down agency made gift baskets, but like the perception, try making lone or several pro your therefore gift-giving event. This will furthermore be an opportunity to trade cabaret rancid your gift basket making skills to your friends and line tree.

While you are planning and making your gift baskets ask physically if this is something you can think it more than physically task on a regular basis. Making approximately sample gift baskets will furthermore engender you an perception of how much your
Equipment will cost and how much estimate it will take you to complete all basket. This will help you gauge pricing as you start your situation. However, keep in mind with the intent of as you present a situation license you will be able to approve of craft equipment pro indiscriminate prices.

Getting a situation license is an valuable step in making physically into an convincing Wahm. The process is austere and at this point are many tariff settlement to apt a officially authorized businessperson. You will furthermore present your equipment by indiscriminate and be able to present discounts on other situation associated expenses. Once you've resolute with the intent of making gift baskets is aptly pro you, it's estimate to develop your register of basket options and prices. Think up a hardly in the least prototypes pro uncommon situations. Although gift baskets are standard all through the celebration season, you can furthermore create them pro graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day and other
Actions. Create a hardly in the least uncommon gift basket ideas and by the side of with the intention of count ask your friends and line tree pro their opinions. Make guaranteed your choices of design and gift basket items are standard with many communal prior to you catch on to them part of your register.

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Have your prices equipped pro both standard baskets and custom baskets, and by the side of with the intention of count catch on to your situation cards and start advertising. By at present, your friends and line tree will know in this area your situation and you can tell them to apply the word on your addition venture. Network with other area businesses, like nail salons and florist shops, to present your elementary nickname in front of more communal. Targeting businesses with the intent of are frequented by women is a skilled tactic since women are more likely to hem in your baskets.

Around the holidays, corporate companies are looking to approve of gifts pro their clients and suppliers. This can principal to a lucrative seasonal situation pro you. You obligation start marketing your corporate gift situation in October by the newest. Network with your husband's employers and the employers of your friends and line tree. Being a gift basket Wahm is a splendid way to trade cabaret rancid your creativity and provide a valuable service by the same estimate. If you research your situation well and aid initiative you can expect to reap the rewards of your tricky bring with reference to.

Tags:

• Making Money

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Create a Gift Basket Business by Home  

Maybe a gift basket situation will suit your creative bring forward and need to bring with reference to from line. If you are creative and like to catch on to gifts pro others, by the side of with the intention of count a bring with reference to by line gift basket situation might be aptly pro you. Making gift baskets to advertise is rewarding and fun. Many communal like the perception of giving tailored baskets pro holidays,

Birthdays and special events but don't be inflicted with the estimate to deposit them collectively. When you start a gift basket situation, you'll be supplying them with something they need and getting the opportunity to deposit your talents to bring with reference to. Before you start your life as a gift basket Wahm, catch on to guaranteed with the intent of this situation is something with the intent of you really aspire to sort outdated. If you've by thumbs down agency made gift baskets, but like the perception, try making lone or several pro your therefore gift-giving event. This will furthermore be an opportunity to trade cabaret rancid your gift basket making skills to your friends and line tree.

While you are planning and making your gift baskets ask physically if this is something you can think it more than physically task on a regular basis. Making approximately sample gift baskets will furthermore engender you an perception of how much your
Equipment will cost and how much estimate it will take you to complete all basket. This will help you gauge pricing as you start your situation. However, keep in mind with the intent of as you present a situation license you will be able to approve of craft equipment pro indiscriminate prices.

Getting a situation license is an valuable step in making physically into an convincing Wahm. The process is austere and at this point are many tariff settlement to apt a officially authorized businessperson. You will furthermore present your equipment by indiscriminate and be able to present discounts on other situation associated expenses. Once you've resolute with the intent of making gift baskets is aptly pro you, it's estimate to develop your register of basket options and prices. Think up a hardly in the least prototypes pro uncommon situations. Although gift baskets are standard all through the celebration season, you can furthermore create them pro graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day and other
Actions. Create a hardly in the least uncommon gift basket ideas and by the side of with the intention of count ask your friends and line tree pro their opinions. Make guaranteed your choices of design and gift basket items are standard with many communal prior to you catch on to them part of your register.

