If you're creating a list (with bullet points, numbers, etc.), you can have TextEdit do most of the work for you. Just enter the items in your list with a simple return between each item, like this:
Then highlight whatever you want to be in your list and go under the Format menu, under Text, and choose List. A palette will appear, where you can choose which type of bullet you want for your list from the Bullet/Number pop-up menu. If you choose a standard round bullet (for example), your list will now look like this:
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