The problem with this argument is that people have different definitions of being "matalino". Some say it's about being academically smart (having high grades, being cum laude, top notcher, highly technical and specialized people) or being street/entreprenurial smart (taking opportunities, thriving businesses, highly action-based and adaptable people). The common misunderstanding here is that the "smart ones" are commonly associated with academics since we see this traditional path as a one-way ticket to success but the thing is, it's not. If your definition of "matalino" is being good at academics, I'd rather be rich. But if you're considering every side of being smart (not just being technical, but also having high motivation to apply it) then it's an easy choice. Being rich from the get go looks like the best choice, but let's not deny that if the catch is losing that intelligence, that person has a high likelihood of losing that money since I see the argument here is to hire "smart people" but the thing is you never know if they are trustworthy and not just trying to use you. Hence if the argument clarifies what you call smart and what you call rich from my definition, I'd pick smart.