1	Dispelling the Work by Home Myths	Administrator	12
2	Create a Gift Basket Business by Home	Administrator	9
3	Start a Manicure Business from Home	Administrator	3
4	Start a Pet Sitting Business from Home	Administrator	3
5	Turn Sewing into a Work from Home Business	Administrator	3
6	Tips pro Babysitting as a Business	Administrator	4
7	Get Paid to energy Shopping	Administrator	9
8	Work from Home as a Virtual Assistant	Administrator	5
9	How to discover Web Writing Jobs	Administrator	4
10	Making Money With Blogs	Administrator	5
11	Telecommunicate pro Part of the Week	Administrator	8
12	Working from Home – The Downside	Administrator	8
13	Organization is the key To Succes	Administrator	9
14	What Business is aptly pro you working from Home?	Administrator	2
15	Making the "Work by Home Mums"	Administrator	7
16	How to Get $ 4000 / Month With Fliping Website	Administrator	9
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18	Business	Administrator	9
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22	Culinary Business	Administrator	4
23	Restaurant Business	Administrator	3
24	Business VoIP	Administrator	21

Have your prices equipped pro both standard baskets and custom baskets, and by the side of with the intention of count catch on to your situation cards and start advertising. By at present, your friends and line tree will know in this area your situation and you can tell them to apply the word on your addition venture. Network with other area businesses, like nail salons and florist shops, to present your elementary nickname in front of more communal. Targeting businesses with the intent of are frequented by women is a skilled tactic since women are more likely to hem in your baskets.

Around the holidays, corporate companies are looking to approve of gifts pro their clients and suppliers. This can principal to a lucrative seasonal situation pro you. You obligation start marketing your corporate gift situation in October by the newest. Network with your husband's employers and the employers of your friends and line tree. Being a gift basket Wahm is a splendid way to trade cabaret rancid your creativity and provide a valuable service by the same estimate. If you research your situation well and aid initiative you can expect to reap the rewards of your tricky bring with reference to.

Tags:

• Making Money

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Make Money selling items Online 

t is so easy to make money online, all you need to do is start selling things at online auctions. One of the best, and simplest, ways to start a Wahm business online is to become a seller on one of the several online auction sites. EBay is the most popular, and most widely recognized. However, sellers are also having success on Yahoo auctions,

 

Overstock auctions and many others. Being an online auction seller has many benefits for a Wahm. You can run your business from your home. You can set up auctions to automatically list at certain times of the day, so you don't always have to be at the computer. Plus, there is guaranteed traffic to the auction website which makes it simple to get new customers.

 

Before you start an online auction business you should decide whether or not you have the skills or willingness to do so. Although there is a lot of money to be made in auctions, there are also a lot of challenges. As a successful auction Wahm, you need to have the tenacity to try different things to increase you sales. You must also have knowledge of what the market wants so you can provide in demand products that will sell. Money management is a must, since selling on an auction is typically a homebased business. You will be in charge of the finances of the business and need to be responsible for keeping your business and personal finances separate. Online auction businesses are very simple to start. To start an eBay business, for example, all you need is a registered account with eBay, and a PayPal account. The eBay account will allow you to perform transactions on their website. The PayPal account will allow you to accept payment for items that you sell, as well as pay for the eBay fees. Although you can technically take payments through check or money order, using PayPal makes the process a whole lot faster and more enjoyable for your

customers.

 

The fees involved with running an eBay business are minimal compared to having your own store on a separate website. While hosting for a website can cost upwards of $20 per month, eBay only charges you a small percentage of the items that you sell.

 

 

There are also some other minimal fees involved, and most sellers work those fees into their listing price.

