Sell Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock to fund a goal
Calculator · free · no signup · LUVNeed cash for a goal? Plan the minimum-tax schedule to sell your vested Southwest Airlines (LUV) shares and net a target amount by a target date, across tax years.
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Inputs
Your equity
One stack per ticker (current-employer RSUs, prior-employer holdings, index fund, etc.). Each stack has its own current price, growth assumption, and cost-basis lots.
Drives chance-of-shortfall · default 30%
Lots
Plan
Estimates only. Not financial advice.
Lock-in-now is deterministic (0%). Plans that wait depend on future prices; risk is near-zero when inventory comfortably exceeds the goal. Volatility: each stack's option-implied vol if a ticker is set, otherwise 30%. Lognormal model; real markets have fatter tails.
| Tax | $109,654 | $111,723 | $111,788 | $118,699 |
| Wealth @ target | $718,258 | $716,076 | $713,344 | $710,913 |
| Chance of shortfall | <0.1% | 0% | 1.7% | 3.3% |
Feasible
$400,027 net by 08/01/27
Total tax: $109,654 (federal $58,856, state $36,063, NIIT $14,736)
Schedule · Recommended
| Sale date | Shares | Tax | Net | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/26/26 | 4,088 | $351,349 | $360,067 | |
| 03/31/27 | 4 | $359 | $360,430 | |
| 04/30/27 | 32 | $2,891 | $363,340 | |
| 05/31/27 | 100 | $9,088 | $372,468 | |
| 06/30/27 | 100 | $9,141 | $381,631 | |
| 07/31/27 | 100 | $9,196 | $390,828 | |
| 08/01/27 | 100 | $9,199 | $400,027 |
Risk vs wealth
Each dot is a possible plan. Right is riskier, up is more wealth left over.
Trajectory of cash netted
Solid line = expected. Shaded band = 10th–90th percentile under price uncertainty.
After the plan
You keep 3,476 shares worth $410,758 at the projected target-date price, invested for the next decision.
You solved for a cash target. The beta optimizes your full portfolio across multiple goals and market scenarios, not just one funding need.
Request beta access →Related calculators: RSU Lot Order Calculator · Stock Concentration Calculator · RSU Sell-vs-Hold Calculator
About Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines (LUV) is a public Airline and Travel company, incorporated in Texas and headquartered in Dallas, TX.
Last close: $41.64 per share (as of 2026-10-01).
Equity grants at Southwest Airlines typically include restricted stock units (RSUs).
Herb Kelleher and Rollin King founded the airline in 1967, reportedly sketching the route triangle on a napkin, and it began flying in 1971 after litigation from incumbents. The model was deliberately simple: one aircraft type, no assigned seats, point-to-point routes, quick turnarounds, and no bag fees. It was profitable for decades until the pandemic. A December 2022 scheduling system collapse stranded passengers for days and prompted regulatory penalties, and activist pressure in 2024 pushed the airline toward assigned seating and premium rows. Headquarters are in Dallas.
Sources: southwest.com · en.wikipedia.org
Equity comp at Southwest Airlines
- RSUs use single-trigger vesting: shares become yours as each portion vests on schedule, and the value is taxed as ordinary income at that point. No IPO or acquisition is required.
Researched 2026-08-17.
OptionsAhoy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Southwest Airlines.
If you hold vested Southwest Airlines (LUV) shares and need a set amount of cash by a date (a house down payment, tuition, a sabbatical, a business buy-in), the question is which lots to sell and in which tax years to keep the most after tax. This calculator builds the minimum-tax sell schedule across your lots, accounting for federal long-term capital gains, the net investment income tax, and your state.
Example: a 5,000-share LUV position at $41.64 is worth $208,200. Say you need $150,000 of it for a house down payment by next spring. Selling enough shares all in one tax year can push the gain into the higher long-term capital-gains bracket and trigger the 3.8% net investment income tax; spreading the sale across two tax years often nets more. The calculator above finds the minimum-tax sell schedule across your specific lots, basis, goal, and date.
All Southwest Airlines tools → · Use the generic Stock Sale Funding Calculator for any company.
Southwest Airlines equity questions
- How much LUV stock do I sell to fund a goal without overpaying tax?
- It depends on your cost basis, your target amount and date, and how the sale spreads across tax years. Selling vested LUV shares triggers long-term capital-gains tax, plus the 3.8% net investment income tax and state tax above certain income, and bunching a large sale into one year can push the gain into a higher bracket. The calculator above builds the minimum-tax sell schedule across your lots to net your target amount by your date.
- Does Southwest Airlines grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
- Equity compensation at Southwest Airlines typically takes the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest.
- Do Southwest Airlines RSUs use double-trigger vesting?
- No. Southwest Airlines restricted stock units (RSUs) use single-trigger vesting: each tranche becomes yours as it vests on schedule, taxed as ordinary income at that point, with no liquidity event required.
One piece of the puzzle.
OptionsAhoy plans your Southwest Airlines equity alongside hedging, vesting, and de-concentration, across bullish, neutral, and bearish market scenarios. Free during beta.