Life Has Its Ups And Downs

Riddle: Four middle-aged people were reminiscing about their individual journeys through life. Two of them were college grads, and the other two were business people. The first was heard to say, "When I happened upon that uranium deposit, that's what started me off to a wealthy future." The second replied, "No such luck for me. I never recovered financially from that skunk-farm fiasco I inherited from my relative." The third person said, "If I hadn't taken revenge on my opponent and got all that money from him, I would probably have ended up in the poorhouse." Lastly, the fourth person responded, "Well, you two tycoons can celebrate your riches obtained in life, but that shrunken head collection I invested my money in, as well as my wasting my money on $5,000 toupees, raccoon coats, and buying a Rolls Royce which I couldn't afford, just about left me penniless." Surprisingly, these four people have one main thing in common. Can you identify what that one thing is, and can you explain how they became entangled in such bizarre events in life?