Bad luck? Or bad choices?

I have a co-worker. She's really a very nice, caring person. But everything she touches seems to go tremendously wrong. Repairs cost more than anticipated, or contractors run off with all her money and do nothing or leave work undone, or items purchased fall apart and fail dramatically. And it's not just once in a while, it seems like it's everything in her life that goes this way. I really do feel badly for her.

Sometimes, it looks as though it's just bad luck. She'll appear to do everything right: research, get several bids, talk to people and get recommendations, and she's always really excited. Then inevitably, something goes KAFLOOIE and she finds herself stuck in the midst of yet another mess with no sign of an easy way out.

At the same time, I can see how much of her predicament comes from the choices she makes in the first place. It stems from the people she chooses to hire, or from the items she deems necessary, or the way she deals with other people, and the advice she chooses to take or ignore.

So, here's my question for the day: do you know someone like this? Or someone who seems to have everything they touch turn to gold and go so far beyond expectations that it looks as though they can do no wrong? What do you think? Is it blind luck? Or is it a result of free will and the choices that the individual in question makes? Or is it something else entirely?

Inquiring minds want to know.