Before you decide to sell on an auction site as a business, try a buying from the auction site first. Understand the process from the buyer's point of view. Take note of how you are treated by the seller and ask yourself what you would do differently.

 

Buying before selling is also a good method because you can build feedback in the auction site system. Feedback is left whether you buy or sell, so building some feedback as a buyer is a good idea. A positive feedback record will make you moreappealing as a seller.  Finding items to sell is the biggest perceived problem with selling on auction sites.

 

However, you can start with items from around your home. Look in your closets and in your garage for items that can be sold on the auction sites. You will be surprised by what people will buy. Selling from around your home will give you experience with the selling process and will build positive selling feedback. Familiarize yourself with the auction process before you begin selling. Make sure you start selling online slowly so you can get confident selling through auctions online.

Tags:

• Bloging
• Business
• Make Money

#	Article Title	Author	Hits
1	Dispelling the Work by Home Myths	Administrator	12
2	Create a Gift Basket Business by Home	Administrator	9
3	Start a Manicure Business from Home	Administrator	3
4	Start a Pet Sitting Business from Home	Administrator	3
5	Turn Sewing into a Work from Home Business	Administrator	3
6	Tips pro Babysitting as a Business	Administrator	4
7	Get Paid to energy Shopping	Administrator	9
8	Work from Home as a Virtual Assistant	Administrator	5
9	How to discover Web Writing Jobs	Administrator	4
10	Making Money With Blogs	Administrator	5
11	Telecommunicate pro Part of the Week	Administrator	8
12	Working from Home – The Downside	Administrator	8
13	Organization is the key To Succes	Administrator	9
14	What Business is aptly pro you working from Home?	Administrator	2
15	Making the "Work by Home Mums"	Administrator	7
16	How to Get $ 4000 / Month With Fliping Website	Administrator	9
17	Management	Administrator	17
18	Business	Administrator	9
19	What's with Meatballs Business?	Administrator	7
20	Culinary Business Opportunity that Tantalize	Administrator	3
21	Online Business Entrepreneur | 10 Tips for the Beginning Internet Entrepreneur	Administrator	10
22	Culinary Business	Administrator	4
23	Restaurant Business	Administrator	3
24	Business VoIP	Administrator	21

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What Would You Buy Instead of Another iPad?

I already have an older iPad and even though the Retina display is tempting, I don't feel like I can justify dropping another $500 on a new iPad. Any recommendations to scratch my retail itch that would be more useful than another iPad?

Sincerely,
Pockets on Fire

Dear PF,

Good question. A lot of us at Lifehacker are in the same position. We enjoy our iPads, we're tempted by the new one, but we don't think it's really worth it if you already own one of the first two iPads. Obviously, you can always practice a little self control and not buy anything, but as we know, Apple has a knack for fabricating that retail itch. With that in mind, here's what we'd spend that money on instead.

Adam Pash: The New Apple TV, $99

I know, I know, I'm suggesting that you simply buy a different Apple product. Kind of lame, right? Still, the Apple TV is a great piece of equipment that, frankly, you could end up getting a lot more mileage out of than a new iPad. The last generation Apple TV, once jailbroken, is easy to install XBMC on, and it works like a charm, making it one of the least expensive, most capable media center front ends around. While the Apple TV 2 could play 1080p files on XBMC, the old Apple TV could only output at 720p. Not so of the new Apple TV, which supports 1080p, has a snazzy new look (that continues to hint at but not deliver an App Store), and will in all likelihood be jailbreak-able in a few weeks time. Mine's already on pre-order, and may likely replace my current media center box. (If you want to go even cheaper and don't mind waiting in long virtual lines, I'm also still eagerly awaiting a $35 Raspberry Pi.)

Whitson Gordon: The Nook Simple Touch, $99

I totally dig my iPad, and while I don't know if I would have paid $500 for it in the first place (it was a gift), I definitely don't need to be buying a new generation anytime soon. How quickly people forget that the first gen is still a really, really awesome device. I have more tech than any one person needs, but if I had to pick an alternative to the iPad, I'd lean toward getting an e-reader like the Nook Simple Touch.

