Read the official page and record the date, write down the household's own facts, and obtain an assessment of the alternatives that might apply before any money moves.
The free steps come first and they are not wasted
There is a sequence that costs nothing and improves every subsequent decision. Read the government's material directly and save it with the date. Write down the household's facts: citizenship of each adult, current employment and business interests, each child's age, what assets exist and what deadline is driving the discussion.
Identify which established routes could apply on those facts, since a family considering a large payment often turns out to have an employment or investment route available that nobody had examined. Then obtain an assessment. If the eventual decision is to proceed with the Gold Card, all of that preparation is still useful because it documents the basis for the decision.
If it is not, the family has avoided an irreversible payment. Nothing about that sequence should be compressed because a third party says terms are changing.