Okay, let's tackle this math problem. We're starting with 557309 and subtracting 12901.

Step 1: We'll start by subtracting the digit 1 and the borrow 0 from 9 in column 1 and get 8.
8 is the first digit of our result.

Step 2: We'll start by subtracting the digit 0 and the borrow 0 from 0 in column 2 and get 0.
0 is the next digit of our result.

Step 3: We'll start by subtracting the digit 9 and the borrow 0 from 3 in column 3 and get -6.
We add -6 to 10 and get 4 as the next digit of the result.

Step 4: We'll start by subtracting the digit 2 and the borrow 1 from 7 in column 4 and get 4.
4 is the next digit of our result.

Step 5: We'll start by subtracting the digit 1 and the borrow 0 from 5 in column 5 and get 4.
4 is the next digit of our result.

Step 6: We'll start by subtracting the digit 0 and the borrow 0 from 5 in column 6 and get 5.
5 is the next digit of our result.

So, 557309 - 12901 = 544408.