The airline’s revenue climbed slightly, however, as the average fare increased almost $8 from a year ago.

Southwest said that bookings for the first three months of 2013 look strong. It said that based on bookings and ticket prices so far, a key revenue measure should rise by between 2 and 3 percent in January compared with the same month last year.

Although the rate of airfare increases has slowed since 2011, fares are still going up partly because airlines are limiting the number of flights, making seats more scarce. Southwest expects the industry as a whole to run about 1 to 2 percent fewer flights in early 2013 than in the same period last year.

Southwest, the nation’s fourth-biggest airline, will consider cramming more flights into the busier middle of the day and reducing daily flights on some routes that aren’t profitable enough.

“I hope what we have less of is eliminating nonstop service between city pairs but … that is a possibility,” said CEO Gary Kelly. He didn’t name the routes that could be affected.

On a conference call, analysts pressed Kelly on whether he might reverse Southwest’s “bags-fly-free” policy. Kelly said the policy helps his airline draw customers away from competitors — more than offsetting money lost by not charging fees — and that charging for bags now would damage the company’s image.

“Customers hate bag fees, so I think by definition there would be an impact to the brand,” he said.

Southwest reported fourth-quarter net income of $78 million, or 11 cents per share. That’s down from $152 million, or 20 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items such as fuel contracts, the net income would have been 9 cents per share, beating the 7-cents-per-share forecast among analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Revenue ticked up 1.6 percent to $4.17 billion but fell short of the $4.20 billion that analysts expected.

Expenses rose faster, however, by 3.1 percent. Labor costs rose and maintenance costs jumped significantly as the airline continued to overhaul the cabins inside many of its planes.

Spending on fuel, the airline’s biggest expense, rose a modest 0.7 percent. Southwest is forecasting a welcome drop in its first-quarter fuel bill, to $3.30 per gallon from $3.44.

The cost increases were still less than some analysts expected. Standard & Poor’s analyst Jim Corridore said he expects revenue to rise faster than most costs in 2013.

The average fourth-quarter fare on Southwest and its AirTran Airways subsidiary was $148.02, up 5.4 percent from $140.38 a year earlier.

Passengers flew 1.4 percent fewer miles on Southwest than a year earlier, and planes were less full — 79.6 percent occupancy, down from 80.5 percent.

Southwest earned $421 million in 2012, its 40th straight profitable year, a streak that Kelly called “a remarkable feat and a record unmatched in the airline industry.”

Southwest shares rose 3 cents to $11.39 in afternoon trading. They have gained about 50 percent since last August, rising along with other airline stocks. Investors have been encouraged by stronger financial performance at the airlines and the possibility that a potential merger of American Airlines and US Airways would increase the industry’s ability to raise fares.

Source – AP Dallas

IRS Tax Return Smartphone App

IRS2Go, the new App can be downloaded free of charge on iPhones and Androids, according to the IRS. When using the App, you will need some basic information to access your tax return status, such as Social Security number. According to the IRS, when you enter your Social Security number, it will be masked and encrypted for you, for security purposes.

With the above done it is then simply a matter of selecting the filing status that you used on your tax return and enter the amount of refund that you are expecting to receive.

If you used e-file, then the refund function on the App will work within 3 days after you have received your email acknowledgment from the IRS, that confirms they are in receipt of your return.

For those that have filed paper tax returns, the wait will be three to four weeks.

Earlier this month, TurboTax, the nation’s largest tax software provider, released a mobile application that allows taxpayers who file a 1040EZ to prepare and file their federal and state income taxes on their smartphones.

Nebraska Furniture Mart

Regional Retailer of the Year honors in hardware is given for its support of complete lines of all hardware categories and demonstrations of new technologies.

The Nebraska Furniture Mart is one of the largest home furnishing centers in the U.S. with sales of furniture, flooring, appliances and electronics. The store was founded in 1937 by Rose Blumkin in Omaha, Nebraska. She worked in the store until the incredible age of 103.

The Nebraska Furniture Mart now has three stores;

• The Omaha store is more than 420,000 square feet (39,000 m2) of retail area and is on 77 acres (310,000 m2) of land.

• The Kansas City, Kansas store can also be 420,000 square feet (39,000 m2) of retail space and is on 88 acres (360,000 m2) of land and sits across from the Kansas Speedway.

• The 3rd store is in Des Moines, Iowa and it is 24,000 square feet (2,200 m2) and sells appliances, flooring and televisions.

Tax Time does not need to be a Taxing Time

It can be pretty expensive to hire an accountant to prepare income tax. Some people pay over $250 each year for such services. This money ends up out of their annual income tax return. However, there are online services that allow tax preparation to be done cheaply online. There are also a variety of low cost software solutions as well you may wish to consider.

At TaxSlayer.com you can spend under $10 and file a 1040, 1040A and all other main forms. The also provide a way to find your tax refund with their allowance viewfinder.

TurboTax: Of course if you are really serious about getting your tax return sorted, quickly and with absolute minimum effort, then it would be worth your while considering a small investment and purchasing TaxTurbo.

There are several different versions of Turbo Tax available and it is very easy to quickly discover the right one for your individual requirements. I highly recommended reading over the details on the one that suits you, you will be amazed at what you actually get for your cash. TurboTax is a lot more than just a piece of software – It is a complete service.

Verizon

The new rules are also expected to be challenged soon by Republicans in Congress.

