Show investment capital and operating costs separately from government fees, legal and professional service fees, and family or travel expenses, and confirm current official fees before committing to anything.
Do not label every expense as qualifying capital
Ask which costs are actually part of the investment analysis and which are unrelated preparation expenses. Review the contract's refund and cancellation terms independently, since a payment being significant for the household does not, by itself, establish that it meets the E-2 requirements.
Use separate columns for the commercial transaction, immigration preparation, and personal relocation. For a business cost, note whether it is bound by contract, refundable, already paid, or still optional; that distinction may matter more than the amount. Hypothetical example: a custom-orthotics workshop buyer counts a refundable landlord holding fee as though it were operating capital. The buyer should decide whether to renegotiate the commitment or leave it out of the investment analysis. There is no single E-2 price point: the capital must be substantial in context, committed to risk, and connected to a real enterprise that is not marginal.
The final budget should say plainly which costs remain optional when the application is prepared.