I am seeking guidance from those who are well versed in GPU mining.
Hello, I would suggest you start your journey in the "Mining" section: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=14.0
Every question you will have has already been asked and answered. There are plenty of helpful people, threads and search tools to help you get started in the right direction; lucius pointed to a couple.
It's more "predictable" the further out you stretch the timeline. It has been a winning investment since it's inception. It's impossible to factor in growth, and a imagine a lot of miners look at their immediate losses as "hedged investments"
I'm not telling you that you will make money, because I'm rusty on the scene and never was an expert to begin with.
I remember someone saying something like "You didn't gain or lose money until you sell."