Providence Steward

I was reading the EA journal, and came across an interesting statistic.

In, “The Importance of Credentials and Accountability”, Megan Killian writes:

“…There are hundreds of thousands of tax preparers in the marketplace, and only 43% are credentialed, according to data provided by the IRS in April 2026”.

Megan continues: “That means many taxpayers may be relying on preparers who are not subject to professional standards, continuing education requirements, or ethical oversight. For taxpayers, that can mean inconsistent service, preventable errors, and, in the worst cases, fraudulent or abusive practices. For tax precessional who hold themselves to a higher standard, it highlights the importance of credentials and accountability.”

I couldn’t agree with this more. Year after year I hear stories from new clients who have experienced the above mentioned issues because they chose to go with the cheaper alternative and ended up having to pay more in the long run to correct the problems created by the un-credentialed preparers.

Therefore, I urge everyone to verify credentials of their tax professional and use wise judgment on who to trust with your financial future.

Financial Checkup

With the end of June nearly here, we are rapidly moving through 2026!

This is a good time to have a glance at your financials and ensure the following items have been reviewed, considered and prepared for:

1) are you current with your estimated payments ?

2) how’s your profit looking thus far for the year?

3)Should you be taking preemptive action to reduce a possibly high tax balance?

4) Are you books caught up for the year ?

5) have I held my annual meeting and recorded said meeting?

Let’s stay on top of things now so as to not be scrambling come early next year.

Drop any questions or thoughts in the comments.

To everyone that has children, start saving up what you can now with $5,000 as your goal, per child.

In July, the Trump Account goes live and this can be critical to your child’s future!

The account can by funded by employers, family and friends. Capped at $5k a year combined per child.

At age 18, that can then be converted to a Roth ! Super powerful.

I have additional strategies to really make this a serious method to have your child have potentially millions by age 60~.

I am currently developing our firm's YouTube channel. What tax topics would you like to see explored in greater depth?

Providence Steward Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

🚨 Live Case Study-THIS JUST HAPPENED🚨

Officer.
Worked gigs all year.
Made solid money.

Did ZERO admin.

No books
No receipts
No mileage tracking
No estimated payments

Result?

💥 $20,000 tax bill
💥 7% penalty
💥 Forced into 2026 estimated payments starting in April

Total damage: $25,000+

All because he treated a BUSINESS like a side job.

Read that again.

👉 The IRS does NOT care that you’re busy
👉 The IRS does NOT care that you didn’t know
👉 The IRS WILL get paid

What they do reward?

✔️ Documentation
✔️ Strategy
✔️ Consistency

Mileage alone could’ve cut that bill down drastically.

Instead, laziness wrote a $25K check.

If you’re working off-duty gigs and not tracking your numbers…

You’re not saving time.
You’re building a future tax problem.

Folks, please don’t let this happen to you. Let us keep this from happening to you. We can save you 10’s of thousands by implementing simple strategies. Whatever you pay us WILL provide you with an ROI.

— Providence Steward
“Ascend to Prosperity”

📓The $5 Notebook That Can Save You Thousands in Taxes

One of the most overlooked — yet most important — tax records a taxpayer can keep is a mileage log.

Why does it matter so much?

Because your business-use percentage determines how much of your vehicle expenses you can legally deduct.

That percentage can affect deductions for things like:
• Fuel
• Repairs & maintenance
• Insurance
• Registration
• Depreciation
• Lease payments
• Even loan interest in some cases

If your mileage shows 60% business use, then generally 60% of those vehicle costs may be deductible.

But here’s the critical part:

The IRS requires documentation.

Without a mileage log showing:
✔ Date of trip
✔ Destination
✔ Business purpose
✔ Miles driven

…those deductions can be completely disallowed during an audit.

That means the difference between:
• Thousands of dollars in legitimate deductions

and

• Zero.

This is one of the simplest administrative habits you can build — and one of the most financially impactful.

A simple log, notebook, or mileage tracking app can literally protect thousands of dollars in deductions every year.

Providence Steward
Clarity. Compliance. Strategy.
Helping you Ascend to Prosperity.

The Tax Problem Nobody Warns LEO Contractors About

Nobody warns officers about this when they start working traffic or off-duty gigs:

You can make great money…
And still end up broke at tax time.

Because 1099 money is not paycheck money.

There’s no one automatically pulling:
• Federal tax
• Self-employment tax
• Sometimes state or local (depending on work locations)

We see it every year:
Officer works hard all year →
Bank account looks strong →
Tax bill shows up →
$8K – $20K surprise.

Not because they did anything wrong.
Because nobody showed them how contractor money actually works.

Smart contractors do 4 things early:
✔ Separate tax savings immediately
✔ Track mileage, gear, and required expenses
✔ Plan for quarterly payments (not just April)
✔ Work with someone who understands LEO side income structures

Traffic and off-duty work can change your financial future.
But only if you run it like a business — not like overtime.

Providence Steward
Built for those who work when others are driving home.
Strategy for real-world income.
Ascend to Prosperity.

Built for LEO & Traffic Control Contractors

If you work traffic gigs, escorts, off-duty security, or contract law enforcement work — read this.

Your taxes are not the same as:
❌ W-2 officers
❌ Traditional employees
❌ Generic 1099 “side hustle” workers

You’re dealing with things like:
• Multiple agencies or vendors issuing 1099s
• Equipment, uniforms, and gear deductions
• POV vs company vehicle usage
• Training and certification costs
• Retirement planning without department pensions
• Quarterly estimated taxes (that can sneak up fast)

We routinely see contractors get hurt by:
➡ Missing legitimate deductions
➡ Taking deductions they can’t defend
➡ Not planning for self-employment tax
➡ Mixing personal and gig finances
➡ Using preparers who don’t understand this industry

Traffic and off-duty work can be incredibly powerful income when structured correctly.
But it can become a tax nightmare when it’s not.

At Providence Steward, we don’t just “file returns.”
We help contractors:
✔ Stay compliant
✔ Reduce tax legally
✔ Plan cash flow around seasonality
✔ Build long-term wealth outside pension systems

You protect the public.
We help protect your financial future.

Providence Steward
Strategy for those who serve.
Built for real-world income.
Ascend to Prosperity.

The Difference Between Filing Taxes and Managing Risk

Two taxpayers. Same income. Same year.

Taxpayer A:
“Just file it.”

Taxpayer B:
“Explain it. Document it. Plan next year.”

Guess which one builds wealth faster?

Taxes are one of the largest lifetime expenses most people will ever have —
And most people spend more time researching TVs than tax professionals.

Smart taxpayers don’t ask:
“How cheap is tax prep?”

They ask:
“How exposed am I if this is wrong?”