It doesn't have to be that exact model; the main point is that I'd get an e-reader. I just like the look of the Nook more than the Kindle. Plus I like the Simple Touch for its ability to run Android with a bit of hacking—which means I can get things like Read It Later, Reddit, or whatever else I want on it (since I don't read a ton of books). I don't use my iPad for all that much besidescomic books and Instapaper, but it bugs me that I have to use a backlit screen to read things like Instapaper. Instead of getting the device I already have with a retina display, I'd rather get a second, slightly different device that's nicer on my eyes for the occasions when I'm just reading plain text.

Adam Dachis: Home Improvements

Full size

Before the new iPad was released, I traded in my original iPad for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus because I wanted a smaller Android tablet that I could root and use to play emulated retro games with a Sony Sixaxis controller (The Sixaxis app — requires root.). That is, literally, what I did with my iPad money in the past. But if I had $500 lying around now and wasn't going to put it towards another tablet, I'd use the money to make my apartment look a little nicer. After writing this post about home design I thought that it's probably time to start putting more stuff on the walls. On my free time I draw or create digital art, so the $500 could go to printing and framing. That way I'd have something personal to put up on the walls of my home.

Melanie Pinola: Bicycle, $500

My alternative to buying a new iPad is a low-tech bicycle. I've been meaning to buy one for so long and think it will pay off in so many ways, from saving me from having to drive just to pick up something from the pharmacy to sneaking in more exercise to spending more quality
family time together with rides around the park.

Although a good bike would probably run more than $500, a reader suggested in a previous bike-buying post to look up non-profit organizations that fix up and resell good old bikes and also do the bike fitting, so I might go that route. I'm also not sure what kind of bike I want—a Dutch-style city bike like the one shown here, a road bicycle, or a mountain bike. Either way, I think this purchase would be a very worthwhile investment.

Alan Henry: A Brand New HTPC, $500

Full size

Normally, I would tell someone that has some spare cash burning a hole in their pocket to save it, put it into something interest bearing, and make it work for them, but if you have to scratch that retail itch, a DIY home theater PC is where it's at. For about the same price as an iPad, you can build your own home theater PC running any OS you like, for around the same price—or less. I walked through the process a bit here and while the components have likely changed, you can probably do better with the same budget.

In the end, you'll get a box that you have total control over, the fun of choosing and ordering the parts you want, and a system that can run whatever front-end software you choose to manage your media. It will probably be useful long after this year's iPad is obsolete and you get the benefits of building your own computer from scratch, something everyone should do at least once. Photo by Bill Bradford.

Thorin Klosowski: Solid State Drive Upgrade, $130-$160

I get weirdly attached to computers and because of that I like to keep hardware alive as long as possible. With that in mind, I would dump my cash into an SSD drive for my aging Macbook Pro. With Whitson'shandy guide that ditches the optical drive and replaces it with a solid state drive, I'd be able to upgrade, boot, and install OS X in no time. My plan is to keep my old, 2007 Macbook Pro alive as long as humanly possible because I adore the keyboard and kind of hate the new ones. This upgrade would add a couple more years to the computer's life and help ensure it survives a few drops, spills, and tumbles. Plus, it'll drop a few grams off the overall weight of the thing, making it slightly more plausible as a portable device.

Sincerely,

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Avoid a "Me" Resume and Decrease Your Odds of Being Ignored by Yet Another Employer

It's hard to write a resume and avoid discussing your situation, but it can hurt your chances. Gerrit Hall, co-founder of the great resume-analyzing webapp RezScore, has found that many applicants spend too much time focusing on their current circumstances rather than selling themselves:

Consistently, the biggest mistake we see is that people write a 'me' focused resume. A primary example of this is the outdated objective statement – if you have the word 'seeking' on your resume, you're writing a 'me' resume. Employers don't hire you for your satisfaction; they hire you to fill their own critical need. Think of it this way. If you were in sales, would you ever say to a customer "Buy this item because I need the commission"? And if you were the customer, would you buy? A 'me' centered resume says essentially the same thing.

