Based on the article about Microsoft's stock$-$repurchase plan and dividend announcement from September of $2019,$ please respond to the following:

$1)$ Assume you a Microsoft shareholder with a singular goal of using your Microsoft stock to fund your retirement. What do you prefer Microsoft do with its cash: a$)$ keep it to reinvest in the business; b$)$ use it to fund stock repurchases; or c$)$ use it to payout dividends to shareholders? Why?

$2)$ If you were not yet a Microsoft shareholder at the time of this article, but want to be and want to receive the $$0\mathrm{.}51$ per share dividend, by when $($i$.$e$.,$ by what date$)$ must you have purchase Microsoft stock?