Verizon’s senior vice president and deputy general counsel, Michael Glover has said that his company is committed to preserving an open Internet, however the appeal comes after a “careful review” of the FCC order.

Michael Glover went on to state “We are deeply concerned by the FCC’s assertion of broad authority for sweeping new regulation of broadband networks and the Internet itself. We believe this assertion of authority goes well beyond any authority provided by Congress, and creates uncertainty for the communications industry, innovators, investors and consumers.”

Apple Stock

Apple’s stock opened for trading at $327.05 per share on Tuesday morning, which is a 5% drop from Fridays close. The stock did start to quickly rebound and was worth just over $336 a share at time of reporting.

Good strategy for Apple to make the announcement of Steve Jobs, absence on Monday, when the stock markets were closed due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I guess nearly a full day to absorb the news, rather than create any panic selling.

It is very likely that any shortfall in the price of Apple stock at close of business today will be quickly offset, after the company announces the quarterly earnings, after the markets close. Those earnings are expected to be well ahead of most analysts estimates.

TurboTax Premier

TurboTax Premier double-checks for accuracy to ensure your taxes are done right. It provides extra guidance for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, rental property income, expenses and refinancing. 5 Free Federal E-Files included and one TurboTax State download product–a $39.95 value.

TurboTax Premier Saves time by automatically importing your investment info directly from your financial institution. It walks you through reporting sales of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Automatically calculates capital gains/losses and keeps track of those that carry over to future tax returns.

TurboTax Premier finds your accurate purchase price for stock sales, in three easy steps. It Guides you through reporting sales and automatically determines your correct basis for selling shares purchased at different times or different prices.

TurboTax Premier shows you how to increase your 401(k) contribution without decreasing your take-home pay. It finds over 20 deductions for landlords, from travel to advertising to repairs to insurance. It simplifies reporting rental property depreciation and shows which depreciation method will get you the biggest tax deduction. It guides you through deducting points, appraisal fees, recording costs, and more so you don’t miss a single chance to save and shows you step by step how to set up new rental properties.

Use this link for more in depth information on what TurboTax Premier Federal can do for you;

Detroit Auto Show Has Lots to Offer

After the toughest period of bloodletting in the US car industry since the Great Depression, American car sales are gradually on the way back up. According to figures from Ward’s Automotive Group, last year’s US light vehicle sales were 11,554,576, up 11.1 per cent on 2009.

America’s big three car brands did even better, with combined total sales of 5,197,389. Break it down and that’s Fiat-owned Chrysler up 16.5 per cent, Ford up 19.5 per cent and General Motors, only recently back from bankruptcy, up 7.2 per cent.

The Chevrolet Volt was named the 2011 North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday.

The Volt, a type of hybrid that runs on electricity for 40 miles and then uses a four-cylinder gasoline engine as an electric generator to extend the range by an additional 300 miles for long trips, beat out the all-electric Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Sonata.

Ford’s redesigned Explorer crossover vehicle was named Truck of the Year. From the moment Ford CEO Alan Mulally drove onstage in a 2012 Ford Focus ST, the first of half a dozen new compact Ford models, it was all about small cars.

Hefner to Buyout Playboy

Hefner, 84, is offering to buy the Class A stock and Class B shares he doesn’t already own for $6.15 per share, representing an 18 percent premium over the Class B closing price of $5.20 a share on Jan. 7, the company said in a statement today. Hefner said in July he would pay $5.50 a share in cash for the stock.

The decision by a Playboy board committee to support Hefner ends a contest for control with FriendFinder Networks Inc., owner of Penthouse adult magazine, which in July said it would offer $210 million for Chicago-based Playboy. The board determined Hefner’s bid is in the company’s best interests, Sol Rosenthal, a board member, said in a statement.

Hefner is Playboy’s largest shareholder with about 70 percent of the company’s voting shares and 28 percent of the nonvoting stock.

The company’s namesake magazine has struggled with competition from the Web, losing readers and advertisers. In November the company reported a wider third quarter loss than a year ago as its revenue fell 7 percent to $52.1 million.

Playboy’s management has been trying to transform the company from a publishing and TV business into a “brand management” company, leaning more on revenue from licensing out the Playboy name and bunny ears for a range of products.

Progress Energy Taken Over by Duke Energy

Progress Energy employs roughly 4,000 people in Florida, Hughes said. There are roughly 1.6 million customers in the state.

Duke Energy, a Fortune 500 company based in Charlotte and traded on the New York Stock Exchange, is one of the largest electric power companies in the country, serving about 4 million customers in five states.

This deal and others coming especially in the energy sector seems to indicate a new thirst around the world for lager acquisitions and Merger.

Many of 2010’s biggest deals fell through, including BHP Billiton Ltd.’s $40 billion bid to buy Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. and Prudential Plc’s failed attempt to acquire American International Group Inc.’s Asian business for $35.5 billion. This year may be different because companies have available funding and are more willing to seize takeover opportunities, according to Jacques Buhart, head of M&A and restructuring at Herbert Smith LLP in Paris.

“There is going to be more pressure for companies to use the cash they have,” Buhart said. “Strategic companies have the capacity to borrow and there are a lot of assets that are available and that are cheap.”

Progress Energy serves roughly 639,000 customers in Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties.

There are approximately 1,200 employees in Tampa Bay, including 400 at its downtown St. Petersburg office and 250 at its Clearwater call center.