Your job is to think of the potential employer as a customer. You've know they're a hot lead because they've taken the time to post the job – so someone is going to close the deal with them. How do you make sure they go with you? By selling to them like you would sell to anyone else. Figure out their pain points. Why are they hiring? Who have they hired in the past? What's their most critical need? And then go in there with your sales guns blazing; be the solution to their problem.

Like we discussed this weekend, it's so important to put yourself in a company's shoes when you're applying for a job. Do your research on them and how they operate and remember to sell yourself rather than explain your situation.

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How Can I Steer Clear of Distractions and Focus While I Work?

Dear Lifehacker,
I need a little help focusing. I know part of it is just a lack of discipline, but I can't help but kill time on sites like Facebook and even Lifehacker during the day when I should be working and getting things done. You guys post lots of great productivity tips, but how do I get myself focused and away from distractions enough to put them to good use?

Signed,
Slightly ADHD

Dear Slightly ADHD,

Don't worry, some distractions can be a good thing, and they can help you stay refreshed over the course of the day, but we know how it goes—it can be difficult to get up the energy to really get to work sometimes when there are so many shiny things that just need your attention. Those cat videos aren't going to play themselves, are they? Here are some ways you can minimize the distractions and get back on track.

Audit Your Time to See How Bad the Problem Is

If you're not sure where your time is going, the first thing you need to do is figure out whether your distractions are harmless diversions or real time-wasters. After all, it's possible that you're working so hard that you're not taking the breaks you need to recharge, and instead your attention is wandering so you can get a little relief from your work. Grab a notebook, and make a note to yourself whenever you catch your attention wandering, or after you've realized you're wasting time and you know you need to get back to work. If you can jot down how long you've been idle, that can help as well. At the end of a few days, you'll have a great idea of how often you're "out to lunch," so to speak, and whether it's really noteworthy. Plus, the action of keeping a log of what you're doing, even if it's just for your own personal review, will likely keep you a little more honest while you're working. Photo by Chad Kainz.

If you want to take it a step further, our own Whitson Gordon went to great lengths to with RescueTime, a great application that will keep an eye on your activities for you so you don't have to. Just behave normally, breaks and distractions and all, and after a few days the app will show you exactly what you've been spending time on.

Get The Right Tools to Single-Task and Cut Off Your Distractions

Once you have an idea of how much time you spend distracted and how much time you spend working, you need to get the right tools for the job to control and manage those distractions. Remember, distractions that pull you out of the zone and keep you from focusing may not just be Facebook or your favorite blog—it could be your coworkers stopping by to chat, or the music someone a few cubes over is playing through their computer's speakers. Whatever it is that's keeping you off your game, get the right tools to address it:

• Distracting coworkers: Whether it's chatty colleagues who don't seem to have real work to do, or someone blasting their music a few cubes over, we discussed ways to deal with distracting coworkers while you're trying to enjoy a meal, but many of the same tips apply to those who bother you when you work. Grab a good set of headphones—especially noise canceling ones—to send the signal that you're not to be disturbed, to play your own music, or at the very least to block out annoying and distracting sounds from elsewhere in the office. If a coworker insists on interrupting you, stand up to give them the signal that you're about to leave, or trap them by giving them work to do (so they won't be so eager to just drop in again) to keep them from coming back. Alternatively, just let them know you're busy. You'll already be distracted, but at least the forward approach keeps it to a minimum.
• Distracting websites: There are a number of ways to go about limiting your visits to distracting websites, but we're big fans of Leechblock for Firefox and StayFocused for Chrome. Both extensions will help you set up your most common distractions and time-wasters, and then remind you to get back to work when you try to visit them. If you're a terminal ninja and want a more arms-deep approach, try Get Shit Done, a utility that'll block distracting sites by modifying your computer's hosts file.
• Distracting applications: Depending on the tools you use every day for your job, you may want to do simple things like full-screening your apps so you don't see other windows behind the ones you're working in, or you may want to look into tools designed to minimize distractions, like one of these distraction-free writing tools. There are plenty of other optionsavailable if you'd like one, but you don't necessarily need to download something to get a distraction-free work environment. Often just making the app full-screen and eliminating any unnecessary menus is enough to keep your focus in the app, and away from your inbox. While you're at it, you might want to turn off those evil notifications so they don't pop up over your work to steal your attention.

