Careers

As recently as five years ago, it appeared the McArthurs had a comfortable retirement waiting for them. John and Patsy, now both 63, are a North Carolina-based married couple who co-ran a construction company which, at the height of the housing boom, had total revenues of about $14 million and a staff of 60 people.

According to a recent article in The Atlantic, they planned to use that income to save for retirement, but then the housing bubble hit, and they had to sell the company.