Compare the gift as an outflow with no assumed recovery against a commercial investment whose eventual return or loss is uncertain. EB-5 can also involve administrative and professional charges outside invested capital, so the difference is not captured by subtracting two headline figures. For Gold Card, include each person’s nonrefundable US$15,000 fee and the applicable gift, plus other expenses.
Price certainty separately from capital
Some households will pay more to avoid managing an enterprise, tracking obligations, or waiting on a return that may never arrive. That preference is legitimate, but it should be stated as a preference rather than disguised as a cheaper option. Write the two figures down side by side: money certainly gone, and money at risk with conditions attached.
Then decide which uncertainty the household would rather live with for years. Write the two figures side by side and label them honestly: money certainly gone, and money at risk with conditions attached. Some households will pay more to avoid managing an enterprise, tracking obligations, or waiting on a return that may never arrive, and that preference is legitimate provided it is stated as a preference rather than disguised as a cheaper option.
Compare the gift as an outflow with no assumed recovery against a commercial investment whose eventual return or loss is uncertain, and remember that the investment route can also carry administrative and professional charges outside the invested capital. Include each person's nonrefundable fee and applicable gift.