Choose a Productivity Technique that Bolsters Your Discipline

Even with the right tools in place, it can still be difficult to stay focused—you may catch yourself trading one distraction for another. Procrastination finds a way. Worst case, you spend more time on your productivity system than you do actually being productive. You may need to tweak that system—the best tools complement your productivity method, and the best method complements the way you work. We've discussed some great productivity systems in the past, but whichever one you use, make sure it helps you get more done and isn't a beast you have to wrestle with. If you are struggling with your system, it's time tochange it up and pick a method more suited to you. You only have so much willpower and discipline to go around—spend it wisely and on the things that matter. Photo by David Svennson.

At the same time, don't forget to schedule your breaks and give yourself some time to be distracted and relaxed so you can recharge. I've found one of the best ways to make sure you're productive and switched on when you need to be is when you know that a break is coming soon, or that you've scheduled some time to do something you like to look forward to. If you have trouble with the concept, get started by setting some natural alerts and non-intrusive distractions that will pull you out of the zone just enough that you can realize it's time to recharge. As long as you're the one in control of those distractions, they should come as a welcome and enjoyable diversion. When your time is up, dive back in, knowing you've got another break coming up soon. Use your system—and your breaks—to shore up your discipline so you're less tempted to give in to distractions.

Are You Really Doing What You Want To Do?

Finally, if you're really distracted and uninterested in what you do, it might be time to ask yourself whether it really is what you want to do with your time. You may not have a choice—all of us have to do work that we may not love sometimes, and even if you love your job there's a reason it's called "work," but being chronically distracted may be a symptom of a larger problem. Before you haul off and quit your job or school to "find yourself" or make a serious course correction though, try the methods above to see if you can be a bit more productive doing what you do now. You may not have the luxury to just switch jobs or change classes—and even if you do, there's no way to know you won't run into the same problems later until you give your self discipline and personal productivity a boost first. Then, if it's still all wrong, take another look. Photo by Simon James.

Hopefully we've given you some tools to help you stay focused, Slightly ADHD! With luck and a little effort, you can train yourself to more easily get into the zone, get some work done, and really relax when you do take a break and head over to Facebook (and here to Lifehacker!) when you don't have anything else to do or want to recharge a bit. Good luck!

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

P.S. Have any other techniques for shoring up your personal discipline and getting more work done? Any tips you use to avoid distractions and the unproductive temptations? Share your productivity tips in the comments below.

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Apple to Pay Dividend, Buy Back Stock to Return Some of Cash

Apple Inc. (AAPL) will pay its first dividend in 17 years and buy back $10 billion in stock, heeding investors who urged it to return part of the $97.6 billion in cash amassed by robust demand for iPhones and iPads.

Shareholders will receive a quarterly dividend of $2.65 a share starting in the period beginning July 1, Cupertino, California-based Apple said today in a statement. The buybacks will begin in the fiscal year starting Sept. 30 and happen over three years, the company said. 

Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is showing more willingness than co-founder Steve Jobs to channel part of cash and investments directly to investors. The move will cost $45 billion over three years, Cook said, and may broaden Apple's shareholding base by attracting fund managers who only hold dividend-paying companies.

"It was high time to do this," said David Rolfe, chief investment officer of Wedgewood Partners Inc., which holds Apple shares.

The dividend will cost Apple about $10 billion a year and represents a yield of 1.8 percent on the stock's closing price today. The company generated $16 billion in cash in the first quarter of fiscal 2012, which ended in December. Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee & Leach Inc., predicts that Apple will generate about $75 billion in cash this year.

Apple rose 2.7 percent to $601.10, closing above $600 a share for the first time.

Top 10 Yield

"This is something that large shareholders have been asking for," Wu said before the announcement.

Including instances where a company has scrapped and re- established dividends, today's was the largest initiation for a company in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, surpassing Cisco Systems Inc.'s announcement of a $1.3 billion dividend in March 2011. Apple's move pushed the dividend yield of the benchmark gauge of American equities to 2.14 percent, from 2.06 percent, Howard Silverblatt, S&P's senior index analyst, said in an interview.

Apple's dividend may provide a short-lived boost to some pockets of the economy, said Richard Sichel, CIO of Philadelphia Trust Co., which manages $1.6 billion and holds Apple in some funds.

"More than anything, it's a psychological boost," Sichel said.

At 1.8 percent, the yield on Apple's dividend would be the tenth-highest among U.S. technology companies with market values larger than $10 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Intel, Microsoft Higher

It's lower than that offered by Intel Corp., which yields 3.03 percent, based on today's closing price, and Microsoft Corp., which yields 2.48 percent on that basis. It tops Cisco's dividend yield of 1.59 percent and International Business Machines Corp.'s 1.46 percent yield.

After today's announcement, Google Inc., owner of the most popular search engine, is now the only technology company with a market value of more than $100 billion that doesn't offer a dividend.

The growing amount of money on Apple's balance sheet followed the introduction of the iPhone, the best-selling smartphone, and the iPad, the leading tablet computer. The company last week began selling a third-generation iPad, which comes with a high-definition screen and faster processor. Apple sold more than 3 million iPads on its debut weekend, a record, Apple said in a separate statement today.

"It's literally become a cash machine," said Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. in New York.

Contrast With Jobs

Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos., said Jobs, who died in October, resisted efforts to get Apple to return money to shareholders.

"It would have been unheard of under Jobs's watch," said Munster. "This is just finance 101, but it looks like rocket science next to what they've done in the past."

Of Apple's $97.6 billion in cash and investments at the end of December, about $64 billion was overseas. Oppenheimer said Apple will only use money held in the U.S. for the dividend and buyback to avoid tax consequences.

A dividend is a boon to shareholders, including Apple employees, who have already seen the company's stock rise 48 percent this year.

Fidelity Management, Apple's largest shareholder, will make $128.81 million each quarter from the dividend, based on its holdings as of Dec. 31. Vanguard Group Inc., the second-biggest shareholder, will receive $98.54 million and State Street Corp. will make $92.12 million.

'War Chest'

"We have used some of our cash to make great investments in our business through increased research and development, acquisitions, new retail store openings, strategic prepayments and capital expenditures in our supply chain, and building out our infrastructure. You'll see more of all of these in the future," Cook said in the statement. "Even with these investments, we can maintain a war chest for strategic opportunities and have plenty of cash to run our business."

On the conference call, Cook said adding a dividend will expand Apple's investor pool. Some investors will only buy shares in companies that pay a dividend.

Apple last paid a dividend in 1995, before Jobs returned as CEO and led the introduction of top-selling products including the iPod, iPhone and iPad. The final dividend, of 12 cents a share, was suspended amid leadership upheaval and dwindling computer-market share. According to a company filing, Apple's cash, equivalents and short-term investments dropped by about half, to $491 million, in the year through Sept. 29, 1995.

Highlighting its turnaround since that period, Apple has surpassed Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) as the world's most valuable company. The iPhone maker's market value is $560.4 billion, based on today's closing price. That compares with $410 billion for Exxon Mobil.

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